HEAT EXCHANGER

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001]The present invention relates to a heat exchanger, and more particularly, to an integrated heat exchanger in which two or more coolants, which have different temperatures and circulate through different cooling lines, are cooled by a single heat exchanger, and thermal stress, which occurs at a boundary portion between the two coolants because the two coolants have different temperature ranges, is dispersed or mitigated by designing and modifying structures of a header, a tank, a gasket, a support, and the like, thereby improving durability, sealability, robustness, and the like of the heat exchanger.

BACKGROUND ART

[0002]In general, a heat exchanger refers to a component or device that constitutes a heat exchange cycle and operates as a condenser or an evaporator to allow a refrigerant flowing in the heat exchanger to exchange heat with an outside fluid.

[0003]Recently, studies have been continuously conducted in automotive industries to reduce the weights and sizes of the components and improve the functions of the components. According to some of the studies, there is used an integrated heat exchanger implemented by integrating heat exchangers, which allow coolants circulating through different cooling circuits to exchange heat with one another, into a single heat exchanger.

[0004]FIG. 1 is a view illustrating an integrated heat exchanger in the related art. An integrated heat exchanger 3 in the related art includes front and rear cores 4 and 5 disposed in parallel in a forward/rearward direction and each including tubes through which coolants flow, and fins interposed between the tubes. A header tank 6 may be provided at a longitudinal end of each of the cores, and an axial fan 7 may be additionally disposed at a front or rear side of the core.

[0005]However, in the case of the integrated heat exchanger, a temperature difference is present between two coolants respectively flowing through the two cores. For this reason, a boundary portion between the two cores is particularly easily damaged because of a difference in thermal expansion coefficient, and the coolants are likely to be mixed, which adversely affects an overall durability life of the heat exchanger. Accordingly, there is a need for a solution for minimizing deformation of the integrated heat exchanger caused by stress occurring because of a difference in temperature between the front and rear cores.

Document of Related Art

DISCLOSURE

Technical Problem

[0007]The present invention has been made in an effort to solve the above-mentioned problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide an integrated heat exchanger in which two or more coolants, which circulate through different cooling lines, are cooled by a single heat exchanger, and thermal stress, which occurs at a boundary portion between the two coolants because the two coolants have different temperature ranges, is dispersed or mitigated by designing and modifying structures of a header, a tank, a gasket, a support, and the like, thereby improving durability, sealability, robustness, and the like of the heat exchanger.

Technical Solution

[0008]A heat exchanger according to an example of the present invention includes: a core part including a first tube in which a first coolant flows, and a second tube in which a second coolant, which is different in temperature from the first coolant, flows; a pair of header tanks having flow paths through which the first coolant and the second coolant flow independently of each other, the pair of header tanks being provided at two opposite ends of the core part based on a longitudinal direction of the core part; and a gasket provided on a coupling portion between a header and the tank of each of the header tanks, in which the gasket includes side gaskets configured to define an outer periphery and disposed outside the first tube and the second tube, and a center gasket provided inside the side gaskets and disposed between the first tube and the second tube, in which the header includes side gasket seating portions on which the side gaskets are seated, and a center gasket seating portion on which the center gasket is seated, in which bottom surfaces of the side gasket seating portions and a bottom surface of the center gasket seating portion are formed on the same plane, in which a welding portion inner height of the first tube is equal to or smaller than a welding portion outer height of the first tube, in which a welding portion inner height of the second tube is equal to or smaller than a welding portion outer height of the second tube, in which the welding portion inner height of the first tube corresponds to a distance to the plane from a lower end point of an end of a first welding portion where the first tube and the header are welded, the end of the first welding portion between adjacent to the center gasket seating portion, in which the welding portion outer height of the first tube corresponds to a distance to the plane from a lower end point of an end of the first welding portion adjacent to the side gasket seating portion, in which the welding portion inner height of the second tube corresponds to a distance to the plane from a lower end point of an end of a second welding portion where the second tube and the header are welded, the end of the second welding portion being adjacent to the center gasket seating portion, and in which the welding portion outer height of the second tube corresponds to a distance to the plane from a lower end point of an end of the second welding portion adjacent to the side gasket seating portion.

