FR2930634A1 - Gas condensates regulating method for motor vehicle, involves driving coolant in heat exchanger, measuring temperature of gas and regulating quantity of heat exchanged between gas and coolant, according to measured temperature - Google Patents

Abstract

The method involves driving coolant in a heat exchanger (5) in a motor vehicle, by a ventilator, to exchange heat with gas, and measuring temperature of gas flowing in the heat exchanger. Quantity of heat exchanged between the gas and the coolant is regulated, according to the measured temperature, by adjusting efficiency of the exchanger. The efficiency of the exchanger is adjusted by adjusting flow of the coolant in the exchanger. An independent claim is also included for a device for regulating gas condensates flown in a heat exchanger.

Description

Method and device for controlling the condensation of gases in a heat exchanger

The invention relates to a method and a device for regulating the condensation of gas flowing in a heat exchanger.

A motor vehicle engine has a combustion chamber, generally formed by a plurality of cylinders, in which a mixture of oxidant and fuel is burned to generate the engine work. The oxidant comprises air, which may or may not be compressed, depending on whether or not the engine comprises compression means such as a compressor or a turbocharger. The air (called supply air) can also be mixed with exhaust gases; we are talking about recirculated exhaust gas. The gases admitted to the combustion chamber, thus comprising supply air optionally mixed with exhaust gases, are called intake gases. When the inlet gases are compressed by compression means; we then speak more particularly of the air of supercharging.

By way of example, exhaust gas recirculation makes it possible, for a gasoline engine, to reduce fuel consumption and to obtain a better engine efficiency, whereas it makes it possible, for a diesel engine, to reduce pollution to be in line with environmental standards.

In order to increase the density of the charge air (whether or not it is mixed with exhaust gases), it is known to cool it by means of a heat exchanger known as a charge air cooler. , whose acronym "RAS" is generally used; the RAS is also often referred to by those skilled in the art by its acronym CAC, meaning "Charge Air Cooler". This charge air cooler uses, as the cooling coolant, either air or a coolant such as brine. In the following, we will simply talk about a cooler.

In case of exhaust gas recirculation, the charge air is mixed with recirculated exhaust gas as it passes through the cooler. Now, the exhaust gases are loaded with water, which is a product of combustion in the engine; the gases are also charged with other particles, in particular sulfur. Under certain engine operating conditions, cooling of the air and recirculated exhaust gas can cause condensation, including water and / or sulfuric acid (as well as other elements); the products of this condensation are called "condensates" and are harmful for the engine and its gas circuits. In particular, the water condensates can cause congestion of the cooler, thus reducing its performance. The condensates of sulfuric acid, whose pH is low, can generate a phenomenon of corrosion, not only in the cooler but also in the tubes of the gas intake circuit in the engine; this corrosion can lead to premature degradation of the considered elements. Moreover, in cold climatic conditions, the condensates can freeze and cause the chiller to break and / or the engine to suffocate by obstructing the flow of gases.

The prior art proposes solutions in which the condensates are recovered and guided into the combustion chamber to be burned. This solution is not always optimal, especially if condensation is important. However, in modern engines, it is common that, in certain phases of the engine (including start-up), the gases leaving the cooler are at a temperature below 35 ° C, the condensation being then important.

Other solutions of the prior art consist, in the phases of operation of the engine in which condensation could take place, to deflect the gases so that they bypass the cooler. This solution is nevertheless not always satisfactory, because the condensates formed before the implementation of the bypass are not easy to evacuate. In addition, it is necessary, in certain engine operating phases, to cool the gases, which can not be done if it is necessary for these gases to bypass the cooler.

The invention aims to propose a method of regulating condensation.

The invention has been presented in connection with a problem related to charge air cooling of an internal combustion engine. However, it applies more generally to any heat exchanger of a heat engine, in particular to the recirculated exhaust gas heat exchanger. More generally, it applies to any heat exchanger where condensation is likely to occur.

