Heat exchanger header tank

Abstract

In a heat exchanger including a header tank which includes a header plate through which end portions of a number of flat tubes placed in parallel are inserted, and a header body fitted to the header plate, the header plate and the header body are temporarily assembled easily and accurately, and joined more accurately by brazing. The header body is formed in a gutter-like shape, and positioned with both ends thereof on an opening side in contact with both ends of a major axis on an opening end surface of each flat tube inserted into the header plate.

1 .- 3 . (canceled) 
     
     
         4 . A heat exchanger, comprising at least one heat exchanger unit comprising a respective header including a respective header plate and a respective header body, and a respective plurality of flat tubes received in the respective header, wherein
 the header plate has a plurality of openings arranged along a length of the header plate and spaced from one another in a longitudinal direction of the header plate and has a U-shaped cross-section orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, with the openings being at a bottom of the U-shape, and each of the openings is configured to receive an end portion including a free end of a respective one of the flat tubes,   the header body is gutter-shaped and is received in the U-shape of the header plate with longitudinal edges of the gutter-shape facing into the U-shape, and   each of the flat tubes has a major axis and a minor axis and the flat tubes are received in the openings with the major axis of each of the flat tubes extending in a widthwise direction of the header plate and the free end of each of the flat tubes at respective ends of the major axis thereof contacting respective ones of the longitudinal edges of the header body.   
     
     
         5 . The heat exchanger according to  claim 4 , wherein
 the cross-section of the header plate orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the header plate and the cross-section of the header body orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the header body each comprise a respective circular arc shape, and exterior walls of the circular arc shape of the header body conform to inner walls of the circular arc shape of the header plate,   longitudinal edge portions of the header plate are formed as a pair of outwardly extending flanges, and   the header plate and the header body are brazed together.   
     
     
         6 . The heat exchanger according to  claim 5 , comprising a plurality of the heat exchanger units, wherein
 in each of the heat exchanger units one of the flanges is higher than the other in a direction parallel to a lengthwise direction at the flat tubes, and   the heat exchanger units are arranged side by side with the lower flange of a respective one of the heat exchanger units abutting an adjacent one of the heat exchanger units at a location beneath the higher flange of the adjacent heat exchanger unit.