Including solar load in CFD analysis of temperature distribution in a car passenger compartment

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In this thesis a numerical model has been developed that integrates solar load when computing the temperature distribution in a passenger compartment. The actual compartment used belongs to a Volvo S80 for which geometry, mesh and results from tunnel tests already exists. The thesis is divided into two sections, model development and model validation. In the former study focus is set on means to incorporate the solar load in a proper way and to understand the software used. In the latter study the numerical procedure derived is applied to the test case, the Volvo S80, and the results obtained are compared to wind tunnel tests. Three cases were simulated throughout the thesis: a steady state 'comfort', a transient soaking, and a transient cooling. It is found that the temperature distribution for the steady state case is strongly dependent on the solar load while realistic results from the soaking case were not obtained due to severe divergence problems regarding continuity. These problems can be attributed to a very coarse mesh and mesh discrepancies in fluid zones inside doors, floor and roof. The temperatures at several positions at the back were in many of the 'comfort' cases much higher than experimental data being most likely an effect of solid cells in the back seat. For the cooling it is even more important to use the model developed. The validation of the model yielded that the steady-state cases capture the trends in temperature within the compartment usually within a few degrees. The validation of the cooling simulations was very successful except in the front toe position for the driver. It was also shown that the systems thermal inertia could be increased by increasing the thickness in the sensitive areas t...