Thus, the invention relates to a method for regulating the condensation of gas flowing in a heat exchanger, in which: a heat transfer fluid is entrained in the exchanger to exchange heat with the gases, a temperature of the gases is measured, the amount of heat exchanged between the gases and the coolant is regulated as a function of the measured temperature.

Thanks to the invention, the risk of condensation is appreciated with the measurement of the temperature of the gases, which makes it possible to regulate the amount of heat exchanged in the exchanger. This acts directly on the cause of the condensation, namely the amount of heat exchanged.

The temperature of the gases can be measured at various locations, in the exchanger or upstream or downstream of the latter. It is preferably measured at the outlet of the exchanger, in order to measure the coldest a priori temperature of these gases. According to one embodiment, the amount of heat exchanged between the gases and the coolant is regulated by adjusting the efficiency of the exchanger.

Thus, the efficiency of the heat exchanges is influenced by acting directly on the efficiency of the exchanger, which simplifies the process and makes it more efficient. According to one embodiment, the efficiency of the heat exchanger is regulated by adjusting the coolant flow rate in the heat exchanger.

This is a simple and straightforward way to adjust the efficiency of the exchanger and thus regulate the condensation.

According to one embodiment, the method comprises the following steps: a threshold temperature of the gases, for example equal to approximately 40 ° C., is defined, and if the measured temperature is lower than the threshold temperature, the flow rate of the gas is reduced. coolant.

Of course, the threshold temperature may vary depending on the engine speed or operating point.

According to one embodiment, the method comprises the following steps: a critical temperature is defined, for example equal to about 35 ° C., gases below which there is a risk of condensation of the gases and 10 - if the temperature measured is below the critical temperature, o. n further reduces the flow of heat transfer fluid, possibly until canceled. According to one embodiment, the coolant being a gas entrained in the heat exchanger by a fan, the flow of heat transfer gas is adjusted by adjusting the power of the fan.

According to one embodiment, the coolant being a gas entrained in a volume of the heat exchanger, the heat transfer gas flow rate is set by closing said volume of the exchanger, for example by closing at least one flap of shutter.

According to one embodiment, the heat transfer fluid being a liquid entrained in a circuit of the heat exchanger, the flow of the heat transfer liquid is regulated by flow control means, for example a valve or a variable flow liquid pump. According to one embodiment, the heat exchanger is a heat exchanger in a motor vehicle, in particular the exchanger is a charge cooler of an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle.

The invention also relates to a device for regulating the condensation of gases flowing in a heat exchanger, comprising means for driving a coolant in the exchanger to exchange heat with the gases, means for measuring a temperature of the gases and the regulation means, as a function of the measured temperature, of the quantity of heat exchanged between the gases and the coolant.

The device has the same advantages as the device presented above.

According to one embodiment, the heat transfer fluid being a liquid, the device comprises a coolant circuit and means for regulating the flow of coolant in the circuit, for example a valve or a variable flow liquid pump.

According to one embodiment, the heat transfer fluid being a gas, the device comprises a heat transfer gas fan and means for adjusting the power of the fan.

According to one embodiment, the coolant being a gas entrained in a volume of the exchanger, the device comprises at least one means for closing said volume, for example at least one shutter of said volume.

According to one embodiment, the heat exchanger is a heat exchanger in a motor vehicle, in particular the exchanger is a charge air cooler of an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle. The invention will be better understood from the following description of the preferred embodiment of the method and the device of the invention, with reference to the accompanying drawing plates, in which: FIG. 1 represents a block diagram functional circuit of the gas circuit of an internal combustion engine, comprising a charge air cooler operating with brine as heat transfer fluid; FIG. 2 represents a functional block diagram of the gas circuit of an internal combustion engine, comprising a charge air cooler operating with air as heat transfer fluid and FIG. 3 is a diagram representing the control law of the opening of the valve of the cooling circuit of the cooler of Figure 1 as a function of the measured temperature of the inlet gas. In the following description, the gases and liquids are guided in pipelines. The lines connecting the various functional blocks of Figures 1 and 2 correspond to pipelines, although this will not be systematically specified in the description of the figures.

