Numerical simulation of the flow field of a flat torque converter

A flexible flat torque converter was proposed to fulfill the requirement of miniaturization and power density maximization for automobiles. Constructed by two arcs joined by lines, the torus was designed directly from design path. The influence of flatness on the performance of the torque converter was evaluated. The software CFX and standard k-εmodel were adopted to simulate the internal flow fields of the torque converter under different flatness ratios. The results indicated that the performance of the torque converter got worse as the flatness declined, but the capacity of pump increased. The efficiency and the torque ratio dropped slightly as the flatness ratio decreased. So the torque converter could be squashed appropriately to get high power density without too much efficiency sacrifice. But when the flatness ratio was below 0.2, there was a significant drop in the efficiency.