1.
Design of an Efficient Fan Steering Strategy for Efficient Cooling of Engine Peripheral Components during Vehicle Thermal Soak : magistrsko deloTjaša Pečnik, 2024, master's thesis
Abstract: The aim of this Master's thesis was to find a mathematical correlation between various fan momentum fields for a fan which is used for cooling the underhood area of a car. The correlation had to link a known momentum field to all possible momentum fields related to fan rotation speed and car velocity. With this correlation, new alternative fan steering strategies can be used to cool the vehicle underhood area.
An already functioning RBM (Rigid Body Motion) simulation was used as a base, since it already gave satisfying results in the past. With this simulation file, several tests were run to ensure that the results really converge nicely. In this way it was established that the results are accurate enough for further use. After obtaining the results, a set of 30 simulation files was calculated. The simulations were a combination of different fan rotation speeds and car velocities.
After the set was done, the results were analysed using various computer software (Star-CCM+, MS Excel and Matlab). It was concluded that a polynomial approach for the momentum field was a suitable option but to add some additional complexity, surface equations were used. To obtain the equations, tables with different results were put into Matlab and the program did the rest. The result were two sets of three surface equations with x and y values. In both cases, x represented the rotation speed of the fan and y represented the car velocity in one case and the delta pressure between two evaluation surfaces in the other.
After that it was time to implement the newly acquired surface equations in a Star-CCM+ simulation file. The old simulation file was again used as a base, but new field functions were put in with the help of which the UDMS (User Defined Momentum Source) is being changed. Both types of surface equations were tested and calculated. In the end, it was decided to go with the one where the delta pressure on two evaluation surfaces is being used as the y value. One surface was placed in front of the fan and the other after the fan.
The final step was to test different fan steering strategies. The usual cooling procedure consists of a phase where the fan cools for a specific amount of time with a defined rotation speed and then turns off. Temperatures on critical points around the engine and in the underhood area of the car are being looked at as a result.
The first strategy was to run the fan at the same speed as usual, but gradually slow it down in uniform steps so that the shut down time remains the same. With this approach, the highest temperature values were actually lower than usual, but certain temperature probes became warmer as the fan speed decreased. Nevertheless, the temperatures at the end were very similar.
The second tested strategy was inspired by the idea of potentially saving some battery energy if we could somehow manage to cool the underhood area quicker. In this case, the fan ran for a short time at a high rotation speed and after that at a slightly lower speed. Then it was turned off for a few minutes and subsequently switched back on. The maximum temperature in this scenario reached even higher values. The reason for this was that the fan blew warm air toward certain measurement points, causing them to heat up further. The temperatures at the end of the simulation were similar to those in the previous two cases.
In conclusion, it is indeed possible to steer a fan momentum field with the help of field functions and equations which describe the relationship between different fan rotation speeds and car velocities.
Keywords: fan, momentum, RBM, CFD, thermal soak
Published in DKUM: 02.04.2024; Views: 225; Downloads: 0
Full text (13,61 MB)