A motor vehicle internal combustion engine 1 comprises a combustion chamber (not shown) formed by a plurality of cylinders, for example four in number, and intended to receive a mixture of oxidant and fuel whose combustion generates the work of the engine 1. The operation of the engine 1 is traditional: the gases are admitted into the combustion chamber, are compressed, burned and expelled in the form of exhaust gas; these are the four classic times of a heat engine (intake, compression, combustion, exhaust). The gas intake circuit 2 in the engine comprises a supply air intake duct 3, an intake gas compressor 4, which is in this case a turbocompressor, a heat exchanger 5 , of cooling of the gases issuing from the compressor 4, at the output of which the gases 20 open into a manifold 6 for the admission of gases into the combustion chamber of the engine 1. The intake manifold 6 is a well-known part of the man of the craft, which forms a gas inlet box on the cylinder head of the engine 1. At the output of the combustion chamber of the engine 1 is provided a channel 7 for recirculating the exhaust gas to the inlet of the engine 1; thus, the exhaust gases from the combustion chamber can be guided, either in an exhaust pipe 8 which guides them towards the outside of the gas circuit, or in the recirculation channel 7 which guides them towards the duct 3 for admission of air into the engine, upstream of the compressor 4 of the intake gases. The turbocharger comprises, in addition to the compressor 4, a turbine, not shown, driven by the exhaust gas from the engine and driving the compressor in rotation; the recirculated gases are here from this turbine.

The recirculated exhaust stream is controlled by a valve mounted in the connection zone between the recirculation pipe 7 and the exhaust pipe 8; it may for example be a so-called "three-way" valve, with an inlet opening into the outlet pipe of the combustion chamber 1, a first outlet opening into the recirculation pipe 7 and a second outlet opening into the exhaust pipe 8. The heat exchanger 5 is a cooler of the intake gas and in particular of the supply air; this supply air being compressed, it is called, as already explained above, air supercharging. It is for this reason that the heat exchanger is called "charge air cooler" 5, whose acronym is "RAS" 5. Its function is to increase the air density of the intake gases , cooling them. In the rest of the description, we will simply speak about a cooler. It will be understood that, despite this denomination by those skilled in the art, the cooler 5 is in fact an intake gas cooler, these gases possibly comprising air or a mixture of air and exhaust gas, such as explained above.

The cooler 5 of FIG. 1 is in this case a liquid cooler, that is to say that it uses, for cooling the inlet gases that pass through it, a coolant such as water or in this case, brine. The coolant circulates in a closed circuit cooling circuit as indicated by arrows 11a (cooler outlet 5) and 1 lb (cooler inlet 5); this is a so-called low temperature cooling circuit, as opposed to the high temperature cooling circuit used for cooling the motor unit.

The cooling circuit comprises a radiator (not shown), a pump (not shown), the cooler 5 and a valve 10 for controlling the flow of brine in the cooling circuit. The brine is cooled in the radiator, by heat exchanges with the ambient air that passes through the radiator; it is driven, by the pump, from the radiator into the cooler 5, where it exchanges heat with the inlet gases which pass through the cooler 5. The brine water being at a temperature lower than that of the inlet gases she cools them; the better the efficiency of the cooler 5, the more it cools them; if the heat exchange can be done almost completely (practically until equilibrium), the temperature of the inlet gas at the outlet of the cooler 5 is close to that of the brine at the outlet of the cooler 5. After passing through the cooler 5, the water returns to the radiator and returns to the same loop (to the extent that the valve 10 is open).

