Grooveless Heat Exchanger Header Plate Crimping Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Heat exchanger collector plates without grooves or structural reinforcements face challenges during crimping, leading to potential damage, leaks, and reduced lifespan due to high localized pressures and axial resistance, especially when trying to secure the cover and maintain proper seal positioning.
Innovation Solution
A collector plate design with a flat surface and crimping teeth at the periphery, where the distance between collars is between 5-8 mm, and the height of collars is between 1-5 mm, with a specific density of crimping teeth and a seal positioned at the periphery to facilitate secure fixing and correct seal positioning without damaging the plate or tubes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the collector plate is made without a groove or structural reinforcement to reduce size and simplify structure, then the device complexity is reduced, but the strength and resistance of the collector plate during crimping deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The collector plate is segmented into multiple collars (at least three collars) distributed around the periphery, each collar acting as an independent reinforcement element. This segmentation allows the plate to maintain strength without requiring continuous grooves or large structural reinforcements, thus reducing overall complexity while preserving mechanical integrity during crimping operations.
2Device complexity
If the collector plate is made without a groove to facilitate sealing, then the device complexity is reduced, but the reliability of the seal deteriorates due to difficulty in positioning the sealing gasket
Solution Approach 1:
The collars are positioned in advance around the periphery of the collector plate at specific intervals (distance between adjacent collars between 5-8 mm). These pre-positioned collars serve as reference points that guide and pre-position the sealing gasket during assembly, ensuring correct placement without requiring grooves. This preliminary structuring maintains seal reliability while simplifying the overall plate design.
3Reliability
If the distance between collars is reduced to 5-8 mm to improve seal positioning, then the seal reliability improves, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention specifies optimal parameter ranges for collar positioning (distance between adjacent collars between 5-8 mm, collar height between 1-5 mm) that balance seal positioning accuracy with manufacturing feasibility. By defining these parameter ranges rather than fixed values, the design accommodates normal manufacturing tolerances while ensuring sufficient collar density (at least three collars) to maintain reliable seal positioning without requiring excessive manufacturing precision.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The invention relates to a header plate (1) of a heat exchanger, comprising a plurality of openings or sockets (2) intended for the fixing of a plurality of tubes or the like through which at least one fluid flows, the header plate extending along a planar surface (XX), characterized in that the distance between two adjacent openings or sockets (2), or “tube spacing” (p), is less than 9.5 millimeters (mm). The invention also relates to a header tank with such a header plate (1) and to a brazed or “mechanical” heat exchanger including such a header tank.