Car radiators, also known as water tanks, are an integral part of the car's cooling system. Its function is to dissipate heat, reduce the operating temperature of the engine, and ensure that it can work normally and efficiently. As a traditional product, the current technology of the radiator has been able to meet the needs of the OEM, and many people believe that the technology is relatively mature and perfect. However, it is understood that the development of radiator technology is relatively backward compared with other parts of the engine. In particular, with the tightening of energy conservation and emission reduction policies and the acceleration of the promotion of new energy vehicles, this puts higher demands on the design and technology of radiators.

 

Is the radiator technology really mature?

 

Energy saving and emission reduction are going down, performance needs to be improved

Radiator has been developed in China for many years and belongs to more traditional technology. At present, there are many domestic manufacturers and the products are uneven. As for the difference between the advantages and disadvantages of the products, the Grandis researcher HOUSE said that it is mainly determined by three key factors: heat dissipation performance, weight and volume (lightweight), and service life (reliability).

The increase of emission standards has caused the engine to put forward higher requirements for the heat dissipation performance of the radiator. For example, in order to reduce NOx emissions, it is necessary to optimize the injection timing, which will increase the engine oil heat load; in addition, more and more consumers are pursuing the dynamics. Driving pleasure, which promotes the continuous improvement of engine power, resulting in a gradual increase in heat dissipation; in the case of new energy vehicles, the fuel cell vehicle has a very high thermal load. In a fuel cell system, about 50% of the energy is converted into heat and released into the atmosphere by water. Compared with the heat load of about 33% of the conventional internal combustion engine, the heat dissipation capability of the heat sink is higher. Both require high performance heat sinks to assist. The heat dissipation performance has a great influence on the power, economy and reliability of the engine.

 

In addition to reducing emissions, energy conservation and fuel consumption standards have become a serious problem for all car companies, and lightweight has become one of the main solutions. The miniaturization of engines has become a trend, which requires all components including radiators to reduce their own weight. . However, whether the miniaturization of the engine will cause the size of the radiator to shrink, said Shi Hua, the technical director of Fuao Visteon Heat Exchange System Co., Ltd., "This is not proportional. The miniaturization of the engine requires the performance of the radiator to be continuously improved."

In terms of reliability, Feng Zonghui, general manager and chairman of the board of supervisors of Zhejiang Yinlun Automobile Aluminum Oil Cooler Division, said that “the current OEM has put forward higher and higher requirements for the service life of radiators, among which the matching of materials and the design and construction of products Its impact is greater."

Under the energy-saving and emission-reduction policy, high performance, light weight and low cost will become the development trend of radiators, which will lead to a new round of technology and product changes.

“To meet these three requirements, the choice of materials is crucial. Currently, the materials on the market are mainly aluminum. In the future, there may be new materials to replace them.” Wang Zhongzhu, Secretary General of the Automotive Radiator Committee of China Association of Automobile Manufacturers Said.