Abstract:

A simulation analysis process of nacelle thermal management was designed to investigate the
thermal management in cabin of a developing automobile considering flow match. An optimization scheme of
the front air intake grille was made by the nacelle cold flow field analysis to a model automobile based on the
STAR-CCM+ of the CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) software. The optimal scheme increased air volume
by 7.0% for radiator and by 9.6% for condenser. The thermal equilibrium temperatures and the temperature
distributions in the cloud for the optimal scheme were obtained to analyze the thermal pollution in an automobile
cabin. The target temperature for risk parts was obtained by cabin thermal damage simulation to monitor the
satisfy requirement of allowable temperature. The thermal equilibrium simulation results for an automobile were
verified by water experiments with an accuracy of 85% or higher. The cabin thermal damage has an accuracy of
95% or more. Therefore, the design process has a high computing efficiency and a high reliability.

Key words: automobile cabin, thermal pollution, thermal management, software CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics), cold flow field, heat balance