Heat Core Views
A heater core is a radiator-like device used in heating the cabin of a vehicle. Hot coolant from the vehicle's engine is passed through a winding tube of the core, a heat exchanger between coolant and cabin air. Fins attached to the core tubes serve to increase surface for heat transfer to air that is forced past them, by a fan, thereby heating the passenger compartment.
The internal combustion engine in most cars and trucks is cooled by a water and antifreeze mixture that is circulated through the engine and radiator by a water pump to enable the radiator to give off engine heat to the atmosphere. Some of that water can be diverted through the heater core to give some engine heat to the cabin.
Once the engine has warmed up, the coolant is kept at a more or less constant temperature by the thermostat. The temperature of the air entering the vehicle's interior can be controlled by using a valve limiting the amount of coolant that goes through the heater core. Another method is blocking off the heater core with a door, directing part (or all) of the incoming air around the heater core completely, so it does not get heated. Some cars use a combination of this system.
In a car equipped with air conditioning, outside air is first forced through the air conditioner's evaporator coil. This can be thought of as a heater core filled with very cold gas, which cools rather than heats the incoming air. In order to obtain the desired temperature incoming air may first be cooled by the air conditioning and then heated again by the heater core. In a vehicle fitted with manual controls for the heater and air conditioner, using both systems together will dehumidify the air in the cabin, as the evaporator coil removes moisture from the air due to condensation. This can result in increased air comfort levels inside the vehicle.
Heat Core Images
