Technical Paper
Underhood Thermal Simulation of a Small Passenger Vehicle with Rear Engine Compartment to Evaluate and Enhance Radiator Performance
2010-04-12
2010-01-0801
Underhood environment of a passenger vehicle consists of critical components such as heat exchangers, engine, batteries and exhaust system with complex geometries. The exterior styling and the packaging constraints along with the aerodynamic requirements of minimal grill opening areas result in a compact and packed underhood. In such a restricted environment the volume of air flow entering the underhood reduces. The airflow management issues become even more severe in case the underhood environment is located at the rear end of the vehicle, away from the ram air zone available in front of the vehicle, as is the case in the present study. In recent times, a combination of 1D and 3D simulations have gained a high importance to conduct air flow and thermal simulations of vehicle underhood to understand the complex interactions of air flow velocities and temperatures.
