EXPERIMENTAL AND COMPUTATIONAL ANALYSIS OF A COPPER BASED RADIATOR OF A MOTORCYCLE TO DETERMINE ITS COMPACTNESS BY MODIFICATION OF GEOMETRY OF FINS.

Abstract

In the Internal Combustion Engines, the radiator system plays a vital role in the management of the thermal efficiency. The good conditioned radiator increases the performance of engine by removing the heat effectively. Thus, the present project work is fundamentally based on the investigations of modelling of radiator made of copper, through the experimental and CFD analysis. Further the effects of increased thickness of fin and the perforation on the fin is analyzed. The work is focused on increasing the heat transfer from the copper fin with the perforation (circular hole) to cool the engine using forced convection method effectively for the improved performance of the engine. The radiator is analyzed with mass flow rate and inlet temperature as boundary conditions for hot water flow. Similarly for air flow inlet velocities and temperatures are taken as a boundary conditions. For this purpose, a copper-based radiator is fabricated and tested for four volumetric flow rates of the hot water. The performance of this radiator is evaluated in terms of outlet temperature of water and heat flow. It is predicted and proven that modifications in fin geometry plays a vital role in improving the performance of engine by cooling water circulation effectively. Thus, making the radiator compact