Method of Determining a Size of a Heat Exchanger for a Vehicle

Abstract

The present invention relates to a heat exchanger for a vehicle, and more particularly, to a highly efficient thin heat exchanger for reducing the weight of a vehicle body and enhancing heat radiation performance. In the present invention, there is provided an optimal design range for maximizing heat radiation performance of the radiator using a concept of thermal resistance.

1 . A method of determining a size of a vehicle heat exchanger having a plurality of heat exchange tubes for flowing a coolant therethrough and at least one fin fixed between each of the heat exchange tubes wherein the heat exchange tubes have a certain size of internal height of the tube Td and length of the tube H, and wherein the heat exchanger has a core width W and tube pitch Tp, which method comprises the steps of:
 providing a heat transfer area Aw of the tube from the first equation:
     Aw= 2 *Td*H*W/Tp    
   providing a heat transfer coefficient Hw of an inner surface of the tube from the second equation where C6 denotes a constant and b denotes an internal width of the tube:
     Hw=C 6* Tp   0.8   /b    
   providing a thermal resistance Rw from the third equation:
     Rw= 1/( Hw*Aw ) and: 
   determining a thermal resistance Rw using the fourth equation which is obtained from substituting the first equation and the second equation into the third equation: and
     Rw=b*Tp   0.2 /(2* C 6 *Td*H*W ) 
   determining the internal width b of the tube and the pitch Tp of the tube from b*Tp 0.2  of the fourth equation, wherein b*Tp 0.2  is in a range of between 1.50 and 1.94.   
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein a material thickness Tth of the tube is in a range of between 0.15 and 0.23 mm. 
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the internal width b is in a range of between 1.02 and 1.3 mm. 
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the pitch Tp is in a range of between 6.78 to 7.4 mm. 
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein an outer width Th of the tube is in a range of between 1.48 to 1.6 mm. 
   
   
       6 . The method of claim  7  wherein a height Fh of the fin is in a range of between 5.3 to 5.8 mm.