Project / Agricultural machinery

Full-vehicle simulation of an engine-cooling system

A full-vehicle model combined heat balance, airflow and system resistance to support preliminary cooling-component selection.

CFD streamlines through the engine bay of a mobile machine
Off-highway · CFD simulation · Thermal analysis
Industry
Off-highway
Services
CFD simulation · Thermal analysis
Evidence boundary
Anonymized project narrative

Engineering question

Engine-bay cooling had to be assessed both without ram air and with the vehicle moving.

Model & approach

  • Reduce the CAD model to flow- and heat-relevant detail
  • Represent engine, hydraulic and exhaust heat sources and cooling-air inlet conditions
  • Evaluate velocity, pressure, temperature and the system-resistance curve

Boundary conditions

  • Stationary operation and slow vehicle movement
  • Charge-air/water and oil coolers within the cooling concept
  • Simplified full vehicle with project-specific openings and installations

Results of the assessment

  • The simulation exposed inlet paths, pressure zones and temperature fields in the engine bay.
  • The second operating point enabled a comparison of ram-air influence.
  • A system-resistance curve was derived from airflow and pressure loss.

Engineering consequence

The results supported preliminary selection of fans and fan drives.

Context

The sizing applies to the operating conditions assessed; final component selection and physical testing remain separate development steps.

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