Efficient Volvo Bus Cooling System,Using Electrical Fans : A comparison between hydraulic and electrical fans

Abstract: Economical and environmental factors together with energy policies towards more efficient systemsare the driving force for the development of the vehicle industry. Significant changes have beenmade to fulfill new emissions legislation but the basic internal combustion vehicle architecture hasbeen kept. New emission treatment systems that increase the thermal loading of the cooling systemhad been added within the same package envelope as before, which means less space to place coolingfans and a greater need for airflow. Changes in the cooling system, namely the replacement of thehydraulic fan drive system by electrical fans is one of the energy efficient alternatives for severalcity buses under certain environments, like the ”typical red city buses”, well-known in the UnitedKingdom. In this thesis study, hydraulic fans are compared with electrical fans and a road-mapof the benefits and drawbacks of the two systems is developed, based on real traffic performanceperformance data and the results of existing simulations and tests. In addition, new simulations arepresented in order to find the most efficient design for the cooling system as well as a comparisonof these results with previous ones. This road map will be used later by Volvo-Buses Group as atool to better understand in which circumstances electrical fans can be beneficial, in terms of fuelconsumption, noise production, cooling performance, control of the fans and associated costs.