An All-Polyamide Intercooler for Turbo-Charged Engines

Document Number: 2007-01-0570

Date Published: April 2007

Author(s):
Paul D. Daly - Siemens VDO Automotive Corp.
Bobbye Baylis - Siemens VDO Automotive Corp.

Abstract:
An all-nylon intercooler for automotive applications has been shown to be possible. The heat rejecting ele-ment (cooling core) can be made employing the latest developments in plastic tubing, and the joining of the tanks to the tubes can be accomplished by advanced plastic welding techniques. The resultant part is simi-lar in performance and environmentally robust com-pared to the aluminum parts made today. This paper will discuss assembly techniques and thermal per-formance, including test data and results. Increasing the robustness of the design is the recent development of extrusion grade polyphthalamide plas-tic tubing. The feasibility of production has been en-hanced by the commercialization of laser welding of plastics using diode lasers. Computer modelling of the heat exchange process shows that the thermal resistance of a thin plastic tube is not a major problem when compared to metal tube; it is the boundary lay-ers between the tube material and the fluids which are the major components of the thermal resistance. The advantages of a plastic Intercooler include the following: corrosion resistance; mechanical robustness (no fatigue failures); lighter weight and potential for lower cost. Metal intercoolers today are primarily aluminum alloys which contain special alloy to support the brazing process used in manufacture. Thin-walled metal alloys have potential to corrode very quickly and aluminum alloys suffer from a finite fatigue life. Most plastics do not corrode when exposed to the normal automotive environment: salt water, anti-freeze and lubricants.

File Size: 246K
Product Status: In Stock

Included in: SP-2115

See other papers presented at SAE World Congress & Exhibition, April 2007, Detroit, MI, USA, Session: Advances in Plastic Components, Processes and Technologies (Part 1 of 2)

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