Stacked/bar plate charge air cooler including inlet and outlet tanks

A heat exchanger comprising:

• an inlet tank having a fluid inlet port;
• an outlet tank having a fluid outlet port;
• a housing connecting the inlet tank and the outlet tank to at least partially define a first flow path between the inlet port and the outlet port;
• and
• a plurality of embossed plate pairs extending into the first flow path from and substantially perpendicular to a first wall of the housing, each plate pair defining a circuitous second flow path, the first flow path extending across each of the second flow paths;
• wherein said first wall of the housing comprises a plurality of elongated spacers interleaved with said plurality of embossed plate pairs;
• further comprising a corrugated fin structure positioned along the first flow path between two of the plate pairs, one of the plate pairs including a first plate at least partially bonded to said corrugated fin structure and an other of the plate pairs including a second plate at least partially bonded to said corrugated fin structure;
• wherein the plurality of embossed plate pairs are spaced away from a second wall of the housing opposite said first wall to accommodate differences in thermal expansion between the plurality of embossed plate pairs and the housing;
• and
• wherein at least one convolution of the corrugated fin structure is placed in a compressed state by contact with the second wall of the housing.

A method of assembling a charge air cooler, the method comprising the acts of:

• embossing a plurality of plates, the plates defining a coolant inlet port and a coolant outlet port, the coolant inlet port in fluid communication with a coolant inlet tank and the second outlet port in fluid communication with a coolant outlet tank;
• stacking the plurality of plates in plate pairs such that embossments of each plate pair at least partially define a coolant flow path;
• interleaving a plurality of elongated spacers between the plate pairs such that each of the spacers extends at least partially along an edge of one of the plates and at least partially around the coolant inlet port and the coolant outlet port;
• locating the stack of plate pairs between a top housing plate and a bottom housing plate;
• securing a charge air inlet tank to the top plate, the bottom plate and the elongated spacers to receive charge air and to distribute the charge air to flow paths defined between adjacent plate pairs;
• and
• securing a charge air outlet tank to the top plate, the bottom plate and the elongated spacers to receive the charge air from the flow paths.

A method of assembling a charge air cooler, the method comprising the acts of:

• embossing a plurality of plates;
• stacking the plurality of plates in plate pairs such that embossments of each plate pair at least partially define a coolant flow path;
• interleaving a plurality of elongated spacers between the plate pairs;
• locating the stack of plate pairs between a top housing plate and a bottom housing plate;
• securing a charge air inlet tank to the top plate, the bottom plate and the elongated spacers to receive charge air and to distribute the charge air to flow paths defined between adjacent plate pairs;
• and
• securing a charge air outlet tank to the top plate, the bottom plate and the elongated spacers to receive the charge air from the flow paths
• wherein the elongated spacers are located along a first edge of the stack of plate pairs, the method further comprising the acts of:
• locating a side plate adjacent a second edge of the stack of plate pairs opposite the first edge;
• securing the side plate to the top plate and the bottom plate;
• securing the charge air inlet tank to the side plate;
• and
• securing the charge air outlet tank to the side plate;
• and
• further comprising positioning a corrugated fin between two of the plate pairs and along the charge air flow path, wherein locating the side plate includes compressing at least one convolution of the corrugated fin.