On the Design of Heat Exchangers for Altitude Simulators

Abstract

[EN] Altitude simulators for internal combustion engines are broadly used in order to simulate different atmospheric pressure and temperatures on a test bench. One of the main problems of these devices is their outlet temperature and in order to control it, at least one heat exchanger is needed. A methodology to define, select and analyses the best heat exchanger that fulfill the requirements is presented. The methodology combines CFD and 0D models with experimental test. The combination of these tools allows to adjust both the 0D and the CFD models. The adjusted 0D model will be used to perform parametric analysis that will help to select the best geometrical combinations considering heat transfer and pressure losses while the CFD model will help to find possible local deficiencies on the designed Heat Exchanger and, therefore, try to improve it. Finally, the adjusted 0D model have been used to perform parametric studies changing the most important geometric characteristics to analyze the effect on HEX performance.