Search Results

Modern vehicles require a low aerodynamic drag to minimize fuel consumption. A not negligible share of the overall CD-value of a vehicle is produced by the engine compartment air flow. Therefore this share has also to be optimized. Furthermore, customer wishes for higher powered engines as well as for more safety and comfort result in more tightly packed engine compartments. Even the reduction of pass-by-noise required by legal reasons is often achieved with the help of underbody covers which in turn affect the engine compartment flow. All these items may lead to rising underhood temperatures. To reduce the development time of new vehicles, numerical simulations of engine compartment air flow are more and more used to predict high temperature fields and to show ways to develop suitable remedies in the concept phase of the vehicle development. The experimental basis for such codes is provided by aerodynamic investigations in a wind tunnel.

High performance engines required in contemporary vehicles are causing underhood components to operate under hostile temperature environments. Aerodynamic styling and the addition of new components to the engine compartment further add to the problem by decreasing the volume of underhood cooling air flow. The addition of engine compartment coverings required to meet environmental noise reduction standards further restrict and debilitate air flow cooling. The above conditions demand that the analysis of air flow patterns and heat transfer phenomena under the hood be an essential part of early systems design of new engines, engine compartment components, and underhood component packaging. A numerical approach to calculate cooling air flow velocity and temperature distribution of the air and engine compartment components is utilized. Air flow is calculated using a finite volume Computational Fluid Dynamics code on a 220,000 cell representation of the flow domain.

The Opel Calibra Coupe is an example of a newly developed series production vehicle which has been conceived with a view to low drag and good fuel consumption. A great deal of world-wide aerodynamic expertise went into its development, including newly developed measurement techniques and investigations to provide inputs for computational codes. The aerodynamic development program for the vehicle, from the 1:5 scale model stage to the full size detail development stage is outlined as well as specific examples of some interesting individual investigations.