Numerical Simulation of Thermal Performance in Hollow-structure Aluminum of Bullet Train

In order to know the characteristic of heat transfer performance in hollow-structure aluminium, the flow and heat transfer in it of bullet train “Fuxing” was numerical simulated. Changes for the equivalent thermal conductivity under the influence of four factors—the temperature difference, wall thickness, rid thickness and number of cavities, were studied and analysed separately adopting control variate numerical method. Numerical simulation results showed that the influence of temperature difference and wall thickness on the equivalent thermal conductivity of profiles were limited; the number of cavities and rib thickness were the main factors affecting the equivalent thermal conductivity of profiles, with the number of cavities and rib thickness increasing, the equivalent thermal conductivity of hollow aluminum increased, and viced versa. In the practical application, proper parameters of hollow-structure were selected to reduce heat transfer and energy consumption of train.