Structurally, the cooler 5 may for example comprise a bundle of tubes arranged parallel to each other on one or more rows (parallel to each other), these tubes being arranged to carry the brine of the cooling circuit and the inlet gases. flowing in the volume of the cooler 5 between the tubes, which allows heat exchange between the inlet gas and the brine.

Other structures, all well known to those skilled in the art, are possible for the cooler 5.

As mentioned above, the gases from the compressor 4 and cooled in the cooler 5 may comprise only air or, if the exhaust gas is recirculated, a mixture of air and recirculated exhaust gas. In the latter case, there is a risk of condensation of gases in certain temperature ranges. In the case presented, the inlet gases form condensates if their temperature at the outlet of the cooler 5 is less than or equal to 35 ° and for gas pressures at the location where the temperature is measured between 0, 8 and 2 bar and preferably between 1 and 1.5 bar.

A means 9 for measuring the temperature of the inlet gases is mounted here in the intake manifold 6; this measuring means 9 is in this case a temperature sensor 9. It measures the temperature of the gas at the inlet 25 of the combustion chamber (thus at the outlet of the cooler 5).

According to the method of the invention, the condensation of the inlet gases is regulated by a regulation of the amount of heat exchanged between the intake gases and the brine; this regulation is obtained by adjusting the efficiency of the cooler 5. Thus, if the temperature sensor 9 measures a temperature below a threshold value, the efficiency of the cooler 5 is reduced, so that the inlet gases are less well cooled and do not condense.

In the embodiment shown, the control of the efficiency of the cooler 5 is obtained by adjusting the flow of brine in the cooling circuit. It is the valve 10 of the cooling circuit which fulfills this function of adjusting the flow of brine; according to an embodiment not shown, this function is fulfilled by a variable flow water pump.

With reference to FIG. 3, there is provided a law for controlling the opening 5 of the valve 10 as a function of the temperature measured in the intake manifold 6 by the temperature sensor 9. By virtue of this law: above a threshold value of the gas temperature (here set at 40 ° C), the valve 10 is completely open (100% opening); in this configuration, the brine normally flows into the cooling circuit and cools the inlet gases passing through the chiller to the maximum of the efficiency of the latter; - below a critical value of the gas temperature (here set at 35 ° C), the valve 10 is completely closed (0% opening); in this configuration, the brine does not flow into the cooling circuit and stagnates in its tubings; it thus extremely poorly cools the intake gas passing through the cooler 5, the efficiency of the latter decreasing over time, since the temperature of the stagnant glycol water increases; between the critical temperature and the threshold temperature, the opening of the valve 10 as a function of the temperature of the gases here follows a linear curve, 20 reaching its value corresponding to the temperatures above the threshold temperature and its value corresponding to the temperatures below the critical temperature; Thus, the closer the temperature approaches the critical temperature, the more the valve 10 is closed, and the closer the temperature approaches the threshold temperature, the more the valve 10 is opened, and this in a linear fashion as a function of the temperature .

The control law of the opening of the valve 10 as a function of the temperature of the gases has been presented as being constant for values below a critical temperature and for values greater than a threshold temperature, linear between the two. It goes without saying that other laws can be provided.

The objective of the regulation, as a function of the temperature of the inlet gases, of the quantity of heat exchanged between the cooling fluid 35 and the inlet gases, is to avoid the condensation of the inlet gases. That is why, if the temperature is sufficiently high (above the threshold value of 40 ° C), the amount of heat exchanged can be maximum (valve 10 open to 100%) because there is no risk of condensation; if the temperature is too low (below the critical value of 35 ° C (below which condensation occurs)), the amount of heat exchanged is minimized (valve 10 open at 0%, ie closed), so that the gases rise in temperature and stop being condensed; between the critical temperature and the threshold temperature, the valve 10 is all the more closed as the temperature of the gas approaches the critical temperature, in order to raise the temperature of the gases above the threshold temperature.

