Heat exchanger

Abstract

The invention relates to a novel heat exchanger with a plurality of basic heat exchanger bodies, comprising flat heat exchange tubes—connecting at least one supplying or distributing pipe and at least one discharging or collecting pipe to one another, able to be flowed through by a liquid and/or gaseous heat exchange medium, equipped on the outside with heat exchange fins and arranged parallel to one another —, the distributing pipe and the collecting pipe being formed as elongate, tank-shaped hollow distributing and diverting and collecting and diverting bodies which are equipped with at least one supply line and/or discharge line for the heat exchange medium and in which there is arranged or can be arranged in each case a diverting chamber insert with a plurality of distributing and collecting chambers that are identical to one another for supplying partial streams of medium on a quantitatively individual basis to the heat exchange tubes and for discharging the medium from the heat exchange tubes, and the walls bounding said chambers bearing against the inner wall surfaces of the hollow distributing and diverting and collecting and diverting bodies, characterized in that the distributing and collecting chambers, respectively arranged such that they are spaced apart from one another, being formed as diverting chambers ( 7, 7 ′) for the heat exchange medium (wtm, wtm′), which are respectively attached to the outlet opening ( 102 ) of one ( 10, 10 ′) of the heat exchange tubes ( 10, 10′, 10 ″) and to the inlet opening ( 101 ) of a next heat exchange tube ( 10′, 10 ″), or one which is respectively neighboring the same, respectively connect these two heat exchange tubes ( 10, 10′; 10′, 10 ″) hydraulically to one another and furthermore at least bear with their respective bounding wall ( 70, 70 ′) in each case against the inner wall surfaces ( 401, 402 )—the cnes having the heat exchange tubes opening into them and the two lateral ones—of the hollow distributing and diverting body ( 4 ) and the hollow collecting and diverting body ( 4 ′) and are enclosed altogether by said bounding wall ( 70, 70 ′) and by said hollow body inner wall surfaces ( 401, 402 ), and in that they divert the heat exchange medium (wtm) flowing through them respectively from one heat exchange tube ( 10, 10 ′) into a next one or into the respectively neighboring heat exchange tube ( 10′, 10 ″) substantially by 180°, for instance in the form of a half-circle, C or U. It also relates to the soldering of devices, pipes and/or components preferably provided for the novel heat exchanger.

1 - 20 . (canceled)  
   
   
       21 . A heat exchanger, comprising: 
 at least one supplying or distributing pipe and at least one discharging or collecting pipe; 
 a basic heat exchanger body formed of flat heat exchange tubes connecting said supplying or distributing pipe and said discharging or collecting pipe to one another, said head exchange tubes being formed to carry therein a heat exchange medium in liquid and/or gaseous phase, and having heat exchange fins on an outside thereof disposed parallel to one another;  
 said distributing pipe and said collecting pipe being formed as elongate, tank-shaped hollow distributing and diverting and collecting and diverting bodies equipped with at least one supply line and/or discharge line for the heat exchange medium and each configured to receive therein a diverting chamber insert with a plurality of mutually identical distributing and collecting chambers for supplying partial streams of medium on a quantitatively individual basis to said heat exchange tubes and for discharging the medium from said heat exchange tubes, said chambers having bounding walls bearing against inner wall surfaces of said hollow distributing and diverting and collecting and diverting bodies;  
 said distributing and collecting chambers, respectively spaced apart from one another, defining diverting chambers for the heat exchange medium (wtm, wtm′), said diverting chambers being respectively connected to an outlet opening of one of said heat exchange tubes and to an inlet opening of a respectively neighboring heat exchange tube, fluidically connecting said two heat exchange tubes to one another and bearing with a respective bounding wall thereof in each case against the inner wall surfaces of said hollow distributing and diverting body and said hollow collecting and diverting body, and being enclosed altogether by said bounding wall and by said hollow body inner wall surfaces, and said diverting chambers diverting the heat exchange medium (wtm) flowing through them respectively from one heat exchange tube into a respectively neighboring heat exchange tube substantially by 180°.  
   
