Heat exchanger with heat exchange chambers utilizing respective medium directing members

Abstract

A heat exchange chamber includes an inlet, an outlet and a plurality of walls defining a chamber interior. The inlet receives a heat exchange medium flowing in a first flow direction in an initial line of flow. Disposed within the chamber interior is a medium directing member, having an inclined surface, which diverts the medium from the initial flow direction so that it disperses within the chamber interior. Exposure to the contact surfaces provided by the chamber walls causes the medium to exchange heat with the chamber and the external environment. The medium exits the chamber, via the outlet, in the initial line of flow. The chambers are interconnected by tubes to form assemblies. Plural sets of chamber and tube assemblies are arranged between manifolds to provide a heat exchanger.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION[0001]This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 13 / 186,409, filed Jul. 19, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No. ______, which is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 12 / 148,655, filed Apr. 21, 2008, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,987,900, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]1. Field of the Invention[0003]The present invention relates generally to heat exchangers and, more specifically, to a tube and chamber apparatus for transporting heat exchange media.[0004]2. Discussion of the Related Art[0005]Heat exchangers are commonly utilized in systems where it is desired for heat to be removed. Typical basic heat exchangers are made of pipes, which channel heat exchanging media. Headers or manifolds are attached to each end of the pipes. These headers and manifolds act as receptacles for the heat exchanging media. The efficiency of the pipe heat exchangers is limited by the amount of sur...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention provides a heat exchanger with a larger surface area for radiating heat over a shorter distance compared to conventional heat exchangers, resulting in increased efficiency. Additionally, the present invention has a smaller overall length and weight, reducing the cost and space requirements. The manufacturing process is simpler and requires less fragile components. The invention may have more than one chamber or chamber of varying sizes, allowing for greater surface area and mixing of heat exchanging media. The inner surface of the tubes and chambers may have indentations to increase surface area. The present invention also includes redirection members with indentations to direct and redirect heat exchanging media in specific directions.

Problems solved by technology

The efficiency of the pipe heat exchangers is limited by the amount of surface area available for the transfer of heat.

However, the pressure resistance is reduced, and the thinner tubes are more prone to damage.

Also, the assembly process is complicated because of the fragile nature of the parts.

In addition, the internal chambers are prone to plugging during the manufacturing process, particularly if a brazing process is utilized.

The complexity of the extruding process potentially results in higher costs and higher defect rates.

Also, by utilizing internal chambers within the flat tubes to help disperse heat, the overall cost for the heat exchanging system will be higher because a higher powered compressor may be necessary to move the heat exchanging medium through the smaller openings of the tubes.

Conversely, if a higher powered compressor is not utilized, then additional tubes will be necessary to obtain the desired heat exchanging performance because the smaller tubes reduce the flow of the heat exchange media significantly.

The additional tubes will increase the overall cost for the heat exchanging system.

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