Bio-Inspired Design in Automotive Cooling Systems

Abstract

Modern vehicles must be efficient, reliable, and environmentally friendly. As the car becomes smaller and more popular, its cooling management problems grow one after another. For now, the traditional cooling system has a complex coolant flow pattern. Still, it is simple to collect the coolant concentrate, causing local hot spots and significant pumping losses until the various factors interact, resulting in overall power performance restrictions. In recent years, computational fluid dynamics has made tremendous progress. Topology optimization is gaining momentum as a promising approach for solving problems in this critical market. So now it’s possible to design systems that spread heat more evenly and save energy comparatively. In recent research, it's time to capitalize on the established success of optimization methods in fluid dynamics. A nice example is an improved geometrical design and flow paths, as well as the use of nanofluids, which increase heat transfer rates. These are the actual channels and shelters for heat collection. Therefore, they should be efficient structures that, in the 20th century, received a technical twist to apply these last forms. By combining CFD simulation technology and innovative materials with bio-inspired designs, plans to keep systems cold (or warm) will achieve better performance while consuming less energy. Finally, future trends in building sustainable, high-efficiency thermal management systems and open challenges for the next generation of vehicles are also outlined.