[0009]The welding portion inner height of the first tube and the welding portion inner height of the second tube may each be 2 mm or less.

[0010]The welding portion inner height of the first tube and the welding portion outer height of the first tube may be equal to each other, and the welding portion inner height of the second tube and the welding portion outer height of the second tube may be equal to each other.

[0011]A thickness of the center gasket of the gasket may be larger than a thickness of the side gasket.

[0012]The center gasket may include: a central portion having a thickness constant in an extension direction; and tapered portions provided outside the central portion and each having a thickness that decreases in a direction away from the central portion.

[0013]A width of the side gasket of the gasket may be larger than a width of the center gasket.

[0014]The gasket may have a plurality of bridges spaced apart from one another and configured to connect the side gaskets to the center gasket in a perpendicular direction.

[0015]The bridges may be disposed to be symmetric with respect to the side gasket.

[0016]The tank may include a baffle configured to bisect an internal space of the header tank, and protrusion portions may be respectively formed on a lower end surface of the tank and a lower end surface of the baffle, and the protrusion portions may sharply protrude downward and be elongated in an extension direction of the tank.

[0017]The tank may have a concave portion formed as one side of an upper surface of the tank is formed concavely toward an internal space of the header tank in an extension direction of the tank, and a baffle, which bisects the internal space of the header tank, may extend from the concave portion toward the header.

[0018]A height of one side tank positioned at one side based on the concave portion of the tank may be equal to a height of the other side tank positioned at the other side.

[0019]A height of one side tank positioned at one side based on the concave portion of the tank may be different from a height of the other side tank positioned at the other side.

[0020]A length of the baffle may be equal to or larger than half a maximum height of the tank.

[0021]The heat exchanger may further include: a support provided between the pair of header tanks and disposed outside the core part based on a width direction, in which a gap portion is formed in the support as partial regions of the support are spaced apart from each other at a predetermined interval.

[0022]The gap portions may be respectively formed at a point, which corresponds to a distance of 0.23 or more and 0.33 or less of an overall length of the support from one side of the support, and a point that corresponds to a distance of 0.23 or more and 0.33 or less of the overall length of the support from the other side of the support.

[0023]A connection bridge may be formed in the gap portion and connects one side support portion and the other side support portion that are spaced apart from each other based on the gap portion.

[0024]The connection bridge of the gap portion may be disposed between the first tube and the second tube.

Advantageous Effects

[0025]According to the present invention, the thermal stress, which occurs at the boundary portion between the two coolants having different temperatures in the heat exchanger, may be dispersed or mitigated, thereby improving durability, sealability, robustness, and the like of the entire heat exchanger.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026]FIG. 1 is a view illustrating an integrated heat exchanger in the related art.

[0027]FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of an integrated heat exchanger according to an example of the present invention.

[0028]FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 2.

[0029]FIG. 4 is a side view of FIG. 2.

[0030]FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a tank in FIG. 4.

[0031]FIG. 6 is a top plan view of a gasket according to the example of the present invention.

[0032]FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of vertical cross-sections of a center gasket and a side gasket.

[0033]FIG. 8 is a view illustrating a horizontal cross-section of the center gasket.

[0034]FIG. 9 is a view illustrating FIG. 6 again.

[0035]FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a header according to the example of the present invention.

[0036]FIG. 11 is a view illustrating a state in which the header and tubes are coupled.

[0037]FIG. 12 is a view illustrating a state in which the tube in FIG. 11 is omitted.

[0038]FIG. 13 is a graph illustrating a welding height, stress, and a durability life.

[0039]FIGS. 14 and 15 are views illustrating the header according to the example of the present invention.

[0040]FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of the tank according to the example of the present invention.

[0041]FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of a tank according to another example of the present invention.

[0042]FIG. 18 is a view illustrating an embodiment to which the tank in FIG. 17 is applied.

[0043]FIG. 19 is a side view of the heat exchanger according to the example of the present invention.

