Integrated Intercooler with Variable EGR and Intake Air Regions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing engine systems with separate high-pressure EGR coolers and water-cooled intercoolers face increased component costs, insufficient or excessive cooling capacities under different operating conditions, and require more space due to the complexity of the cooling circuit.
Innovation Solution
An integrated intercooler that combines high-pressure EGR cooling and water-cooled intercooling capabilities, featuring a heat exchanger with alternating gas and coolant passageways and a variable device to control the supply regions for intake air and recirculating exhaust gas, allowing for adjustable cooling capacities based on engine conditions through an actuator-controlled separation wall mechanism.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate high-pressure EGR cooler and water-cooled intercooler are provided, then cooling capacity is sufficient for both recirculating exhaust gas and intake air, but component costs increase and device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the high-pressure EGR cooler and water-cooled intercooler into a single integrated intercooler device. The heat exchanger includes alternating coolant passageways and gas passageways, where odd-numbered passageways handle recirculating exhaust gas and even-numbered passageways handle intake air. This consolidation reduces component count while maintaining sufficient cooling capacity for both gas streams through the shared coolant circulation system.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated intercooler serves multiple functions simultaneously: it cools both recirculating exhaust gas and intake air using a single device. The heat exchanger structure allows the same coolant circulation system to perform cooling duties for two different gas streams, making the device universal and reducing the need for separate cooling systems.
2Reliability
If separate high-pressure EGR cooler and water-cooled intercooler are provided, then cooling capacity is sufficient for both recirculating exhaust gas and intake air, but component costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the high-pressure EGR cooler and water-cooled intercooler into a single integrated intercooler device. The heat exchanger includes alternating coolant passageways and gas passageways, where odd-numbered passageways handle recirculating exhaust gas and even-numbered passageways handle intake air. This consolidation reduces component count while maintaining sufficient cooling capacity for both gas streams through the shared coolant circulation system.
3Reliability
If separate high-pressure EGR cooler and water-cooled intercooler are provided, then cooling function is provided for both gases, but space occupied increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the high-pressure EGR cooler and water-cooled intercooler into a single integrated intercooler device. The heat exchanger includes alternating coolant passageways and gas passageways, where odd-numbered passageways handle recirculating exhaust gas and even-numbered passageways handle intake air. This consolidation reduces component count while maintaining sufficient cooling capacity for both gas streams through the shared coolant circulation system.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated intercooler structure allows one cooling function to be nested within another. The heat exchanger channels are arranged in an alternating pattern where coolant passageways and gas passageways are interlaced, enabling the recirculating exhaust gas cooling and intake air cooling functions to occupy the same spatial envelope, thereby reducing the total space required.
4Reliability
If fixed cooling capacities are provided, then cooling function is provided for both gases, but adaptability to different operating conditions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a variable device with a movable partition wall that can dynamically adjust the supply regions for recirculating exhaust gas and intake air. The partition wall can shift its position to allocate more or less cooling capacity to each gas stream based on engine operating conditions, transforming the fixed cooling system into an adaptive one that responds to varying thermal demands.
Solution Approach 2:
The variable device changes the operational parameters of the cooling system by adjusting the supply regions. The movable partition wall modifies the flow distribution parameters, allowing the cooling capacities for recirculating exhaust gas and intake air to be varied according to engine load and temperature conditions, thereby achieving adaptability.
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 integrated solution enhances cooling efficiency, reduces component count, saves space, and improves productivity by dynamically adjusting cooling capacities for recirculating exhaust gas and intake air according to engine operating conditions.
Implementation Method 1
a heat exchanger in which gas passageways through which the intake air and the recirculating exhaust gas pass and coolant passageways through which a coolant passes are alternately formed from a front side to a rear side
Data Source
AI summary
An integrated intercooler apparatus, which is supplied with intake air and recirculating exhaust gas, and cools the intake air and the recirculating exhaust gas, may include: a heat exchanger in which gas passageways through which the intake air and the recirculating exhaust gas pass and coolant passageways through which a coolant passes are alternately formed from a front side to a rear side thereof; and a variable device which controls an area of an exhaust gas supply region and an area of an intake air supply region at a front side of an inlet side of the heat exchanger.