Water Flow Simulation of Automotive Underhood Airflow Phenomena

An experimental investigation of the underhood cooling airflow of a production passenger car has been carried out with a 3/8-scale model in a water filled tow tank at Texas Tech University and with a production vehicle in the Maritime Dynamics Laboratory tow basin of SSPA Maritime Consulting AB in Gothenburg, Sweden. The primary objectives for both the 3/8 and production vehicle investigations were to obtain a better understanding of the cooling airflow behavior within the engine compartment of an automobile and to identify the major factors influencing the flow field. The tests consisted of running a fan on a stationary and moving vehicle with pressure measurements and extensive flow visualizations within the engine bay.