US 4,923,004 A · Comfort heat exchanger

Abstract

A heat exchanger, especially a heat exchanger in the form of a comfort heat exchanger, is disclosed. The heat exchanger is comprised of two manifold elements adapted to receive and discharge fluid, and a plurality of tube units transversely located between the manifolds, each tube unit being integrally connected to substantially rigid end elements that fit into the manifolds. The tubes are preferably oriented and expanded to about their original diameter. The heat exchanger is intended to be fabricated from polymer, especially polyamide compositions. The tube units are intended to be manufactured using injection moulding techniques, and then subjected to orientation and expansion steps. Parts fabricated during manufacture of the heat exchangers are also disclosed. The heat exchangers are particularly intended for use as comfort heat exchangers in automobiles.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A device manufactured from a thermoplastic polymer, said device essentially comprising a plurality of transverse parallel hollow tubes integrally connected by a radiused and flared integral junction at each end to a substantially rigid end element, each of said end elements having planar sides and opposing faces, the tubes being internally connected to one face of each end element, said end elements having orifices therein extending between said opposite faces and being in fluid flow communication with said hollow tubes, and the hollow tubes having been oriented to increase the length thereof by at least two times and to obtain an internal diameter of at least 0.5 times that of the tubes prior to orientation, the walls of said tubes between the integral junctions being of substantially uniform thickness.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Comfort heat exchanger

Life of this patent

Comfort heat exchanger

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims18