Enhancement of internal pressure drop characteristic by optimization of intercooler tank shape for improving the turbocharger efficiency

: The intercooler of a turbo charger in a vehicle engine is generally used in the heat exchange of overheated compressed air. A pressure drop in the compressed air can occur as a result of the internal resistance of the intercooler tank and the core. Due to the structural restriction of the tank’s inner space and the difficulty involved in the production of the tank mold, shape design factors must be selected carefully. In this paper, the significant factors involved in the design are analyzed, and a modified model is proposed to improve the turbo charger by reducing the internal pressure drop of the intercooler tank. Four design factors of the intercooler tank were analyzed through the Taguchi method and CFD. Among the analyzed factors, the radius of the curvature of the inner tank fillet, which is the most significant factor, is modified. The pressure drop in the actual modified intercooler tank improved by about 22 %, compared to the previous model.