How To…Characterize an Automotive Thermostat for Thermo-fluid System Simulation

By Doug Kolak, Technical Marketing Engineer, Mentor GraphicsAutomotive thermostats are one of the most important components in a vehicle thermal management system. It is responsible for maintaining an acceptable working temperature in the engine both to prevent catastrophic failure and keep it operating as efficiently as possible. As vehicles have become more complex with their cooling systems, so too have thermostats. These parts are no longer as simple as a single flow path in and then either flow to bypass or the radiator. It is easy for these components to now have at least three or four inlets and multiple outlets.