Fitting/manifold assembly and method for a heat exchanger

A fitting/manifold assembly for a heat exchanger, the assembly comprising:

• a manifold including a wall, the wall having a thickness and an aperture aperture extending through the thickness from an exterior of the manifold to an interior of the manifold, the aperture having a predetermined shape;
• a fitting including a body and a deformable nipple extending from the body, the nipple having an exterior surface, an interior surface, and a portion extended from the body a distance greater than said thickness of said wall, the nipple being deformable from a first shape to a second shape in the first shape the exterior surface of the nipple nominally conforms to the predetermined shape of the aperture to allow the nipple to be freely inserted into the aperture with the portion extending through the wall into the interior of the manifold, in the second shape said portion is enlarged to retain the nipple in the aperture, the fitting further including an opening extending through the body to allow access to the interior surface of the nipple by a deforming tool inserted through the opening to deform the nipple from the first shape to the second shape;
• and
• a brazed bond to form a sealed joint between the nipple and the aperture with the nipple deformed to the second shape.

A fitting/manifold assembly for a heat exchanger, the assembly comprising:

• a manifold including a wall, the wall having a thickness and an aperture extending through the thickness from an exterior of the manifold to an interior of the manifold, the aperture having a predetermined shape;
• and
• a fitting including a body and a deformable nipple extending from the body, the nipple having an exterior surface, an interior surface, and a portion extended from the body a distance greater than said thickness of said wall, the nipple being deformable from a first shape to a second shape, in the first shape the exterior surface of the nipple nominally conforms to the predetermined shape of the aperture to allow the nipple to be freely inserted into the aperture with the portion extending through the wall into the interior of the manifold, in the second shape said portion is enlarged to retain the nipple in the aperture, the fitting further including an opening extending through the body to allow access to the interior surface of the nipple by a deforming tool inserted through the opening to deform the nipple from the first shape to the second shape;
• wherein the nipple includes a closed end.