• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
• /
• v.25 no.1
• /
• pp.42-50
• /
• 2017

A study has been conducted to develop an aluminum EGR cooler for the LPL EGR system of a diesel engine. Aluminum has a much lower density and thermal conductivity that is about 12 times or more than that of stainless steel, so it is advantageous for use in an EGR cooler for weight reduction and cooling performance effects. A design process has been carried out to ensure heat dissipation performance in a restricted space to investigate the geometric parameters and satisfy the requirements for pressure drops at both fluid sides. The tubes of exhaust gas have been designed as extruded tubes. An aluminum EGR cooler consisting of extruded tubes entails a simpler manufacturing process compared to a stainless steel EGR cooler with conventional heat transfer fins. A prototype has been manufactured from the final model selected through the design process. The performance of the aluminum EGR cooler was evaluated and compared with that of the conventional one. The weight of the aluminum EGR cooler is reduced by 22.9%, while performance is significantly improved.