Heat Exchanger Parallel Flow Cooling Air Fluid
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional heat exchangers for internal combustion engines face limitations in cooling capacity due to restricted inflow areas, especially when geometric changes or more powerful engines generate increased waste heat, leading to inadequate cooling.
Innovation Solution
The heat exchanger design features multiple parallel cooling elements arranged as plates with flow channels between them, where cooling air and heat-carrying fluid flow directions are parallel, and enhanced by fins and turbulence-inducing elements to increase surface area and heat transfer efficiency, allowing for improved cooling capacity within the same inflow area.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional heat exchangers use multiple parallel cooling elements with fins to maximize heat dissipation area, then cooling capacity is improved, but the inflow area becomes excessively large which conflicts with limited vehicle front area space
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from conventional planar parallel tube arrangements to a three-dimensional stacked configuration where cooling elements are arranged vertically in multiple levels. This dimensional change allows the heat exchanger to achieve greater heat dissipation area without proportionally increasing the frontal inflow area, effectively resolving the space constraint conflict.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling elements are divided into multiple discrete cooling elements arranged in stacked levels rather than a single continuous planar structure. This segmentation allows the heat exchanger to pack more cooling surface area into a compact vertical footprint, improving cooling capacity while controlling the frontal area.
2Area of stationary object
If the inflow area is reduced due to vehicle geometric constraints or engine power increases, then space efficiency is improved, but cooling capacity becomes insufficient for adequate engine cooling
Solution Approach 1:
By stacking cooling elements vertically in multiple levels, the heat exchanger compensates for reduced frontal area through increased vertical extent. This dimensional redistribution allows sufficient heat dissipation surface area to be achieved even with constrained inflow area, maintaining adequate cooling capacity for powerful engines.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the spatial arrangement parameters of the cooling elements from a two-dimensional planar configuration to a three-dimensional stacked configuration. This parameter change allows the heat exchanger to maintain high cooling capacity while adapting to reduced inflow area constraints imposed by vehicle geometry or engine power requirements.
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
This design enhances cooling capacity by optimizing heat transfer through parallel fluid and air flow directions and increased surface area, ensuring effective heat dissipation even with reduced inflow areas or more powerful engines.
Implementation Method 1
the heat exchanger is thermally coupled to the internal combustion engine by a fluid containing a coolant additive
Implementation Method 2
the heat exchanger is exposed to an air flow... to dissipate the waste heat from the internal combustion engine to the environment
Implementation Method 3
Fins are provided between the cooling elements through which the fluid can flow, which are thermally coupled to the cooling elements
Implementation Method 4
provide the largest possible area for dissipating waste heat from the fluid to the air flow
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4
AI summary
The invention relates to a heat exchanger, in particular for an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle. The heat exchanger has at least two cooling elements (9) through which a heat-conducting fluid (14) can flow and at least one flow channel (10) which is arranged between the cooling elements (9) and through which a cooling air (11) can flow. The aim of the invention is to improve the cooling capacity of the heat exchanger. According to the invention, this is achieved in that the flow channel (10) extends between the two cooling elements (9) such that a flow direction (12) of the cooling air (11) in the flow channel (10) runs parallel to a flow direction (13) of the heat-conducting fluid (14) in the two cooling elements (9).