Computational fluid dynamics solutions are presented for unsteady flow and heat transfer in model fluid couplings. Factors studied include the effects of coupling size, cooling throughflow, vane numbers, and angled vanes. Predictions of torque characteristics are consistent with previously published experimental data and an elementary analysis. In this initial study, only single-phase solutions are presented, although these results do confirm that cavitation and/or air entrapment can be significant in practice. Angling of the vanes at 20° to the axial direction is found to give a large increase in torque at low slip running conditions. However, pressure variations within the coupling are also increased and so the angled vane geometry will be more susceptible to cavitation.
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