Experimental and numerical investigation of heat transfer and flow characteristics for tractor heat exchanger (radiator)

Abstract

An experimental and numerical study was carried
out to investigate heat transfer and flow
characteristics through the tractor heat exchanger
(radiator). The engine of the tractor is Diesel
(compression ignition) engine type. The
experimental study used heat exchanger (radiator)
manufactured from copper instead of the original
heat exchanger of the tractor, which is
manufactured from iron. Both heat exchangers
consist of circular cross sectional tubes and plate
fins. The temperatures was measured inside the
cooling room of engine for both cases at the same
time and the same loads. The results of the
experimental investigation showed that the heat
exchanger is manufactured from copper provided
temperatures less than the heat exchanger
manufactured from iron, that means heat rejected
by copper heat exchanger is more than heat
rejected by iron heat exchanger. The use of copper
heat exchanger is better than iron heat exchanger
for cooling the tractor engine. In the numerical
study used model of copper heat exchanger to
analyzed by CFD method at different air velocity
from (0.5 m/sec) to (7 m/sec) for laminar air flow.
The object of this study was enhancement the heat
transfer process from the cooling fluid of heat
exchanger. The results of the numerical study
shows that heat transfer rate increase with
increasing air flow during heat exchanger
(radiator). Good agreement between experimental
and numerical results is obtained.