Modine Manufacturing Company

Modine Manufacturing

Norman F Costello

Dennis C Granetzke

Leon A Guntly

Scott R Larrabee

Neal A Cook

Russell C Awe

Gregory G Hughes

Zalman P Saperstein

Jeffrey Alan Logic

Homer D Huggins

Z Philip Saperstein

Stephen S Kao

Rodney A Struss

Dean A Arneson

An evaporator is made up of a plurality of heat exchange modules each in turn made up of an elongated lower header of non rectangular cross section and having a plurality of tubes mounted by the header along its length and extending therefrom in side by side relation. The tubes in the direction transversely of the header are stacked and assembled together with the lower headers in sealing abutment with each other and defining upwardly opening channels Sets of serpentine fins can extend between adjacent tubes in each module and/or between the plurality of modules.

Evaporator with improved condensate collection

An improved condenser for use in air conditioning or refrigeration systems. A pair of spaced headers have a plurality of tubes extending in hydraulic parallel between them and each tube defines a plurality of hydraulically parallel, fluid flow paths between the headers. Each of the fluid flow paths has a hydraulic diameter in the range of about 0.015 to about 0.04 inches. Preferably, each fluid flow path has an elongated crevice extending along its length to accumulate condensate and to assist in minimizing film thickness on heat exchange surfaces through the action of surface tension. Heat exchange surfaces may also be provided with microcracks or channels to enhance heat transfer.

Condenser with small hydraulic diameter flow path

A combination radiator and oil cooler including a elongated tubular header 10 having a generally cylindrical cross section with an interior 14 defining a liquid side and an exterior 22 defining an air side. A plurality of elongated parallel tubes 12 are joined to the header 10 at one side thereof and fins 16 extended between the tubes 12. A saddle element 24 is disposed on the header 10 oppositely of the tubes 12 and has a periphery 28, 56, joined to the exterior 22 and an internal section 30, 58, bounded by the periphery 28, 56 and spaced from the exterior 22 to define an oil space 32, 60. An inlet fixture 34 and an outlet fixture 36 are secured to the saddle element 24 oppositely of the space 26, 60 and within the periphery 28, 56 in fluid communication with the oil space 26, 60.

Radiator and oil cooler

An evaporator is made up of a plurality of heat exchange modules each in turn made up of an elongated lower header 30 of non rectangular cross section and having a plurality of tubes 40 mounted by the header 30 along its length and extending therefrom in side by side relation. The tubes 40, in the direction transversely of the header 30 are stacked and assembled together with the lower headers in sealing abutment with each other and defining upwardly opening channels 56. Sets of serpentine fins 44 can extend between adjacent tubes 40 in each module and/or between the plurality of modules.

A tube having a plurality of hydraulically parallel fluid passages for use in a heat exchanger can be made by forming an elongated, undulating insert and disposing the same within a flattened tube. A noncorrosive brazing flux is adhered to at least one of the interior of the tube and the crests on the undulating insert. Braze alloy is also located at the interface of the crests of the insert and the interior wall of the tube. Thereafter, the insert is located within the tube without disturbing the flux and the tube deformed along its length to bring the interior of the tube into contact with the crests on the insert. The assembled tube and insert construction is then heated to braze joints between the interior wall of the tube and the crests of the insert along the entire length of the latter.

Method of making a heat exchanger

A tank-header connection including a groove extending about the periphery of a header plate and having a bottom wall surrounded by an upstanding wall with spaced apertures therein. A compressible gasket is located in the groove and a plastic tank having an opening surrounded by a rim is provided. The rim has a series of outwardly projecting lugs and is otherwise sized and configured to fit within the groove with the lugs extending through and being captured in aligned ones of the apertures.

Header plate-tank connection

An easily assembled and readily serviceable heat exchanger module particularly suited for vehicular application includes at least two adjacent heat exchangers. At least one of the heat exchangers has a side defined by an outwardly opening channel which in turn receives a plastic bar or strip. The bar is provided with a plurality of relatively deep recesses which are alignable with holes in the channel. The bottoms of the recesses are sufficiently thin as to be easily penetrable by a threaded fastener extending through the holes in the channel and into the recesses for securing components of the module together and yet are sufficiently thick as to prevent the flow of fluid through the recesses to thereby assure that heat exchange fluid will pass through the heat exchangers.

Heat exchanger module for a vehicle or the like

Improved resistance to pressure caused deformation in header and tank construction utilized in heat exchangers is achieved by providing domes, preferably exteriorally convex, in the header surfaces of the header and tank construction. These domes are located in the area between the holes in such constructions through which tubes extend.

