Heat exchanger
The heat exchanger design addresses reliability issues by using a sandwich configuration with mechanical compression and thermal paste to ensure consistent contact between the tube and throat, enhancing both reliability and thermal dissipation.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- FR2023012385
- Authority / Receiving Office
- FR · FR
- Patent Type
- Utility models
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2023-11-13
- Publication Date
- 2025-05-16
- Estimated Expiration
- 2033-11-13
AI Technical Summary
Existing heat exchangers with machined plates and piping networks face reliability issues due to imperfect and non-reproducible contact during series manufacturing, leading to a high rate of defective parts.
A heat exchanger design featuring a first plate with a throat, a tube with elbows for heat transfer fluid circulation, and a second plate that sandwiches the tube using mechanical compression, with a thermal paste filling gaps between the throat and tube for improved contact.
This design enhances the reliability of heat exchangers by ensuring consistent and reproducible contact between the tube and throat, reducing defective parts and improving thermal dissipation.
Abstract
Description
Title of the invention: Heat exchanger
[0001] The present invention relates to a heat exchanger
[0002] Heat exchangers are known comprising a machined plate made of a conductive material, the plate being fitted with a piping network for the circulation of a heat-dissipating fluid, the piping network being made of a material similar to or different from that of the plate.
[0003] Crimping, particularly of complex geometry, does not always ensure perfect and reproducible contact during mass production. The piping network can also shift.
[0004] The problem with this type of heat exchanger is that its reliability is inconsistent. Furthermore, mass production results in a significant number of defective parts that must be recycled.
[0005] The present invention aims to effectively overcome these drawbacks by proposing a heat exchanger comprising: - a first plate, in particular made of heat-conducting material, having a groove formed on a first face of the first plate; - a tube, including a plurality of bends, for the circulation of a heat transfer fluid, the tube being crimped into the groove of the first plate; - a second plate fixed to the first plate and configured to sandwich the tube and hold the tube in the groove by mechanical compression.
[0006] According to one embodiment, the exchanger includes a thermal paste disposed at least on a portion of the throat to fill a gap between the throat and the tube.
[0007] According to one embodiment, the second plate has a flat face intended to face the tube.
[0008] According to one embodiment, the flat face of the second plate is devoid of a groove for receiving the tube, in order to exert pressure on the tube, over at least 60% of the length of the tube.
[0009] According to one embodiment, the tube has a longitudinal machined flat, configured so that the tube presents a flat face opposite the second plate.
[0010] According to one embodiment, the assembly comprises a layer of thermal paste forming a film covering the surface of the second plate opposite the tube.
[0011] According to one embodiment, the thermal paste layer is applied by screen printing on the second plate and / or on the first plate and / or on the flat of the tube.
[0012] According to one embodiment, the tube is oblong in cross-section.
[0013] According to one embodiment, the groove is oblong in cross-section, being configured to receive the tube.
[0014] According to one embodiment, the tube is crimped so as to come into contact with the groove on at least 80% of its surface which is opposite the groove.
[0015] According to one embodiment, the machined flat of the tube extends in the same plane as that of the first plate.
[0016] According to one embodiment, the second plate is fixed to the first plate by a plurality of screws passing through the second plate, the screws being evenly distributed over the surface of the second plate. This allows for uniform tightening and good heat dissipation.
[0017] According to one embodiment, the face opposite the first face of the first plate has holes intended to allow the attachment of electronic components to be cooled.
[0018] According to one embodiment, the second plate is made of aluminium, in particular aluminium alloy 6061.
[0019] According to one embodiment, the second plate has a thickness between 15 mm and 45 mm.
[0020] The invention will be better understood upon reading the following description.
[0021] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, a heat exchanger comprises: - a first plate made of heat-conducting material, on which a groove is formed; the groove is formed on a first face of the first plate; - a tube, comprising a plurality of bends forming a serpentine, the tube being intended to allow the circulation of a heat transfer fluid; the tube is crimped into the groove of the first plate; - a second plate fixed to the first plate and configured to sandwich the tube and hold the tube in the groove by mechanical compression.
[0022] Thermal paste is disposed at least on a portion of the throat to fill at least one gap between the throat and the tube.
[0023] The second plate has a flat face intended to face the tube and the first face of the first plate.
[0024] The flat face of the second plate is without a groove for receiving the tube, to exert pressure on the tube, over at least 60% of the length of the tube.
[0025] The tube has a longitudinal machined flat, configured so that the tube presents a flat face opposite the second plate.
[0026] A thin layer of thermal paste is arranged to form a film covering the surface of the second plate which is opposite the tube and the first plate.
[0027] The thermal paste layer is applied by screen printing on the second plate and / or on the first plate and / or on the flat of the tube.
[0028] The tube is oblong in section.
[0029] The groove is oblong in cross-section, being configured to receive the tube. Thus, the tube can be crimped by deforming to conform to the shape of the groove.
[0030] Thermal paste can be applied to the wall of the throat before crimping the tube.
[0031] The tube is crimped so as to come into contact with the groove over at least 80% of its surface, namely the surface which is opposite the groove.
[0032] The machined flat of the tube extends in the same plane as that of the first plate, when the tube is crimped into the groove.
[0033] The second plate is fixed to the first plate by a plurality of screws passing through the second plate, the screws being regularly distributed over the surface of the second plate.
[0034] The face opposite the first face of the first plate has holes intended to allow the attachment of electronic components to be cooled.
[0035] The second plate is made of aluminium, in particular aluminium alloy 6061.
[0036] The second plate has a thickness between 15 mm and 45 mm. The thickness of the second plate is greater than or equal to that of the first plate.
Claims
[Claim 1] Claims Heat exchanger comprising: - a first plate, in particular made of heat-conducting material, comprising a groove formed on a first face of the first plate; - a tube, comprising in particular a plurality of elbows, for the circulation of a heat transfer fluid, the tube being crimped in the groove of the first plate; - a second plate attached to the first plate and configured to sandwich the tube and hold the tube in the groove by mechanical compression.