Modine Manufacturing Company

Caterpillar Inc.

Charles James Rogers

Werner Zobel

Jens Nies

Bernhard Stephan

Thomas Feldhege

Zalman P Saperstein

James T Haasch

Siegfried Eisele

Peter Ambros

Robert F Poehlman, Jr

Roland Straehle

Henry Lukas

Raymond D Stratton

Rainer Kaesinger

Stanley F Meizelis, Jr

Claudia Sommer

A number of flat tubes, flat tube heat exchangers, and methods of manufacturing both are described and illustrated. The flat tubes can be constructed of one, two, or more pieces of sheet material. A profiled insert integral with the flat tube or constructed from another sheet of material can be used to define multiple flow channels through the flat tube. The flat tubes can be constructed of relatively thin material, and can be reinforced with folds of the flat tube material and/or of an insert in areas subject to higher pressure and thermal stresses. Also, the relatively thin flat tube material can have a corrosion layer enabling the material to resist failure due to corrosion. Heat exchangers having such flat tubes connected to collection tubes are also disclosed, as are manners in which such tubes can be provided with fins.

Flat tube, flat tube heat exchanger, and method of manufacturing same

Energy conservation may be increased and emission production reduced in a cooling system for the internal combustion engine (10) of a vehicle that includes a high temperature radiator (50) and a lower temperature radiator (38) aligned so that airflow will flow serially through the two, passing through the lower temperature radiator (38) before passing through the higher temperature radiator (50). A liquid cooled condenser (30) is in circuit with the lower temperature radiator (38) and provides condensed refrigerant to an evaporator (20). A compressor (34) is in circuit with the condenser (30) and the evaporator (20) to provide for air conditioning and a charge air cooler (42) for the vehicle engine (10) is located in series with the lower temperature radiator (38) and the refrigerant condenser (30) to provide for improved cooling of charge air. The vehicle engine 10 is in series with the high temperature radiator 50 as is a heater 14.

Vehicular cooling system and liquid cooled condenser therefor

The potential for leakage of CFCs, HCFCs, HFCs and HCs to the atmosphere as a result of leakage in vehicular refrigeration systems is reduced by employing conduits (42, 58 and 63) of relatively short length to interconnect closely grouped system components including a compressor (38), a condenser (44) and an evaporator (62). The condenser (44) includes a liquid flow path (46) in heat exchange relation with a refrigerant flow path (48) and the same is connected by conduit (52) to heat exchanger (36). The evaporator (62) also includes a liquid flow path (65) in heat exchange relation with a refrigerant flow path (60) and the same is connected by conduits (66, 67) to at least one heat exchanger (68, 69) remote from an engine compartment (22) in which the compressor (38), condenser (44) and evaporator (62) are housed. The close proximity of the components minimizes the charge of refrigerant required and thus reduces the amount of refrigerant that may potentially leak from the system.

Automotive refrigeration system requiring minimal refrigerant

Difficulty in heat exchanger module replacement and the cost of plural manifolds in a modular heat exchanger useful in heavy duty vehicles or the like is avoided in a construction that includes an elongated manifold (20) having spaced interior inlet and outlet channels (84, 86) along with a plurality of spaced inlet and outlet ports (68, 70) in fluid communication with respective ones of the inlet and outlet channels (84, 86). An elongated frame member (14) is spaced from and parallel to the manifold (22) and has a plurality of spaced retaining formations (42). A plurality of heat exchanger modules (12) are mounted between the frame member (14) and the manifold (20) in side by side relation and each module has spaced tanks (34, 36; 50, 52) with a plurality of finned tubes (30, 32) extending between and in fluid communication therewith. One tank (34, 36) has a mating retaining formation (40) for receipt within the retaining formation (42) in the frame member (14) while the other tank (50, 52) has inlet and outlet ports (62, 64) aligned with and in fluid communication with corresponding inlet and outlet ports (68 and 70) in the manifold (20). A baffle (60) is disposed in the tank (50, 52) between the inlet and outlet ports (62, 64) thereof.

Vehicular radiator and module construction for use in the same

Growing community of inventors

Racine, WI, United States of America

Charles James Rogers