Again, and in other words, when the gases admitted into the engine 1 are at a temperature below the threshold temperature, the thermal power discharged by the cooler 5 is reduced, so as to contain the condensation phenomenon and to return to a inlet temperature in the engine 1 above this threshold temperature as quickly as possible. When the temperature falls below the critical value, the flow of the heat transfer fluid is cut to minimize the thermal power discharged by the cooler 5.

The reduction in heat exchange efficiency of the cooler 5 has been reported as being achieved by a reduction of the brine flow in the cooling circuit. It goes without saying that any equivalent means of reducing the thermal power discharged by the cooler 5 can be used, for example a thermostat regulating the temperature of the brine, a pump allowing a finer adjustment of the flow rate than the valve 10, etc.

The regulating law of the power discharged by the cooler 5 between a threshold temperature and the critical temperature (which is the true temperature below which it is not desirable that the gases go down as they condense) objective to anticipate the phenomena of thermal inertia of the device and to anticipate a drop in temperature to avoid any condensation, rather than to note a condensation that must then be evacuated. In other words, rather than triggering a reduction in the efficiency of the cooler 5 at the passage of the critical temperature, it is triggered at the passage of the threshold temperature, to have more chances, given the phenomena of thermal inertia, that the temperature does not fall below the critical temperature.

A way of bypassing the cooler 5 is provided in the gas supply circuit of the engine 1. This bypass route 15 can be used during phases of temperature rise of the engine or during regeneration phases of the particle filter ( not shown), to bypass the cooler because, in these phases, it is not desired to cool the gases. The use of the bypass 15 is mainly reserved for temperature rise phases, in which the gases are cold and must not be cooled, while the control of the efficiency of the cooler 5 is mainly used to avoid a drop of the gas temperature below the critical value to avoid condensation. These two functions of the device can be combined, for example by directing only a part of the gas flow in the bypass route 15, the other part passing through the cooler 5 whose efficiency is regulated.

A second embodiment of the device of the invention is presented with reference to FIG.

This embodiment is very similar to the previous embodiment and that is why the references used for the elements of the device of FIG. 2 of identical structure or function, equivalent or similar to those of the elements of the device of FIG. the same, to simplify the description. Moreover, the entire description of the device of FIG. 1 is not repeated, this description applying to the device of FIG. 2 (and vice versa) when there are no incompatibilities .

As previously, the combustion chamber of the heat engine 1 is supplied with intake gas by an intake circuit 2, comprising in particular a pipe 3 for admission of air into the circuit 2, a compressor 4, a heat exchanger heat exchanger 5 arranged to cool the inlet gas and a manifold 6 for the admission of gases into the combustion chamber. At the outlet of the latter, the exhaust gases can either be guided outwards by an exhaust pipe 8, or be guided towards the intake pipe 3 by a recirculation pipe 7.

The heat exchanger 5 is a charge air cooler 5. The cooler 5 is in this case an air cooler 5, that is to say that the heat transfer fluid used to cool the inlet gases is the air.

Such coolers are well known to those skilled in the art. Structurally, the cooler 5 may for example comprise a bundle of tubes arranged parallel to each other on one or more rows (parallel to each other), these tubes being arranged to transport the intake gases and the ambient air (cooling). flowing in the volume of the cooler 5 between the tubes, which allows heat exchange between the inlet gas and the ambient air; in other words, the cooler 5 is in the form of a radiator, in the tubes of which flow the intake gas, cooled by the ambient air flowing between the pipes.

By convention and to facilitate the description of the device, a front side 5a and a rear side 5b of the cooler 5 are defined. The notions of front and rear are defined conventionally and do not prejudge the way in which the cooler 5 in the vehicle. In this case, the front and rear are defined as the front and rear in the direction of travel in the forward direction of the vehicle.

The device comprises a means for driving the cooling ambient air in the cooler 5, in this case a fan 12. The fan 12 is placed on the rear side of the cooler 5 and draws ambient air from the front to the the rear through the volume of the cooler 5, as indicated by the arrows 13. The ambient air is thus driven in the volume of the cooler 5 from its front face 5a, where it enters, towards its rear face 5b, d where he goes out.

