Development and Correlation of Internal Heat Test Simulation Using CFD

Two primary focuses of the automotive industry have been cost reduction and lead time reduction. At the same time, automobiles have grown in complexity. Tier One suppliers must be able to provide less expensive, higher quality products faster. In this light, many suppliers have developed virtual simulation techniques in order to expedite the development process and insure the products can meet customer and legal specifications.

An essential predictive tool being employed is computational fluid dynamics (CFD). CFD is used to predict lamp temperatures and flow behavior of the air inside the lamp. Many OEM's have specific tests that require the lighting product to be cycled in a chamber. Lighting suppliers are required to show their products can meet these test requirements. CFD has been used to simulate heat tests in order to ensure the lighting product can pass the physical test portion. The simulation was developed using commercially available software and proprietary CFD analysis methods. The model is built as a fully coupled natural convection/radiation model using a transient analysis. The simulation provides the ability to predict component temperatures prior to building prototypes. This allows for changes in the lamp components and expedites the development process.

The intent of this discussion is to show the contents of the simulation, the technical aspects of the simulation, and the results including correlation data.