BorgWarner Develops Modular EGR cooler for Commercial Vehicles

BorgWarner has developed modular multi-platform compact floating core EGR cooler products for commercial vehicles. These coolers offer a number of benefits including high resistance to thermal fatigue, durability and lower level of emissions and will support manufacturers of commercial vehicles in their bid to meet current and future emissions norms.

While conventional exhaust gas re-circulation (EGR) coolers need to be specifically designed for each application, the modular nature of the coolers from BorgWarner makes it possible to use them for a wide range of applications. The cooler range includes four highly adaptable standard designs for maximum flexibility and can cover engines ranging in size from 2.0- to 16.0-litre displacement. The coolers provide enhanced coolant distribution for high performance even with minimum coolant flow, while minimizing emission levels.

Commenting on the coolers, Joe Fadool, president and general manager, BorgWarner Emissions & Thermal Systems said, that as the commercial vehicle segment has lower production volumes and high durability requirements, the sector needs EGR solutions which are less complex and yet exhibit outstanding performance. He said that the company’s new range of EGR coolers has already attracted significant interest from several manufacturers who are looking for a cost-effective solution to meet the increasingly stringent emissions criteria.

BorgWarner’s EGR coolers have been designed with a floating inner core and hybrid tube transfer technology in order to resist high levels of thermal load. The company also integrated a thermomechanical damper into the design to make complete decoupling of the shell and inner core components easier and to make the cooler more durable. The damper also provides initial extra cooling for the inlet gas to reduce thermal shock and allows better gas distribution to the tubes to resist thermal fatigue.

Cooling of the damper and inlet gas box results in achievement of lower overall temperatures and this contributes to lower thermal stress. When the system is operated and the exhaust gas temperature is at 850 deg C, the temperature of the gas in the inlet gas box is kept below 200deg C, whereas it would exceed  700 deg C without cooling.

The change in the design also significantly reduces the effect of the engine transients over the EGR cooler’s durability. The four new coolers allow the standardization of most of the components from one application to another, with the exception of the housing and the mounting fixtures, thus increasing the adaptability of the coolers and making them more cost-effective.