Research Projects

This project envisages improvement of conventionally manufactured heat exchangers for locomotive applications by taking advantage of recent advances in Additive Manufacturing (AM). The primary focus will be on developing next generation intercoolers with improved volumetric and gravimetric efficiency compared to baseline. To this end, the performance of novel shapes of fins and tube structures will be evaluated using analytical calculations followed by verification with high fidelity computational fluid dynamics. Multi-scale optimization of intercooler will be performed that meets the desired characteristics of pressure drop, heat load and manufacturability. State-of-the-art AM technologies like Functionally Graded Materials will also be evaluated to improve the material characteristics for heat transfer enhancements. Experiments will be carried out at each stage of the conceptual design to qualify the heat exchanger core and to verify durability. The qualified core will be taken for full scale analysis, optimization and validation for the final product development.