Innovative Oil Cooling Solutions: Polymeric Hollow Fiber Heat Exchanger

článek ve sborníku mimo WoS a Scopus

en

Oil cooling plays a critical role across various industries, such as transformer cooling, automotive, computing, and aerospace. This study introduces an innovative approach to oil cooling, utilizing a thin-walled polymeric hollow fiber heat exchanger. Research mainly focuses on oil cooling in combustion engines, which represent one of the most widespread applications. The designed cooling system is highly adaptable for a wide range of applications. The presented solution offers an attractive alternative characterized by low energy consumption, reduced CO2 emissions, and high specific heat transfer performance. The innovative approach lies in the use of polymer hollow fibres instead of standard aluminium heat exchangers. This strategy also saves space in the engine compartment as the heat exchanger is located in the engine oil sump. This heat exchanger is manufactured from polyamide (PA612) with an outer fiber diameter of 1 mm. Despite the low thermal conductivity of PA612, the polymeric hollow fibre heat exchanger has low thermal resistance owing to its thin wall thickness of only 0.08 mm. The proposed solution underwent rigorous testing on a combustion engine test rig capable of simulating real-world engine operating conditions. Excessively high oil temperatures have a detrimental effect on the overall performance and life of the engine. High oil temperature is also a direct indication of high engine temperature and, hence, an inefficient engine cooling system. With the development of electromobility, the potential of oil cooling in the electric vehicle industry is becoming apparent. Studies [1] and [2] use immersion oil cooling for battery modules, investigate the effects of different types of oils for this application and present their potential for further use. Study [3] investigates the use of cooling oil spray for cooling high-speed electric motors. In this study, the feasibility of replacing the conventional metal oil cooler in combustion engine vehicles with a polymeric hollow fiber heat exchanger was investigated. This alternative is generally characterized by lower energy requirements for production, reduced CO2 emissions, and high specific heat transfer performance. Based on the presented results, it is evident that thin-walled polymeric exchangers can effectively function as oil coolers in cars. The highest critical temperature (the temperature at the engine outlet) was 83.5 °C at the engine's maximum load and 3000 rpm. This temperature corresponds to typical engine operating values, confirming the proper function of the polymeric exchanger. The heat exchangers achieved performance values ranging from 598 W to 1228 W. Future work should focus on a detailed comparison of the conventional and proposed cooling systems and on optimizing the proposed cooling system.

Oil cooling plays a critical role across various industries, such as transformer cooling, automotive, computing, and aerospace. This study introduces an innovative approach to oil cooling, utilizing a thin-walled polymeric hollow fiber heat exchanger. Research mainly focuses on oil cooling in combustion engines, which represent one of the most widespread applications. The designed cooling system is highly adaptable for a wide range of applications. The presented solution offers an attractive alternative characterized by low energy consumption, reduced CO2 emissions, and high specific heat transfer performance. The innovative approach lies in the use of polymer hollow fibres instead of standard aluminium heat exchangers. This strategy also saves space in the engine compartment as the heat exchanger is located in the engine oil sump. This heat exchanger is manufactured from polyamide (PA612) with an outer fiber diameter of 1 mm. Despite the low thermal conductivity of PA612, the polymeric hollow fibre heat exchanger has low thermal resistance owing to its thin wall thickness of only 0.08 mm. The proposed solution underwent rigorous testing on a combustion engine test rig capable of simulating real-world engine operating conditions. Excessively high oil temperatures have a detrimental effect on the overall performance and life of the engine. High oil temperature is also a direct indication of high engine temperature and, hence, an inefficient engine cooling system. With the development of electromobility, the potential of oil cooling in the electric vehicle industry is becoming apparent. Studies [1] and [2] use immersion oil cooling for battery modules, investigate the effects of different types of oils for this application and present their potential for further use. Study [3] investigates the use of cooling oil spray for cooling high-speed electric motors. In this study, the feasibility of replacing the conventional metal oil cooler in combustion engine vehicles with a polymeric hollow fiber heat exchanger was investigated. This alternative is generally characterized by lower energy requirements for production, reduced CO2 emissions, and high specific heat transfer performance. Based on the presented results, it is evident that thin-walled polymeric exchangers can effectively function as oil coolers in cars. The highest critical temperature (the temperature at the engine outlet) was 83.5 °C at the engine's maximum load and 3000 rpm. This temperature corresponds to typical engine operating values, confirming the proper function of the polymeric exchanger. The heat exchangers achieved performance values ranging from 598 W to 1228 W. Future work should focus on a detailed comparison of the conventional and proposed cooling systems and on optimizing the proposed cooling system.

oil cooling; heat exchanger; hollow polymer fibers; internal combustion engines

23.11.2024

176–176

1