Course detail

Thermal Management of Vehicles

FSI-QTEAcad. year: 2025/2026

The course Thermal Management of Vehicles acquaints students with the theoretical basis of heat transfer, which are then applied to the issue of automotive powertrain cooling and to the systems of thermal comfort of vehicle cabins.

Language of instruction

Czech

Number of ECTS credits

4

Mode of study

Not applicable.

Guarantor

doc. Ing. Bc. Jan Fišer, Ph.D.

Department

Energy Institute (EÚ)

Entry knowledge

Thermodynamics, basic computer skills.

Rules for evaluation and completion of the course

Attendance at seminars and laboratory measurements. Overall evaluation of the course will be based on written exam, focusing on the application of lessons learned.
Attendance at seminars is compulsory. Absence at seminars and replacing them is solved individually with a teacher.

Aims

The aim of the course is to familiarize students with current trends in the automotive heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems and powertrain cooling including thermal managment of electric vehicles, accumulators and other infrastructures necesarry for charging and fast charging.
The course will provide students with the knowledge of heat transfer and apply it to problems of cooling of the combustion engine and the treatment of the indoor climate in the cabs of vehicles.

Study aids

Not applicable.

Prerequisites and corequisites

Not applicable.

Basic literature

DALY, Steven. Automotive air-conditioning and climate control systems. 1st ed. Oxford: Butterworth Heinemann, 2006, 362 s. ISBN 0-7506-6955-1. (EN)
INCROPERA, F. P., DEWITT, D. P., BERGMAN T. L., LAVINE, A. S. Principles of heat and mass transfer. John Wiley & Sons Inc, 2017, 1000 s., ISBN: 9781119382911. (EN)

Recommended reading

NILSSON, H. O. Comfort Climate Evaluation with Thermal Manikin Methods and Computer Simulation Models. University of Gävle, 2004, 202 s., ISBN 91-7283-693-8. (EN)
VAN BASSHUYSEN, Richard a Fred SCHÄFER. Internal combustion engine handbook: basics, components, systems, and perspectives. Warrendale, Pa.: SAE International, c2004, xxxix, 811 p., ISBN 07-680-1139-6. (EN)

Classification of course in study plans

  • Programme N-AAE-P Master's 2 year of study, summer semester, compulsory
  • Programme N-ADI-P Master's 2 year of study, summer semester, compulsory-optional

Type of course unit

 

Lecture

26 hod., optionally

Teacher / Lecturer

doc. Ing. Bc. Jan Fišer, Ph.D.

Syllabus

1. Thermal management of cars - Introduction.
2. Heat transfer - Conduction.
3. Heat transfer - Unsteady conduction.
4. Heat transfer - Fins.
5. Heat exchangers - design methods.
6. Heat exchangers construction.
7. Heat resources and thermal management in the engine compartment.
8. Thermal managment of EV vehicles and charging infrsatructure.
9. Cabin, thermal comfort and services provided by HVAC systems.
10. The rating of thermal comfort in the cabins of automobiles.
11. Challenges in the field of automotive HVAC - classic cars, EV cars.
12. Cooling cycles - principles of operation
13. Cooling cycles - design of automotive air conditioning

Exercise

13 hod., compulsory

Teacher / Lecturer

doc. Ing. Bc. Jan Fišer, Ph.D.

Syllabus

1. - 2. Thermal balance of Combustion engine.
3. - 4. Determination of the heat transfer coefficient.
5. - 6. Experiment - IR camera in thermal management.
7. - 8. Experiment - cabin heat up, evaluation of thermal comfort.
9. - 10. Experiment - defrost of windshield.
11. - 13. Experiment - efficiency of refrigeration unit.