Flow analysis of engine cooling system for a passenger vehicle

Abstract

A numerical simulation is carried out to analyze the flow field of cooling air through the radiator and engine compartment. In order to consider the strong effect of the suction-type flow by the cooling fan at engine idling condition, a potential flow analysis is attempted by the assumption of a line sink located at the position of the cooling fan. The governing equations for steady two-dimensional, incompressible, turbulent flow are solved with the two-equation k-ε model for turbulence. The velocity profiles in the underhood engine compartment and around the front-end of a real vehicle are measured to compare with the numerical results. The agreement between the numerical and experimental results is fairly good. It is concluded that a two-dimensional computation is a fast and efficient tool for predicting the effect of front-end design on the cooling air flow through the radiator. ？ 1993, The Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers (KSME). All rights reserved.