[0044]FIG. 20 is a view illustrating a support according to the example of the present invention.

[0045]FIG. 21 is a graph illustrating positions of a gap portion and thermal stress applied to the support.

MODE FOR INVENTION

[0046]Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0047]FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of an integrated heat exchanger according to an example of the present invention, FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a side view of FIG. 2. As illustrated, a heat exchanger 10 of the present invention may broadly include a core part 100, a header tank 200 provided at an end of the core part, and a gasket 250 provided between a header and a tank of the header tank.

[0048]The core part 100 includes a first core 110 including first tubes 111, and a second core 120 including second tubes 121. The first core 110 and the second core 120 may be configured as independent parallel structures. The first core 110 may serve to allow a first coolant to exchange heat with outside air or the like and include the first tubes 111 in which the first coolant flows, and fins (not illustrated) interposed between the tubes. The second core 120 may serve to allow a second coolant to exchange heat with outside air or the like and include the second tubes 121 in which the second coolant flows, and fins (not illustrated) interposed between the tubes.

[0049]In this case, the first coolant and the second coolant may independently circulate through different cooling flow paths. For example, in an electric vehicle, the first coolant may circulate through a battery cooling flow path for cooling a battery, and the second coolant may circulate through an electrical component cooling flow path for cooling electrical components. In this case, a temperature of the coolant, which is required to cool the battery, may be different from a temperature of the coolant required to cool the electrical component. Therefore, the first coolant and the second coolant may have different temperature ranges.

[0050]The header tank 200 may be provided as a pair of header tanks 200 provided at two opposite ends of the core part 100 based on a longitudinal direction (a z-direction in FIG. 2). FIG. 2 illustrates only one header tank 200 provided at one end of the core part 100. However, the other header tank 200 may be further provided at a side opposite to one end of the core part 100. The header tanks 200 may each have a structure in which a header 210 and a tank 220 are coupled. The header 210 and the tank 220 may be coupled to define an internal space, and the coolant may be accommodated in and flow through the internal space. Any one of the pair of header tanks 200 may receive the coolant from the outside and deliver the coolant to the core part 100, and the other header tank may receive the coolant, which has performed the heat exchange while passing through the core part 100, and discharge the refrigerant to the outside. In addition, the header tank 200 of the present invention may have flow paths through which the first and second coolants, which are different from each other, flow independently of each other. The flow paths may be defined by a baffle or the like of the tank that will be described below.

[0051]Meanwhile, with reference to FIG. 1, the heat exchanger 10 of the present invention may be a cross-flow type heat exchanger in which a pair of header tanks is provided at left and right sides of a core part, and coolants flow in a horizontal direction, as illustrated in FIG. 1. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. The heat exchanger 10 of the present invention may be configured as a down-flow type heat exchanger in which a pair of header tanks is provided at upper and lower sides of a core part, and coolants flow in a vertical direction.

[0052]The header 210 and the tank 220 of the header tank 200 will be more specifically described below. The header 210 may have a plate-shaped structure having a length corresponding to a width direction (y-direction in FIG. 2) of the core part 100. The header 210 having the plate-shaped structure may have a plurality of through-slots 211, and one end of each of the tubes may be inserted into the through-slot 211. The through-slots 211 may be disposed in two rows. The first tubes 111 of the first core may be inserted into the through-slots 211 disposed in a first row, and the second tubes 121 of the second core may be inserted into the through-slots 211 disposed in a second row. In this case, the entire header 210 may have an integrated structure.

[0053]The tank 220 is coupled to the header 210 to define the internal space. The tank 220 may include a cap part 221 configured to entirely define the internal space, and a baffle 228 configured to divide the internal space, which is defined by the header and the cap part, into two opposite sides. The baffle 228 divides the internal space into one side space and the other side space. Therefore, the first coolant, which is accommodated in one side space, and the second coolant, which is accommodated in the other side space, may define independent cooling circuits without being mixed with each other.

