CFD Simulation Master Student

Please note:
This assignment is a student thesis. For your application to be considered you should currently be a university student eligible to complete a Master thesis as part of your university program.
Students can apply by themselves or in an already formed group.
Below presented topics are to be defined based on existing information and suggestions by all involved parties.

About us:
We at the Virtual Verification and Validation group, are responsible for performing simulations in order to aid the development of new products as well as to verify our current line of products. We are involved in almost all phases of the development of Volvo Buses products.


Description of thesis work
Electric buses are an important product of today’s public transport sector. On any given day, different solar and passenger loads lead to either cooling the cabin or heating the cabin for desired passenger comfort. This becomes an energy-intensive process which reduces the vehicle driving range significantly. It is therefore very important to understand and improve the efficiency of the interior climate system.


Optimal energy consumption and interior climate quality is possible to achieve by understanding the heat transfer between the body and surrounding environment. A fast and robust simulation method needs to be developed to accurately model this heat transfer and study the impact of choosing different materials on the interior climate system.


The main objectives of the proposed thesis work are:
Perform interior climate simulations for several different set points with an existing steady state CFD model (potentially improve the existing model)
Build a simulation model of the bus in TaiTherm, including all material properties of the bus body and environmental boundary conditions
Use existing measurement data for validation of the developed model
Use the model to investigate the impact of using different materials on the heat transfer through the bus body



Suitable background
The ideal students will possess good communications skills in English (written and verbal), show a high level of initiative, be self-driven, have good analytical capabilities and have a high interest in heat transfer.


The candidates should have a bachelor’s degree in civil or mechanical engineering and is now completing their master’s degree.


Previous experience with using STAR-CCM+, ANSA and/or TaiTherm is considered an advantage and relevant courses within the subjects of fluid mechanics and heat transfer is a merit.


Thesis Level
Master’s thesis


Number of students
2 students


Language
English


Tutor
Nithin Ravindra, Senior Fluid Simulation Engineer
Virtual Verification and Analysis
Volvo Buses
Phone number: +46 70 283 7604
E-mail: nithin.ravindra.2@consultant.volvo.com