RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (R&D)

The priorities of the R&D activities at RAAL are focused towards:
           

• developing new cooling systems
• developing new products and cooling groups
• developing new external cooling surface geometries with superior performances and also machines to obtain those geometries
• developing new products  functioning at high temperature or high temperature variation
• designing and developing equipment for RAAL own needs
• developing brazing furnaces and improving the brazing technology
• finding new materials and technologies in order to prolong the lifetime and the corrosion resistance (salty environments, exhaust gases, etc.)
• finding new materials and technologies in order to decrease the materials and power consumption, together with the emissions reduction

The new preoccupations in the R&D field are: the Fuel Cells, Exhaust Gas Recirculation Coolers (EGR coolers), Acert 2007, developing and introducing the stainless steel heat exchangers manufacturing technology.

RAAL has already in testing some products conceived and developed for Clean Urban Transport for Europe. 
The research is oriented towards increasing efficiency, economics and durability of the products, and complying with the latest environmental requirements.

The development of new cooling systems and new products can be initiated by RAAL or in co-operation with the customers, starting from their specific requirements.

CALCULATION AND SIMULATIONS

RAAL performs the sizing of the heat exchangers and cooling systems, both with its own software, based on theoretical studies and the test results of thousands of tests performed previously, and specialized software, as Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Finite Element Analysis (FEA), etc.

RAAL provides a very short time from the sizing calculation to designing, simulation and prototype manufacturing.

PRODUCT DESIGN

RAAL has a wide experience in the heat exchangers and cooling systems design.

Starting from the specifications, overall sizes and or functioning plans of the cooling systems,RAAL’s designers are able to find the best solutions for the most efficient possible usage of the available spaces.

The designers of RAAL have the flexibility to optimize the products all the time, in order to meet completely the requirements of the application. After the design stage, RAAL uses performing software for simulating the thermal and mechanical stresses that could occur during functioning, followed by testing when the customers’ specifications require that.

 

TESTING, PRODUCT VALIDATION, TECHNICAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS

The performance testing of the new products as well as their validation are made at the RAAL Testing Center.

The capabilities of the RAAL Testing Center include the following:

• testing the thermal and fluid-dynamic characteristics in a wind tunnel
• testing the structural characteristics: burst pressure, cycle pressure, thermal cycle, vibrations and shocks, and environmental chamber
• internal cleanliness testing
• chemical and accelerated corrosion tests

Based on the 25 years experience, RAAL will put into operation by the end of 2007 a R&D center equipped with the latest generation equipment, in the new location of Prundu Birgaului.
The combination of the computer simulation and the tests made on the test benches, with a Data Acquisition System (DAS) is the base for validating the products.

TOOL-AND-DIE AND EQUIPMENT DESIGN

RAAL engineers are highly experienced in designing the tools, dies, permanent molds for casting as well as the other necessary equipment for the manufacturing process.

A separate section is the designing and optimization of new generations of fin forming machines, covering a wide range of fins and turbulators.

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND CO-OPERATION WITH CUSTOMERS

RAAL works together with its customers for testing and developing new concepts and ideas, as well as for finding optimum solution for every single application.

RAAL performs the tests with its customers at their headquarters or it achieves data in order to make tests and validations of the products in RAAL’s testing center.

The R&D activities are performed by a high number of engineers (approximately 100), which had registered an important number of patents.