RESEARCH OF A HIGH-EFFICIENCY CHARGE AIR COOLER

Currently, internal combustion engines have become widespread as sources of mechanical energy in many areas of human activity. It is the internal combustion engines that were and remain the most widespread in transport, where, as a rule, strict requirements are put forward for the mass-dimensional characteristics of the engines and the power plant as a whole. In order to meet these requirements, there is a constant increase in the level of forcing of the engines. For diesel engines, the most common technical measure that provides an increase in the level of engine forcing with almost unchanged weight and dimensional characteristics is an increase in supercharging pressure. However, as a result of air compression, its temperature increases, which is proportional to the degree of increase in air pressure in the compressor. An increase in air temperature causes a decrease in the mass charge of the cylinders, and therefore, a significant deterioration in the fuel combustion process. It also causes an increase in the level of maximum temperatures of the cycle, which in turn causes an increase in thermal loads and the rate of formation of nitrogen oxides in diesel cylinders. The above determines the urgency of the tasks of implementing effective charge air coolers in modern high-pressure transport diesel engines. This technical problem can be solved using air or liquid coolers. The article considers a liquid cooler, because compared to an air cooler, it can be made more compact, allows to achieve a much smaller length and volume of the intake tract, as well as to simplify the layout of the intake tract as part of the power plant as a whole, which is a priority for diesel engines. The article considers the influence of the design parameters of the supercharged air cooler on its overall characteristics and the hydraulic resistance of the supercharged air flowing through the cooler. Thus, the article provides data indicating the possibility of making a compact, highly efficient supercharged air cooler while maintaining its hydraulic resistance at an acceptable level by choosing rational parameters.