   
   
       22 . The heat exchanger according to  claim 21 , wherein said diverting chambers are configured to divert the heat exchange medium in a half-circle, a C-form, or a U-form.  
   
   
       23 . The heat exchanger according to  claim 21 , wherein a plurality of or all of said medium diverting chambers, or said bounding walls thereof, are connected to one another by way of connecting struts of a substantially rigid diverting chamber insert configured to be inserted into said hollow distributing and diverting body and into said hollow collecting and diverting body.  
   
   
       24 . The heat exchanger according to  claim 23 , wherein said substantially rigid diverting chamber insert is configured to be pushed into said hollow distributing and diverting body and into said hollow collecting and diverting body.  
   
   
       25 . The heat exchanger according to  claim 21 , wherein said medium diverting chambers are divided by way of a dividing wall, septum or the like-preferably formed by the connecting struts of the diverting chamber insert or by part thereof and extending in the direction of the longitudinal extent of the diverting chamber insert.  
   
   
       26 . The heat exchanger according to  claim 21 , wherein said diverting chamber inserts are formed transversely to the longitudinal extent in such a way that they are substantially conformal in cross section or contour either with the entire inner cross section of the hollow distributing and diverting body and the hollow collecting and diverting body or at least with a part of the same arranged in the vicinity of the inner wall having the heat exchange tubes, and can be inserted or are inserted, in particular can be pushed or are pushed, into the hollow distributing and diverting body and hollow collecting and diverting body.  
   
   
       27 . The heat exchanger according to  claim 21 , wherein an inner cross section of said hollow distributing and diverting body and said hollow collecting and diverting body and a cross section or a contour of the diverting chambers or of said diverting chamber insert has a substantially square or rectangular form, optionally with rounded corners.  
   
   
       28 . The heat exchanger according to  claim 21 , wherein, for the fluid medium-tight termination of the open ends of the hollow distributing and diverting body and the hollow collecting and diverting body, terminating elements having a cross section corresponding to the inner cross section of the same and preferably soldered in there, in particular plug modules or cap modules or else attaching elements, are provided, one of which elements in each case has a medium supply and the other a medium discharge pipe stub.  
   
   
       29 . The heat exchanger according to  claim 21 , wherein medium diverting chambers or a diverting chamber insert are or is arranged in the hollow distributing and diverting body, the contour of which chambers or insert substantially takes up a partial cross-sectional region that is made to face or assigned to the inlet and outlet openings of the heat exchange tubes in the hollow distributing and diverting body and preferably amounts to approximately 40 to 60% of its inner cross-sectional area, and in that the remaining partial cross-sectional region forms a medium discharge channel for the heat exchange medium flowing through the heat exchange tubes and the medium diverting chambers of the hollow collecting and diverting body and finally leaving the same and being passed (returned) into said medium discharge channel in the hollow distributing and diverting body.  
   
   
       30 . The heat exchanger according to  claim 21 , wherein a heat insulating layer or the like is arranged in the hollow distributing and diverting body, having the medium discharge channel, between the bounding walls of the diverting chambers or between the diverting chamber insert and the medium discharge channel or its channel dividing wall, separating it from the diverting chamber insert.  
   
   
       31 . The heat exchanger according to  claim 21 , wherein, for the fluid medium-tight termination of three open ends of the hollow distributing and diverting body and the hollow collecting and diverting body, closure elements having a cross section corresponding to the inner cross section of the same and preferably soldered in there, are provided, and furthermore only one attaching element, which has both a medium supply and a medium discharge pipe stub.  
   
   
       32 . The heat exchanger according to  claim 31 , wherein said closure elements are plug modules.  
   
   
       33 . The heat exchanger according to  claim 21 , which comprises a plurality of tube series, formed with an uneven number, at least three, of mutually neighboring heat exchange tubes that are hydraulically connected to one another via diverting chambers, respectively alternating and arranged offset in relation to one another, in the hollow distributing and diverting body and in the hollow collecting and diverting body, the first heat exchange tube of a tube series in each case opening into the hollow distributing and diverting body and the last heat exchange tube of the same opening into the hollow collecting and diverting body for the heat exchange medium.  
   
