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Technical Paper

The Influence of Close-following Upon the Cooling Module Air Flow

1998-08-11
981941
The purpose of this report is to experimentally determine the air flow through the cooling module (air-conditioning condenser plus engine radiator) of a Ford Windstar minivan when the van is operated at a fraction of a vehicle length behind a lead van. Pressures and temperatures are measured across the cooling module while the vans are in operation, and a standard calibration relates the pressure drop to the flow velocity through the cooling module. The Windstars are connected in tandem and driven on a test track at spacings of 0.22, 0.28, 0.38, 0.62, 0.88, and 1.0, expressed as fractions of the Wind-star length. For the purposes of the test, an override switch is installed to allow the close-following van to be operated either with both cooling fans remaining on or with both fans disabled. Air flow is expressed either as a volume flow, in cubic meters per second, or as the fraction of the flow for a van operating in isolation at the same forward speed.
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