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As part of a general EGR system model, an adiabatic thermodynamic vacuum EGR valve actuator model was developed and validated. The long term goal of the work is improved system operation by correctly specifying and allocating EGR system component requirements.

A series of tests were conducted to determine the potential for reducing vehicle underhood temperatures by either 1) diverting the radiator fan air flow from the engine compartment or 2) by forced air cooling of the exhaust manifold in conjunction with shielding it or 3) by a combination of the two methods. The test vehicle was a Ford F-250 Light Truck with a 7.5L V-8 engine. The vehicle was tested in a dynamometer cell equipped with cell blowers to simulate road speed conditions. It was found that diverting the outlet air from the radiator will reduce underhood component temperatures when the vehicle is in motion and also at normal idle. However, if the vehicle is to be used for power takeoff applications requiring a “kicked” idle, then forced cooling of the exhaust manifolds is also required to maintain reduced underhood temperatures. A combination of these two techniques maximized the reduction of underhood temperatures for all operating conditions tested.

Exhaust pressures (P3) are hard parameters to measure and can be readily estimated, the cost of the sensors and the temperature in the exhaust system makes the implementation of an exhaust pressure sensor in a vehicle control system a costly endeavor. The contention with measured P3 is the accuracy required for proper engine and vehicle control can sometimes exceed the accuracy specification of market available sensors and existing models. A turbine inlet exhaust pressure observer model based on isentropic expansion and heat transfer across a turbocharger turbine was developed and investigated in this paper. The model uses 4 main components; an open loop P3 orifice flow model, a model of isentropic expansion across the turbine, a turbine and pipe heat transfer models and an integrator with the deviation in the downstream turbine outlet parameter.

While a Ni-MH battery has good performance properties, such as a high power density and no memory effect, it needs a powerful thermal management system to maintain within the required narrow thermal operating range for the 42V HEV applications. Inappropriate battery temperatures result in degradation of the battery performance and life. For the battery cooling system, air is blown into the battery pack. The exhaust is then vented outside due to potential safety issues with battery emissions. This cooling strategy can significantly impact fuel economy and cabin climate control. This is particularly true when the battery is experiencing frequent charge and discharge of high-depths in extreme hot or cold weather conditions. To optimize performance and life of HEV traction batteries, the battery cooling design must keep the battery operation temperature below a maximum value and uniform across the battery cells.

A flow channel design of the battery liquid cooling plate is carried out through the variable density topology optimization method according to the heat dissipation requirements of lithium-ion power batteries under actual working conditions. Firstly, given the non-uniform heat generation of lithium battery cells, the heat generation mechanism is studied so that the battery electro-thermal model is established, then the distribution regularity of heat generation rate in the cell at different discharge rates is obtained. Subsequently, through COMSOL Multiphysics simulation software, the multi-objective topology optimization of the primary configuration radiator is conducted. The weights of the optimization objectives minimum temperature and minimum flow resistance are determined by practical engineering application. Finally, an optimized model with a volume fraction of 50% was obtained.

Thermophysical properties of materials used in the design of automotive interiors are needed for computer simulation of climate conditions inside the vehicle. These properties are required for assessment of the vehicle occupants' thermal sensation as they come in contact with the vehicle interior components, such as steering wheels, arm rests, instruments panel and seats. This paper presents the results of an investigation into the thermophysical properties of materials which are required for solving the non-linear Fourier equations with any boundary conditions and taking into account materials' specific heat, volume density, thermal conductivity, and thermal optical properties (spectral and total emissivity and absorptivity). The model and results of the computer simulation will be published in a separate paper.

The vehicle engine exhaust wastes heat. For the conventional scheme, the hot-end of the thermoelectric module is connected with the exhaust pipe, while the cold-end is cooled through the vehicle engine cooling cycle. The variation of vehicle engine operating conditions brings the instability of the hot-end temperature, which affects the power generation performance of thermoelectric materials and increases the damage risk to the thermoelectric materials caused by the high temperature. This research adopts the heat transfer oil circulation as the intermediate fluid to absorb the dynamic heat flux of the vehicle engine exhaust so as to release the heat steadily to the hot-end of the thermoelectric module. The thermal characteristics of the target diesel vehicle engine exhaust gas are evaluated based on the experimental data firstly.

