Stationary thermal-gas-dynamics of flows in the cylinder and exhaust system of a piston engine

Abstract

THE PURPOSE. To evaluate the influence of the exhaust manifold design on gas dynamics and heat transfer of stationary, turbulent gas flows in the cylinder and the exhaust system of a reciprocating internal combustion engine for different boundary conditions based on physical and mathematical modeling.METHODS. The study of gas dynamics and heat transfer of flows was carried out using the CFD approach in specialized Russian-made software. The simulation was performed for a pressure drop from 0.15 to 40 kPa (the flow velocity at the outlet of the system was 10-130 m/s). The k-e turbulence model was used for modeling. The computational grid consisted of 610,000 cells. The design change consisted in the use of profiled channels with cross sections in the form of a circle (diameter 30 mm), a square (side 30 mm) and a triangle (side 52 mm).RESULTS. The article describes the mathematical model, the studied geometry of the exhaust system and the analysis of the obtained data. The velocity field, isolines of equal velocities, and tangential velocity vectors were chosen as the gas-dynamic characteristics of the flow. The gas dynamics in the longitudinal section of the exhaust system and the valve, as well as the visualization of the flow structure in 4 control sections along the length of the exhaust system, were analyzed. The heat transfer coefficient in the exhaust system was used to evaluate the heat transfer characteristics of the flow. Qualitative and quantitative differences in gas dynamics and heat transfer processes are shown.CONCLUSION. It has been established that there are common gas-dynamic effects during the flow of gas in different elements of the exhaust system. The evolution of the flow structure along the length of the exhaust system is shown based on the change in the velocity field, isolines of equal velocities, and tangential velocity vectors. The vortex structures formed in the valve assembly and the corners of the profiled channels are revealed. It has been established that the use of profiled channels in the exhaust system leads to a decrease in the heat transfer coefficient by 5 to 12%.

Keywords

• piston engine
• cylinder
• exhaust system
• profiled channels
• flow structure
• velocity isolines
• velocity vector tangents
• heat transfer coefficient