Heat exchanger with reinforced neck

Abstract

A heat exchanger assembly comprising a heat exchanger with tank having a neck, and, in various embodiments, an assembly further comprising a hose to form a hose-neck connection is provided. A heat exchanger assembly comprising a hose-neck connection, having the advantage of providing for a connection resistant to temperature and pressure conditions of heat exchangers is provided. By providing for particular rib patterns on the neck, an optimized rib pattern can be found based on the environmental conditions and use of the heat exchanger assembly.

1 . A heat exchanger assembly comprising:
 a core comprising a tube or tubes;   a manifold;   a hose having flexible attachment area for attachment to a manifold neck;   a manifold neck of greater relative stiffness when compared to the hose, which serves as a fluid inlet or outlet on the manifold; and   at least two ribs on the part of the manifold neck that extends into the environment exterior to the manifold;   at least one of the at least two ribs on the manifold neck is a circumferential or essentially circumferential rib; and wherein the hose, neck and ribs form a hose-neck connection comprising sealing surfaces which form a hose to neck seal that is essentially leak tight to the exterior of the heat exchanger.   
   
   
       2 . A heat exchanger assembly as in  claim 1 , comprising a hose bead on the manifold neck, such that the sealing surfaces maintain an essentially leak tight seal while helping to provide integrity to the hose-neck connection. 
   
   
       3 . A heat exchanger assembly as in  claim 1 , further comprising a clamp at the hose-neck connection. 
   
   
       4 . A heat exchanger assembly as in  claim 2 , further comprising a clamp at the hose-neck connection. 
   
   
       5 . A heat exchanger assembly as in  claim 4 , further comprising a hose bead, wherein the hose bead is tapered so as to allow for variable pressure on the bead to the hose at different areas of the hose-neck connection. 
   
   
       6 . A heat exchanger assembly as in  claim 3 , wherein the cross sectional area of the tube at the area of the hose-neck connection is basically circular or non-circular. 
   
   
       7 . A heat exchanger assembly as in  claim 6 , wherein the cross sectional area of the tube at the area of the hose-neck connection is basically circular. 
   
   
       8 . A heat exchanger assembly as in  claim 6 , having a plurality of ribs at the neck in the area of the hose-neck connection, and wherein the plurality of ribs is essentially circumferential and of approximately the same height when measured from the outer surface of the neck. 
   
   
       9 . A heat exchanger assembly as in  claim 7 , having a plurality of ribs at the neck in the area of the hose-neck connection, and wherein the plurality of ribs are essentially circumferential and of approximately the same height when measured from the outer surface of the neck. 
   
   
       10 . A heat exchanger assembly as in  claim 6 , wherein at least one of the plurality of ribs is a squared rib. 
   
   
       11 . A heat exchanger assembly as in  claim 6 , wherein at least one of the plurality of ribs is a tapered or radiused rib. 
   
   
       12 . A heat exchanger assembly as in  claim 6 , wherein the essentially circumferential ribs are selected from the group consisting of rectangular, tapered, radiused or corrugated ribs. 
   
   
       13 . A heat exchanger assembly as in  claim 12 , wherein at least one of the ribs is a non-symmetric rib. 
   
   
       14 . A heat exchanger assembly as in  claim 7 , wherein the diameter of the flexible tube is slightly less than the diameter of the neck, such that the tube provides pressure on the ribs when part of the hose-neck connection. 
   
   
       15 . A heat exchanger assembly as in  claim 3 , wherein the cross sectional area of the tube at the hose-neck connection is basically non-circular, and wherein the at least one circumferential or essentially circumferential rib varies in height along the circumference. 
   
   
       16 . A heat exchanger assembly as in  claim 2 , wherein the essentially circumferential ribs are selected from the group consisting of rectangular, tapered, radiused or corrugated ribs. 
   
   
       17 . A heat exchanger as in  claim 16 , wherein the diameter of the flexible tube is slightly less than the diameter of the neck, such that the tube provides pressure on the ribs when part of the hose-neck connection.