Multi-Dimensional Heat Transfer and Fluid Dynamics Analysis of a Lawnmower Tractor Exhaust System

The objective of this study was to investigate the present cooling system of a lawn mower tractor engine and come out with an idea to modify the system. The test section was created to measure the velocity and temperature around the engine compartment. Velocity and temperature measurements were collected at several different locations around the engine. To accomplish this, several Pressure transducers along with Pitot tubes and Thermocouples were placed at several predetermined locations based on their assumed experimental importance. Since the experiment was run in a laboratory setting, the Combustion products of the engine were vented to the environment through a venting system via a stainless steel hose. This hose was constructed to attach to both the tractor muffler and the building venting. Then, the instrumentation had to be sized and selected such that the data could be easily acquired and recorded. Next, the necessary data was collected using the selected instrumentation while running the engine in the laboratory space. This data was used to produce an accurate computer model for simulation and to compare several different design adaptations. Based on experimental and computational data, it is noticed that the engine compartment was exhausting hot air that was causing discomfort to the operator and potential harm to the area near their feet. Some modifications were recommended, such as the baffling system, fan system, and grill alterations as an attempt to alter the airflow characteristics of the engine compartment to redirect the hot air away from operator’s feet.