The impact of tube corrugation within the multi-disciplinary design optimization of a charge air cooler.

Summary

The following paper explores the impact of corrugated tubes within a charge air cooler (CAC) on overall cooler performance, cost and size, for the first time. Corrugated tubes have been demonstrated to perform better in terms of heat transfer, when compared to a smooth tube [2], however they have not been optimized in the context of a CAC. In this study, a CAC with corrugated tubes is compared against a similar system comprising of smooth tubes as a baseline design. Both CACs have common design parameters, such as number of tubes per rows, number of rows, number of passes, fins per meter, fin material, and tube material, while two additional design parameters exist i.e., groove depth, and pitch for the CAC with corrugated tubes, that characterizes the helical corrugation. These two systems are optimized to minimize manufacturing cost where cost is a function of cooler dimensions and material selection. Feasible designs are then obtained by satisfying dimension, pressure, weight, performance and vibrations based constraints. A vibration constraint introduced here is an addition to the current state of the art [3], making this approach, a multi-disciplinary one and the first of its kind. Finally, the optimum is compared which signifies the importance of a multi-disciplinary analysis for both cooler configurations.

Abstract

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