Numerical simulation of heat transfer and design optimization of IC engine fins geometry using Finite Element analysis

A major amount of fuel energy is lost in the form of heat is one of the major concern in an internal combustion (IC) engine, which can be avoided by providing the engines with better cooling systems in automobiles. Due to weight constraints, air cooling is the only way to cool the small engine in motorcycles. The fins significantly increases the heat transfer rate, but by changing their parameters, the rate of heat transfer of these fins can be increased even further. The majority of previous research has been done on small displacement engines ranging from 50 cc to 150 cc, and no research work has been reported beyond that. The majority of previous work has been carried out on fin shape and design rather than its thickness and count. These concerns have been addressed in this study, where an analysis of the heat transfer of air-cooled IC engines with a displacement of 373 cc has been taken into consideration. The design modelling of the engine body has been done with different fin thicknesses. In the first phase, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis of the engine body has been done by SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation. Airstream passing over the engine body has been studied at variable speeds. Thermal analysis of the engine body was carried out by varying the vehicle speed, fin thickness, and materials. Properties like temperature on the fin, temperature on the engine head, and heat loss from the engine were analysed for different vehicle speeds, fin thickness, and materials. Lastly, the results obtained by using those boundary conditions were compared with previous research and reported. It was found that fins with a thickness of 5 mm performed better with Aluminium Alloy as their material as compared to other fin thicknesses and materials. This will help with optimum cooling of the engine, which makes the motorcycle engine perform well and increase its life.