Modular Heat Exchanger Header Assembly for Faster Brazed Production
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing heat exchangers face issues with decreased manufacturing speed and efficiency in mass production due to slotting requirements for headers, need for specific molds, and brazing aperture tolerance, leading to instability and increased costs.
Innovation Solution
A heat exchanger design featuring an assembly-type header structure with elongated insertion holes and coupling blocks that eliminate the need for slotting, reduce brazing tolerance, and allow for flexible customization without specific molds, enhancing manufacturing speed and cost efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If slotting is performed on the header to form insertion holes for each tube, then tubes can be inserted into the header, but the manufacturing speed decreases and mass production efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The header is divided into multiple header blocks, each with pre-formed insertion holes. This segmentation allows parallel processing of multiple headers simultaneously, eliminating the need for sequential slotting operations on each header and significantly improving manufacturing speed.
Solution Approach 2:
Insertion holes are pre-formed in the header blocks before final assembly. This preliminary action eliminates the need for time-consuming slotting operations during final header assembly, thereby improving manufacturing efficiency without compromising insertion hole precision.
2Manufacturing precision
If specific molds are used for manufacturing heat exchangers according to product sizes, then manufacturing precision can be maintained, but manufacturing efficiency deteriorates due to mold changes
Solution Approach 1:
The header blocks are designed as universal components that can be configured for different heat exchanger sizes by varying the number and arrangement of tubes connected to them. This eliminates the need for specific molds for each product size, allowing the same header block design to serve multiple product configurations and significantly improving manufacturing efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from static, size-specific mold designs to a dynamic configuration where the same header blocks can be adaptively arranged and connected to tubes in different numbers and patterns to accommodate various heat exchanger specifications, maintaining precision while improving efficiency.
3Strength
If components are coupled through brazing, then strong joints are formed, but brazing apertures are generated due to machining tolerance
Solution Approach 1:
The header is segmented into multiple header blocks that are pre-assembled and pre-brazed together with tubes before final assembly. This segmentation allows for tighter tolerance control in smaller, separate brazing operations rather than one large brazing operation, reducing the generation of brazing apertures while maintaining joint strength.
Solution Approach 2:
Header blocks are pre-assembled and pre-brazed with tubes before final header assembly. This preliminary action allows for better tolerance control in the pre-brazing stage, reducing brazing aperture formation due to accumulated tolerances in the final assembly.
4Ease of manufacture
If the blade of machining equipment is used frequently, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but the blade becomes worn and cannot form inlets in predetermined shape
Solution Approach 1:
Insertion holes are pre-formed in header blocks using fresh or less worn tooling before final assembly. This preliminary action ensures high precision inlet shapes are formed when the blade is still sharp, avoiding the need to replace blades frequently while maintaining manufacturing cost efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The manufacturing process is segmented into pre-forming insertion holes in header blocks and final assembly. This allows the use of less critical tooling for the pre-forming stage, reducing the impact of blade wear on final product quality and extending blade life between replacements.
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
The design improves manufacturing speed and cost-effectiveness, allows for flexible customization, and increases product stability by reducing brazing tolerance and aperture formation, thereby enhancing mass production efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
when components are coupled through brazing
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a heat exchanger. The heat exchanger includes: a plurality of tube panels including a tube elongated in one direction; a pair of header modules coupled to both ends of the plurality of tube panels; and a pair of header cases having an open side, providing a space therein, and having the header module inserted in the space such that the tube panels communicate with the spaces, in which the header modules is composed of a plurality of header blocks stacked and coupled to each other, and an insertion hole in which the tube panel is inserted is formed at each of the plurality of header blocks. Accordingly, it is possible to increase the efficiency of manufacturing a heat exchanger, manufacture a heat exchanger flexibly in a custom-made type in accordance with the size of a product having the heat exchanger, reduce tolerance due to brazing, and improve stability of a product.