[0054]FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the tank in FIG. 4. In the present invention, protrusion portions 222P may sharply protrude downward from lower end surfaces 222 of the cap part 221, which correspond to coupling portions between the tank 220 and the header 210, and the protrusion portions 222P may be elongated in an extension direction (y-direction in FIG. 5) of the tank 220. A protrusion portion 229P may sharply protrude downward from a lower end surface 229 of the baffle 228 and be elongated in the extension direction (y-direction in FIG. 5) of the tank. This configuration may enhance the sealability of the internal space of the header tank by increasing a coupling force between the tank 220 and the gasket 250, thereby assisting in preventing the gaskets from warping during a process of crimping the tank.

[0055]The gasket 250 is provided on the coupling portion between the header 210 and the tank 220. The gasket 250 corresponds to a sealing member for sealing the surfaces of the header 210 and the tank 220 that are coupled to one another. FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the gasket according to the example of the present invention. As illustrated, the gasket 250 of the present invention may include side gaskets 251 and a center gasket 252. The side gaskets 251 may define a peripheral shape of the gasket. The side gaskets 251 may be formed in a ring shape along a peripheral shape of the coupling portion between the header 210 and the tank 220. The center gasket 252 may be provided between the side gaskets 251 and disposed in the horizontal direction, i.e., the extension direction (y-direction in FIG. 6) of the header tank. With reference to FIG. 6, the side gaskets 251 may include an upper side gasket 251U and a lower side gasket 252D disposed in a direction (y-direction in FIG. 6) parallel to the center gasket 252, and the upper side gasket 251U and the lower side gasket 252D may be disposed on coupling surfaces between the header 210 and the tank 220, i.e., between the header 210 and the lower end surface 222 of the tank. The side gaskets 251 may include a left side gasket 251L and a right side gasket 251R disposed in a direction (x-direction in FIG. 6) perpendicular to the center gasket 252 and disposed on coupling surfaces between the header 210 and end caps. The end caps are provided at two opposite ends of the header tank 200 based on the longitudinal direction and serve to close the internal space of the header tank. The end caps are not separately illustrated. In addition, the center gasket 252 may be disposed on coupling surfaces between the header 210 and the baffle 228 of the tank. The side gaskets 251 according to the present invention, i.e., the upper side gasket 251U, the lower side gasket 252D, the left side gasket 252L, and the right side gasket 252R may be integrated with one another to define a structure having a constant cross-sectional shape.

[0056]In this case, in the present invention, a thickness of the center gasket 252 may be larger than a thickness of the side gasket 251. FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of vertical cross-sections of the center gasket and the side gasket. In this case, the cross-section corresponds to a cross-section of the center gasket 252 taken along line A-A in FIG. 6, and the cross-section of the side gasket 251 corresponds to a cross-section taken along line B-B in FIG. 6.

[0057]As illustrated, in the present invention, a thickness 252_D of the center gasket may be larger than a thickness 251_D of the side gasket. In the related art, the center gasket and the side gasket have the same thickness. In contrast, in the present invention, the thickness of the center gasket is increased for reinforcement, such that a coupling force between the baffle of the tank and the center gasket may be increased, which may further improve the sealability between the two internal spaces separated by the baffle. Further, the center gasket may be formed to be thick, which may prevent deformation of the tank caused by springback that occurs during the process of crimping the tank.

[0058]Further, the center gasket 252 may have a central portion 252C formed in the extension direction and having a constant thickness, and tapered portions 252T formed at outer sides of the central portion and each having a thickness that gradually decreases. FIG. 8 is a view illustrating a horizontal cross-section of the center gasket, and the horizontal cross-section corresponds to a cross-section taken along line C-C in FIG. 6. As illustrated, the central portion 252C of the center gasket 252 may have a constant thickness, and the tapered portions 252T may be formed at the outer sides of the central portion 252C and each have a thickness that decreases in a direction away from the central portion 252C. Therefore, an end of the tapered portion 252T, which is directed toward the inside of the tapered portion, i.e., directed toward the central portion, may have the same thickness as the central portion 252C. An end of the tapered portion 252T, which is directed toward the outside of the tapered portion, i.e., directed toward a side opposite to the central portion may have the same thickness as the side gasket 251. In this case, portions of the side gaskets 251, which are connected to the tapered portions 252T of the center gasket 252, may correspond to the left side gasket 251L and the right side gasket 252R described with reference to FIG. 6. Because the side gaskets 251 have the same cross-sectional shape as described above, the side gaskets 251 may have the same thickness.

