Development and analysis of advanced engineering material for thermal management in the vehicle cabin

Abstract

In the context of present day, the unpleasant environment in vehicle cabin due to heated trapped air after parking the car in an open sun is the major challenge in this automotive world. It is very important that the cabin space of vehicle should be in a condition to provide better driving comfort to the driver. But the problem that is faced by many car users today is very hot cabin space after certain minutes or hours of parking in open or un-shaded parking area. Conventional cooling systems with natural and forced convection methods are there but they have their own limitations to meet the required performance. Hence, this project is being concentrated in this direction to make effective designs of thermal management systems in the vehicle cabin. The concept of thermal management has gained paramount importance among researchers and industrialists, as it directly affects the system performance. In this project we have make advanced material using phase change material(PCM) technology for cabin to maintain the thermal instability in the cabin space. We have selected neopentyl glycol as a pcm with polypropylene which can be use as a material for cabin containment objects such as dashboards, side panels, consoles, etc. We have did thermal study on this advanced material and conclude positive results at the end. Keywords- vehicle cabin, open parking, heating, comfort, effective designs, thermal management systems