Emmission regulation effects on Charge Air Cooling.

[finman]

I assume that exhaust emmission regulations will get a lot more stringent over the next couple of years especially in the USA.

Does anybody have any comments on what impact the new emmission regs will have on Charge Air (Inter) cooling?

Will we see air temperatures soaring and the need for more effective cooling?

Thanks for your input guys.

 

[franzh]

I see no reason to think that the use of a charge air cooler (intercooler) would have any detrimental effect on emissions. In fact, I would assume that it may help lower Nox. Lets see about some other possibilities. Using a cooler would allow for increased power production with the same size engine, or the same power production from a smaller engine (increased economy), allow the use of a turbocharger (again, a smaller engine with the related bonus of increased economy), and so on.

Just take a look at many of the newest small engine powered autos that produce copious amounts of power, the Subaru STI with 300 bhp for example, while meeting 2004 emission standards handily.
Franz

 

[SBBlue]

Are you talking about gas or diesel?

As far as diesel goes, unless something else comes along suddenly, more and more exhaust gas recirculation will be used. The more exhaust gas recirculation you have, the more it will need to be cooled.

An EGR cooler is in a sense a charge air cooler, since the recycled exhaust becomes part of the charge air.

There other consideration is that it also looks like higher and higher levels of charge air compression will be needed. The more the charge air is compressed, the higher the temperature.

So yes -- at least for diesels -- Charge air cooling will be absolutely mandatory.

 

[finman]

Franzh, I didn't think the intercooler would have a detrimental effect on emmissions and I understand the application of an intercooler to extract power from smaller engine packages. What I'm trying to forsee are the changes that must occur in current Intercooling technology to accommodate the higher temperatures that will occur as per SBBlue's posting.
Will the prodominantly Aluminium Charge air coolers be replaced, Will Air to Air or Air to Water be the flavour of the month or will there be something completely new.