Heat exchanger and associated method

Abstract

A heat exchanger for cooling a machine fluid of a vehicle, and associated method. The heat exchanger can include a fluid inlet tank, a fluid outlet tank, and a plurality of heat transfer tubes connecting the inlet tank to the outlet tank. Each tube can include first and second substantially flat sidewalls, a plurality of internal webs extending between the first and second sidewalls, and a plurality of first dimples formed on the first sidewall, each first dimple formed over one of the webs.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 404,015 filed on Mar. 31, 2004 which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60 / 375,920 filed on Apr. 25, 2002. The disclosures of these applications are incorporated by reference herein.TECHNICAL FIELD [0002] The present invention relates to the area of cooling of the fluids that are used in machinery such as engines, transmissions and other power equipment to lubricate components and / or transfer power. INTRODUCTION [0003] In the automotive industry it is necessary to cool the oil used in automatic transmissions. The automotive transmission fluid (ATF) reaches high temperatures in the operation of the transmission. These high temperatures need to be reduced to avoid breakdown of the fluid. A device called a transmission oil cooler is conventionally used for that purpose. [0004] With reference to the simplified prior art view of FIG. 1, a ty...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

This type of oil cooler, which consists of concentric brass tubes between which the oil flows, is typically made by brazing, a high temperature process that requires expensive brazing equipment and complex process control.

The result is a relatively expensive and heavy oil cooler. FIG. 2A shows the cross section of the oil cooler.

The use of flat plates leads to a better heat exchange performance than for a concentric tube cooler, but the result is still a relatively expensive and heavy oil cooler.

The very large number and length of brazed joints creates many potential failure modes (leaks), which has a potential negative impact on the reliability of this oil cooler.

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