Version 15 (18.08.

2021)
Table of Contents
1 Component Comparison .............................................................................. 3
1.1 Components Compare Window ......................................................................................3
1.1.1 File menu ................................................................................................................................................... 6

1.2 Create a component comparison....................................................................................6

1.2.1 Adding components to the comparison .................................................................................................. 7
1.2.2 Modifying dimensions and layout ............................................................................................................ 7
1.2.3 Virtual test bench ...................................................................................................................................... 8
1.2.4 Heat exchangers........................................................................................................................................ 9
1.2.5 Speed-controlled fan, stage-controlled fan ............................................................................................ 9
1.2.6 Built-In resistance ..................................................................................................................................... 9
1.2.7 Area resistance ........................................................................................................................................ 10

1.3 Comparing data .............................................................................................................10

1.4 Comparing heat exchangers..........................................................................................12
1.5 Extrapolation..................................................................................................................14
1.6 Store calculated components .......................................................................................16

2 Components search .................................................................................... 18

2.1 Settings, Search in (which files) ....................................................................................19
2.2 Component type ............................................................................................................20
2.3 Parameters .....................................................................................................................20
2.4 Search result ..................................................................................................................22
2.5 Message box ...................................................................................................................23
1 Component Comparison
The KULI component comparison tool offers the possibility to compare multiple components of
the same type. The user can compare measured and dimensionless data of different existing
components, but it is also possible to modify e.g. the dimensions of an existing component and
evaluate the results on a virtual test bench. Afterwards these modified components can be
stored as new components.
Typical applications of the components comparison and virtual test bench feature are:
• A car manufacturer has a number of different fans available (at different costs). Given a set
of reference operating points, which fan has the best performance? Does e.g. the fan with
the lowest price fulfil the required specifications?
• During the design phase of a cooling system it becomes obvious that the included radiator
does not transfer sufficient heat. Can this problem be solved by resizing the radiator? Is it
necessary to use a different radiator (by a different manufacturer)?

1.1 Components Compare Window

To open the components compare window in KULI, select in the menu Library at the bottom the
entry Components compare.
If the menu entry is not visible make sure that you have a valid license of KULI components and
that this license module is activated in the dialog Settings. To open the window in the stand
alone version of KULI components start the program on your desktop by the start menu
command to Start → Programs → KULI x.xx → KULI Components.

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The comparison window is divided into two main parts - the navigation area on the left side and
the comparison area on the right side.
The tree view on the left side and the icons on top of it are used for navigating through the
comparison process.

add component to the comparison

remove selected component from the comparison

show selected component in component window

refresh comparison diagram

If the tree node General Data is selected, input fields for the user name, date and for additional
information are shown. It is possible to provide general information for the comparison here,
this is not the general information stored in the component files, which, of course, may vary for
the different components in the comparison.

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When selecting the node Components or a sub node of this node, the comparison data will be
shown.

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1.1.1 File menu

In the file menu the user can specify the directory from which the component files are loaded.
When selecting the Load components from userdefined path... item, a dialog opens which
allows the user to define the directory with the components. With the second option, Load
components from KULI directory, which is not available in the KULI Components stand-alone
version, components can be loaded directly from the components directory which is defined in
the KULI project settings.

1.2 Create a component comparison

It is possible to compare the following component:
• Radiator
• Oil cooler
• Charge air cooler
• Parallel flow cooler
• Speed-controlled fan
• Stage-controlled fan
• Area resistance
• Built-in resistance
The component type to be compared can be selected in the selection box in the menu bar. If the
selection box is not visible, go to the menu Windows/Toolbars and activate the appropriate
entry.

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1.2.1 Adding components to the comparison
To add a component to the comparison, press the icon in the toolbar above the tree view. A
node representing the component, consisting of the component file name, the dimensions used
for the comparison and the original dimensions, will be created in the tree view.

1.2.2 Modifying dimensions and layout

If a component can be scaled using the virtual test bench, the scalable component dimensions
can be changed. To do so select the component in the tree view and hit the Change
values&ldots; entry in the context menu or go to the Windows/Toolbars menu and select the
Property window entry.

The following dialog opens, which allows the user to change different dimension values
depending on the type of the component (it is for example not possible to scale the depth of a
radiator).

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In the above dialog the first and the second entry can be modified. All entries beginning with
Measured provide information on the original component size and can therefore not be
changed. When an entry is modified, the appropriate tree node is refreshed immediately.

To change a property of all components at once (for example to set a common size for all
radiators in a comparison), select the node Component in the tree view and Change values...
from the right click context menu.
The modifications can be undone by selecting Reset from any components context menu. To
reset all components at once select the Reset option from the node Component context menu.

