InterPore2026

Intercooler study using porous media modeling and CFD simulation

22 May 2026, 14:45

15m

Oral Presentation (MS16) Complex fluid and Fluid-Solid-Thermal coupled process in porous media: Modeling and Experiment MS16

Speaker

Mustapha BORDJANE (University of Sciences and Technology Mohamed Boudiaf Oran)

Description

Air intake temperature has significant effects on engine's performance characteristics; control and reduction of exhaust emissions, stability, lower fuel consumption and increase of combustion efficiency. For turbocharged engines, intercoolers are the imperative devices used to cool charging air. There are a big variety of scientific studies for calculating and determining intercooler characteristics [1]. In this study, the coupling between porous media modeling and CFD simulation is used to evaluate the performance characteristics of this kind of heat exchanger, namely; the thermal efficiency and the pressure drop. Application of porous media models in internal combustion engines attracts the attention of several researchers and captivates a great interest in this field.

Theory of porous media is based on solid foundations derived from fluid mechanics, thermodynamics and material physics. It allows to consistently modeling the flows by taking into account the structural properties of materials such as porosity and permeability. These parameters play an essential role in the definition of closure laws used in mathematical models governing mass, energy and momentum balances. Fundamentally, formulations based on generalized Darcy equations. However, implementing these models in a realistic computational environment presents many challenges. Furthermore, recent upraising utilization of high porosity media in contemporary technology provides further motivation for a thorough understanding of the boundary and inertia effects. Experimental observations indicate that the pressure drop in the bulk of a porous medium is proportional to a linear combination of flow velocity and its square value [2]. Consequently, for flows of high speeds, we use the extended Darcy’s law proposed by Forchheimer [3].

Configuration considered in this study is composed of three parts (figure.1); the distributor, the intercooler core and the intake manifold. The main body (figure.2) is specified as porous domain, that is, instead of considering geometry details, their effects are considered only. The distributor and the intake manifold are specified as fluid domains and processed using CFD model. The main objective of this study is to analyze the thermo-fluidic behavior of the intercooler under nominal operating conditions.
The numerical simulation provided valuable information on temperature distribution (figure.3), pressure losses and velocity fields inside the heat exchanger (figure.4). Obtained results allow to evaluate the cooling efficiency, the uniformity of flow distribution and to identify the presence of undesirable phenomena such as recirculation zones. These results will serve as the basis for an optimization study aimed at improving temperature homogenization, reducing pressure losses and enhancing the performance of the supercharging system. The results obtained confirm that the use of porous media theory allows to accurately modeling the heat dissipation and the flow field in compact exchangers. Due to the low computational requirements, the porous media theory approach can be useful, especially in the preconception and pre-sizing process [4]. Finally, this work highlights the interest of porous media theory in automotive thermal applications and emphasizes the importance of numerical simulation as a performance optimization tool. Future experimental studies could be considered in order to validate the results obtained, as the work out of Maximilien. B et al. [5].