Modine Manufacturing Company

William J Kerkman

Richard M DeKeuster

Lawrence W Gabbey

Richard A Bretl

Charles E Goodremote

Kevin J Robers

Tod T Kersher

A simple, reliable bypass valve construction (50) is provided for use in conjunction with a donut oil cooler (16) having an aluminum multi-piece housing (28). The bypass valve construction (50) is easily accessible and readily replaceable so as to lend itself to serviceability. The invention is incorporated in an oil cooler (16) having a housing (28) with a coolant inlet and outlet (42) and (44), and a surface (26) adapted to be sealed against an oil filter (14). The oil cooler (16) includes a plurality of interconnected heat exchange units (21) located inside the housing (28), with an oil inlet to one of the units and an oil outlet from another of the units. An oil bypass is provided through at least some of the interconnected heat exchange units (21) and communicates with a bypass outlet (62) in the housing surface (26). The bypass outlet (62) is normally closed by a bypass valve (52) which includes a generally C-shaped, sheet-like resilient flapper (54) with a valve element (56) sized to close the bypass outlet (62) and located intermediate the ends of the flapper (54). The ends of the flapper (54) have feet (64) and (66) which are received in slots (68) and (70) in the housing surface (26) to mount the flapper (54) on the surface (26) and to at least nominally locate the valve element (56) with respect to the bypass outlet (62).

Oil cooler with a self-fastening, self-orienting pressure relief valve

In order to eliminate components and fixtures, facilitate assembly, avoid leaks, and reduce cost in a heat exchanger for exchanging heat between two fluids such as a coolant and oil, the heat exchanger includes a header plate having a central opening defined by a column integrally formed with the header plate together with a radial opening. A plurality of heat exchange units are stacked on the header plate. The heat exchange units each comprise a pair of plates joined together at inner and outer peripheral edges to thereby sealingly define a plurality of first chambers for the flow of one of the fluids wherein a column-receiving opening is provided radially inwardly of the first chambers thereof. The heat exchange units further include aligned first openings and aligned second openings on opposite sides of the column-receiving openings for joining the first chambers in a first fluid flow path, and the radial opening in the header plate comprises a first fluid inlet for directing the first fluid through one of the first openings into the first fluid flow path where it flows until it reaches a first fluid outlet therefor. The heat exchange units are stacked on the header plate about the column where they are arranged in a spaced series by spacers which serve to define a plurality of second chambers for the flow of the second fluid between each pair of the spaced series of heat exchange units.

Heat exchanger assembly

Growing community of inventors

Racine, WI, United States of America

William J Kerkman