[0059]As illustrated in FIG. 8, the tapered portion 252T of the center gasket may have a structure in which a thickness thereof gradually decreases as the distance from the central portion 252C increases, and then the thickness becomes constant again after a predetermined point. In this case, the thickness in the section of the tapered portion 252T in which the thickness is constant may be equal to the thickness of the side gasket 251.

[0060]Meanwhile, with reference back to FIG. 7, in the gasket 250 of the present invention, a width 251_W of the side gasket may be larger than a width 252_W of the center gasket. In the related art, the side gasket and the center gasket have the same width. In contrast, in the present invention, the width of the side gasket may be relatively large, and a contact area between the coupling surface of the tank and the side gasket may increase, such that the tank may be stably seated on the side gasket. Further, the side gasket having a large width is more advantageous in sealing the internal space from the outside. In addition, the center gasket has a relatively small width, which may maximally ensure the size of the internal space in the header tank.

[0061]Meanwhile, the gasket 250 of the present invention may further include a plurality of bridges 253. FIG. 9 is a view illustrating FIG. 6 again. As illustrated, the gasket 250 of the present invention may have the plurality of bridges 253 spaced apart from one another and configured to connect the side gaskets 251 to the center gasket 252 in the perpendicular direction (x-direction in FIG. 9). The bridges 253 may stably fix the structure of the gasket 250 to prevent the side gaskets 251 and the center gasket 252 from warping.

[0062]In this case, the bridges 253 may be disposed such that the bridges 253 are symmetric with respect to the center gasket 252. That is, with reference to FIG. 9, the bridges 253 may include bridges extending toward the side gasket 251 disposed above the center gasket 252 based on the drawings, and bridges extending toward the side gasket 251 disposed below the center gasket 252 based on the drawings. In this case, the upper bridges and the lower bridges may be formed to be horizontally symmetric with respect to the center gasket 252. Because the bridges are disposed to be symmetric as described above, the overall structure of the gasket may be stably fixed, thereby more assuredly preventing the gasket from warping.

[0063]Hereinafter, the header 210 according to the example of the present invention will be specifically described. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the header according to the example of the present invention, FIG. 11 is a view illustrating a state in which the header and the tube are coupled, and FIG. 12 is a view illustrating a state in which the tube in FIG. 11 is omitted.

[0064]First, with reference to FIG. 10, the header of the present invention may include side gasket seating portions 213 on which the side gaskets 251 of the gasket 250 are seated, and a center gasket seating portion 212 on which the center gasket 252 is seated. In this case, in the header 210 of the present invention, bottom surfaces 212P of the side gasket seating portions 212, which face the side gaskets 251, and a bottom surface 213P of the center gasket seating portion 213, which faces the center gasket 252, may be formed on the same plane P.

[0065]FIG. 11 is a view illustrating a state in which the header and the tubes are coupled. One end of the first tube 111 and one end of the second tube 121 may be penetratively inserted into the through-slots 211 formed between the center gasket seating portion 212 and the side gasket seating portion 213. The first and second tubes 111 and 121 inserted into the through-slots 211 may be fixedly coupled to the header 210 by welding.

[0066]In this case, as illustrated in FIG. 11, a welding portion where the first tube 111 and the header 210 are welded to each other will be referred to as a first welding portion W1, and a welding portion where the second tube 121 and the header 210 are welded to each other will be referred to as a second welding portion W2. Further, in the welding portion where the header and the tube are welded, a lower end point of one end of the first welding portion W1, which is directed toward the side gasket seating portion, i.e., directed toward the inside of the header, will be referred to as a first inner welding point P_A1, and a lower end point of the other end of the first welding portion W1 will be referred to as a first outer welding point P_B1. In addition, a lower end point of one end of the second welding portion W2, which is directed toward the side gasket seating portion direction, i.e., directed toward the inside of the header, will be referred to as a second inner welding point P_A2, and a lower end point of the other end of the second welding portion W2 will be referred to as a second outer welding point P_B2. That is, with reference to FIG. 11, a right lower end point of the first welding portion W1 corresponds to the first inner welding point P_A1, a left lower end point of the first welding portion W1 corresponds to the first outer welding point P_B1, a left lower end point of the second welding portion W2 corresponds to the second inner welding point P_A2, and a right lower end point of the second welding portion W2 corresponds to the second outer welding point P_B2.