   
       34 . The heat exchanger according to  claim 21 , wherein both in the hollow distributing and diverting body and in the hollow collecting and diverting body, medium diverting chambers or a diverting chamber insert are or is respectively arranged, the contour of which chambers or insert substantially take or takes up a partial cross-sectional region that is made to face or assigned to the inlet and outlet openings of the heat exchange tubes in the hollow distributing and diverting body and in the hollow collecting and diverting body and preferably amounts in each case to approximately 40 to 60% of the inner cross-sectional area, and in that the remaining partial cross-sectional region of the two hollow bodies respectively forms an inflow channel with inflow openings, respectively arranged at a distance from one another, for the heat exchange medium into the respectively first heat exchange tubes of the tube series and outflow channel with outflow openings, respectively arranged at a distance from one another, for the outflow of the heat exchange medium from the respectively last heat exchange tubes of the tube series.  
   
   
       35 . The heat exchanger according to  claim 34 , wherein said inflow and outflow openings in said inflow channel and in said outflow channel are respectively arranged between the bounding walls of the medium diverting chambers or their outer sides, substantially in a position in front of the inlet openings of the first heat exchange tubes and in front of the outlet openings of the last heat exchange tubes of the tube series.  
   
   
       36 . The heat exchanger according to  claim 35 , wherein said inflow channel and said outflow channel are respectively formed by a dividing wall that bears against said diverting chamber insert, on both sides respectively bears laterally against the lateral inner walls of the hollow distributing and diverting body and of the hollow collecting and diverting body and is preferably formed by the cross bar of a T profile, the vertical bar of which is supported on the inner wall, remote from the heat exchange tube, of the hollow distributing body and hollow collecting body.  
   
   
       37 . The heat exchanger according to  claim 21 , wherein the individual diverting chamber insert is formed on the basis of a T profile, the vertical bars of which respectively bear against the base wall of the distributing and diverting cavity and the collecting and diverting cavity, where the inlet and outlet openings of the heat exchange tubes are located, and the cross bar of which respectively reaches on both sides laterally as far as the lateral inner walls of the hollow distributing and diverting body and the hollow collecting and diverting body, and in that, for the formation of the bounding walls of the medium diverting chambers, at intervals—corresponding respectively to the intervals from one another of mutually neighboring heat exchange tubes to be hydraulically connected to one another—the T horizontal bar is respectively cut into, punched into or the like transversely as far as the T vertical bar and then along the same while leaving an arcuate web, and the cross-bar lugs formed in this way are curved or bent concavely or arcuately in a direction until they bear with their free ends against the base of the hollow distributing and diverting body and the hollow collecting and diverting body, or up to the foot end of the T vertical bar, thereby forming the bounding wall of the diverting chambers, having the form of a diverting arc.  
   
   
       38 . The heat exchanger according to  claim 21  configured to be charged with a coolant or cooling fluid that cools greatly on expansion, that can readily evaporate and is under pressure, as the heat exchange medium, wherein expansion nozzles extending from a distributing cavity that can be supplied with the envisaged heat exchange medium wtm, in particular cooling medium, protrude into the heat exchange tubes and arranged in the same, respectively above the nozzles, are evaporation chicanes, formed with preference integrally from sheet metal and preferably substantially roof-like, equipped with distributing openings and louvers.  
   
   
       39 . The heat exchanger according to  claim 21 , wherein, for a modular, sequential and/or serial fluid medium-tight combination of two or more hollow distributing and diverting and collecting and diverting bodies with one another or for the supply and disposal of heat exchange medium of a number of sequentially and/or serially arranged heat exchangers together, fluid-tight terminating connecting elements, attaching connecting elements, attaching elements with medium ducts or terminating elements, preferably in the form of plugs and respectively having the outer contour or inner contour corresponding to the inner cross section or the outer cross section of said hollow bodies are fitted in or on, preferably soldered in or on, into the openings of said hollow bodies or onto the same.  
   
