Numerical Methodology for Automotive Radiator and Condenser Simulations

The paper describes a predictive tool for the determination of air and coolant temperatures and heat exchange resulting from the operation of heat exchangers, e.g., radiator or air-conditioner condenser in the underhood of automotive engines. The paper describes a detailed computational model where both the fluid streams are numerically solved and the phase change of the refrigerant is taken into account in a condenser simulation. An actual underhood simulation with interactions with a radiator is presented. A numerical simulation for a condenser is also presented. Reasonable agreement is shown with the test data.