3-D thermal-hydraulic analysis for airflow over a radiator and engine room

In the present study, a numerical analysis of the three-dimensional heat transfer and fluid flow for a vehicle cooling system was developed. The flow field of the engine room between the grille and radiator was analyzed. The results show that, as the airflow inlet grille angle α is varied from 15° to -15°, the air flow rate compared with α=0° (horizontal) changes from -11.9% to +5.1%; while the heat flux from the radiator changes from -9.2% to +4.4%. When the airflow inlet bumper angle β is varied from -5° to +15°, the heat flux from the radiator compared with β=0° (horizontal) increases up to +4.4%. When the airflow inlet grille angle α=-15° and the bumper grill angle β=+15°, the airflow rates and heat flux compared with (α=0°, β=0°) can be increased to +9.5% and +7.5%, respectively. The results indicate that the optimal angles for cooling efficiency are used.