Vehicle exhaust waste-heat recovery with thermoelectric power generators can improve energy efficiency, as well as vehicle fuel economy. In the conventional structure, the hot-end of thermoelectric module is directly connected with the outer wall of the exhaust pipe, while the cold-end is connected with the water pipe’s outer wall of the vehicle engine cooling cycle. However, the variety of vehicle engine operating conditions leads to the instability of the hot-end temperature, which will reduce the generating efficiency of the thermoelectric modules and also shorten its service life. This research is on the basis of constructing a heat transfer oil circulation, and to study the action principles and implementation methods of it.

Good heat dissipation of Lithium battery can prevent the battery from shortening its life due to rapid aging or thermal runaway. In this paper, an air-cooled structure of 5 series and 3 parallel battery packs is designed, which combines the advantages of series and parallel air ducts and optimizes the heat dissipation effect and the space ratio of air ducts. First, the heat generation model of NCR18650PF lithium battery is established, and the heat generation rate and time under different discharge rates are calculated. Combined with the working conditions of the battery itself, the necessity of battery pack heat dissipation was found.

While the car ownership increasing all over the world, the unutilized thermal energy in automobile exhaust system is gradually being realized and valued by researchers around the world for better driving energy efficiency. For the unexpected urban traffic, the frequent start and stop processes as well as the acceleration and deceleration lead to the temperature fluctuation of the exhaust gas, which means the unstable hot-end temperature of the thermoelectric module generator (TEG). By arranging the heat conduction oil circulation at the hot end, the hot-end temperature’s fluctuation of the TEG can be effectively reduced, at the expense of larger system size and additional energy supply for the circulation. This research improves the TEG hot-end temperature stability by installing solid heat capacity material(SHCM) to the area between the outer wall of the exhaust pipe and the TEG, which has the merits of simple structure, none energy consumption and light weight.

With the improvement of occupants’ awareness on the driving safety, hydraulic retarder applications increase quickly. The traditional hydraulic retarder, on the one hand, exhausts the waste heat of transmission oil by the engine cooling system; on the other hand, the engine power should be consumed to drive the water pump and the engine cooling fan for maintaining the normal operation of the auxiliary braking system. In this study, the Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) instead of the traditional hydraulic retarder water-cooling system is applied to achieve the effective temperature control of the hydraulic retarder, while the waste heat of transmission oil could be recovered for saving vehicle energy consumption. The ORC fluid selection needs comprehensive consideration for the net power of the ORC and the optimal temperature range of the retarder transmission oil at both the inlet and outlet end, which is the key issue to ensure the stability and efficiency of the ORC system performance.

In order to obtain the comprehensive evaluation of thermal management system for the retarder, the complete driveline thermal management model is built. The characteristic parameters for the thermal management system are determined and the hydromechanical characteristics for the retarder are fixed by the rig test. On the basis of the same whole vehicle driving cycle, comparing to the traditional mechanical-drive system, the independent-drive system makes the working temperature of the heat source more stable. Meanwhile the parasitic power caused by the radiator fan is decreased markedly on the condition that the heat reject requirement of the heat source is satisfied.

The automobile exhaust energy can be recovered by the thermoelectric module generator(TEG). Owing to the complex urban traffic, the exhaust gas’s temperature fluctuations are resulted, which means the unstable hot-end temperature of the TEG. By installing solid heat capacity material(SHCM) to the area between the outer wall of the exhaust pipe and the TEG, it is possible to appropriately reduce the temperature fluctuation, but there is still a fluctuation of the TEG’s power output. Then by adding voltage filter circuit (VFC) after the TEG, the power output stability can be improved. This research uses SHCM and VFC to improve the stability of the exhaust gas generation. Firstly, the three-dimensional heat transfer model of the exhaust pipe thermoelectric power generation system is established. The heat capacity materials with low thermal resistance and high heat capacity were selected as the research object based on previous research.