[0067]Further, FIG. 12 is a view illustrating a state in which the tube in FIG. 11 is omitted. As illustrated in FIG. 12, a distance from the first inner welding point P_A1 to the plane P will be referred to as a welding portion inner height H_A1 of the first tube, a distance from the first outer welding point P_B1 to the plane P will be referred to as a welding portion outer height H_B1 of the first tube, a distance from the second inner welding point P_A2 to the plane P will be referred to as a welding portion inner height H_A2 of the second tube, and a distance from the second outer welding point P_B1 to the plane P will be referred to as a welding portion outer height H_B2 of the second tube.

[0068]In this case, in the present invention, the welding portion inner height H_A1 of the first tube may be equal to or smaller than the welding portion outer height H_B1 of the first tube, and the welding portion inner height H_A2 of the second tube may be equal to or smaller than the welding portion outer height H_B2 of the second tube. That is, the header of the present invention may have a structure that satisfies H_A1≤H_B1 and H_A2≤H_B2.

[0069]In the welding portion of the tube described above, when the heights of the welding portion disposed in the vicinity of the center gasket seating portion, i.e., the welding portion inner height H_A1 of the first tube and the welding portion inner height H_A2 of the second tube are particularly referred to as welding heights H, the welding heights H are related to the durability of the header. FIG. 13 is a graph illustrating welding heights, stress, and durability life. As illustrated, the small welding height is advantageous in terms of the durability life (lifetime) of the header. That is, as the welding height H decreases, stress applied to the header may decrease, and the lifetime of the header may increase. Specifically, in the present invention, the welding height is set to 2 mm or less, such that the durability life of 1,000 cycles or more may be ensured. As in the present invention, in the case of the integrated heat exchanger in which the two coolants having different temperature ranges are accommodated in the single header tank, high stress is applied to a boundary portion where the two coolants meet together, i.e., at a portion adjacent to the baffle, which adversely affects the durability life of the header tank. However, in the present invention, the welding height is limited to 2 mm or less, such that the durability life may be maximally ensured even though the integrated heat exchanger is adopted.

[0070]FIGS. 14 and 15 are views illustrating the header according to the example of the present invention. As illustrated, in the header of the present invention, an inner portion of the first welding portion W1 and an inner portion of the second welding portion W2 are formed substantially on the same line as the center gasket seating portion, such that the welding heights H, i.e., the welding portion inner height H_A1 of the first tube and the welding portion inner height H_A2 of the second tube may be set to be almost close to 0.

[0071]More specifically, in the header in FIG. 14, the inner portion of the first welding portion W1 and the inner portion of the second welding portion W2 are formed on the same line as the center gasket seating portion of the header on which the center gasket is seated, such that an upper surface of the inner portion of the first welding portion W1, a bottom surface of the center gasket seating portion (i.e., an upper surface of the center gasket seating portion), and an upper surface of the inner portion of the second welding portion W2 may be formed on the same plane. Further, as illustrated, the header may have a structure in which an outer portion of a flat portion of the first welding portion and an outer portion of a flat portion of the second welding portion each have a predetermined inclination. In the case of the header in FIG. 14, the welding portion inner height of the first tube may be smaller than the welding portion outer height of the first tube, and the welding portion inner height of the second tube, which is symmetric to the first tube may be smaller than the welding portion outer height of the second tube. In the case of the header in FIG. 14, the welding height H is set to be almost close to 0 as described above, such that thermal durability may be ensured. Further, the bottom of the header has a predetermined inclination, and level differences are provided at two opposite sides of the side gasket seating portion, which may prevent the gasket from being withdrawn to the outside when the gasket is compressed when the tank is coupled.

