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6 years ago

MDA Technologies 4/2014

MDA Technologies 4/2014

Lines conquer new

Lines conquer new performance areas ContiTech is currently developing an acoustic hose that muffles noise from vehicle air conditioning systems, making expensive technical solutions like mufflers and tuned masses superfluous. Because today’s consumption-oriented, regulated air conditioning systems with efficiencyboosting IHE, and systems using electrical compressors in hybrid and electric vehicles, are producing more background noise, which can considerably reduce driving comfort. This is where ContiTech’s highly elastic acoustic hose comes in. It practically swallows the noise occurring on the suction side. A prerequisite for this is the flexible design and the good damping properties of the elastomers used. With the second generation of the internal heat exchanger (IHE), ContiTech has also succeeded in further increasing the efficiency of vehicle air conditioning systems. The new IHE consists of an internal and external pipe, both made of aluminum. Enclosed between them is a spiral, which ensures that the coolant stream coming from the opposite direction in the IHE no longer moves in a straight line, but in a spiral inside the internal pipe. This design principle ensures better heat transfer than with the previous solution but without worsening pressure losses on the 42 MDA Technologies 4/2014

MAchine Elements engine peripherals – for turbocharger cooling and lubrication, engine cooling or exhaust gas recirculation. Previously where steel braided or Teflon hoses where applied, ContiTech now uses very lightweight rubber hoses that have been adapted to the increasing temperatures in the engine environment. The coolant hoses are designed for temperatures up to 190 °C, for short periods even up to 210 °C. The oil hoses manage with a continuous temperature exposure of up to 230 °C, even up to 250 °C for short periods. In addition, these particularly media-resistant hoses are more flexible than previous hoses, enabling various hose installations through pre-forming, if necessary. The polyamide tube-hose combination developed by ContiTech for low-pressure applications in the constantly growing PA product portfolio also follows the trend toward weight and cost savings. ContiTech profits here from the process competence that the Fluid Technology business unit has appropriated in the area of synthetic material production. Electrically conductive fuel lines ContiTech Fluid Technology develops and manufactures high-performance hose lines – from exhaust cleaning to fuel transport to air conditioning solutions. The latest generation of ContiTech lines helps manufacturers of modern vehicles meet today’s challenges, such as weight and fuel savings. They have made inroads into new performance areas and are thus ideally suited to meet the challenges of the future. suction side. This makes air conditioning systems another 10 % more efficient than systems with a conventional IHE. Efficiency can even be increased by up to 30 % if a plastic insert is added to the inner tubing as well. In addition to the significant increase in performance, the second-generation IHE has another advantage: It weighs much less than the previous design made of two pieces of extruded aluminum tubing joined together. This means it adheres to the concept of lightweight construction and helps automotive manufacturers save on fuel and reduce emissions. Flexible generation of light construction The new generation of lightweight oil and coolant hoses is primarily used in the Electrically conductive fuel hoses have been used in series production in the automotive field for some time now. And this application is now becoming increasingly interesting for industrial vehicles as well – not least due to the relevant regulations in the U.S.A. The conductive inner liner made of FPM (fluoroelastomer) prevents a static load at high flow speeds. This can also be prevented if a wider line diameter is chosen to reduce relative speed. But because construction space is getting ever narrower, this is hardly a possibility anymore. The ultra-flexible fuel lines from Conti- Tech are suitable for gasoline, diesel, and biodiesel. They withstand operating temperatures from -40 °C through 150 °C. The hose cover is resistant to radiant heat of up to 150 °C and, for short periods of time, even 175 °C. Development skills for future challenges A topic for the future, which ContiTech is already paying attention to today, is waste heat recovery. This involves using the exhaust heat to heat an additional medium MDA Technologies 4/2014 43

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