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With increased demand for improvements in the efficiency and operation of all automotive engine components, including those in the engine cooling system, there is a need to develop a set of virtual tools that can aid in both the evaluation and design of automotive components. In the case of automotive radiators, improvements are needed in the overall pressure drop as well as the coolant flow homogeneity across all radiator tubes. The latter criterion is particularly important in the reduction of premature fouling and failure of heat exchangers. Rather than relying on ad hoc geometry changes with the goal of improving the performance of radiators, the coupling of CFD flow simulations with numerical shape optimization methods could assist in the design and testing of automotive heating and cooling components.

Improvements in the pressure drop across and flow homogeneity in the tubes of automotive radiators are needed to reduce the power demands on the vehicle water pump and increase the lifetime of the radiator. The goal of this ongoing work is to develop a set of virtual tools coupling CFD flow simulations with numerical shape optimization methods to assist in the design and testing process of automotive heating and cooling components. In SAE paper 2002-01-0952, “Towards Shape Optimization of Radiator Cooling Tanks,” the authors developed and evaluated optimization criteria for pressure drop and mass flow rate distribution in a water-to-air automotive heat exchanger. In this follow-up paper, results based on the implementation of these optimization criteria are presented. More specifically, results concerning the placement of radiator inlets and outlets are addressed.