[0072]As illustrated, in the case of the header in FIG. 15, the entire bottom surface of the header formed flat. That is, the side gasket seating portion and the center gasket seating portion may be formed on the same plane, the first welding portion, which is the welding portion between the header and the first tube, and the second welding portion, which is the welding portion between the header and the second tube, may be formed on the same plane. Therefore, all the welding portion inner height of the first tube, the welding portion outer height of the first tube, the welding portion inner height of the second tube, and the welding portion outer height of the second tube may be equal to one another. In the case of the header in FIG. 15, like the header in FIG. 14, the welding height H is set to be almost close to 0, such that the durability of the header may be ensured, and the structure is simple and thus easy to manufacture.

[0073]Hereinafter, the tank 220 according to the example of the present invention will be more specifically. FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of the tank according to the example of the present invention. As illustrated, the tank 220 may include the cap part 221 corresponding to an outer periphery of an overall structure of the tank, and the baffle 228 provided in the cap part and configured to bisect the internal space of the cap part. In this case, in the tank 220 of the present invention, an upper surface of the tank based on the extension direction (y-direction in FIG. 16) of the tank, more specifically, one side of the upper surface of the tank corresponding to the cap part 221 may be formed concavely toward the internal space of the header tank. The baffle 228 may extend downward from a concave portion 225 where one side of the upper surface is concavely formed as described above, such that the baffle 228 may bisect the internal space of the header tank 200.

[0074]In the related art, as illustrated in FIG. 1, a tank does not have a concave portion, an upper surface of the tank has a convex shape, as a whole, and a baffle extends downward immediately from the inside of the upper surface of the tank having the convex structure. In contrast, the present invention may provide a Y-shaped structure in which one side of the upper surface of the tank 220 has the concave portion 225 formed concavely, and the baffle 228 extends from the concave portion 225. Therefore, when the baffle compresses the center gasket as the tank is coupled to the header with the gasket interposed therebetween, the concave portion structurally supports the baffle, such that the tank entirely may withstand higher pressure, and the tank and the header may be strongly fixed. In addition, because the concave portion supports the baffle, the structure of the baffle may be prevented from being deformed by springback of the gasket during a process of crimping the tank, and the concave portion may allow the baffle to withstand higher internal pressure of the coolant even after the tank and the header are completely coupled.

[0075]As illustrated in FIG. 16, in the tank according to the example of the present invention, a height h1 of one side tank positioned at one side based on the concave portion may be equal to a height h2 of the other side tank positioned at the other side. Alternatively, as illustrated in FIG. 17, in the tank according to another example of the present invention, the height h1 of one side tank positioned at one side based on the concave portion may be different from the height h2 of the other side tank positioned at the other side. FIG. 18 is a view illustrating an embodiment to which the tank in FIG. 17 is applied.

[0076]In this case, with reference back to FIGS. 16 and 17, in the present invention, a length 228h of the baffle may be set to be equal to or larger than half a maximum height of the tank. The height H of the tank corresponds to a straight distance from the lower end surface 222 of the tank to an inner side of the upper surface of the tank. In case that the upper surface is formed as a curved surface, the maximum height of the tank may be connected to a distance that has a largest value among straight distances that vary to the inner side of the upper surface along the curved surface of the upper surface from the lower end surface 222. In this case, in case that the height h1 of one side tank and the height h2 of the other side tank are equal to each other as illustrated in FIG. 16, the baffle 228 may be formed to having a length that is equal to or larger than half the height of each of one side tank and the other side tank. In case that the height h1 of one side tank and the height h2 of the other side tank are different from each other as illustrated in FIG. 17, the baffle 228 may be formed to have a length that is equal to or larger than half the height of the tank with the large height.

[0077]Because the length 228h of the baffle is inversely proportional to the vertical height of the concave portion 225, the length of the baffle is set to be equal to or larger than half the height of the tank as described above, the durability of the tank may be ensured by the concave portion, and the size of the internal space of the tank may be maximally ensured.

