Heat exchanger for vehicle

Abstract

A heat exchanger apparatus for a vehicle may include a tank receiving a first operating fluid therein through a first inflow port and exhausting the first operating fluid therefrom through a first exhaust port, first and second headers formed to lower and upper portion of the tank and receiving and exhausting a second operating fluid respectively through a second inflow port and a second exhaust port formed respectively at the lower portion and the upper portion of the tank, and mounted respectively at the lower portion and the upper portion of the tank so as to form first and second chambers at the lower and upper portion of the tank, and at least one heat radiating unit provided with at least one coupling pipe fluidly connecting the first chamber of the first header with the second chamber of the second header.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A heat exchanger apparatus for a vehicle comprising:
 a tank receiving a first operating fluid therein through a first inflow port and exhausting the first operating fluid therefrom through a first exhaust port;   first and second headers formed to lower and upper portion of the tank and receiving and exhausting a second operating fluid respectively through a second inflow port and a second exhaust port formed respectively at the lower portion and the upper portion of the tank, and mounted respectively at the lower portion and the upper portion of the tank so as to form first and second chambers at the lower and upper portion of the tank; and   at least one heat radiating unit provided with at least one coupling pipe formed by coupling at least one plate at which at least one protruding portion is formed along a length direction thereof, and fluidly connecting the first chamber of the first header with the second chamber of the second header,   wherein a connecting line is formed in the coupling pipe so as for the second operating fluid to flow therein, and the second operating fluid flowing in the coupling pipe is cooled by heat-exchange with the first operating fluid passing an outside of the coupling pipe.   
     
     
         2 . The heat exchanger apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein first and second mounting holes connected to the first and second chambers are formed respectively at the first and second headers, and both ends of the heat radiating unit are inserted respectively in the first and second mounting holes. 
     
     
         3 . The heat exchanger apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the first inflow port and the first exhaust port are disposed in a diagonal direction respectively at an upper portion of a side surface of the tank and a lower portion of the other side surface of the tank between the first and second chambers. 
     
     
         4 . The heat exchanger apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the second inflow port and the second exhaust port are disposed in a diagonal direction respectively at a lower surface and an upper surface of the tank. 
     
     
         5 . The heat exchanger apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the protruding portion is formed integrally at the at least one plate by pressing. 
     
     
         6 . The heat exchanger apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the protruding portion is provided with an exterior circumference and an interior circumference formed with semi-circular shape and is disposed as spiral shape along a length direction of the at least one plate. 
     
     
         7 . The heat exchanger apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein both ends of the heat radiating unit are inserted respectively in the first header and the second header, and the protruding portion is not formed at the both ends of the heat radiating unit. 
     
     
         8 . The heat exchanger apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one coupling pipe is a circular pipe formed by a plurality of protruding portions, and an interior circumference and an exterior circumference of the coupling pipe are formed as spiral shape such that vortex is generated at the second operating fluid flowing in the connecting line by rotation of the second operating fluid and the first operating fluid passing the outside of the connecting line is caused to form turbulence. 
     
     
         9 . The heat exchanger apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the coupling pipe, in a state that protruding portions of a pair of plate are disposed so as to be protruded toward the outside, is formed by coupling the pair of plates. 
     
     
         10 . The heat exchanger apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein neighboring heat radiating units are disposed alternately in a width direction such that the coupling pipe of one of the neighboring heat radiating units is disposed between neighboring coupling pipes of the other of the neighboring heat radiating units. 
     
     
         11 . The heat exchanger apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the number of the coupling pipes included in the heat radiating unit is changed according to sizes of the first header and the second header. 
     
     
         12 . The heat exchanger apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the coupling pipes consisting of one heat radiating unit are releasably assembled with each other. 
     
     
         13 . The heat exchanger apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein a plurality of rows of protruding portions is formed at one plate, and the one plate is folded to form the heat radiating unit such that one row of protruding portions is connected to another row of protruding portions so as to form the coupling pipe. 
     
     
         14 . The heat exchanger apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one plate is provided with at least one flowing hole formed between the coupling pipes. 
     
     
         15 . The heat exchanger apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein flowing direction of the second operating fluid passing in the connecting line of the coupling pipe is perpendicular to that of the first operating fluid passing the outside of the coupling pipe. 
     
     
         16 . The heat exchanger apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the first inflow port and the first exhaust port penetrate the second header and the first header at the upper portion and the lower portion of the tank and are positioned at an upper surface and a lower surface of the tank in a diagonal direction, respectively. 
     
     
         17 . The heat exchanger apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein a second inflow port is formed at the lower surface of the tank in a diagonal direction to the first exhaust port, and a second exhaust port is formed at the upper surface of the tank in a diagonal direction to the first inflow port. 
     
     
         18 . The heat exchanger apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein the first operating fluid flowing through the first inflow port and the second operating fluid flowing through the second inflow port flow in opposite directions in the tank and exchange heat with each other. 
     
     
         19 . The heat exchanger apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein longitudinal axes of the first inflow port and the first exhaust port are perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the at least one coupling pipe.