Thermal management simulation as a tool for improved truck fuel efficiency

Mauro Tizianel, Andreas Ennemoser
AVL List

Environmental requirements, legal restraints and the need for diminished operating costs take up great demands on the vehicle’s development. The simulation of energy flows (mechanical, electrical, chemical and thermal) in a comprehensive VTMS model is a powerful tool analyzing the influence of e.g. the engine, the fluid circuits, each auxiliary, and heat recovery systems on the overall fuel consumption. Furthermore implementation and calibration of control functions in the fast but nevertheless detailed simulation in an early vehicle development stage reduces testing effort on real hardware.
The easy coupling of the used simulation tool AVL CRUISE M with external sources/programs, evaluating the overall vehicle performance and therefore fuel consumption, will be presented for a long-haul truck. The interaction between the different hardware components/systems and the control strategies is assessed for different transient driving cycles representing standardized road conditions.