AeroCool

Steady-state heat balance simulation for modelling race car cooling systems

You can use AeroCool to size oil and water heat exchangers, compare the efficiency of different matrix cores, predict coolant temperatures and define intake aerodynamic efficiency requirements.

It is aimed at professional aerodynamicists and cooling system designers wanting to define new systems or analyse existing ones. Some basic knowledge of cooling system layout is needed to make the best use of the program but AeroCool is an expert system that encapsulates the calculation required within a user-friendly interface.

  Simple system design
You start with a blank system containing empty oil and water circuits then interactively add any number and combination of heat sources, passes through the engine, radiators in air ducts and intercoolers. Once defined any element can be moved around the system or deleted. The properties for each element are set in a Properties dialog that checks all entered values and gives informative warnings if any are invalid.



 

  Sophisticated face velocity calculation
AeroCool automatically calculates the face velocity for ducted radiators by applying a sophisticated and proprietary energy balance method that uses the model and actual radiator core pressure drop characteristics and pressures measured on the wind tunnel model. This method compensates for different pressure drop/face velocity characteristics between the model and actual radiator cores, and for different freestream and matrix face velocity ratios. If wind tunnel curves are not available a best estimate can be used instead.

 

  Automatic speed and throttle range calculation
You can easily define a range of values for car speed and a separate range of values for engine heat rejection (corresponding to a range of throttle positions). AeroCool automatically performs full system stabilisation calculations for each point in this 2 dimensional range. With the speed and heat rejection range feature you can instantly characterise the performance of your cooling system throughout all real world operating conditions.



 

  Multiple system channels
For a given steady state system condition a number of channels are calculated for each type of heat exchange element. For example for a radiator in a duct the following channels are available:

• Coolant exit temperature
• Exit temperature from the air circuit
• Heat transferred from liquid to air circuits
• Pressure drop across the matrix core as a coefficient
• Drag force on car resulting from pressure drop across matrix
• Matrix air face velocity
• Velocity ratio of matrix to freestream air flow



 

  Choice of output methods for results
You can view the system state for a particular combination of throttle and speed as a graphical system diagram showing coolant path, system elements, coolant stabilisation temperatures and various key system values. This summary view is a great aid to understanding how your cooling system is working.

The speed and throttle range results for any calculated system channel can be seen as either a table or as a coloured contour plot, giving an immediate visual or quantitative summary for a wide range of throttle and car speed conditions. You can alter the formatting of the range plot for each channel, and any changes you make are stored for later reuse.



 

  Easy file management
Complete systems can be saved to and restored from disk in one operation, making it easy to manage multiple scenarios and modify previous systems.

 

  High quality printouts
You can choose to print any combination of contour view, table, system diagram or a text listing of all input data in one operation. This allows you to get a complete hardcopy record of any analysis for presentation or future reference.