Heat Exchange and Flow Characteristics of a cooled EGR Module Evaluated in Automotive Operating Conditions

Compression ignition engines are an essential part of automotive transportation and even marginal improvements can bring significant benefits in terms of costs and environmental impact. Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) is used on an extensive scale for these power units, and monitoring their performance continuously would ensure improved procedures for ensuring longer lifetime and better efficiency. Within this context, the current work evaluated the heat transfer performance of a cooled EGR module in view of developing a dedicated sensor. This device should provide enough information on heat exchange and flow performance of the recirculation unit, while being able to integrate the acquired information within the vehicle communication network. Apart from the minimal requirement of identifying failures, the new component goes beyond current virtual-sensor based approaches and will ensure better efficiency of EGR valves and more precise maintenance intervals