CALCULATION OF 3-DIMENSIONAL VISCOUS-FLOW IN HYDRODYNAMIC TORQUE CONVERTERS

A numerical method for calculating three-dimensional, steady or unstea dy, incompressible, viscous flow is described The conservation equatio ns for mass and momentum and the equations of the k - epsilon turbulen ce model are solved with a finite volume method on nonorthogonal bound ary-fitted grids. The method employs cell-centered variable arrangemen t and Cartesian velocity components. The SIMPLE algorithm is used to c alculate the pressure and to enforce mass conservation. The computer c ode is vectorizable as far as possible to achieve an optimal performan ce on modem vector computers. Results of steady flow calculations in t he guide vane, the pump rotor and the turbine rotor and of the unstead y interaction simulation of the pump and the turbine of a one-stage on e-phase non-automotive hydrodynamic torque converter are presented.