Numerical simulation of airflow distribution impact on radiator performance in the QUIK automobile

Abstract

One of the main challenges in designing a vehicle's cooling system, particularly the radiator, is not considering the non-uniform airflow distribution in the radiator's characteristic performance graphs. In this study, a three-dimensional numerical analysis of the airflow passing through a QUIK vehicle and the effect of the cooling system's placement relative to the vehicle's grille in five different cases was conducted. The effect of non-uniform airflow distribution on related radiator parameters such as the Darcy number, particle diameter, and inertial term was examined. The results indicate that the optimal placement range of the vehicle's cooling system for appropriate cooling performance is very limited. Additionally, non-uniform air velocity distribution plays a significant role in the radiator pressure drop. The inertial term is more significant in non-uniform flow conditions. For larger Forchheimer numbers, the change in radiator pressure drop for uniform compared to non-uniform flow distributions is about 22%.