Intercooler Condensate Storage Unit for EGR Gas Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
In EGR systems, condensate generated during the cooling of mixed EGR gas and intake air interferes with gas flow, reduces cooling efficiency, and can cause damage by freezing, leading to cracks in the intercooler.
Innovation Solution
An intercooler design featuring a condensate storage unit with a tube-type reservoir tank and ribbed second barriers to store and manage condensate effectively, preventing damage and noise from condensate sway.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If the mixed gas is cooled down in the intercooler, then the cooling efficiency is improved, but the condensate is generated and gathers in the flowing path to deteriorate intake efficiency and reduce cooling area
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the harmful condensate from the gas flow path by introducing a condensate storage unit. The storage unit captures condensate before it can accumulate in the flowing path, thereby maintaining both cooling efficiency and intake efficiency simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The condensate storage unit acts as an intermediary component between the cooling process and the gas flow path. It mediates the interaction by capturing condensate and preventing it from interfering with the mixed gas flow, thus resolving the contradiction between cooling efficiency and intake efficiency.
2Temperature
If the mixed gas is cooled down in the intercooler, then the cooling efficiency is improved, but the condensate can be frozen to generate cracks in the flowing path
Solution Approach 1:
The condensate storage unit extracts and captures condensate before it can freeze in the flowing path. By removing condensate from the system, the patent prevents freezing-related structural damage and maintains the reliability of the intercooler.
Solution Approach 2:
The condensate storage unit performs preliminary action by capturing condensate before it can cause harm. This preventive measure stops condensate from accumulating and freezing, thereby avoiding cracks in the flowing path and maintaining structural integrity.
3Reliability
If a condensate storage unit is added to store condensate, then the condensate management is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The condensate storage unit is merged with the intercooler structure, integrating the condensate management function into the existing system. This combination approach increases reliability while minimizing the increase in device complexity by sharing structural components.
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
Enhances condensate storage capacity, prevents crack damage from freezing, and reduces noise by effectively managing condensate within the intercooler.
Implementation Method 1
connection tubes that connect the inlet portion with the outlet portion and are arranged from an upper side to a lower side of the cooler main body to cool the mixed gas
Implementation Method 2
a condensate storage unit that connects a lower end portion of the inlet portion with a lower end portion of the outlet portion and stores the condensate that is formed in the connection tubes
Data Source
AI summary
An intercooler for a vehicle that cools a mixture of EGR gas and exhaust gas may include a cooler main body with an inlet portion through which the mixture flows in formed at one side thereof and an outlet portion through which the mixture flows out formed at the other end side thereof, connection tubes that connect the inlet portion with the outlet portion and are arranged from an upper side to a lower side of the cooler main body to cool the mixture, and a condensate storage unit that connects a lower end portion of the inlet portion with a lower end portion of the outlet portion and stores the condensate that is formed in the connection tubes.