# US 2014/0196876 A1 · Header Tank, Heat Exchanger And Corresponding Method Of Assembly > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0196876 A1 - Document ID: US20140196876A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/232,213 - Filed: 2012-07-11 - Published: 2014-07-17 - Earliest claimed: 2011-07-12 - Assignees: Valeo Systemes Thermiques - Inventors: Christian Riondet - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140196876A1 ## CPC - F28F 9/02: Header boxes; End plates - B23P 15/26: heat exchangers {or the like (making heat exchangers by methods covered by other subclasses B21D53/02)} - F28F 9/001: {Casings in the form of plate-like arrangements; Frames enclosing a heat exchange core} - F28F 9/0226: {with resilient gaskets} - F28D 1/05366: {Assemblies of conduits connected to common headers, e.g. core type radiators} - Y10T 29/49373: Tube joint and tube plate structure - F28F: DETAILS OF HEAT-EXCHANGE AND HEAT-TRANSFER APPARATUS, OF GENERAL APPLICATION (water and air traps, air venting F16) - B23P: METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; COMBINED OPERATIONS; UNIVERSAL MACHINE TOOLS (arrangements for copying or controlling B23Q) - F28D: HEAT-EXCHANGE APPARATUS, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN ANOTHER SUBCLASS, IN WHICH THE HEAT-EXCHANGE MEDIA DO NOT COME INTO DIRECT CONTACT (fluid heaters having heat generating means and heat transferring means F24H; furnaces F27; details of heat-exchange apparatus of general) - Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION ## Abstract A header tank for a heat exchanger comprises a header plate (11) having openings (17) for the passage of a plurality of heat exchange tubes (5) and at least two end plates (7) on either side of the tubes (5), an elastic sealing means (13) arranged around the peripheral contour of the header plate (11), and a cover (15) having a cover base (25) which closes the header tank, thereby compressing the sealing means (13). The end plates (7, 107, 207) have, on the inside of the header plate (11, 111, 211), an axial extension of length (L′) greater than or equal to the height (h) of the sealing means (13, 113, 213). The sealing means (13, 113, 213) is arranged resting, under tension, against the end plates (7, 107, 207). The invention also relates to a heat exchanger comprising at least one such header tank, and to the method of assembling this heat exchanger. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A header tank for a heat exchanger, the header tank comprising: a header plate (11, 111, 211) having openings (17, 117, 217) for the passage of a plurality of heat exchange tubes (5, 105, 205) and at least two end plates (7, 107, 207) on either side of the tubes (5, 105, 205), an elastic sealing means (13, 113, 213) arranged around the peripheral contour of the header plate (11, 111, 211), and a cover (15) having a cover base (25) which closes the header tank, thereby compressing the sealing means (13, 113, 213), wherein the end plates (7, 107, 207) have, on the inside of the header tank, an axial extension (8, 108, 208) of length (L′) greater than or equal to the height (h) of the sealing means (13, 113, 213), and the sealing means (13, 113, 213) is arranged resting, under tension, against the end plates (7, 107, 207). ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A header tank according to claim 1, wherein the axial extension (8, 108, 208) of an end plate (7, 107, 207) inside the header tank has a length (L′) substantially equal to the length (L) of the core bundle that protrudes inside the header tank. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) A header tank according to claim 1, wherein the sealing means (13, 113, 213) comprises a gasket. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) A header tank according to claim 1, wherein the header plate (11, 111, 211) is substantially flat. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) A header tank according to claim 1, wherein the header plate (11, 111, 211) comprises a peripheral groove (127, 227) to house the sealing means (13, 113, 213). ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) A header tank according to claim 5, wherein the groove (127) has a bottom (129) and two flanges, an outer flange (121) and an inner flange (131), extending from the bottom (129), and wherein the inner flange (131) is fairly inclined with respect to the bottom (129). ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) A header tank according to claim 5, wherein the groove (227) is roughly U-shaped overall. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) A header tank according to claim 1, wherein the header plate (11, 111, 211) has at least two openings (17, 117, 217) respectively configured to accept both the ends of an end plate (7, 107, 207) and of the adjacent tube (5, 105, 205). ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) A header tank according to claim 1, wherein the header plate (11, 111, 211) has collars (19) bordering the openings (17, 117, 217). ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) A heat exchanger comprising a heat exchange core bundle (3, 103, 203) comprising a stack of parallel tubes (5, 105, 205) and of at least two end plates (7, 107, 207) of the stack which are parallel to the tubes (5, 105, 205), wherein the heat exchanger further comprises at least one header tank (1) according to claim 1 to which the tubes (5, 105, 205) and the end plates (7, 107, 207) are respectively fixed. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) A heat exchanger according to claim 10, wherein the end plates (7, 107, 207) are more or less straight and are respectively spaced apart from the adjacent tube (5, 105, 205) by a constant distance. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) A heat exchanger according to claim 10, wherein the end plates (7, 107, 207) are curved, so that the distance (d) between the end of an end plate (7, 107, 207) and the end of the adjacent tube (5, 105, 205) housed in the header plate (11, 111, 211) is substantially shorter than the distance (d′) between the plate (7, 107, 207) and the adjacent tube (5, 105, 205) on the outside of the header plate (11, 111, 211). ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) A method of assembling a heat exchanger according to claim 10, the method comprising the following steps: inserting the tubes (5, 105, 205) into the associated openings (17, 117, 217) in the header plate (11, 111, 211), inserting the end plates (7, 107, 207) into the associated openings (17, 117, 217) in the header plate (11, 111, 211), stretching the sealing means (13, 113, 213), and positioning the sealing means (13, 113, 213) under tension against the end plates (7, 107, 207).