Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Prasad S Kadle

Mohinder Singh Bhatti

James Allen Baker, Jr

Henry E Beamer

Richard P Ryan

Larry A O'Keefe

James N Athens

Hans J Gustafsson

John P Telesz

John P Papin

Barry J Frombgen

Douglas L Sattelberg

An improved dehumidification system for automotive use includes a rotating, wheel like heat exchanger with axially open cells that carry a water adsorbing material. Opposed ambient air and heated air flows, covering opposite halves of the wheel, continually adsorb water on one side and are recharged on the other side. Alternating radially closed cells between the axially open cells carry no desiccant material, but receive a cross cooling flow, on the water adsorbing side of the wheel only, to remove the heat released during the water adsorption process. The desiccant recharging process on the other side of the wheel is not disturbed by the cross cooling flow.

Dehumidifying mechanism for auto air conditioner with improved space

A dehumidifier works in conjunction with a vehicle air conditioner to reduce both condensation and cooling load on the evaporator. A unique desiccant wheel design incorporates end plates separated by desiccant tubes that allow a cooling cross flow to be sent through and between the wheel end plates, over the outside of, but sealed from the inside of, the tubes. As outside air passes through the inside half of the tubes and is dried, the released latent heat of vaporization is picked up by the cooling cross flow, which is pre heated. It continues on across the wheel, where it is turned around, heated farther by engine waste heat, and then sent through the inside of the other half of the tubes to regenerate the desiccant.

Dehumidifying mechanism for auto air conditioner

An automotive dual radiator and condenser assembly with optimized structural and thermal capabilities. The two halves or layers of the dual assembly are interconnected by a pair of widely spaced, narrow webs, which webs interconnect two halves of a slotted tandem header plate unit. The webs, though small, are sufficient to maintain all components of the whole assembly properly and rigidly spaced at all times, during assembly, during brazing, and during and after installation. The two webs also represent the only significant direct heat conduction path between the radiator and condenser, so that thermal efficiency is comparable to a pair of non connected units.

Method of making a dual radiator and condenser assembly

A multi-pass evaporator (10) of a heat exchanger for a motor vehicle air-conditioning system includes a plurality of heat exchanger tubes (12a-t) coupled to first and second header tubes (30,32) disposed side by side. The first header tube contains an inlet tube (48) extending from an inlet end (38) of the first header tube (30) to a position intermediate the length of the first header tube (30). The ratio of the axial cross-sectional area of the interior of the inlet tube (48) to the axial cross-sectional area of the space between the first header tube (30) and the inlet tube (48) is in the range of 1:4.0 to 1:7.0. The axial cross-sectional area of the interior of the inlet tube (48) is equal to or greater than 35 mm.sup.2. This ratio of areas and size of inlet tube has been found to reduce considerably noise produced during use of the evaporator.

Heat exchanger evaporator

A heat exchanger assembly (10) includes a radiator section (25) with an helical coil tube (62) mounted within an outlet tank chamber (21) of a radiator tank (26). Oil flows through the helical coil tube to be cooled by coolant within the chamber (21). The oil then flows to an air-to-oil cooler (76) that is integrally mounted to either the radiator or a condenser (30) whereby the oil is further cooled.

Heat exchanger assembly incorporating a helical coil oil cooler

A heat exchanger is formed by a pair of tank units with a core therebetween. The core comprises a plurality of tube passes extending between and in fluid communication with the tank units, and air centers connected between the tube passes in conductive heat transfer with air and the flow passes. The tank units are formed by separate tanks and headers. The tanks and headers include a flat, coplanar perimeter flange extending thereabout. The flanges include locking members therethrough to secure the header to the tank. The locking members may comprise longitudinal projections formed through the tank flange projecting through the header flanges, or alternatively aligned apertures in the flanges with plug inserted therethrough.

Method of manufacturing header condensers

A radiator (10) has tubes (14) and fins (15). The fins (15) have louvered sections (30) laterally aligned with a layer (20), and louvered sections (40), (42), and (46) misaligned from the layers. The louvered sections (40) and (42) are spaced from the louvered sections (30) to form a plain non-louvered section (44) therebetween.

Heat exchanger with laterally displaced louvered fin sections

A three row condenser for cooling alternative refrigerants for use in automotive air conditioning systems has a continuously formed U-bend tube forming the air inlet to the condenser at a point upstream of second and third rows of like tubes each interconnected by parallel heat conducting cooling fins; the high pressure vapor inlet flow to the condenser is substantially equally distributed into the first, second and third rows and refrigerant flow in the first and second rows of tubes is combined upstream of the outlet of the condenser to provide a series connected tube pattern for increasing the flow velocity through outlet portions of the first and second rows of tubes so as to improve the efficiency of energy transfer between the refrigerant flow through the condenser and the air flow across the air fins therein.

