Vehicle Thermal Systems Development

With a wealth of expertise in engine and vehicle thermal management, Ricardo can assist at any stage from concept design and prototype development through to the start of production, either as part of a model year programme or problem resolution on existing products.

Key aspects of the Ricardo service:

• Thermal system modelling using a range of in-house and commercial CAE tools including the Ricardo VECTIS and WAVE packages, and SIMULINK™ and FLOWMASTER™, including fully coupled analyses for underhood thermal optimization
• Experimental development and validation, including prototype vehicle build and instrumentation – either one off or batch production – using low intrusiveness instrumentation
• Climatic wind tunnel and test track development, including the use of validation test routes and on-site testing at customer facilities if required.
• HVAC system characterization, including the use of rigs for noise, air flow and thermal performance measurement, subjective evaluations for passenger comfort, and close coupling of computer simulation techniques to guide testing