Experimental and numerical investigation of a pulsatile flow field in an S-shaped exhaust pipe of an automotive engine

Abstract

A pulsatile turbulent flow within an S-shaped double bend pipe is experimentally and numerically studied to characterize the flow field in conditions resembling an automotive engine environment. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements were carried out to measure streamwise and secondary flow velocities. The flows are accelerated around the inner side walls of both bends. The secondary flow, after passing through the second bend, is directed toward the inner side in the core of the cross section, and, as a result, Lyne-type vortices, which are not consistent with the second bend curvature, are formed. A numerical simulation is performed under the same condition as the experiments with computational fluid dynamics software. The numerical simulation gives qualitative results in comparison with the experimental data though there is some deviation, and shows the cause of the Lyne-type vortex formation in the second bend. After passing through the first bend, the high-speed region appearing around the inner side shifts in accordance with the Dean-type secondary flow formed in the first bend, and thus the non-uniform flow enters the second bend. In the second bend, the low-velocity region in which the centrifugal force is not strong enough to direct the flow toward the outer side, appears in the core of the cross section. Details of the Lyne-type vortex formation are discussed by considering the driving forces of the secondary flow.

Keywords

• automotive engine
• pulsatile flow
• turbulent flow
• secondary flow
• particle image velocimetry
• computational fluid dynamics