Numerical Evaluation of Automotive Cooling System Pipe Geometry Impact on Thermal and Fluid Flow Characteristics

This work evaluates the impacts on the temperature and flow fields caused by alteration on the geometry of an automotive engine cooling water pipe section. The pipe section studied is located after the water pump. The straight pipe section was altered to a curved section and it was located closer to the exhaust pipe, to attend engine downsizing demands. The analysis was carried out though the finite volume method, considering steady-state, bi-dimensional flow. The results point out that pressure drop in the conduit is little altered with geometric variations, but the temperature conditions are affected by the proximity of the duct to the heat source.