POLITECNICO

DI MILANO

Charge motions into the cylinder

 POLITECNICO
Introduction DI MILANO

• Gas motion within the engine cylinder has a great influence on

the fuel-air mixing, on the start of development of the
combustion process.

• It becomes important to understand the main

aspects of:

 turbulent flows
 large scale gas motions into the cylinder.
 POLITECNICO
Turbulent flows DI MILANO

• Turbulence itself is probably the most complex phenomenon in non-reacting

fluid mechanics.
• Various time and length scales are involved and the structure and the
description of turbulence leaves open questions. The literature on this topic is
enormous and probably proportional to the difficulty of the task.

Passive scalar distribution in

a turbulent flow
 POLITECNICO
Turbulent flows DI MILANO

• The flow fields in the engine

Generic velocity U [m/s]

cylinders are always turbulent,
with several vortexes of different
sizes, randomly dispersed in the
flow and superimposed to the
mean gas motion.

U (q )
c e
• Therefore statistical methods U (q ) U (q )
have to be used to define such
flow fields, considering each
quantity: its time average value, Angle q [°]
fluctuation around the average U(q): instantaneous velocity
and some length and time scales. Ue(q): ensemble averaged quantity on a high
number of cycles:
N
U q   U q , i 
e 1
N i 1
 POLITECNICO
Turbulent flows DI MILANO

Turbulence intensity u’:

 U q , i   U q 
N 2

u ' q  
1 e

N i 1

The size distribution of random vortexes is

usually specified by the following lenght
scales:
• Integral length LI , the largest vortex size,
• Taylor microscale LT , the largest length
scale where viscosity affects the dynamics
of the turbulent eddies in the flow,
• Kolmogorov scale LK , which is the
smallest length scale where the flow
kinetic energy is dissipated by the fluid
molecular diffusion.
 POLITECNICO
Turbulent flows DI MILANO

Turbulence scales
• For homogeneous isotropic turbulence, the energy of the large scales flows to the
smaller scales through the Kolmogorov cascade.
• The energy flux from one scale to another is constant along scales and is given by the
dissipation e of the kinetic energy k.
• Along the cascade, the Reynolds number
Re(r) goes down from Ret to values close to
unity, where inertia and viscous forces
balance.

• This limit determines the smallest scale

found in the turbulent flow, the Kolmogorov
scale hk, controlled by viscosity and by the
dissipation rate e of the turbulent kinetic
energy k:
 POLITECNICO
Turbulent flows DI MILANO

The life-time of the vortexes of different scales is also used.

Typical values of the turbulence parameters measured on a single-cylinder, CFR

engine (n = 900 rpm)

Middle of the
intake stroke
End of
compression
 POLITECNICO
Organized charge motions DI MILANO

• As outcome of the intake and/or the

compression stroke, organized large-scale
motions are formed in the engine cylinder.

• Their characteristic lengths are of the order of

the cylinder bore, definitely larger than the
length scales of all the vortexes due to
turbulence.

• These structured large-scale gas motions are

the effective source of turbulence motions
inside the cylinder, since they continuosly break
down in smaller and smaller eddies, supplying
them the kinetic energy required by turbulence.
 POLITECNICO
Organized charge motions DI MILANO

• These structured large-scale gas motions are very useful both in CI

and SI engines.

 SI engines:
1) To enhance mixing between air, fuel and residual
gases.
2) To generate turbulence which increases the flame
propagation speed.
3) To achieve stratified mixture distribution.
 POLITECNICO
Organized charge motions DI MILANO

• These structured large-scale gas motions are very useful both in CI

and SI engines.

 CI engines:
1) To promote fuel evaporation and mixing with air.
2) To increase mixing between air and burned gases
during the expansion stroke, allowing a better
oxidation of soot.
 POLITECNICO
Organized charge motions DI MILANO

Squish
 POLITECNICO
Swirl DI MILANO

• Structured rotational flow on

a plane normal with respect to
the cylinder axis, which is
formed during the intake
process.

• It derives from the tangential

component imposed to the
entering flow by the proper
geometry of the intake duct
and/or by the shape of the
combustion chamber.

