A Development of Aluminum EGR Cooler for Weight Reduction and Fuel Economy 2018-01-0102

As environmental problems such as global warming are emerging, regulations on automobile exhaust gas are strengthened and various exhaust gas reduction technologies are being developed in various countries in order to satisfy exhaust emission regulations. Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) technology is a very effective way to reduce nitrogen oxides (NO_x) at high combustion temperatures by using EGR coolers to lower the combustion temperature. This EGR cooler has been mass-produced in stainless steel, but it is expensive and heavy. Recently, high efficiency and compactness are required for the EGR cooler to meet the new emission regulation. If aluminum material is applied to the EGR cooler, heat transfer efficiency and light weight can be improved due to high heat transfer coefficient of aluminum compared to conventional stainless steel, but durability is insufficient. Therefore, the aluminum EGR cooler has been developed to enhance performance and durability. Test results showed that the performance, weight reduction and fuel economy of EGR cooler was improved by using aluminum materials. We developed a five-layer clad material for gas tube of EGR cooler with strength, corrosion resistance and brazing property. As a result of the durability evaluation, it was confirmed that the EGR cooler durability criteria were satisfied. By applying aluminum material to the EGR cooler, heat transfer efficiency and differential pressure performance were improved compared to conventional stainless steel, and it was confirmed that fuel economy improvement effect was obtained. In addition, it is possible to achieve weight reduction and cost reduction of EGR cooler compared to conventional stainless steel.