Optimizing heat protection for underbody and underhood components, using non-CFD heat transfer CAE tools, requires the estimation of local convective heat transfer coefficients. This estimate, in turn requires knowledge of the local air velocity. Currently available methods for obtaining this velocity at several vehicle locations have been impractical and expensive for use in over-the-road testing. This paper presents the design, fabrication, and field testing results of a 26 mm diameter spherical transducer which measures the local heat transfer coefficient directly. The transducer contains three thermocouples and a heater. It is calibrated to correlate the coefficient with the air velocity. Drawing less than 0.1 A, a number of them can be powered by the vehicle battery with negligible drain. The data acquisition consists of sampling three thermocouples per spherical transducer.

Validation of the Ford General Engine SIMulation program (GESIM) with measured firing data from a modified single cylinder Ricardo HYDRA research engine is described. GESIM predictions for peak cylinder pressure and burn duration are compared to test results at idle operating conditions over a wide range of valve overlap. The calibration of GESIM was determined using data from only one representative world-wide operating point and left unchanged for the remainder of the study. Valve overlap was varied by as much as 36° from its base setting. In most cases, agreement between model and data was within the accuracy of the measurements. A cycle simulation computer model provides the researcher with an invaluable tool for acquiring insight into the thermodynamic and fluid mechanical processes occurring in the cylinder of an internal combustion engine.

The impingement of air jets on a vehicle's windshield is one parameter that determines the effectiveness of the defroster's system in freeing the windshield of frost and fog. Incompressible air jets impinge upon the inner surface of the windshield and create hydrodynamic and thermal boundary layers which in turn control convective heat transfer. Therefore, understanding the heat transfer interaction between impinging air jets and an inclined windshield is of practical relevance. Experimental investigations on the temperature distribution are performed on the inner surface of the windshield for the purpose of obtaining local and average heat transfer coefficients. In this paper, the temperature distribution of a vehicle's windshield is investigated using liquid crystals. As a result, a temperature contour map is generated displaying local temperature values on the inner surface of the windshield.

Li-ion power battery is the core component of the electric vehicle power system, and the battery temperature will increase because of the electrochemical reaction of the Li-ion battery. The heat accumulates inside of the battery, which can degrade the working performance of the power battery and shorten the battery cycle life. At present, the wind cooling technology is relatively mature. However, it cannot achieve ideal heat dissipation effect under the working conditions of the high-power or high ambient temperature. In this research, the battery thermal management is carried out by the characteristics of the working fluid’s flowing phase change heat transfer. The phase change working fluid is R-1233zd(E) which is a kind of environmentally friendly liquid with nonconductive and nonflammable. It can achieve the purpose of controlling the battery’s temperature using the characteristics of isothermal heat absorption under different gas phase rate of phase change working fluid.

THIS paper discusses the free-piston engine which is being investigated by Ford. The analytic method for calculating free-piston-gasifier thermodynamic performance over the complete operating range is discussed for the given limitations and conditions. Using these analytical methods, an automotive-size free-piston and matched turbine was designed, built, and tested.

To better reflect real world driving conditions, the EPA 5-Cycle Fuel Economy method encompasses high vehicle speeds, aggressive vehicle accelerations, climate control system use and cold temperature conditions in addition to the previously used standard City and Highway drive cycles in the estimation of vehicle fuel economy. A standard Powersplit Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) system simulation environment has long been established and widely used within Ford to project fuel economy for the standard EPA City and Highway cycles. Direct modeling and simulation of the complete 5-Cycle fuel economy test set for HEV's presents significant new challenges especially with respect to modeling vehicle thermal management system and interactions with HEV features and system controls. It also requires a structured, systematic approach to validate the key elements of the system models and complete vehicle system simulations.

In order to predict the thermal fatigue life of the internal combustion engine exhaust manifold effectively, it was necessary to accurately obtain the unsteady heat transfer process between hot streams and exhaust manifold all the time. This paper began with the establishment of unsteady coupled heat transfer model by using serial coupling method of CFD and FEA numerical simulations, then the bidirectional thermal coupling analysis between fluid and structure was realized, as a result, the difficulty that the transient thermal boundary conditions were applied to the solid boundary was solved. What's more, the specific coupling mode, the physical quantities delivery method on the coupling interface and the surface mesh match were studied. On this basis, the differences between strong coupling method and portioned treatment for solving steady thermal stress numerical analysis were compared, and a more convenient and rapid method for solving static thermal stress was found.