1.2.3 Virtual test bench

Components can be compared on a virtual test bench. For this the tab Analysis right beside the
navigation tree is used, where the user specifies the operating conditions for the test bench such
as the inner and outer flow rate or the media in the circuits. Additionally, modified dimensions
will also take effect on the virtual test bench calculations.

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Depending on the component type different input parameters for the virtual test bench can be
specified. The following listing provides an overview of the data, which can be set for the virtual
test bench depending on the component type.

1.2.4 Heat exchangers

• Inner circuit:
• A range (min to max) for the inner mass flow rate
• Outer flow rate (only used for the calculation of the inner pressure drop). If no value is
specified the average of the min and max value of the outer flow rate specified for the
outer circuit is used.
• Entry temperature
• Entry pressures
• Medium of the circuit
• Outer circuit:
• A range (min to max) for the outer mass flow rate
• Inner flow rate (only used for the calculation of the outer pressure drop). If no value is
specified the average of the min and max value of the inner flow rate specified for the
outer circuit is used.
• Entry temperatures
• Entry pressures
• Medium of the circuit
• Width and height of the component (see chapter Modifying dimensions and layout)

1.2.5 Speed-controlled fan, stage-controlled fan

• A range (min to max) for the mass flow rate
• Entry temperature
• Entry pressure
• Ambient medium
• Fan diameter, fan speed (speed-controlled fan) or fan stage (stage-controlled fan) see
chapter Modifying dimensions and layout

1.2.6 Built-In resistance

• A range (min to max) for the mass flow rate

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 • Humidity
• Entry temperature
• Entry pressure
• Ambient medium
• Driving speed (see chapter Modifying dimensions and layout)

1.2.7 Area resistance

• A range (min to max) for the mass flow rate
• Humidity
• Entry temperature
• Entry pressure
• Ambient medium
• Width and height (see chapter Modifying dimensions and layout)

1.3 Comparing data

Each component type allows the comparison of different data. For heat exchangers it is possible
to compare the inner and outer pressure losses as well as the heat transfer. For fans the pressure
difference and the power and for resistances the pressure loss can be compared. For each type
of comparison it is possible to view the measured, the dimensionless or the calculated data from
the virtual test bench.
To view the comparison data, activate the appropriate tab right beside the tab Analysis.
The following screen shot shows the content of the inner flow rate comparison tab of a radiator.
All other tabs which represent comparison data are similarly structured and need no further
explanation. Only the tab for the comparison of the transferred heat of a heat exchanger differs
slightly, therefore this tab will be described separately and in more detail.

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On the top of the tab the desired type of data comparison is selected.

For each component the measured and dimensionless data and the calculated data from the
virtual test bench can be compared. When comparing the measured data, KULI uses the original
component data from the component file, converts the data to the specified units in the
comparison dialog and displays the data in the diagram. For each component a separate graph
will be drawn in the diagram (color coding and the legend on the right help associating a graph
with the corresponding component).
To compare calculated data it is necessary to specify the virtual test bench data in the tab
Analysis (see chapter Virtual test bench) and to run the analysis by clicking the button Calculate
(found in the tab Analysis as well). When the calculation is finished, the results can be displayed

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by selecting the Calculated data entry of the drop down list on each data tab.

1.4 Comparing heat exchangers

For heat exchangers the inner and outer flow as well as the heat transfer can be compared. How
to compare the pressure losses on inner and outer side has already been described before. For
comparing the heat transfer the tab Heat transfer is used.

The following data can be compared for the heat transfer:

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When the 3D-map icon is clicked, a 3D diagram, representing the currently selected heat transfer
entry, will be shown. If the user wants to display a 2D diagram instead, he has to specify a fixed
value for the (second) coordinate in order to specify a 2D cutting plane of the 3D diagram. This
can be done by either entering this value directly into the corresponding box on the top right of
the heat transfer tab,

or by activating the checkbox Show 3D cutting plane in the 3D diagram window.

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1.5 Extrapolation
When comparing measured data for different components, usually the domain of the measured
values will vary from one component to the other. By default the graph for each component will
be plotted only for the measured domain.

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When using a component in KULI, operating points outside the measured domain will lead to
extrapolated values. In KULI Components it is possible to extrapolate the measured data as well
(and in the same way as it is done in the KULI simulation). This can be used for comparing
different components with non-identical measured domains, but it can also be used to preview
the extrapolated values KULI will use in a simulation run and thus avoid or identify possible
problems.
Returning to the above example of three radiators with three different pressure loss curves their
data can be extrapolated by activating the checkbox Extrapolation above the diagram. By
default the new domain will be selected to include the domains of all components in the
comparison (lower and upper bounds are defined by the lowest and largest measured values of
all components in the comparison), but it is also possible to resize the extrapolated domain
arbitrarily. Clicking the Reset button restores the default values for lower and upper bound (min
and max). Changing min or max values will lead to an immediate update of the corresponding
diagram; the extrapolated graphs are displayed as dotted lines.

