Intercooler U-Turn Channel Design for Thermal Uniformity
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing intercooler design for cooling supercharged intake air suffers from poor thermal uniformity and reduced cooling performance due to a large temperature difference in the hot cooling water channel, which affects engine warming at start-up and pre-cooling efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The intercooler incorporates a channel tube configuration with a first U-turn portion for the first cooling medium and a second U-turn portion for the second cooling medium, which reduces temperature differences and enhances thermal uniformity by forcing both cooling media to make a U-turn, improving the pre-cooling effect and overall cooling performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a full-path (single-path) channel configuration is used for the hot cooling water passage, then the hot cooling water can flow without making a U-turn, but the temperature difference between inlet and outlet increases, resulting in poor thermal uniformity and deteriorated cooling performance
Solution Approach 1:
The channel tube is divided into multiple independent channels: a first cooling medium channel with a first U-turn portion and a second cooling medium channel with a second U-turn portion. This segmentation allows each cooling medium to have its own optimized flow path, enabling both the hot and cold cooling media to make U-turns independently, thereby reducing temperature differences and improving thermal uniformity without compromising flow path simplicity
2Device complexity
If the hot cooling water flows without making a U-turn, then the flow path is simplified, but pre-cooling of the supercharged intake air fails to provide sufficient effect, deteriorating cooling performance
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is segmented into two separate channels with different configurations optimized for their respective functions. The second cooling medium channel includes a second U-turn portion that enables effective pre-cooling of supercharged intake air, while the first cooling medium channel includes a first U-turn portion for optimal thermal uniformity. This segmentation allows each channel to be optimized independently, improving cooling performance without unnecessarily increasing overall device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
Different local configurations are applied to different channels based on their specific functional requirements. The second cooling medium channel, which performs pre-cooling, is equipped with a second U-turn portion to maximize heat exchange efficiency. The first cooling medium channel, responsible for thermal uniformity, has a first U-turn portion optimized for its function. This local quality approach ensures each part of the system has the appropriate structure for its specific task, improving overall cooling performance
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 configuration improves thermal uniformity during engine start-up and enhances cooling performance by reducing temperature differences within the cooling medium channels, leading to more effective pre-cooling of supercharged intake air and improved engine warming.
Implementation Method 1
an intercooler that cools intake air supercharged into an engine by a supercharger by exchanging heat with a cooling medium includes a heat exchange portion in which heat is exchanged between the cooling medium flowing inside a channel tube and the supercharged intake air flowing outside the channel tube
Implementation Method 2
The channel tube includes a first U-turn portion forcing a flow of the first cooling medium flowing the first cooling medium channel to make a U-turn, and a second U-turn portion forcing a flow of the second cooling medium flowing the second cooling medium channel to make a U-turn
Data Source
AI summary
An intercooler that cools intake air supercharged into an engine by a supercharger by exchanging heat with a cooling medium includes a heat exchange portion in which heat is exchanged between the cooling medium flowing inside a channel tube and the supercharged intake air flowing outside the channel tube. The cooling medium includes a first cooling medium and a second cooling medium hotter than the first cooling medium. The channel tube includes a first cooling medium channel where the first cooling medium flows and a second cooling medium channel where the second cooling medium flows. The channel tube includes a first U-turn portion forcing a flow of the first cooling medium flowing the first cooling medium channel to make a U-turn, and a second U-turn portion forcing a flow of the second cooling medium flowing the second cooling medium channel to make a U-turn.