Thermal analysis of radiator core in heavy duty automobile

Background: Heat dissipation is one of the most critical considerations in engine design and with an efficient cooling system; performance of the engine can be dramatically improved. All internal combustion engines convert chemical energy into mechanical power. Around 70% of the energy is converted into heat and therefore, the primary job of the cooling system is to keep the engine from overheating by transferring this heat to the air. A radiator transfer's heat from the hot coolant to the air and an effective design of radiator will ultimately lead to enhanced engine performance by reducing the heating effect. Methods and results: A mathematical expression for the rate of heat dissipation from the radiator core was derived and a modification in the design was proposed in the radiator core by changing the structure of the tubes from cylindrical to helical. The rate of heat dissipation for both designs was compared with similar boundary conditions by varying the magnitude of all design parameters in a specific range that have same magnitude of area of cross section, length of the radiator core and coefficient of thermal conductivity for the tube. Enhanced rate of heat dissipation for helical structure confirms the efficacy of the proposed design. Copyright © 2008 by ASME.