A novel heat exchanger for automotive applications developed by the Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow Laboratory at the Brno University of Technology, Czech Republic, is compared with a conventional commercially available metal radiator. The heat transfer surface of this heat exchanger is composed of polymeric hollow fibers made from polyamide 612 by DuPont (Zytel LC6159). The cross-section of the polymeric radiator is identical to the aluminum radiator (louvered fins on flat tubes) in a Skoda Octavia and measures 720 × 480 mm. The goal of the study is to compare the functionality and performance parameters of both radiators based on the results of tests in a calibrated air wind tunnel. During testing, both heat exchangers were tested in conventional conditions used for car radiators with different air flow and coolant (50% ethylene glycol) rates. The polymeric hollow fiber heat exchanger demonstrated about 20% higher thermal performance for the same air flow. The efficiency of the polymeric radiator was in the range 80-93% and the efficiency of the aluminum radiator was in the range 64-84%. The polymeric radiator is 30% lighter than its conventional metal competitor. Both tested radiators had very similar pressure loss on the liquid side, but the polymeric radiator featured higher air pressure loss.
Keywords: engine cooling; hollow fibers; plastic car radiator; polymeric heat exchanger.