Heat Exchanger Header Tank Brazing Gap Prevention
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In heat exchangers, the leakage of the heat exchanging medium occurs due to gaps formed at the bonded portions of the header, tank, and baffle during brazing, degrading the performance of the heat exchanger.
Innovation Solution
The edge portions of the header, tank, and baffle are designed to be in contact without spacing, forming an angled shape to prevent gaps, and are coupled using welding or brazing, with the baffle interposed between the header and tank to block the flow of the heat exchanging medium, ensuring a fluid path is formed without leakage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the header edge portion is bent into a round shape, then the header can be easily formed, but gaps are formed at the bonded portions causing leakage of heat exchanging medium
Solution Approach 1:
The header edge portion is designed with different shapes at different locations: a first edge portion with a first shape and a second edge portion with a second shape. This local differentiation allows the header to be easily formed while preventing gaps at critical bonded portions, resolving the contradiction between ease of manufacture and leakage prevention.
2Strength
If the header, tank, and baffle are bonded by brazing, then the components are joined together, but gaps at the bonded portions cause leakage of heat exchanging medium
Solution Approach 1:
The header edge portions are designed with specific shapes at different locations to ensure proper contact with the tank and baffle at bonded portions. This local geometric optimization allows the brazing process to create strong bonds without gaps, simultaneously achieving bonding strength and leakage prevention.
Solution Approach 2:
The baffle is positioned between the header and tank, with its edge portion contacting the inner side edge portions of both components. This intermediary structure fills and seals gaps at the bonded portions, preventing leakage while maintaining bonding integrity.
3Ease of operation
If the baffle is interposed between the header and tank, then the flow of heat exchanging medium is blocked, but gaps form at the bonded portions
Solution Approach 1:
The baffle edge portion is designed to contact the inner side edge portions of the header and tank at specific locations. This localized geometric design ensures the baffle effectively blocks fluid flow while maintaining intimate contact at bonded portions to prevent gaps and leakage.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration effectively prevents the leakage of the heat exchanging medium by ensuring that the edge portions are in contact and the baffle blocks the flow, allowing the molten material to fill the gaps during bonding, thus enhancing the performance of the heat exchanger.
Implementation Method 1
a baffle 400 interposed between the tank 200 and the header 300 and having an outer circumference surface formed to be in contact with inner circumference surfaces of the tank 200 and the header 300
Implementation Method 2
the leakage of the heat exchanging medium occurs due to gaps formed at the bonded portions of the header, tank, and baffle during brazing
Implementation Method 3
allowing the molten material to fill the gaps during bonding
Data Source
AI summary
The header tank of the heat exchanger and the heat exchanger having the same may prevent leakage of a heat exchanging medium from the header tank of the heat exchanger after a header, a tank, and a baffle are bonded by a brazing by forming concavely forming parts at an outer side of the header so that edge portions of the header at which the header, the tank, and the baffle are joined together with one another are not spaced apart from the tank and the baffle to minimize a gap (space) of portions at which inner side edge portions of the header are joined with the tank and the baffle.