Heat Exchanger Header Guiding Protrusions for Tube Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
During the assembly of heat exchangers, the outermost tubes often collide with the collar of the header, leading to deformation and potential leaks due to misalignment, rendering the heat exchanger non-operational or inefficient.
Innovation Solution
A header design featuring a collar with guiding protrusions along its inner perimeter, which are angled and dimensioned to guide tubes into openings without causing damage, ensuring proper alignment and fluid-tight connection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If tubes are inserted directly into header openings during assembly, then assembly process is simple, but tube deformation and header damage occur due to collision with collar
Solution Approach 1:
The guiding protrusions act as intermediary elements between the tubes and the header openings. These protrusions provide a gradual transition surface that guides the tubes into the openings, preventing direct collision with the collar and ensuring proper alignment during assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The guiding protrusions are pre-formed on the header collar to create a favorable insertion path for the tubes. This preliminary structural feature ensures that tubes are properly aligned and guided before they reach the critical opening area, preventing deformation and damage during the insertion process.
2Productivity
If outermost tubes are inserted without guidance, then assembly speed is maintained, but misalignment with openings occurs leading to deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The guiding protrusions enable the tubes to self-align with the openings during insertion. The geometric configuration of the protrusions automatically guides the tubes into the correct position without requiring external alignment tools or complex positioning mechanisms, maintaining assembly speed while improving precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The guiding protrusions serve as mediating structures that facilitate the alignment process. By providing a physical guide surface, they ensure that even outermost tubes without precise pre-positioning can be accurately aligned with the openings during the insertion process.
Data Source
AI summary
A header (10) for a heat exchanger, in particular for a charge air cooler, comprising an opening plane (12) with plurality of openings (14) for attachment of tubes, a collar (13) encircling the perimeter of the opening plane (12) and protruding at least partially above the opening plane (12), wherein the header (10) further comprises guiding protrusions (11a, 11b) located along inner perimeter of the collar (13) adjacent to said openings (14) and configured to guide the tubes into the openings (14) upon insertion, wherein the openings (14) have substantially rectangular shape with longer sides (14a) and shorter sides (14b) and are arranged in series along their longer sides (14a), wherein a first group of guiding protrusions (11a) is located adjacent the longer sides (14a) of the openings (14), while a second group of guiding protrusions (11b) is located adjacent the shorter sides (14b) of the openings (14).