Heat exchanger

A fuel heater having a fuel passage through the heater and heated means as a part of the heater with a valve movable between first and second positions, the valve at the first position directing the fuel through a first path in heat receiving relationship with the heated means and at the second position directing substantially all the fuel through a second path away from the heated means so that the fuel is not substantially heated and movable temperature responsive means responsive to the temperature of the fuel in the heater for moving the valve means between the first and second positions, valve means directing portions of the fuel through both said paths when between said first and second positions.

Temperature controlled fuel heater

An oil temperature regulator having a by-pass first passage means through the regulator for the oil, a heat exchange second passage means separate from the first, a cooler for transfer of heat between the cooler and the heat exchange second passage means, a first valve movable to open and close a first port between said oil entrance and heat exchange second passage, a second valve downstream from the first valve movable to open and close a second port between the by-pass and heat exchange passages for directing oil away from said by-pass passage through said heat exchange second passage at a selected temperature, a third valve downstream from the second valve movable to open and close a third port between the by-pass first passage means and the oil exit and temperature responsive means at the entrance operable by the entering oil at a first temperature to open the normally closed first valve at this temperature and temperature responsive means operable by the exiting oil at a second temperature higher than said first temperature to open the normally closed second valve and close the normally open third valve at this second temperature.

Oil temperature regulator

A recuperator structure for recovering heat values from a hot gas stream comprising exhaust gases from a combustion burner supplied with combustion air for burning a fuel in which a heat exchanger is used for exchanging heat between the hot exhaust gases and the combustion air for preheating the combustion air and including a variable temperature control for selectively restricting the volumetric flow of either the air or the exhaust gases or both through the heat exchanger in order to control the temperature in the heat exchanger. One of the features of this invention is to provide a recuperator structure for recovering heat values by extracting heat in a heat exchanger from the hot exhaust gases from a combustion burner and using this heat in the exchanger to preheat the combustion air to the burner and including means for controlling the temperature in the heat exchanger by controlling the volumetric flow of either the combustion air or the exhaust gases or both through the heat exchanger.

Recuperator structure

A heat exchange system for exchange between fluids such as water and air as in a heat recovery system in which a first fluid is passed through a first conduit which may be in the form of pipes and a second fluid such as air is passed through a second conduit that surrounds the first and including baffles for directing the second fluid in heat exchange contact flow between the spaced pipes and back into the air conduit. At least one of the baffles is shaped to be flow diverting to divert the flow of the second fluid laterally over the first conduit and back toward the center of the second conduit so as to provide an undulating flow.

Heat exchange system

A high temperature reactor-generator apparatus comprising a pressure vessel defined by walls including side walls with the vessel including a lower section and an upper section, a conduit member or tube within the vessel having sides spaced from the pressure walls and open upper and lower ends, a partition intermediate the upper and lower ends of the conduit spanning the space between the vessel and the conduit and dividing the vessel into an upper reactor chamber and a lower reactor chamber, heating means for supplying heat to the lower reactor chamber adjacent to the bottom thereof, restricted flow means for providing a restricted flow passage dividing the lower reactor chamber into an intermediate preheat section essentially above the heating means and a heating section essentially at the heating means, fluid introducing means for introducing a fluid reactant medium into the intermediate section for flow in the intermediate section, through the restricted passage into the heating passage and upwardly in the conduit into the upper reactor chamber and means for moving the reaction products from the upper reactor chamber.

Reactor-generator

A high temperature reactor-generator apparatus for the high temperature conversion of a reactant stream of which reforming hydrocarbons into gaseous products, dissociating ammonia, partial oxidation of hydrocarbon feeds, high temperature catalytic reforming and the like are examples. The apparatus comprises a pressure vessel, a conduit within the vessel having upper and lower ends and sides spaced from the pressure vessel walls, a partition intermediate the ends of the conduit member and spanning the space between the vessel and the conduit member to divide the interior of the vessel into an upper reactor chamber and lower reactor chamber, means for introducing a fluid reactant into the lower chamber for flow therethrough and upwardly through the conduit into the upper reactor chamber, a heat supply for heating the lower reactor chamber, a reaction products outlet from the upper chamber and means for supplying heat to the lower reactor chamber for causing the reaction. The means for flowing a fluid in heat exchange relationship with the upper reactor chamber may take any form desired such as a fluid coil in the upper chamber or an injector for injecting the fluid directly into contact with the fluids in the upper chamber.

Growing community of inventors

Racine, WI, United States of America

Norman F Costello