   
       40 . The heat exchanger according to  claim 21 , wherein hollow distributing and diverting and collecting and diverting bodies, heat exchange tubes, diverting chamber inserts, dividing profiles and all the attaching, connecting and terminating elements as well as supply and discharge pipe stubs are produced from aluminum or from an aluminum alloy and these components, with the exception of the diverting chamber inserts and the dividing profiles, are connected to one another, preferably by means of soldering, in a material-integral and fluid medium-tight manner.  
   
   
       41 . A method for connecting workpieces in a fluid-tight manner, which comprises: 
 providing a two-phase or multi-phase soldering metal system having, as a primary component, a respective soldering metal forming a matrix and having embedded in the matrix fine particles of an inorganic abrasive material that can be wetted with the soldering metal melt or with the eutectic soldering metal/aluminum melt forming during the soldering operation, that breaks a superficial aluminum oxide skin by creeping under it, that is insoluble in the metal melt and has a non-metal or semi-metal character, from the group of silicates, hard substances based on transition metal carbides and/or nitrides, or spinels;    introducing the soldering metal system between topographical regions of the workpieces to be soldered to one another, that are heated to a temperature at or above a melting temperature of the soldering metal;    after appropriate relative positioning of the workpieces, to be soldered relative to one another, pressing the workpieces against one another with simultaneous application of pressure and relative displacement by small distances in a range from 0.05 to 1 mm with at least one of a linear, rotating, and oscillating movement, rubbing against one another with surface contact;    just prior to being soldered, bringing the surfaces of the workpieces to be connected to one another into a metal-blank state by mechanical means, by removing a surface oxide film;    wherein the two-phase or multi-phase soldering metal system is one of the following: 
 a) a soldering metal strip produced by multiple longitudinal folding of a strip-like foil of the soldering metal, which is to be introduced or is introduced into a gap provided for the soldering connection between the devices and/or pipes to be connected, with a tubular space extending substantially along its longitudinal middle zone (MZ) between the two outer flanks (AF) connected to one another on both sides of the middle zone along the two edge zones, of the strip by seal welding or cold welding, which space is filled with the particles of the abrasive material; or  
 b) a strip-shaped soldering metal foil, into which a multiplicity of particles of the abrasive material that break the oxide skin and can be wetted with soldering metal or eutectic melt, are introduced, in particular rolled, from one or both sides; or  
 c) a paste comprising particles of the soldering metal uniformly distributed in a fluid or oil evaporating substantially without any residue at temperatures up to a maximum of 250° C. and particles of the abrasive material that break the oxide skin and can be wetted with metal melt, wherein: 
 the soldering metal particles have a particle size of from 0.05 to 0.5 mm, with preference from 0.1 to 0.3 mm; and  
 a quantity ratio of soldering metal to abrasive material particles that break the oxide skin and can be wetted with metal melt being between 3:1 and 30:1, with preference between 5:1 and 10:1.  
 
   
   
   
       42 . The method according to  claim 41 , wherein: 
 the relative movement of the workpieces to be connected material-integrally to one another by the soldering metal, is generated by optionally rotating stroke, impact or shock wave on at least one of the same with simultaneous exertion of a pressure; or    by oscillating relative movement of the workpieces to be connected material-integrally to one another by way of the soldering metal by means of ultrasound acting on at least one of the same, with preference with a frequency of between 25 and 50 kHz.    
   
   
       43 . The method according to  claim 42 , wherein the soldering metal strip filled in a longitudinal middle zone thereof with the abrasive material particles, according to variant a) thereof, is manufactured by longitudinal folding of a strip foil to form a cross-sectional shape substantially corresponding to the letter W, with a W middle part folded one or more times in a zigzag manner arranged between its outer flanks, the two W outer flanks protruding above the middle part of the W, after which the two W outer flanks are pressed together to the height of the W middle part and the W middle part lying between them is itself pressed together in a first stage to a Y cross-sectional shape, which is then introduced in a second stage over the entire strip length into the angular space between the two arms reaching up obliquely away from each other of the Y strip, thereby forming a powder strand of the abrasive material particles, after which, in a third stage, the two obliquely reaching up Y arms are pressed against one another in a material-compacting manner, thereby forming a soldering metal strip having a bulge of its middle zone filled with the abrasive material particles.