Print Email Facebook Twitter On the effectiveness of Reynolds-averaged and subgrid scale models in predicting flows inside car cabins Title On the effectiveness of Reynolds-averaged and subgrid scale models in predicting flows inside car cabins Author Grossi, G. (TU Delft Aerodynamics; University of Cassino and Southern Lazio) Arpino, Fausto (University of Cassino and Southern Lazio) Bertone, M. (TU Delft Aerodynamics; University of Cassino and Southern Lazio) Cortellessa, Gino (University of Cassino and Southern Lazio) Sciacchitano, A. (TU Delft Aerodynamics) Date 2024 Abstract The aim of the present study is to analyze the performances of unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) and large eddy simulation (LES) approaches in predicting the airflow patterns inside car cabins and to give insight in the design of computational fluid dynamics simulations of a real car cabin. For this purpose, one eddy viscosity-based turbulence model (shear stress transport k-ω) and two subgrid scale models (wall-adapting local eddy-viscosity and dynamic kinetic energy) were tested, and numerical results were compared with particle image velocimetry measurements carried out on a commercial car. The URANS model exhibited great accuracy in predicting the mean flow behavior and was appreciably outperformed by the LES models only far from the inlet sections. For this reason, it was deemed suitable for conducting further analyses, aimed at characterizing the airflow patterns in winter and summer conditions and performing a thermal comfort analysis. The thermal regime was found to have a very little effect on the air flow patterns, once the quasi-steady state regime is achieved; in fact, both in winter and in summer, the temperature field is fairly uniform within the car cabin, making the contribution of buoyancy negligible and velocity fields to be very similar in the two seasons. Findings also reveal that thermal comfort sensation can be different for passengers sharing the same car but sitting on different seats; this aspect should be considered when designing and operating the ventilation system, since the minimum comfort requirements should be met for all the occupants. To reference this document use: http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:5e2c89e3-6bc0-49ad-8256-1f564d0c3fbd DOI https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0180823 ISSN 1070-6631 Source Physics of Fluids, 36 (1) Part of collection Institutional Repository Document type journal article Rights © 2024 G. Grossi, Fausto Arpino, M. Bertone, Gino Cortellessa, A. Sciacchitano Files PDF 015137_1_5.0180823.pdf 5.74 MB Close viewer /islandora/object/uuid:5e2c89e3-6bc0-49ad-8256-1f564d0c3fbd/datastream/OBJ/view