Numerical Analysis and Design Optimization of Cooling System for Construction Vehicles

<div class="section abstract"><div class="htmlview paragraph">A well-designed cooling system is crucial in construction machines for efficient heat dissipation from vital components, including the Radiator(RAD), Oil Cooler (OC) and Intercooler (IC). The radiator ensures optimal engine performance and longevity by maintaining a stable operating temperature. Oil Coolers preserve hydraulic system efficiency. Inter Coolers optimize engine performance through denser intake air. The robust cooling system enhances system reliability, reduces downtime, avoid overdesigned system, and increases operator safety in demanding construction environments. The size and location of heat exchangers are critical in cooling system design. Using 1D simulation tool KULI for cooling system design offers the benefits of comprehensive system simulation, optimization of thermal management, reduced development time and costs, enhanced system reliability, improved integration with other systems, and real-world testing and validation. The tool enables time and cost-effective 1D heat transfer analysis, facilitating design of experiments. This analysis guides the design process to the next level, where the finalized design can be verified using CFD analysis for the optimal case, avoiding multiple 3D simulations which consume a lot of time & cost. This paper talks about KULI software to analyze the sizing and placement of heat exchangers within given size constraints for a new engine packaging in a construction machine. The approach helped to determine the optimal size and positioning of the heat exchangers while considering heat transfer, fluid flow, pressure drops, and temperature distribution. This data-driven approach allowed to design an efficient cooling system that ensures reliable performance of critical components.</div></div>