Coupling of CFD analysis of the coolant flow with the FE thermal analysis of a diesel engine

In the process of engine design, it is important for the engine designer to predict the accurate component temperatures. Controlling the temperature of engine components requires a better understanding of the coolant behaviour in the coolant jacket of an engine which is critical to internal combustion engine design, The studies reported in the literature emphasize the influence of the cooling system on other engine operation such as exhaust emission, fuel consumption and engine wear. In this context, much work has been done with the purpose of improving the coolant jacket design and components of the cooling system to achieve higher performance. (Some of these studies) Previous researches have shown the possibility of achieving higher engine efficiency and performance with higher coolant temperature. This project aims at understanding the coolant flow behaviour in the coolant jackets of a diesel engine and investigating the possibility of running the engine at higher coolant temperatures by predicting the temperature distribution of the structure which is required for the assessment of the durability ofthe engine components. In this thesis, CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) and FE (Finite Element) techniques are used to study coolant flow in the coolant jackets and to predict the temperature distribution within the engine structure respectively. The objectives are to develop an FE model of the engine structure for thermal analyses and a CFD model of the fluid domain for the coolant flow CFD analyses. A number of case studies are carried out with the purpose of determining the most suitable technique for accurate temperature prediction. The methodology of manual coupling approach between CFD and FE analyses, which is more widely used in industry, and conjugate approach are demonstrated. Using these approaches, thermal analysis of the engine is conducted with the purpose of identifying the thermally critical locations throughout the engine. Furthermore, the influences of higher coolant temperature on these thermally critical regions of the engine are highlighted by carrying out four case studies with coolant inlet temperatures of 110°C, !ISOC, 117.5"C and !20°C. The temperature rise at the particular points around thermally critical regions is found to be in the range of 3-9 degrees at the higher coolant temperatures. This slight increase in temperature of critical locations may affect the durability of the structure. However, without carrying out the structural analyses it is not possible to comment on the durability of the engine structure. The effects of surface roughness and viscosity on heat transfer rate are also investigated and shown to be insignificant.