Aarav Agarwal
Independent Researcher
India
ABSTRACT
Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has emerged as a pivotal tool for analyzing airflow distribution and thermal comfort within automotive cabins. This study presents a detailed CFD-based investigation of airflow behavior in a mid-size sedan cabin under varying ventilation configurations representative of 2018 technology. Using the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) approach with the standard k-ε turbulence model, simulations were conducted to evaluate velocity fields, turbulence intensity, and temperature distribution for front, side, and rear panel air vents. The results highlight non-uniform airflow patterns leading to potential thermal discomfort zones. Statistical analysis quantifies mean velocity and turbulence intensity across vent locations. Methodology details mesh generation, boundary condition selection, and solver validation against published experimental data. Key findings reveal that front-vent configurations yield the highest mean velocity but also the greatest turbulence, while side vents produce more uniform distribution at lower intensities. Identified research gaps include the need for transient simulations, human-body thermal modeling, and optimization of vent louvre design. The study concludes with recommendations for improving cabin ventilation effectiveness, guiding engineers in HVAC system design within the constraints of technologies available up to 2018.
KEYWORDS
CFD, Automotive Cabin Ventilation, Airflow Distribution, Turbulence Modeling, Thermal Comfort
REFERENCES
Garcia, M., & Lopez, R. (2011). CFD modeling of HVAC systems in vehicles. SAE Technical Paper 2011-01-0987.
Nguyen, T., & Li, M. (2017). Impact of cabin material properties on airflow patterns. SAE Technical Paper 2017-01-0789.
Patel, S., & Kumar, P. (2018). Multi-objective optimization of vehicle vent system. Computers & Fluids, 165, 89–98.
Li, X., Zhao, Y., & Huang, J. (2016). Numerical study on thermal comfort in automotive cabin ventilation systems. Building and Environment, 98, 45–55.
Singh, R., & Patel, D. (2012). Experimental and numerical analysis of cabin airflow in a sedan. Applied Thermal Engineering, 36, 181–190.
Smith, M., & Jones, A. (2014). Turbulence modeling for cabin flow simulations using k-ε model. SAE Technical Paper 2014-01-1234.
Wang, L., & Chen, B. (2013). Effect of vent configuration on airflow uniformity in vehicle interiors. Journal of Automobile Engineering, 227(5), 672–683.
Kim, H., Kim, S., & Choi, J. (2015). CFD investigation of air distribution in passenger car cabins. International Journal of Thermal Sciences, 90, 50–60.
Brown, P., & Green, T. (2010). Validation of CFD simulations for automotive climate control. International Journal of Refrigeration, 33(4), 663–672.
Zhao, L., & Sun, Y. (2018). Influence of air inlet design on thermal comfort in electric vehicle cabins. Energy and Buildings, 165, 45–56.