Three row condenser with high efficiency flow path

A heater core includes an inlet tank, a return tank, and an outlet tank. A plurality of parallel inlet flow tubes extend from the inlet tank to the return tank. A plurality of outlet flow tubes extend parallel to the inlet flow tubes between the return tank and the outlet tank. Corrugated cooling fins are disposed between adjacent inlet and outlet flow tubes. A perforated inlet baffle plate is disposed angularly within the inlet tank. The inlet baffle plate has a calculated angular orientation, length, and spacing within the inlet tank. An unperforated return baffle plate is disposed in the return tank. The return baffle plate has a calculated length and spacing within the return tank. The inlet baffle plate and return baffle plate provide uniform coolant flow through the plurality of inlet and outlet flow tubes.

Heater core

An automobile heating system includes a turbocharger driven by the exhaust gas of an internal combustion engine and a shaft of the turbocharger is coupled to a compressor for compressing and heating ambient air to provide a heated air source for supply into the passenger compartment of the vehicle and a source of air for turbocharging the intake manifold of the automobile.

Automobile heating system

A condenser for a motor vehicle air conditioning system includes an inlet header and an outlet header with a plurality of baffles forming passages for connection to a plurality of parallel tubes to form a plurality of refrigerant flow passes through the condenser and a liquid refrigerant separator device, provided either as a refrigerant dehydrator receiver or as a subcooler tube, is connected across one of the baffles in the outlet header to direct high pressure liquid refrigerant in parallel flow relationship to the plurality of parallel tubes and wherein the separator device includes desiccant to dehydrate the refrigerant flowing through the condenser.

Condenser with dehydrator subcooler

A refrigerant evaporator for an air conditioning and ventilating system for a motor vehicle has an evaporator with an air inlet face which receives a non-uniform air flow pattern from a radial air blower of the ventilating system and which evaporator further includes refrigerant passes with flow areas and volumes selected to contract the refrigerant flow at the outlet of the evaporator thereby to produce more refrigerant cooling in the portion of the evaporator core which receives higher air flow so as to produce a more uniform outlet air temperature from the evaporator.

Evaporator with expanding and contracting passes for improving

An evaporator for an automotive air conditioner having a plurality of U-flow tubes therein arranged side by side so that spaces are provided for air centers secured between the sidewalls of the tubes. Each tube is formed from a pair of identical plates that have a centralized divider rib that separates the tubes into separate side flow passages joined by a lower interconnecting crossover passage. The tubes have a plurality of flow ribs indented and joined in a predetermined pattern therein to form discrete fluid flow sections within each tube. The ribs are interconnected in such a manner that the sections effectively direct and tailor the flow of the heat exchanger fluid to a lower and intermediate section of the tube at the turning of the flow from one section to another to reduce, or substantially eliminate, dry out areas in each tube, thereby increasing heat exchanger tube and evaporator efficiency.

U-flow heat exchanger tubing with improved fluid flow distribution

An evaporator for an automotive air conditioner having a plurality of tubes therein arranged side by side so that spaces are provided for air centers mounted between the sidewalls of the tubes. Each tube is formed from a pair of interfacing plates having ribs indented in a predetermined pattern therein to form discrete fluid flow sections within each tube. The ribs are interconnected in such a manner that the sections effectively vary and tailor the flow of the heat exchanger fluid to reduce or substantially eliminate dry out areas in each tube thereby increasing heat exchanger tube and evaporator efficiency.

Heat exchanger tubing with improved fluid flow distribution

A heat exchanger core having a plurality of spaced fluid conducting tubes operatively connected in series at their upper ends by projecting tank portions. The tubes have flattened main body portions that extend downward from the tank portions to terminal ends having rows of integral spacing and locking links formed with snap fasteners for releasably locking onto one another to connect the lower end of the tubes to one another providing column strength thereby preventing damage to corrugated metal air centers disposed between adjacent tubes by compression forces exerted on the core. In addition to the spacing and locking links, this core features integral snap fasteners to lock the separate plates of each tube together in face to face relationship so that the entire core is mechanically connected and interlocked and is ready for permanent connection by brazing.

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Getzville, NY, United States of America

Prasad S Kadle