Behr To Present Three Technical Papers At SAE 2012

TROY, Mich., April 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Engineers from Behr America will present technical papers highlighting the company's latest Visco Coolant Pump, Waste Heat Recovery and Sub-Cool Condenser technologies at the SAE International World Congress (April 24-26 in Detroit).

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"The demand for new technology, sustainable reduction of CO2 emissions and the need to improve fuel economy has never been greater," said Dr. Wilm Uhlenbecker, president and CEO of Behr America.  "As a leading industry specialist for automotive air-conditioning and engine cooling-systems, Behr engineers have developed leading-edge technologies that address these key issues."

"Visco Coolant Pump – Demand-based Flow Rate Control" will be presented by Matthias Banzhaf, head of development – Visco Applications, Behr GmbH & Co. KG on April 26.  The paper will focus on how Behr has transferred its Visco-fan-drive applications to the coolant pump drive.  The continuously variable Visco drive now allows the coolant pump to deliver the optimum flow dependent upon the requirements, reducing drive power to a minimum.

Globally, coolant pumps have almost always been powered by direct, uncontrolled drives.  The delivery and power consumption have been directly related to the engine speed, which under many conditions, results in an unnecessarily high flow rate.  The potential to reduce flow rate is now inherent within the Visco coolant pump.

"Waste Heat Recovery:  The Next Challenge for Commercial Vehicle Thermomanagement" will be discussed by John Tepas, vice president, engineering, Behr America on April 26.

Fuel consumption-related legislation in various regions around the world will be an important factor in the development of future commercial vehicles.  The application of a waste-heat recovery system to commercial vehicle's powertrains is one possible step in  achieving the new fuel-economy requirements.  In particular, the Rankine Cycle (a closed steam cycle) is often proposed as a potential means for generating energy from the engine-exhaust heat.

Tepas will discuss possible fuel savings of a Rankine Cycle system with the complete vehicle infrastructure in commercial vehicles based on an in-house developed simulation tool.  Simulation results as well as results of validation of the simulation results will be shown in relation to the use of alternative system layouts for long-haul vehicle application as well as transient cycles.

"High Efficiency Sub-Cool Condenser" will be presented on April 26 by Larry Wei, manager of vehicle thermal systems integration, Behr America.

Air conditioning system improvements can play an important future role in reducing CO2 emissions.  Behr's innovative development of a condenser with a three-pass sub-cooling zone makes it possible to significantly increase the cooling-circuit efficiency and reduce fuel consumption.    

Wei will present the results of tests conducted by Behr for the new condenser in comparison with conventional designs.  A new condenser specification also has been developed and validated for a system-oriented evaluation of the component.   Validation results from circuit and vehicle measurements in Behr's on-site wind tunnel will be presented as well.

"Behr has long been known as a leader in vehicle air-conditioning and engine-cooling systems,"   Uhlenbecker concluded.  "These technical papers give evidence that we are continually developing the newest and industry-leading automotive heat transfer products and systems."

Behr's North American headquarters is in Troy, Michigan. Behr America has more than 2,600 employees at facilities in Troy, Mich.; Dayton, Ohio; Charleston, S.C.; Fort Worth, Texas, and Ramos Arizpe, Mexico.

Behr GmbH & Co. KG, Stuttgart, Germany, is a systems partner for the international automobile industry. A specialist for automotive air conditioning and engine cooling systems, the Behr Group is one of the world's leading manufacturers and suppliers of original equipment for light vehicles and trucks. Group sales in the 2011 business year came to EUR 3.7 billion. Currently, Behr employs some 17,400 staff at 36 production locations and 17 R&D centers worldwide.

Additional information is available at www.behrgroup.com.

SOURCE Behr America