Heat exchanger

Abstract

The present invention relates to a heat exchanger including a tank having a depressed portion formed by bending a widthwise center portion concavely inward in a longitudinal direction, and partition walls disposed to be spaced apart from each other with the depressed portion interposed therebetween, and a header coupled to the tank and having a plurality of compartments separated in a width direction by the partition walls, and tube insertion holes into which tubes are inserted, in which the tank has a contact portion where the partition walls are in contact with each other in the width direction in at least a partial region in the longitudinal direction, and the tank includes a communication hole formed through the partition walls in the width direction at the contact portion to allow the plurality of compartments to communicate with one another, thereby easily forming a drain hole, through which condensate water may be discharged, in a widthwise center portion of the header tank without increasing the number of components in the header tank.

1 . A heat exchanger comprising:
 a tank having a depressed portion formed by bending a widthwise center portion concavely inward in a longitudinal direction, and partition walls disposed to be spaced apart from each other with the depressed portion interposed therebetween; and   a header coupled to the tank and having a plurality of compartments separated in a width direction by the partition walls, and tube insertion holes into which tubes are inserted,   wherein the tank has a contact portion where the partition walls are in contact with each other in the width direction in at least a partial region in the longitudinal direction, and the tank includes a communication hole formed through the partition walls in the width direction at the contact portion to allow the plurality of compartments to communicate with one another.   
     
     
         2 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein the tank further comprises a connection portion configured to connect the contact portion and the partition walls spaced apart from each other with the depressed portion interposed therebetween, and
 wherein the connection portion is formed such that an interval between the partition walls spaced apart from each other gradually decreases in a direction from the partition walls, which are spaced apart from each other, toward the contact portion.   
     
     
         3 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein a height of the contact portion of the tank is a height from a lower end of the depressed portion to a portion that excludes a round portion where a flat portion of an upper end of the tank is connected to the contact portion. 
     
     
         4 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein the header and the tank comprise through-holes formed through the depressed portion and a portion of the header facing the depressed portion so that an external space of the header and a concave space of the depressed portion of the tank communicate with each other. 
     
     
         5 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein the header has a concave portion formed concavely inward in a longitudinal direction of a widthwise center portion, and the concave portion of the header is in contact with and corresponds to the depressed portion of the tank. 
     
     
         6 . The heat exchanger of  claim 5 , wherein the header and the tank comprise through-holes formed through the concave portion and the depressed portion so that a concave space of the concave portion of the header and a concave space of the depressed portion of the tank communicate with each other. 
     
     
         7 . The heat exchanger of  claim 6 , wherein a first fixing portion protrudes toward the tank from a periphery of the through-hole formed in the concave portion of the header, and the first fixing portion of the header passes through the through-hole formed in the depressed portion of the tank and is bent in the longitudinal direction such that the concave portion of the header and the depressed portion of the tank are tightly attached to each other. 
     
     
         8 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein a second fixing portion extends from any one of the partition walls of the tank toward the inside of the communication hole, and the second fixing portion passes through the communication hole and is bent toward the other partition wall to surround the other partition wall such that the partition walls are tightly attached to each other in the width direction in which the partition walls face each other. 
     
     
         9 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein any one of the communication holes formed in the partition walls of the tank is formed to be smaller in size than the other communication hole, and a caulking portion passes from any one communication hole to the other communication hole among the communication holes and is bent to the outside of the communication hole, such that the partition walls are tightly attached to each other in the width direction in which the partition walls face each other. 
     
     
         10 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein the communication hole formed in the partition wall of the tank has a shape surrounded by the partition wall in all directions. 
     
     
         11 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein the communication hole formed in the partition wall of the tank is surrounded by the partition wall in three direction and opened at one side adjacent to the header. 
     
     
         12 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a baffle interposed between the header and the tank and configured to separate the plurality of compartments, which are internal spaces, in the longitudinal direction.   
     
     
         13 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein the contact portion where the partition walls are in contact with each other in the width direction is sealed as surfaces, which are in contact with each other while facing each other, are joined. 
     
     
         14 . A heat exchanger comprising:
 a first header tank having two rows formed by dividing an internal space into first and second compartments by coupling the header and the tank according to any one of claims  1  to  13 ;   a second header tank disposed to be spaced apart from the first header tank and having two rows formed by dividing an internal space in the width direction;   a plurality of tubes each having two opposite ends connected and fixed to the first header tank and the second header tank; and   heat radiating fins interposed between the tubes.   
     
     
         15 . The heat exchanger of  claim 14 , wherein an inlet port for a heat exchange medium, which communicates with the first compartment, is formed in a first row of the first header tank, a discharge port, which communicates with the second compartment, is formed in a second row of the first header tank, the first and second compartments, which are the internal spaces of the first header tank, are separated in longitudinal direction by a baffle interposed between the header and the tank, a first throttle, which decreases a cross-sectional area of the internal space, is formed in a first row of the second header tank at one longitudinal side based on the baffle, and a second throttle, which decreases a cross-sectional area of the internal space, is formed in a second row of the second header tank at the other longitudinal side based on the baffle. 
     
     
         16 . The heat exchanger of  claim 15 , wherein flow paths for the heat exchange medium, through which the heat exchange medium introduced through the inlet port of the first header tank is discharged to the discharge port of the first header tank, comprise:
 a first path through which the heat exchange medium flows from the first row of the first header tank to the first row of the second header tank;   a second path through which the heat exchange medium having passed through the first path flows from the first row of the second header tank to the first row of the first header tank;   a third path through which the heat exchange medium having passed through the second path flows from the second row of the first header tank to the second row of the second header tank while passing through the communication hole that connects the first and second rows of the first header tank; and   a fourth path through which the heat exchange medium having passed through the third path flows from the second row of the second header tank to the second row of the first header tank.