48 a predictive assessment of thermal comfort. Validations show deviations of less than 1 K in most areas of the occupants‘ bodies – a level of accuracy that is ideal for concept studies. In poorly ventilated zones, where greater inhomogeneities and temperature deviations tend to occur, these can be specifically taken into account through more detailed modelling. Rapid climate strategy development instead of CFD marathon The development of efficient climate control strategies is caught between the conflicting priorities of comfort, safety requirements such as windscreen de-icing, and energy consumption. However, real Engineering Partner Why real-time climate models are the future of vehicle interior simulation Multi-air zone models revolutionize efficiency, comfort and development processes By Max Hauk, Group Leader of Simulation, Control, and Testing Thermal Management. And Michael Ellinger, Senior Expert Thermal Management at ARRK Engineering. The demands placed on the interior climate of modern vehicles are constantly increasing: maximum comfort with minimum energy consumption is now a key development goal. Air zone cabin models make it possible to precisely evaluate and optimise the thermal behavior of the passenger compartment as early as the virtual concept phase. This reduces the necessary tuning effort on the physical vehicle to a final fine calibration. The resulting shortening in development cycles lowers costs, accelerates decision-making processes and increases competitiveness in the international market. Physically consistent simulation with minimized CFD computing effort Conventional transient CFD simulations provide detailed flow and temperature fields but are unsuitable for early concept phases due to high computing times. The multi-air zone model in the Theseus-FE software from ARRK Engineering GmbH offers a novel approach here, as shown in Fig. 1: It divides the cabin volume into discrete air zones and links these to data that provides the model with time-dependent air exchange variables via an AI-supported ventilation matrix. To create this matrix, the relevant operating conditions in the cabin are first identified. Stationary CFD calculations ranging from a few dozen to a few hundred simulations are then performed for these conditions. In this way, the dominant physical mechanisms are retained, while changes in the ventilation situation in the cabin can be simulated without the need for new CFD calculations, drastically reducing the computing time required for the investigations. The model maps temperature, humidity and air exchange between zones, enabling Fig. 1 Graphic: © ARRK Engineering GmbH
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