Altair > Case Studies > Enhancing Race Car Engine Performance with AcuSolve: A Prodrive Case Study

Enhancing Race Car Engine Performance with AcuSolve: A Prodrive Case Study

Technology Category

Analytics & Modeling - Digital Twin / Simulation
Sensors - Level Sensors

Applicable Industries

Automotive
Packaging

Applicable Functions

Product Research & Development
Quality Assurance

Use Cases

Digital Twin
Virtual Reality

Services

Testing & Certification

About The Customer

Prodrive is one of the world’s largest and most successful motorsport and technology businesses, with over 29 years of experience running race and rallying programmes for some of the biggest names in the sport, including Aston Martin, BMW, and MINI. Prodrive has been responsible for the Aston Martin Racing programme since 2004, handling all aspects of the programme, from the design and development of the range of GT race cars, to running the works team in sports car series across the world. The company is known for its commitment to optimizing weight, performance, reliability, and efficiency in race cars, a process that involves several engineering tasks.

The Challenge

Prodrive, a leading motorsport and technology business, was faced with the challenge of optimizing the performance of race car engines within a compressed timeframe. The main target was to analyze and improve the fluid flow within the water jacket of Aston Martin Racing engines and achieve reliable results quickly. The task was complicated by the need to solve several iterations of a model with complex geometry, and the work was to be done by relatively inexperienced users. The complexity and level of detail of the model, due to the cavities of the casting inside the engine head and the cylinder block, added to the challenge. Furthermore, Prodrive's simulation capabilities were limited by computer hardware, necessitating a solution that could maximize processing power without increasing license costs.

The Solution

Prodrive implemented AcuSolve, a leading general purpose Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) flow solver known for its robustness, speed, and accuracy. An automated process was generated with AcuSolve, which allowed for easy repeatability and streamlined the analysis of new geometry. This enabled the CAE engineers to generate reports for the Engine Development group for analysis and result interpretation. The first model in this process was a V8 engine water jacket. After a quick defeaturing process, the simulation could be loaded onto the solver in a matter of minutes. Altair’s token licensing system played a crucial role in maximizing Prodrive’s processing power, allowing the CAE Engineers to fully utilize the Hyperworks software suite as necessary, without dealing with increased license costs. Prodrive also plans to enhance the model by fully utilizing other capabilities within Altair’s Hyperworks Suite, such as Conjugate Heat Transfer analysis and further Post Processing Automation.

Operational Impact

The implementation of AcuSolve resulted in a streamlined workflow and robust, reliable results. Once the procedure was adhered to, every step ran smoothly and both pre-processing and post-processing were accomplished in a short period of time. The results were automatically standardized for all candidate models, demonstrating the robustness of the AcuSolve software package. The post-processing software, AcuFieldView, made scrutinizing the results an easy and straightforward process, allowing for detailed analysis of different characteristics of the flow. Prodrive's Senior CAE Engineer Jonathan Culwick noted that AcuSolve's robustness and Altair’s customer support made the process quick and painless, enhancing their problem-solving and decision-making ability.