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2026 Vol.6, Issue 3 Preview Page

Research Article

Analysis of under-hood thermal flow characteristics of a hydrogen fuel cell tractor using CFD

CFD 해석을 이용한 수소연료전지 트랙터의 후드 내부 열유동 특성 분석

Cheol-Woo Yang1
,
Min-Jae Park1
,
Min-Jong Park2
,
Jong-Dae Park2
,
Min-Ha Lee3
,
Won-Jin Kim4
,
Hyeon-Ho Jeon5
,
Yong-Joo Kim6*
양 철우1
,
박 민재1
,
박 민종2
,
박 종대2
,
이 민하3
,
김 원진4
,
전 현호5
,
김 용주6*
1Master Course Student, Department of Smart Agriculture Systems, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, 34134, Republic of Korea
2Ph. D. Course Student, Department of Smart Agriculture Systems, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, 34134, Republic of Korea
3Master Course Student, Department of Smart Agriculture Systems Machinery Engineering, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, 34134, Republic of Korea
4Undergraduate Student, Department of Smart Agriculture Systems Machinery Engineering, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, 34134, Republic of Korea
5Associate Research Engineer, Eco-friendly Hydrogen Electric Tractor & Agricultural Machinery Institute, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, 34134, Republic of Korea
6Professor, Department of Smart Agriculture Systems Machinery Engineering, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, 34134, Republic of Korea
1충남대학교 스마트농업시스템학과 석사과정
2충남대학교 스마트농업시스템학과 박사과정
3충남대학교 스마트농업시스템기계공학과 석사과정
4충남대학교 스마트농업시스템기계공학과 학사과정
5충남대학교 친환경 수소전기 농기계 연구소 전임연구원
6충남대학교 스마트농업시스템기계공학과 정교수
*Corresponding Author
30 September 2026. pp. 85-94
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Abstract

This study investigated the airflow distribution and thermal management performance inside the hood of a hydrogen fuel cell tractor using CFD (computational fluid dynamics) analysis. The cooling system consisted of a front cooler for power conversion devices and hydraulic oil cooling, and a rear cooler for cooling the fuel cell stack and power-pack electrical components. The required airflow rate and opening area were calculated based on the heat rejection rate, target air temperature rise, air density, and specific heat. CFD analysis was conducted under a high ambient temperature condition of 45℃, and the temperature and airflow characteristics inside the hood were evaluated. The maximum temperature was approximately 85℃ and was mainly concentrated near the front cooling module and radiator. The high-temperature region was localized around the cooling module, while no significant hot-air recirculation toward the side air inlets was observed. The maximum airflow velocity was approximately 16.5 m/s, and the airflow was smoothly discharged through the front outlet and the rear hood–cabin gap without noticeable stagnation or reverse flow. These results indicate that the proposed side-inlet and front/rear separated exhaust configuration can effectively reduce heat accumulation inside the hood and improve the thermal management performance of a hydrogen fuel cell tractor.

Keywords
Airflow distribution
CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics)
Fuel cell tractor
Performance analysis
Thermal management
References
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Information
  • Publisher :The Korean Society for Agricultural Machinery
  • Publisher(Ko) :한국농업기계학회
  • Journal Title :Journal of Agricultural Machinery Engineering
  • Journal Title(Ko) :농업기계공학
  • Volume : 6
  • No :3
  • Pages :85-94
  • Received Date : 2026-06-30
  • Revised Date : 2026-08-13
  • Accepted Date : 2026-08-18
  • DOI :https://doi.org/10.12972/jame.2026.6.3.2
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