RU238534U1 - Air-to-air intercooler in an internal combustion engine - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model relates to the field of mechanical engineering and can be used in vehicles driven by a turbocharged internal combustion engine (ICE) for cooling the charge air. An air cooler for charge air in an ICE, comprising a lower 3 and an upper 2 tank, connected to a frame 1. The inner surface of the upper tank 2 at the transition point of the inlet channel pipe 4 into the diffuser part 6 of the tank and at the points of the angle of inclination of the tank walls are made in the form of a radius rounding. The inner surface of the lower tank 3 at the transition point of the outlet channel pipe 5 into the diffuser part 9 of the tank is made in the form of a torus, the base of which is smoothly connected with their inner surface. The technical result of the utility model is to increase the reliability during operation of the air cooler for charge air in an ICE. 8 fig.

Description

The utility model relates to the field of mechanical engineering and can be used in vehicles that are driven by a turbocharged internal combustion engine for cooling the charge air; in particular, the charge air cooler can be used in internal combustion engines of sports, racing and production cars.

The closest analogue is an air-to-air intercooler containing frame support plates, trough-shaped tanks with asymmetrical pipes connected to the frame, wherein the pipes have an angular offset relative to the horizontal plane, and the lower tank is made with a variable cross-section before it begins to connect with the pipe (see RU 52935 U1, 27.06.2006).

A disadvantage of this type of air cooler is the presence of airflow turbulence zones in the tanks caused by the shape of the transitions between the channels and the diffuser sections. This leads to increased aerodynamic drag and uneven flow distribution throughout the core tubes, negatively impacting cooling efficiency and reliability. Furthermore, the use of flared ends in the tank design creates stress concentrators and increases the risk of fatigue cracks at the joints, complicates production, and increases the risk of leaks, thereby reducing the reliability of the device.

The task that the claimed utility model is aimed at solving is to improve operational characteristics due to the design features of the device.

The technical result of the utility model is to increase the reliability during operation of an air-to-air cooler in an internal combustion engine.

The technical result is achieved in that the air cooler of the charge air in an internal combustion engine contains lower and upper tanks connected to the frame, wherein the inner surface of the upper tank at the point of transition of the inlet channel branch pipe into the diffuser part of the tank and at the points of the angle of inclination of the walls of the tank are made in the form of a radius rounding, and the inner surface of the lower tank at the point of transition of the outlet channel branch pipe into the diffuser part of the tank is made in the form of a torus, the base of which is smoothly connected with their inner surface.

The essence of the claimed utility model is further explained by drawings.

Fig. 1 - top view of the assembled charge air cooler.

Fig. 2 - side view of the assembled charge air cooler.

Fig. 3 - view of the inner surface of the upper tank.

Fig. 4 - top view of the upper tank.

Fig. 3 - front view of the lower tank.

Fig. 6 - view of the inner surface of the lower tank.

Fig. 7 - results of CFD modeling (purging) of the lower tank of the charge air cooler in an internal combustion engine.

Fig. 8 - results of CFD modeling (purging) of the upper tank of the charge air cooler in an internal combustion engine.

In Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, the air cooler of the charge air consists of a frame 1, an upper 2 tank having an inlet 4 channel branch pipe and a diffuser part 6, and a lower 3 tank having an outlet 5 channel branch pipe and a diffuser part 9. The planes of the walls of the upper 2 tank and the lower 3 tank in the diffuser part 6 and 9, respectively, are located at an angle to the horizontal plane of the lower surface of the frame 1, preferably the angle of inclination of the surfaces of the walls of the upper 2 tank is greater than the angle of inclination of the surfaces of the walls of the lower 3 tank.

The results of CFD modeling (blowing) of the upper 2 and lower 3 tanks of the air cooler in Fig. 7 and Fig. 8 were obtained using computer simulation in SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation software with given initial conditions for the gas, for example air: gas pressure and calculated velocity at the inlet to the tank.

In Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 the inner surface of the upper 2 tank at the transition point of the inlet 4 channel pipe into the diffuser 6 part and at the inclination angles 7, 8 of the tank wall surfaces (see Fig. 2) are made in the form of a radius rounding, where the radius of rounding of the inclination angle 8 is greater than the radius of rounding of the inclination angle 7. Such smooth radius roundings on the inner surface of the upper 2 tank help to reduce the intensity of local turbulence of the air flow compared to designs without such roundings and reduce the aerodynamic drag. Fig. 8 shows the results of CFD modeling (blowing) of the upper 2 tank, where local turbulence zones are marked in blue; however, despite their presence, such smooth radius roundings on the inner surface of the upper 2 tank lead to a smoother change in the air flow velocity and improve the flow distribution along the pipes of the frame 1.

