Heat exchanger arrangement particularly for motor vehicle

Abstract

A heat exchange arrangement for a vehicle has at least two heat exchangers exposed to the action of ambient air. One of the heat exchanger is coolant cooler and the other one is a charge-air coolant. Each of these coolers has tubes through which liquid or gas flows and heat dissipating ribs connected to the tubes. The coolant cooler is positioned upstream of the charge-air cooler in the air-flow direction. The charge-air cooler has an overlapping region in which the coolant cooler and the charge-air cooler overlap one another and a non-overlapping region in which the coolant cooler projects substantially perpendicularly to the cooling air flow direction. The non-overlapping region is formed at least in the charge-air outlet region and is cooled directly by ambient cooling air. The overlapping region is cooled by the ambient cooling air that has passed through the coolant cooler, which is positioned immediately upstream of the overlapping region of the charge-air cooler.

1 - 3 . (canceled)  
   
   
       4 . A heat exchanger arrangement comprising: 
 a coolant cooler exposed to ambient air and comprising a plurality of tubes through which coolant to be cooled flows and heat dissipating ribs connected to the tubes; and    a charge-air cooler exposed to ambient air and comprising a plurality of tubes through which hot charge air flows and heat dissipating ribs connected to the tubes, the charge-air cooler having a charge-air inlet region from which hot charge air is introduced and a charge-air outlet region from which cooled charge air exits,    wherein the charge-air cooler is positioned downstream of the coolant cooler relative to a direction of cooling air flow,    wherein the charge-air cooler has an overlapping region in which the coolant cooler and the charge-air cooler overlap one another and a non-overlapping region in which a portion of the charge-air cooler projects substantially perpendicularly to the cooling air flow direction, beyond the coolant cooler,    wherein the non-overlapping region is formed at least in the charge-air outlet region and is cooled directly by ambient cooling air,    wherein the overlapping region is cooled by ambient cooling air that cools the coolant cooler, and    wherein the charge-air cooler and the coolant cooler have substantially the same surface area size and are offset with respect to one another perpendicularly to the air-flow direction.    
   
   
       5 . A heat exchanger arrangement comprising: 
 a coolant cooler exposed to ambient air and comprising a plurality of tubes through which coolant to be cooled flows and heat dissipating ribs connected to the tubes; and    a charge-air cooler exposed to ambient air and comprising a plurality of tubes through which hot charge air flows and heat dissipating ribs connected to the tubes, the charge-air cooler having a charge-air inlet region from which hot charge air is introduced and a charge-air outlet region from which cooled charge air exits,    wherein the charge-air cooler is positioned downstream of the coolant cooler relative to a direction of cooling air flow,    wherein the charge-air cooler has an overlapping region in which the coolant cooler and the charge-air cooler overlap one another and a non-overlapping region in which a portion of the charge-air cooler projects substantially perpendicularly to the cooling air flow direction, beyond the coolant cooler,    wherein the non-overlapping region is formed at least in the charge-air outlet region and is cooled directly by ambient cooling air,    wherein the overlapping region is cooled by ambient cooling air that cools the coolant cooler, and    wherein the charge-air cooler has a smaller surface area than the coolant cooler and the charge-air cooler and the coolant cooler are offset with respect to one another perpendicularly to the air-flow direction.    
   
   
       6 - 11 . (canceled)  
   
   
       12 . A heat exchanger arrangement comprising: 
 a coolant cooler exposed to ambient air and comprising a plurality of tubes through which coolant to be cooled flows and heat dissipating ribs connected to the tubes: and    a charge-air cooler exposed to ambient air and comprising a plurality of tubes through which hot charge air flows and heat dissipating ribs connected to the tubes, the charge-air cooler having a charge-air inlet region from which hot charge air is introduced and a charge-air outlet region from which cooled charge air exits,    wherein the charge-air cooler is positioned downstream of the coolant cooler relative to a direction of cooling air flow,    wherein the charge-air cooler has an overlapping region in which the coolant cooler and the charge-air cooler overlap one another and a non-overlapping region in which a portion of the charge-air cooler projects substantially perpendicularly to the cooling air flow direction, beyond the coolant cooler,    wherein the non-overlapping region is formed at least in the charge-air outlet region and is cooled directly by ambient cooling air,    wherein the overlapping region is cooled by ambient cooling air that cools the coolant cooler, and    wherein the non-overlapping region of the charge-air cooler has a greater depth in the air-flow direction than the overlapping region.    
   
   
       13 - 15 . (canceled)  
   
   
       16 . A heat exchanger arrangement comprising: 
 a coolant cooler exposed to ambient air and comprising a plurality of tubes through which coolant to be cooled flows and heat dissipating ribs connected to the tubes,    a charge-air cooler exposed to ambient air and comprising a plurality of tubes through which hot charge air flows and heat dissipating ribs connected to the tubes the charge-air cooler having a charge-air inlet region from which hot charge air is introduced and a charge-air outlet region from which cooled charge air exits; and    at least one additional heat exchanger,    wherein the charge-air cooler is positioned downstream of the coolant cooler relative to a direction of cooling air flow,    wherein the charge-air cooler has an overlapping region in which the coolant cooler and the charge-air cooler overlap one another and a non-overlapping region in which a portion of the charge-air cooler projects substantially perpendicularly to the cooling air flow direction, beyond the coolant cooler,    wherein the non-overlapping region is formed at least in the charge-air outlet region and is cooled by ambient cooling air that does not pass through the coolant cooler,    wherein the overlapping region is cooled by ambient cooling air that cools the coolant cooler, and    wherein said at least one additional heat exchanger is integrated with at least one of the charge-air cooler and coolant cooler and arranged downstream of and at least partially overlapping the non-overlapping region of the charge-air cooler.    
   
   
       17 . A heat exchanger arrangement according to  claim 16 , wherein the additional heat exchanger is adapted to be connected to a coolant circuit that is separate from the charge-air cooler and the coolant cooler.  
   
   
       18 . A heat exchanger arrangement according to  claim 16 , wherein the additional heat exchanger is connected to the coolant cooler in a common coolant circuit.  
   
   
       19 . A heat exchanger arrangement according to  claim 18 , wherein the additional heat exchanger adapted to further decrease the temperature of the coolant.  
   
   
       20 . A heat exchanger arrangement according to  claim 17 , wherein the additional heat exchanger is an exhaust-gas heat exchanger.