An Analytical Model to Simulate the Automotive Cooling System

In this paper the effect of simultaneous operation of the automotive radiator, fan, engine, and cooler system on radiator coolant inlet temperature is studied. For this purpose, an analytical model is developed to simulate the automotive cooling system. First, the heat transfer rate and air pressure drop in radiators with louvered corrugated fins and flat tubes are modeled and compared with wind tunnel test results over six radiator cores. Also, the air flow path is simulated. Two preexisting codes are used to simulate the automotive engine and cooler system. Then a code is developed in order to investigate the effect of different parameters related to each component of the cooling system on cooling water inlet temperature. In the end, the effect of ambient temperature, cooling water flow rate, and fin pitch on cooling water temperature at different speeds of a sample automobile is examined.