Numerical modelling of a finless heat exchanger layout for electric vehicle application

Computational Fluid Dynamics has emerged as one of the major investigative tools for aerodynamics and thermal analyses of today's road vehicle design processes. This work presents the design of a new heat exchanger layout that could support the transition from thermal to electrical propulsion of an existing motor vehicle. A procedure is established to develop and assess a heat exchanger prototype. The aerodynamic performance of an electric vehicle equipped with the above-mentioned heat exchanger is assessed numerically, and results compared with its thermal counterpart. The comparison between both layouts shows a 5% reduction of the vehicle's drag and a net reduction of the overall weight with the newly designed system, introducing the proposal for a new form of heat exchanger packaging.

Automated summary

This paper introduces the use of computational fluid dynamics in studying the transition from thermal to electrical propulsion in vehicle design. It establishes a procedure to develop and evaluate a prototype heat exchanger, and uses numerical methods to assess the aerodynamic performance of an electric vehicle equipped with the new heat exchanger. The comparison shows a 5% reduction in drag and overall weight with the newly designed system, proposing a new form of heat exchanger packaging.