Numerical Simulation of Heat Flow in a Vehicle Cabin

Abstract

The heat flow distribution in a simplified 3-D vehicle cabin is predicted when parking in the summer sunshine by using the CFD analysis software. The nature convection and radiation heat transfer from environment to cabin are considered in this simulation. The distribution of transient temperature and velocity at the central and horizontal plane are analyzed respectively. It is shown that the temperature increases by time and there is little temperature difference in the cabin. The highest value is located at the front and both sides cabin after two minutes. The air is essentially stagnant with low velocity and the central compartment has much lower velocity than other regions.