1. Aerodynamic investigation of the turbulent flow past a louvered-fin-and-tube automotive heat exchanger.
- Author
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Zarri, Alessandro, Botana, Miguel Baena, Christophe, Julien, and Schram, Christophe
- Subjects
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TURBULENT flow , *TURBULENCE , *HEAT exchangers , *RADIATORS , *COOLING systems , *AIR flow - Abstract
Turbulent flow past a radiator contributes to noise emission when interacting with a downstream cooling fan. This study examines turbulent flow characteristics downstream of a radiator, focusing on turbulence production, dissipation, non-homogeneity, and anisotropy. We assess turbulence models based on isotropy and homogeneity for noise prediction in real applications. Results show significant non-homogeneity due to the radiator grid's wakes, extending downstream to a region where the fan would be located. Flow in this region trends toward isotropy, especially when considering a downstream circularly-holed wood panel mimicking the flow contraction caused by a fan casing. The radiator core's fins and louvers break down vortical structures more than generating large eddies, as reported in studies involving heat exchangers with larger gaps between cooling pipes. The von Kármán turbulence model approximates the experimental spectrum, but caution is needed with rapid flow acceleration. This investigation enhances our understanding of turbulence characteristics in the vicinity of radiators with implications for noise spectrum prediction and modeling in such systems. • Automotive Noise Emissions: Radiators alter the noise emitted by cooling fans. • Turbulence Analysis: Flow past a radiator is characterized in realistic conditions. • Evaluation of Turbulence Models: For noise prediction in automotive cooling systems. • Experimental Technique: Stereo PIV to study the airflow downstream of radiators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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