Fast, Accurate Full Vehicle Thermal Management Simulation with GT-SUITE and TAITherm

Gamma Technologies’ GT-SUITE paired with ThermoAnalytics’ TAITherm offer a robust solution for vehicle thermal management simulation. GT-SUITE is a powerful multi-physics tool that employs both 1D and 3D methodologies to solve complex integrated subsystem problems and TAITherm is an industry-leading thermal analysis code. By coupling these tools, simulation teams can now run robust simulations to understand the full-vehicle thermal relationship at a level of integration and computation speed that was previously unfeasible. Because both software tools are already employed globally by vehicle and aerospace OEMs, this pairing is valuable for simulation teams worldwide. 

The coupling of these codes is focused on the core thermal simulation scenarios facing vehicle manufacturers today. It is fully integrated into both tools, which makes the coupling process almost turnkey in nature. 

GT-SUITE provides simulation of the entire vehicle including the controls and HVAC subsystem, as well as a 3D voxel-based representation of fluid flow throughout the cabin—even including humidity. TAITherm provides a transient natural environment, including multi-band radiation, conduction, and glass transparency, with a focus on surfaces and solid objects. Using this approach, the power of both tools is maximized, and computation speeds far exceed other approaches, such as using CFD for cabin flow. 

GT-SUITE receives surface temperatures from TAITherm and provides element-level convection based on the voxelized fluid flow distribution. The data is exchanged at pre-defined intervals to ensure that gradients are captured between the tools and energy is conserved.  

This closely coupled integration can be extended to include TAITherm’s Human Thermal Module, capturing effects of component selection (e.g. HX), control strategies, and AC loads on passenger sensation and comfort. The entire simulation would thus link the “value” of passenger comfort to the “cost” of various system-level design parameters and overall fuel efficiency through the integrated vehicle and powertrain model. The computational speed of this coupling also allows for increased leveraging of simulations earlier in the design process, yielding more answers faster than ever before.  

Click here to view a webinar describing the coupling of GT-SUITE and TAITherm to model passenger compartments. 

Written By: Dan Marsh and Jon Juszkiewicz