To meet the challenge of the performance targets, packaging design and styling for the next generation Acura NSX, the development team had to totally re-imagine the thermal and aerodynamic engineering for this modern supercar so that maximum energy is extracted from the flow of air around and through the NSX with the highest efficiency.
This new total airflow management strategy supports component cooling, aerodynamic performance (drag and downforce) without the use of active aero technology.
Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was used extensively during development to allow the U.S.-based development team to maximize the performance of a power unit being developed in Japan. CFD models were run on computers totaling many years’ worth of computational uptime.
Thermal CFD was used in two ways during development: first, for the proof-of-concept in establishing heat management strategy at the earliest development stage and second, for continuous thermal performance improvement as the vehicle matured through development. Extensive involvement of thermal CFD with design engineers during the development enabled maximum design optimization.
Along with the use of advanced CFD, wind tunnel and real world testing, the development team also employed computerized lap-time simulation models of some proving grounds that could then be run on chassis-dynamometers allowing testing and validation of computer models for thermal management.
- The all-new NSX employs 10 air-cooled heat exchangers responsible for cooling the front twin-motor unit (TMU), twin-turbo V6 engine, rear direct-drive electric motor and 9-speed dual clutch transmission (DCT).
- The new twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 engine at the heart of the Sport Hybrid SH-AWD power unit requires the greatest cooling and receives it through three radiators: one center and two side units to get maximum airflow volume and efficiency. The center radiator is tilted forward 25-degrees, allowing optimized configuration that best utilizes the inherent pressure gradient while maintaining the low center of gravity targets of the NSX’s Advance Sports Package.
- Condenser and power drive unit (PDU) coolers are packaged in front of the center engine radiator.
- The TMU is cooled passively through strategic use of air in the front motor room and by a heat exchanger mounted in front of the right engine sub-radiator.
- The 9-speed DCT is cooled by two heat exchangers, one mounted in front of the left engine sub-radiator and the other in the engine compartment.
- Twin-intercoolers located in the signature side intakes are used to cool the intake air charge.
