The document discusses the development of an oil tank cooling system for an FSAE race car. It notes that effective cooling is needed to prevent oil breakdown at high temperatures and reduce engine wear. Various fin designs are analyzed and tested, including rectangular fins embedded in square and hexagonal tanks and annular fins. Thermal analysis shows that while hexagonal fins have a higher heat sink rate, the annular fin design most effectively lowers oil temperature with less weight. In conclusion, an annular fin arrangement provides the best cooling for the oil tank.

1. Development of FSAE Oil Tank
(Gurkirat Singh)

2. Need for oil tank cooling
 Current model of oil tank doesn’t have effective cooling
system incorporated
 Oil composition breaks down after certain range of
temperature
 Cooling of oil help to reduce the wear and tear of engine
parts due to friction
Objectives
 Optimise the heat transfer between the engine oil and
surrounding air
 Design should be compact and of less weight
 Find the areas where heat transfer can occur

3. Background
• Using of dry sump over wet sump system
• Cooling is necessity for ECU race car
• Heat transfer method and different heat exchanger.
The two types of heat transfer which takes place in heat exchangers used in car is conduction and convection.
Convection occurs mainly where fluids are used and the preliminary results are based on the convection
equation.
𝑄𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑 = 𝑈 ∗ 𝐴 ∗ 𝛥𝑡 ∗ 10−3
𝐾𝑊
𝑄𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑣𝑐 = ℎ ∗ 𝐴 ∗ 𝛥𝑡 ∗ 10−3 (𝐾𝑊)

4. Solution of the problem: Fins
 Its increases the surface area for convective cooling
 Using the fan increases the heat transfer rate as it increases
the average coefficient of heat transfer
 Fin parameters can be altered maximise heat transfer or
cooling rate of oil

5. 𝑄 𝑓𝑖𝑛 = 𝜂 𝑓 ∗ ℎ ∗ 𝐴 𝑓∗ 𝛥𝑡
0.00
0.05
0.10
0.15
0.20
0.25
0.30
0.35
0.00
0.20
0.40
0.60
0.80
1.00
1.20
25 30 33 35 38 40 44 47
FinWeight(kg)
Qtotal(kW)
Fin length (mm)
Q total with varying fin length
Q total Fin weight
𝑄𝑛𝑒𝑡 = 𝑄 𝑓𝑖𝑛 + 𝑄 𝑜𝑡
𝑄 𝑜𝑡 = ℎ ∗ 𝐴 𝑡1 ∗ 𝛥𝑡 ∗ 10−3
(𝐾𝑊)

6. 0.00
0.05
0.10
0.15
0.20
0.25
0.30
0.35
0.40
0.45
0.50
0.00
0.20
0.40
0.60
0.80
1.00
1.20
1.40
1.60
1.80
25 30 35 40 45 50 55
finweight(Kg)
Qtotal(kw)
fin diameter (mm)
Tube with fins Analysis
Q total weight of fins

7. Proposed oil tank designs

10. Results
Annular fins oil tank

11. Rectangular fins embedded in square shape oil tank

12. Rectangular fins embedded in hexagonal shape oil tank

13. Steady State Thermal Analysis

14. Rectangular fins square shape
oil tank

15. Annular fins oil tank

16. Rectangular fins square
shape oil tank

17. Component name Minimum
Temperature (ºC)
Weight of the oil tank using
Aluminum as material (g)
Square plate fins 104 1148.55
Annular plate fins 90 996.64
Hexagonal plate fins 95 1055.60
Observations

18. Conclusion
• Different design posses different heat sink rate depending upon the fins parameters
• From the calculated results hexagonal fins poses greater heat sink compared to annular fins but the
overall weight of oil tank increase in hexagonal arrangement as showed in observations.
• Annular fins arrangement works effective in reducing the tempeartuer of the oil going through the
tank.