EGR Cooler Separator Plate for Tube Wear Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Flexible cooling tubes in exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) coolers experience thermal expansion and vibration-induced wear, leading to premature failure, increased maintenance, and fluid leaks due to undesirable contact with each other and the shell.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a separator plate within the EGR cooler's internal chamber to partition the cooling tubes into sub-bundles, limiting their movement and reducing mass, thereby minimizing wear and damage to the tubes and shell.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If flexible cooling tubes are used to minimize stress at connection points, then the tubes can accommodate thermal expansion and vibration, but the tubes may contact each other and the shell causing wear and premature failure
Solution Approach 1:
The internal chamber is divided into multiple sub-chambers using separator plates, which segment the cooling tubes into different groups. This segmentation prevents the tubes from moving in unison and reduces contact between tubes and between tubes and the shell, thereby reducing wear while maintaining the flexibility needed to accommodate thermal expansion and vibration.
2Adaptability or versatility
If cooling tubes are allowed to flex due to thermal expansion and vibration, then the tubes can accommodate temperature changes, but the flexing causes undesirable contact between tubes and the shell
Solution Approach 1:
Separator plates divide the internal chamber into sub-chambers, constraining the movement of cooling tubes within each sub-chamber. This limits the flexing motion caused by thermal expansion and vibration, preventing the tubes from contacting the shell while still allowing necessary thermal movement within the confined space.
Solution Approach 2:
The separator plates act as intermediary structures between the cooling tubes and the shell. These plates provide physical barriers that prevent direct contact between the flexing tubes and the shell, thereby mediating the harmful contact while allowing the tubes to maintain their flexibility for thermal expansion.
3Reliability
If a separator plate is added to partition the internal chamber, then tube movement is limited and wear is reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The internal chamber is segmented into sub-chambers using separator plates, which simplifies the management of tube movement by confining it to smaller regions. While this adds structural elements, the segmentation approach systematically addresses the wear problem and can facilitate modular manufacturing and assembly.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The separator plate reduces wear and damage to the cooling tubes and shell, prolonging their lifespan, decreasing maintenance frequency, and minimizing fluid leaks by confining sub-bundles of tubes to smaller areas and preventing them from flexing or moving in unison.
Implementation Method 1
at least one separator plate, extending within the internal chamber between the first tube support plate and the second tube support plate, that partitions the internal chamber such that a first set of the plurality of cooling tubes are to a first side of the at least one separator plate and a second set of the plurality of cooling tubes are to a second side of the at least one separator plate
Implementation Method 2
Exhaust gas flows through the tubes, while a coolant (e.g., water) flows over the tubes, thereby transferring heat from the exhaust gas to the coolant
Implementation Method 3
hot exhaust gas flowing through the tubes may cause thermal expansion of the tubes, thereby causing elongation of the tubes
Implementation Method 4
The flexibility of the tubes may permit the tubes to contact one another and/or contact the shell
Data Source
AI summary
In some implementations, an exhaust gas recirculation cooler may include a shell defining an internal chamber; a first tube support plate defining a first wall of the internal chamber; a second tube support plate defining a second wall of the internal chamber; a plurality of cooling tubes extending through the internal chamber from the first tube support plate to the second tube support plate, the plurality of cooling tubes being flexible tubes; and at least one separator plate, extending within the internal chamber between the first tube support plate and the second tube support plate, that partitions the internal chamber such that a first set of the plurality of cooling tubes are to a first side of the at least one separator plate and a second set of the plurality of cooling tubes are to a second side of the at least one separator plate.