In Fig. 3 and Fig. 6, the inner surface of the lower 3 tank at the transition point of the outlet 5 channel branch pipe into the diffuser section 9 of the lower 3 tank is shaped as a torus 10, the base of which is smoothly connected to their inner surface. The air flow inside the lower 3 tank smoothly flows around the entrance to the outlet 5 channel branch pipe, due to its torus-shaped 10 shape. The torus-shaped 10 shape of the inner surface of the lower 3 tank virtually eliminates local turbulence in the critical zone immediately at the entrance to the outlet 5 channel branch pipe, ensuring a smooth change in the flow velocity and direction there, which leads to an increase in the air flow rate coefficient in the tank. Fig. 7 shows the results of CFD modeling (blowing) of the lower tank 3, where zones with increased local air flow velocity are highlighted in red. These zones are areas of low pressure and insignificant return flows. However, due to the optimized geometry of the tank, their impact on overall pressure losses and uniformity of air flow distribution in the intake system is minimal, which does not have a significant negative impact on the performance characteristics of the device.

The diffuser parts 6 and 9 of the upper 2 and lower 3 tanks, respectively, in the top view are made in the form of a truncated cone, expanding from the side of the frame 1, their internal space is narrowed by the walls of the upper 2 and lower 3 tanks, located at an angle to the horizontal plane of the lower surface of the frame 1, while the planes of such walls in the corresponding tanks are parallel to each other.

The relative spatial orientation of the inlet 4 and outlet 5 channel pipes of the tanks is a design feature of the tanks themselves and is determined during their manufacture. Various modifications of the upper 2 and lower 3 tanks are manufactured, in which the channel pipes can be directed: coaxially or parallel in one direction, for example, both pipes face forward or backward or sideways relative to the longitudinal axis of the frame, which simplifies installation with a linear layout of the intake tract; in opposite directions, for example, the inlet 4 channel pipe faces forward, and the outlet 5 channel pipe backward or left or right, which allows for integration of the cooler into complex or compact engine compartments where the lines approach from different directions; at an angle to each other, for example, the pipes are not located in the same plane or at a specific angle (not 0° and not 180°), which provides maximum flexibility for bypassing other units.

The specific modification of the upper 2 and lower 3 tanks is selected during the design phase of the unit, in accordance with the layout of the specific vehicle's intake system and the location of the turbocharger, intake manifold, and connecting air ducts. After the lower 3 and upper 2 tanks are manufactured, for example, by milling, 3D printing, or casting, and welded to the frame 1, the spatial orientation of the channel nozzles becomes fixed and cannot be changed.

The upper 2nd and lower 3rd tanks are designed without flares, unlike traditional air cooler designs, where the tanks may have flares for connection to other system components. This solution eliminates the problem of incompatibility with other components and reduces the risk of fatigue cracks at the joints, ensuring a leak-proof structure, which increases the reliability of the unit. Furthermore, the absence of flares simplifies the manufacturing process, especially during milling and casting.

The air-to-air charge air cooler operates as follows.

The air-to-air cooler is installed between the turbocharger and the intake manifold in the intake system. When the internal combustion engine is running, boost air passes through the inlet pipe (channel 4), then enters the upper (2) tank, which allows it to continue its journey through the pipes of the frame (1), where intensive heat transfer to the air occurs, and then to the lower (3) tank and the outlet pipe (channel 5).

This utility model aims to create an air-to-air charge air cooler with improved performance characteristics. By optimizing the geometry of the internal surfaces of the tanks, the intensity of localized airflow turbulence within the tanks is reduced, improving airflow cooling efficiency and increasing the reliability of the device. The optimized shape of the air-to-air cooler tanks also helps reduce pressure losses and smoothly distribute airflow within the intake system, which positively impacts the dynamic performance of the internal combustion engine.

Claims (1)

An air cooler for charge air in an internal combustion engine, comprising lower and upper tanks connected to a frame, characterized in that the inner surface of the upper tank at the point where the inlet channel branch pipe transitions into the diffuser portion of the tank and at the points of the angle of inclination of the tank walls is made in the form of a radius rounding, and the inner surface of the lower tank at the point where the outlet channel branch pipe transitions into the diffuser portion of the tank is made in the form of a torus, the base of which is smoothly connected to their inner surface.