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With the rise of electric autonomous vehicles, it has become clear that the cabin of tomorrow will drastically evolve to both improve ride experience and reduce energy consumption. In addition, autonomy will change the transportation paradigm, leading to a reinvention of the cabin seating layout which will offer the opportunity to climate systems team to design quiet and even more energy efficient systems. Consequently, Heat and Ventilation Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems designers have to deliver products which perform acoustically better than before, but often with less development time. To success under such constraints, designers need access to methods providing both assessment of the system (or subsystems) acoustic performance, and identification of where the designs need to be improved to reduce noise levels. Such methods are often needed before a physical prototype is requested, and thus can only be achieved in a timely manner through digital testing.

The Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning system (HVAC) is a compact and complex system designed to provide thermal comfort inside the car cabin. The system is composed of various components: fan, flaps, thermal exchangers, filters and specific turned ducts allowing thermal conditioning and airflow distribution to car cabin areas. Nowadays, as thermal engine noises are reduced and electrified car sales are increasing, the HVAC could be a major noise source inside the car cabin that could induce significant discomfort to passengers. HVAC noise issues are well known and solved. Many of them are related to the fans’ electrical motor, such as ticking and harmonic noises. The remaining noises are mainly aeroacoustic linked to the fan and interactions between HVAC components and airflow. HVAC behavior also consists of transfer paths and acoustic transparency responsible of emerging noises.

While electric and hybrid vehicles are becoming increasingly common, the issue of engine noise is becoming less important, because it does not dominate the overall noise perceived in the passenger compartment in such vehicles anymore. However, at the same time, other sound sources such as air conditioning, start to emerge, which can also cause annoyance. The CEVAS project, involving VALEO, CETIM, University of Technology of Compiègne, ESI GROUP and GENESIS, deals with the acoustic simulation and perception of automotive air-conditioning (HVAC) and electric battery cooling (BTM) systems. While the other partners focused their work on the aeroacoustic characterization, modeling and simulation, GENESIS’ part in the project is dedicated to HVAC sound synthesis and perception. In order to do the synthesis of the acoustic spectra provided by the partners of the project, an additive model was used.

The noise radiated inside the car cabin depends on many sources such as the embedded equipments like the Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) module. An HVAC is a compact and complex system composed of several elements: blower, flaps, thermal exchangers, ducts… Air provided by an HVAC is blown by a blower passing through different components and then distributed to car cabin areas. Interactions between airflow and the HVAC fixed components generate noises that emerge in the car cabin. CEVAS project, managed by the automotive equipment manufacturer Valeo, is aiming to develop a prediction tool which will provide HVAC noise spectrum and sound quality data. The tool is based, in particular, on aeroacoustic characterization of individual elements and associations of elements.

Passengers' thermal comfort inside a car cabin is mainly provided by the Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) module. Air provided by HVAC is blown via a blower, passing through different components: flaps, thermal exchangers, ducts… and then distributed to car cabin areas. Interaction between airflow and HVAC components generates noises that emerge in car cabin. Due to this fact, noise is naturally created and its level is linked to flow rate. Valeo is aiming, though CEVAS project, to develop a prediction tool which will provide HVAC spectrum and sound quality data. This tool will be based, in particular, on aeroacoustic measurements using 2N-ports model and Particle Image Velocimetry methods to provide characteristics of HVAC components.