The device further comprises means 14 for closing the front face of the cooler 5, in this case a flap louver 14 extending in front of its front face 5a; the shutter 14 is shown schematically by a dotted line in Figure 2. The flap louver 14 has a plurality of flaps, each flap extending generally along an axis about which it is rotatable; the flaps also extend parallel to each other and are all integrally rotated. In an open position, the flaps let the air pass between them, while they block the air in the closed position (in the latter position, the flaps are contiguous and form a continuous surface preventing any air flow through her). Between the open position and the closed position, the flow of ambient air passing through the shutter is regulated by the opening angle of the shutters.

The method of regulating the condensation of the intake gases in the cooler 5 of FIG. 2 will now be described.

As previously, the thermal power discharged by the cooler 5 is regulated as a function of the temperature of the inlet gas, said temperature being here measured by a temperature sensor 9 housed in the intake manifold 6. For this purpose, it is the efficiency of the cooler 5 which is adjusted according to the temperature. As previously, this efficiency is regulated by the flow of heat transfer fluid (here the ambient air) flowing in the cooler 5.

The device here comprises two cooling air flow control means in the cooler 5: the fan 12 and the shutter louver 14. These means can be used independently, sequentially or combined, to reduce more or less the flow of air in the cooler 5 in the event of a drop in the temperature of the inlet gases.

Thus, if the temperature drops, and according to a first mode of the control method, the power of the fan 12 is reduced, or the fan is stopped (the flap louver 14 being in the open position). Thus, the entrainment of the ambient air in the cooler 5 is stopped. In this mode, the air flow in the cooler 5 is not necessarily canceled, in particular since, due to the movement of the vehicle, the ambient air can, despite the absence of forced driving by the fan 12, be brought to circulate in the cooler 5. In a second mode of the control method, the shutter louver 14 is more or less closed, thus closing more or less the front section of the cooler 5 and thus controlling the flow of ambient air in the cooler 5; if the shutter is completely closed, the cooling air flow rate in the cooler 5 is (substantially) zero.

To obtain the desired control of the cooling air flow as a function of the measured temperature, the two process modes can be applied independently, sequentially (as two successive phases) or in combination (the two flow control means being actuated concomitantly, with adjustment of their respective and relative effects).

The shutter louver 14 can of course be replaced by any equivalent means, for example a single shutter of the front section of the volume of the cooler 5.

In all the embodiments described above (brine or air cooler), the device may comprise means for analyzing the temperature of the inlet gases and control means of the fluid flow control means. cooling (air or water). The device preferably comprises a microprocessor for analyzing data and controlling adjustment means (valve 10 of FIG. 1, fan 12 and louver 14 of FIG. 2).

The invention has been presented in connection with a gas intake circuit in an engine comprising a single turbocharger as a means of compressing the inlet gases. Of course, other compression means may be envisaged, for example a compressor, or a plurality of turbochargers and / or compressors; in the latter case, a plurality of coolers may be provided, the efficiency of each cooler being adjustable depending on the temperature of the inlet gas.

Furthermore, in the embodiments presented, the temperature is measured in the intake manifold 6, but it goes without saying that it can be measured at another point in the intake circuit, for example directly in the cooler 5. or upstream of the latter, the control law being, where appropriate, adapted.

In addition, in the invention as presented, the reduction of efficiency of the cooler is obtained by reducing the flow rate of the coolant, but other embodiments are possible, as already mentioned above (thermostat, etc.).

