Performance Calculation of Vehicle Radiator Group using CFD

Abstract

The efficiency of the engine consists of the efficiency of its radiator. As we know that the 30% engine power will be transferred to the surroundings using the radiator. So the heat transfer through radiator must be efficient and fast in order to reduce the overheating of the engine cabin. And in the most of the modern vehicles, the radiators are arranged in the same air flow path. The engine cabin contains all other accessories, which will get over heated as the engine cabin gets overheated. And this becomes the serious issue. In this project the author try to analyses the efficiency of group radiators with different types of fins like square and ribbon [louvered] fins using CFD in a practical system. However detailed evaluation through the testing alone is difficult and not possible during the vehicle development. The focus of the study is to find the performance of the square tube radiators with various fins and their arrangement using CFD. Also the outlet air coming from the last radiator is to be analyzed to find the engine cabin cooling efficiency. Numerical simulation is carried out using a commercially available CFD code, Fluent. Realizable k-e RANS turbulence model was used to model turbulence. Result of this study gave a detailed vision of the arrangement of various types of radiators for the better performance of the vehicle group radiator heat transmission. This paper studied about the efficiency of different radiator type according to the fins used and their efficient arrangement for the better cooling of the engine compartment in a practical system.