Publication detail

Towards accurate CFD simulation of highly thermally stressed journal bearings in turbochargers: heat transfer, cavitation, and two-phase flow

NOVOTNÝ, P. VACULA, J. KOCMAN, F. KRMÍČEK, A.

English title

Towards accurate CFD simulation of highly thermally stressed journal bearings in turbochargers: heat transfer, cavitation, and two-phase flow

Type

article in a collection out of WoS and Scopus

Language

en

Original abstract

This paper presents a high-accurate CFD model of a hydrodynamic journal bearing designed for high-speed turbocharger applications. The simulation includes two-phase flow (oil–air mixture), cavitation effects, and conjugate heat transfer to capture the complex thermo-fluid interactions within the bearing. A structured 3D mesh with over 8 million cells resolves critical thin-film regions and thermal gradients across the shaft and housing. The model predicts pressure distribution, temperature fields, and cavitation zones with high spatial accuracy. The disadvantages are high computational complexity, difficult calibration and limited applicability for fast design iterations.

English abstract

This paper presents a high-accurate CFD model of a hydrodynamic journal bearing designed for high-speed turbocharger applications. The simulation includes two-phase flow (oil–air mixture), cavitation effects, and conjugate heat transfer to capture the complex thermo-fluid interactions within the bearing. A structured 3D mesh with over 8 million cells resolves critical thin-film regions and thermal gradients across the shaft and housing. The model predicts pressure distribution, temperature fields, and cavitation zones with high spatial accuracy. The disadvantages are high computational complexity, difficult calibration and limited applicability for fast design iterations.

Keywords in English

hydrodynamic bearing; CFD; CHT; two-phase fluid; cavitation

Released

04.09.2025

Publisher

MENDELU, Faculty of AgriSciences, Department of Technology and Automobile Transport

Location

Brno

ISBN

978-80-7701-051-1

Book

KOKA 2025

Edition number

1

Pages from–to

161–167

Pages count

8

BIBTEX


@inproceedings{BUT198830,
  author="Pavel {Novotný} and Jiří {Vacula} and František {Kocman} and Antonín {Krmíček},
  title="Towards accurate CFD simulation of highly thermally stressed journal bearings in turbochargers: heat transfer, cavitation, and two-phase flow",
  booktitle="KOKA 2025",
  year="2025",
  month="September",
  pages="161--167",
  publisher="MENDELU, Faculty of AgriSciences, Department of Technology and Automobile Transport",
  address="Brno",
  isbn="978-80-7701-051-1"
}