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This procedure works identically for all supported component and diagram types, however
there is currently no extrapolation displayed in the 3D diagrams of the heat transfer tab.
Extrapolation for the heat transfer is currently only displayed in the corresponding 2D diagrams.
Finally it is important to mention that extrapolated data can never fully substitute measured
data, as it is only based on theoretical models and not on the real world circumstances of a
certain real world component. Extrapolated data should always be verified with a very critical
look at the values and should only be used if no measured data is available.

1.6 Store calculated components

As mentioned before it is possible to store a component which has been calculated on the
virtual test as a new component. To do so, select the original component in the tree view and in
the context menu the entry Save as new component&ldots;.

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Make sure that the component was calculated on the virtual test bench before saving it, because
otherwise there are no data available, which can be stored.

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2 Components search
By the help of the module KULI components you can search for components in KULI component
files or in KULI cooling system files under consideration of user defined search parameters.
Therefore a search dialog is used, which can be opened in KULI with the menu Library → Search
for components.

Note:
If you have the stand alone version of KULI components installed, use the start menu of your
desktop and select *_StartProgramsKULI x.xxKULI Components Search{_}{*}.

The search window is divided into two main parts. In the upper part the search criteria are
specified and the lower part is used to represent the search results.

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2.1 Settings, Search in (which files)

The button Settings at the top opens the KULI Settings dialog, where the user can define
different program settings (e.g. the license settings). This button is only visible in the KULI
components stand alone version. In the non stand alone version the settings dialog can be
accessed by the extras menu in KULI. Please refer to the manual of KULI base for more details.
There are two options, where KULI should search in. The first option Search KULI scs-files means
that KULI does only search for components, which are used in KULI cooling system files (scs-
files). The second option Search component files means that all component files are searched,
which will be found in the specified directories.
In the box Directories for search below the user specifies the directories to search in.

Add a directory by clicking the icon . Use the icon to remove a directory from the list.

To search in all subdirectories (of each specified directory) the option Search subdirectories must
be activated.

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2.2 Component type

The component type to search for is specified in the box Component type.

2.3 Parameters

The search window offers the possibility to specify different search filters for each component
type. Therefore the parameter, which should act as a search filter must be activated and the
search criteria (e.g. upper and lower bound) must be specified.

The following table shows a description of the filters for each component type:

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Component types:
Radiator, Oil cooler, Charge air cooler,
Parallel flow cooler (heat exch.)

Parameter Description

Width, Height, Depth The width of the component must be between

the specified minimum and maximum value.

Comments Scans title, memo, manufacturer, series and

measured data file for a specified substring

Layout Layout can be U-flow, S-flow or standard. Only

available for radiator, oil cooler and charge air
cooler.

Inner/Outer flow The specified flow rate of the component must

be between the minimum and maximum value

Quantity of heat The maximum quantity of heat of a heat

exchanger must exceed the specified value.

Heat counter flow See Quantity of heat. Only available for

parallel flow cooler.

Component types:
Speed-controlled fan, Stage-controlled
fan

Parameter Description

Fan diameter The diameter of the fan must be between the

specified minimum and maximum value.

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 Comments Scans title, memo, manufacturer, series and
measured data file for a specified substring

Flow rate The outer flow rate of the component must be

between the minimum and maximum value

Component types:
Area resistance, Built-in resistance

Parameter Description

Comments Scans title, memo, manufacturer, series and measured

data file for a specified substring.

Flow rate The outer flow rate of the component must be between
the minimum and maximum value

2.4 Search result

There are three buttons within the search result box. The button Start search is self describing.
The button Stop aborts a search run. To open a component in the component window select it in
the result table and press the button Open component or double click onto the desired row in
the result table. The red bordered exclamation mark on the top left corner of search result box

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appears, whether the search result is not up-to-date. This means, if there were changes
regarding the search criteria (e.g. file type was changed or the filter was modified), the
exclamation mark will appear. Otherwise if a search run is finished, the exclamation mark
disappears.
In the search result table below the components which match the search criteria are
represented. The first column of the table represents the file name of the component. The
column Directory shows the directory where the component file was found. All succeeding
columns represent the parameter values which match the appropriate filters.

If a component is clicked with the right mouse button in the result table, a context menu will
appear. The menu offers two functions, one to start a component comparison with the selected
components and the other can be used to copy the selected components to a specific directory.

2.5 Message box

The message box at the bottom of the component search window informs the user about the
component search process. If a search run is finished, information about the total number of
components found and the components matching the search criteria are displayed.

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