BMW Optimizes Engine Cooling with ModeFrontier

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Mode frontier logoThe Diesel Engine Development Department at BMW used Esteco’s ModeFrontier software to optimise the transient cooling system of one of its six-cylinder, 225kW diesel engines and to support the validation steps for the newly updated thermal model.

ModeFrontier helped the BMW team create a reliable transient cooling system model, compliant with new testing guidelines. The software contributed to a significant reduction in oil temperature and coolant side model errors and improved related temperature trends.

To identify better configurations, the team of BMW engineers developed the air side and coolant circuit model using Kuli, a thermal management simulation software supported by 3D-CFD simulations produced by Magna.

By interacting with the Kuli engine model, ModeFrontier allowed the engineers to set up an optimization workflow capable of detecting the optimal configuration for the main key parameters, five heat transfer coefficients and four heat capacities.

Integration between the two software enabled faster identification of the best heat transfer coefficients and thermal inertia in the engine analyzed,” said Günther Pessl, head of simulation at BMW.

This story appears here as part of a cross-publishing agreement with Scientific Computing World.