Heat exchanger with a plurality of individual tubular parts and process for the manufacture thereof

Claim 2

A heat-exchanger, comprising: a plurality of inner tubular shaped elements having enlarged end portions having an essentially cylindrical shape; a plurality of outer tubular shaped elements having end portions having an essentially cylindrical shape, the inner diameter of said cylindrical end portions of said outer elements being approximately equal to the outer diameter of the cylindrical end portions of said inner elements, wherein the cylindrical end portion of one of said inner tubular shaped elements is inserted into axially overlapping position within the cylindrical end portion of each of said outer tubular shaped elements to produce a plurality of tube joints lying substantially in a single plane; a pressure platen having a number of orifices therethrough corresponding to the number of said tube joints, wherein the pressure platen surrounds the inner and outer tubular shaped elements at said tube joints and the diameter of said orifices is at least in a portion thereof sufficiently smaller than the outer diameter of the cylindrical end portions of said outer tubular shaped elements to produce a plastically deformed pressure fit between said inner and outer tubular shaped elements, said pressure platen being positioned with orifice portions having a smaller diameter than the outer diameter of the cylindrical end portions of said outer tubular shaped elements disposed around the overlapping cylindrical end portions of the inner and outer tubular shaped elements between the free ends of the overlapping cylindrical end portions, and wherein the pressure fit comprises a radially inwardly directed deformation of both the inner and outer tubular shaped elements between the free ends of overlapping cylindrical end portions, the outer diameter of the inner tubular shaped element in the plastically deformed area of said pressure fit being smaller than the outer diameter of the remainder of the inner tubular shaped element.

Claim 3

A heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein said pressure platen is comprised of a harder material than said outer tubular shaped elements.

Claim 4

A heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein said inner and outer tubular shaped elements originally having the same dimater and the outer tubular shaped elements comprise an expanded end having a conical transition which serves as the support for the inner tubular shaped elements.

Claim 5

A heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein said orifices in said pressure platen comprise cylindrical bores having a conical butting surface.

Claim 6

A heat exchanger according to claim 4, wherein said orifices in said pressure platen comprise conical bores having a radially inwardly directed bead on the side having the smallest opening cross section.

Claim 7

A heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein said orifices in said pressure platen comprise conical passages.

Claim 8

A heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein in each tube joint at least one surface selected from the external circumference of the cylindrical end portion of the inner tubular shaped element and the internal circumference of the cylindrical end portions of the outer tubular shaped element is provided with a plurality of circumferential grooves.

Claim 9

A process for manufacturing a heat exchanger comprising a plurality of tube joints between inner and outer tubular shaped elements, wherein said inner and outer tubular shaped elements originally having the same diameter, said process comprising the steps of: passing the ends of a set of tubular elements selected from the set of outer tubular shaped elements and the set of inner tubular shaped elements through the orifices of a pressure platen having a number of orifices therethrough corresponding to the number of tube joints; expanding the ends of said outer tubular shaped elements, the outer diameter of the expanded ends of said outer elements being larger than the diameter of at least a portion of said orifices of said pressure platen, and the inner diameter of the expanded ends of said outer elements being substantially equal to the outer diameter of the ends of the inner elements, the ends of both the inner and outer tubular shaped elements being cylindrical; inserting the cylindrical ends of the inner tubular shaped elements into axially overlapping position within the expanded cylindrical ends of the outer tubular shaped element to produce a pluralty of tube joints lying in a single plane; and moving said pressure platen onto the overlapping ends of said outer and inner tubular shaped elements with orifice portions having a smaller diameter than the outer diameter of the cylindrical end portions of said outer tubular shaped elements disposed around the overlapping end portions of the inner and outer tubular shaped elements between the free ends of said overlapping cylindrical end Portions to simultaneously reduce the cross section in all of the tube joints, thereby obtaining a plastically deformed Pressure fit between said inner and outer tubular shaped elements, wherein said pressure fit comprises a radially inwardly directed plastic deformation of both the inner and the outer tubular shaped elements between the free ends of the overlapping cylindrical end portions, and the outer diameter of the inner tubular shaped element in the plastically deformed area of the pressure fit is smaller than the outer diameter of the remainder of the inner tubular shaped element.

Claim 10

A process for manufacturing a heat exchanger comprising a plurality of tube joints between inner and outer tubular shaped elements, wherein said inner and outer tubular shaped elements originally having the same diameter, said process comprising the steps of: passing the ends of a set of tubular elements selected from the set of outer tubular shaped elements and the set of inner tubular shaped elements through the orifices of a pressure platen having a number of orifices therethrough corresponding to the number of tube joints; expanding the ends of said outer tubular shaped elements, the outer diameter of the expanded ends of said outer elements being larger than the diameter of at least a portion of said orifices of said pressure platen, and the inner diameter of the expanded ends of said outer elements being substantially equal to the outer diameter of the ends of the inner elements, the ends of both the inner and outer tubular shaped elements being cylindrical; inserting the cylindrical ends of the inner tubular shaped elements into axially overlapping position within the expanded cylindrical ends of the outer tubular shaped element to produce a pluralty of tube joints lying in a single plane; and moving said pressure platen onto the overlapping ends of said outer and inner tubular shaped elements with orifice portions having a smaller diameter than the outer diameter of the cylindrical end portions of said outer tubular shaped elements disposed around the overlapping end portions of the inner and outer tubular shaped elements between the free ends of said overlapping cylindrical end Portions to simultaneously reduce the cross section in all of the tube joints, thereby obtaining a plastically deformed Pressure fit between said inner and outer tubular shaped elements, wherein said pressure fit comprises a radially inwardly directed plastic deformation of both the inner and the outer tubular shaped elements between the free ends of the overlapping cylindrical end portions, and the outer diameter of the inner tubular shaped element in the plastically deformed area of the pressure fit is smaller than the outer diameter of the remainder of the inner tubular shaped element.

Claim 11

A process according to claim 8, wherein said pressure platen is moved onto the overlapping ends of said outer and inner tubular shaped elements by placing the heat exchanger into a press installation subsequent to the insertion of the inner and outer tubular shaped elements and pushing the pressure platen onto the outer tubular shaped elements by means of pressure wedges.

Claim 12

A process according to claim 8, wherein said pressure platen is moved onto the overlapping ends of said inner and outer tubular shaped elements by holding the heat exchanger by an anvil and pushing the pressure platen onto the outer tubular shaped element by means of a punch.

Claim 13

A process for the manufacture of a heat exchanger according to claim 8, wherein the set of tubular elements passed through the orifices of the pressure piston is the set of inner tubular shaped elements.