Of course, the temperature values (threshold and critical) have been given by way of example (in this case representative of a motor vehicle cooler) and may vary according to the applications. The law of control of the coolant flow rate has also been given by way of example and may vary; in particular, one or more temperatures may be taken into account for the regulation of condensation, the regulation law may not be linear, may be discrete, etc. According to one embodiment of the process of the invention, account is taken of the volume of heat transfer fluid present in the cooler during a supply of heat transfer fluid, to anticipate more finely the rise in temperature of the gas (it s is to take into account thermal inertia phenomena related to the fact that the coolant, even if its flow is cut, continues to exchange heat with the gas until its temperature has increased to reach that gases).

The invention is particularly applicable to certain engine speeds in which the intake gases are not very hot, that is to say when they are not very compressed, especially during the starting phases or the phases in which the vehicle is not traveling at high speed (for example in urban traffic in traffic jams); we are talking about "low-charge" diets. The method and the condensation control device have been presented in connection with a charge air cooler, but they apply to any heat exchanger in which there is a risk of condensation of the gases to be cooled. In particular, they apply to a recirculated exhaust gas cooler (which would for example be provided in the recirculation path of the gas circuit of an engine).

Claims (15)

Claims1- A method of regulating the condensation of gas flowing in a heat exchanger (5), wherein: - a heat transfer fluid is entrained in the exchanger (5) to exchange heat with the gases, - a temperature gas (5) is measured, - the amount of heat exchanged between the gases and the coolant is regulated as a function of the measured temperature. 2- Control method according to claim 1, wherein the amount of heat exchanged between the gas and the coolant is controlled by adjusting the efficiency of the exchanger (5). 3- Control method according to the. claim 2, wherein the efficiency of the exchanger (5) is adjusted by adjusting the coolant flow in the exchanger (5). 4- Method according to claim 3, wherein: - a threshold temperature of the gases is defined, - if the measured temperature is lower than the threshold temperature, the coolant flow rate is reduced. 5. The process of claim 4 wherein said gas threshold temperature is about 40 ° C. 6. Process according to claim 4 or 5, in which: a critical temperature of the gases is defined below which there is a risk of condensation of the gases and if the measured temperature is below the critical temperature, it is further reduced; the flow of coolant, possibly until canceled. 7. The process of claim 6 wherein the critical temperature of the gases is about 35 ° C. 8- Control method according to one of claims 3 to 7 wherein, the coolant being a gas entrained in the heat exchanger (5) by a fan (12), the heat transfer gas flow rate is adjusted by adjusting the power of the fan (12). 9- Control method according to one of claims 3 to 8 wherein, the heat transfer fluid being a gas entrained in a volume of the exchanger (5), the heat transfer gas flow is set by closing said volume of the exchanger (5), for example by closing at least one shutter (14). 10 10- Control method according to one of claims 3 to 7 wherein, the heat transfer fluid being a liquid entrained in a circuit of the exchanger (5), the flow of the coolant is adjusted by means (10) of regulation flow rate, for example a valve (10) or a variable flow liquid pump. 11- Control method according to one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the heat exchanger (5) is a heat exchanger in a motor vehicle, in particular the exchanger is a cooler (5) supercharger 20 an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle. 12- Device for regulating the condensation of gases flowing in a heat exchanger (5), comprising means for driving a coolant in the exchanger (5) to exchange heat with the gases, Means (9) for measuring a temperature of the gases (5) and means (10, 12, 14) of regulation, as a function of the measured temperature, of the quantity of heat exchanged between the gases and the coolant. 13- Device according to claim 12 wherein, the heat transfer fluid 30 being a liquid, the device comprises a heat transfer liquid circuit and means (10) for regulating the flow of coolant in the circuit, for example a valve (10) or a variable flow liquid pump. 14- Device according to claim 12 wherein, the heat transfer fluid 35 being a gas, the device comprises a fan (12) for driving the heat transfer gas and means for adjusting the power of the fan (12). 15- Device according to claim 12 or claim 14 wherein, the coolant being a gas entrained in a volume of the exchanger (5), the device comprises at least one means (14) for closing said volume, for example at least one shutter shutter of said volume.