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CFD Based Optimization and Design of a Feeding Tube Enhanced Cross Flow Heat Exchanger for Automotive Heat Transfer Systems
Navas, Mohammed Irfan
Navas, Mohammed Irfan
Date
2025-11
Author
Advisor
Type
Thesis
Degree
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35.232-2025.58a Mohammed Irfan Navas_COMPRESSED.pdf
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Description
A Master of Science thesis in Engineering Systems Management by Mohammed Irfan Navas entitled, “CFD Based Optimization and Design of a Feeding Tube Enhanced Cross Flow Heat Exchanger for Automotive Heat Transfer Systems”, submitted in November 2025. Thesis advisor is Dr. Noha Mohamed Hassan and thesis co-advisor is Dr. Mohammad O. Hamdan. Soft copy is available (Thesis, Completion Certificate, Approval Signatures, and AUS Archives Consent Form).
Abstract
Amid constantly escalating environmental demands and steadily rising ambient temperatures, modern vehicles are expected to achieve ever-greater energy efficiency. Yet in real driving conditions, the airflow reaching a vehicle’s crossflow heat exchanger is often distorted by grille geometry, structural components, and variations in driving speed. These disturbances reduce thermal performance and increase aerodynamic drag, highlighting the need for heat-exchanger configurations that remain efficient under non-uniform inflow conditions. This study aims to enhance heat-transfer capability, improve mass-flow delivery, reduce drag, and explore minimal energy-recovery potential by integrating a compact flow-conditioning feature into a conventional crossflow heat exchanger. A validated two-dimensional tube bank model was developed, and the feeding tube element (flow-conditioning feature) was introduced to the downstream to reduce overall drag by reducing pressure drag from the tube bank crossflow heat exchanger. A response-surface-based design of experiments was performed to evaluate the influence of four key design variables longitudinal spacing, transverse spacing, feeding tube diameter and inlet velocity on the resulting aerodynamic and thermal behaviour. The results show that the feeding tube feature restructures the downstream flow field, enhancing heat-transfer characteristics by 10.22% and the drag is reduced by 63.34% due to the reduce air separation area generated by the feeding tube. Combined CFD and statistical analysis identified an optimal configuration that provides balanced improvements. Furthermore, the presence of a high-velocity jet at the flow-conditioning exit indicates potential for minimal energy recovery. Overall, the findings demonstrate a multifunctional heat-exchanger concept that unifies flow conditioning, thermal enhancement, and aerodynamic optimisation within a compact design, offering a strong foundation for future experimental validation and the development of high-performance automotive thermal-management solutions.