[0078]Hereinafter, a support 300 according to the example of the present invention will be described. FIG. 19 is a side view of the heat exchanger according to the example of the present invention. As illustrated, the heat exchanger 10 of the present invention may further include the support 300. In general, the support is a structure provided outside the core part of the heat exchanger to protect the core part from the outside and support the pair of header tanks. The support may be formed in the form of a long plate. The support 300 may be provided between the pair of header tanks 200 and disposed outside the core part 100 based on the width direction (y-direction in FIG. 19).

[0079]In this case, the support 300 of the present invention may have gap portions 310 in which partial regions of the support 300 are spaced apart from each other at a predetermined interval. FIG. 20 is a view illustrating the support according to the example of the present invention. As illustrated, the support 300 may be formed in the form of a long plate as a whole and have the gap portions 310 formed at some points as the partial regions of the support are spaced apart from each other at a predetermined interval. The gap portion 310 may be formed by a saw-cut process.

[0080]Because the gap portions 310, which each correspond to an empty space, are formed at some points on the support 300 of the present invention as described above, it is possible to prevent the support 300 from being deformed or damaged by a thermal stress caused by a temperature difference between one side and the other side of the support 300. That is, when the support 300 expands as a temperature of the support 300 increases, the empty space of the gap portion 310 may absorb the expansion of the support.

[0081]In this case, the gap portions 310 of the support 300 of the present invention may be respectively formed at points corresponding to about ¼ and about ¾ of the support 300 in the extension direction (z-direction in FIG. 20) of the support 300. More specifically, the gap portions 310 may be respectively formed at a point, which correspond to a distance of 0.23 or more and 0.33 or less of an overall length of the support from one end 301 of the support 300, and a point that corresponds to a distance of 0.23 or more and 0.33 or less of the overall length of the support from the other end 302 of the support 300. The overall length of the support 300 may be substantially equal to the length of the core part 100. FIG. 21 is a graph illustrating positions of the gap portion and thermal stress applied to the support. It can be seen that the thermal stress is lowest when the point of the gap portion 310 corresponds to 0.23 or more and 0.33 or less of the overall length and is adjacent to a point of about 0.25 from one end 301 of the support 300. As described above, in the present invention, the gap portions are respectively formed at the points corresponding to about 0.25 of the overall length from one end and the other end of the support, such that the support may have optimal thermal stress efficiency.

[0082]Meanwhile, with reference back to FIGS. 19 and 20, the support 300 of the present invention may have a connection bridge 320 formed in the gap portion 310 and configured to connect one side support and the other side support spaced apart from each other based on the gap portion 310. The connection bridge 320 prevents the portions of the support, which are spaced apart from each other by the gap portion 310, from being completely separated. In this case, as illustrated in FIG. 19 particularly well, the connection bridge 320 of the gap portion of the present invention may be disposed between the first tube 111 of the first core, more specifically the first core 110 and the second tube 121 of the second core, more specifically the second core 120. More specifically, the connection bridge 320 may be disposed between a first center line C1, which is disposed at a center based on the width direction (x-direction in FIG. 19) of the first tube 111, and a second center line C2 disposed at a center based on the width direction of the second tube 121 (x-direction in FIG. 19). In this case, the connection bridge 320 may be aligned in parallel with the first center line C1 and the second center line C2.

[0083]As described above, the coolants having different temperature ranges flow through the first tube 111 and the second tube 121, such that thermal stress, which is applied to a portion of the support 300 adjacent to the first tube 111, may be different from thermal stress applied to a portion adjacent to the second tube 121. In this case, in the present invention, the connection bridge 320 of the gap portion is disposed between the first tube 111 and the second tube 121, such that the amount of stress varies depending on the portions of the support based on the connection bridge 320, which may implement different degrees of expansion of the portions of the support that may prevent damage to the connection bridge.

[0084]While the embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention may be carried out in any other specific form without changing the technical spirit or an essential feature thereof. Therefore, it should be understood that the above-described embodiments are illustrative in all aspects and do not limit the present invention.

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