• Swirl enhances fuel/air mixing in direct-injection engines, when liquid fuel is

injected. In PFI, SI engines, it is used to generate turbulence which increase the
turbulent flame speed.
 POLITECNICO
Swirl DI MILANO

Three different solutions can be used to obtain a desired level of swirl in the
inducted flow:
• Shrouded valve. The air is forced by the shroud to flow tangentially , when it is
just inside the cylinder.
 POLITECNICO
Swirl DI MILANO

Three different solutions can be used to obtain a desired level of swirl in the
inducted flow:
• Directed port: designed to give unequal air distribution around the valve
periphery, so that a tangential velocity is imposed to the entering flow. In this
case, the formation of the air swirl motion is completed by the cylinder wall,
but it started inside the intake manifold.
 POLITECNICO
Swirl DI MILANO

Three different solutions can be used to obtain a desired level of swirl in the
inducted flow:
• Helical port: designed to mainly produce air rotation around the valve axis
before it enters the cylinder.
 POLITECNICO
Swirl DI MILANO

Swirl is measured, for each valve lift, under steady-state flow conditions.

Swirl ratio:
Air inlet
Rs  s  D / vis

• s: paddle wheel rotation speed

• D: cylinder bore
• vis: velocity due to an ideal iso-entropic
Paddle wheel
expansion under the pressure
difference Dpv across the valve.

Swirl ratio is mainly a kinematic measure of

the swirl, but it is unable to include the
effect of the air mass involved in the vortex
 POLITECNICO
Swirl DI MILANO

Swirl is measured, for each valve lift, under steady-state flow conditions.

Swirl number:
Force meter 8M s
Ns 
m a  D  vis

• Ms : momentum measured by the

honeycomb matrix
• D: cylinder bore
• vis: velocity due to an ideal iso-entropic
expansion under the pressure
Cylinder walls
Honeycomb Sealing liquid difference Dpv across the valve.
matrix
• m a : air mass flow.
 POLITECNICO
Swirl DI MILANO

Directed ports: they tend to be

Directed

Swirl number Ns
ineffective at small valve lifts, since port
the velocity within the port is so low
that the directed momentum is
negligible. At higher valve lifts, they Shrouded
valve (150°)
are very effective in swirl production,
but, since only part of the valve
periphery is used, they have low flow Valve lift/diameter ratio

coefficient.

Swirl number Ns
Helical port

This is a general result: whenever

energy is spent to produce organized
air motions, the cylinder filling is Shrouded valve (150°)

reduced.
Valve lift/diameter ratio
 POLITECNICO
Swirl DI MILANO

Helical ports: they are very well

Directed

Swirl number Ns
effective just at small valve lifts, port
decreasing its efficiency when lifts
are growing. However, they keep a
higher intensity with respect to a Shrouded
valve (150°)
shrouded valve. They represent the
best compromise between cylinder
filling and swirl generation. Valve lift/diameter ratio

Swirl number Ns
Helical port
Whenever energy is spent to
produce organized air motions, the
cylinder filling is reduced.
Shrouded valve (150°)

Valve lift/diameter ratio

 POLITECNICO
Swirl DI MILANO

• Computed flow-field in a Diesel engine cylinder head with two helical ports.
 POLITECNICO
Swirl DI MILANO
 POLITECNICO
Swirl DI MILANO

Helical port
 POLITECNICO
Tumble DI MILANO

• Structured rotational flow on a cylinder axial plane, generated during the intake
process, but maintained and increased by the following compression stroke.
• This motion was deviced for the four-valve, pent-roof combustion chambers
(swirl is not possible because of the symmetry of the cylinder head).
• However, by means of directed intake ports it is possible to orient the entering
air towards the area underneath the exhaust valves.

No tumble With tumble

 POLITECNICO
Tumble DI MILANO

• The air flow, interacting with the cylinder walls and the piston head, undertakes
a sort of ‘tumble’, which reverses its movement direction and organizes the
flow in a structured vortex on an axial plane.

No tumble With tumble

 POLITECNICO
Tumble DI MILANO

Exhaust Intake INTAKE COMPRESSION

TDC

BDC
a) Low tumble

b) Mean tumble

c) High tumble
 POLITECNICO
Tumble DI MILANO

• Experimental (PIV) vs
model (CFD) comparison of -180°
in-cylinder flows during the
intake stroke and
compression stroke in the
cylinder axial plane.
• Engine speed: 1500 rpm
• Intake-port configuration:
low-tumble.

-70°

EXPERIMENTAL COMPUTED
 POLITECNICO
Tumble DI MILANO

• Then, equally important is the action on rotational flow, done by piston during
the compression stroke. Indeed the vortex size is decreased by the piston, as it
moves towards TDC. Neglecting the effects of fluid friction, the angular
momentum of the isolated system is conserved. As the moment of inertia of the
vortex is reduced (since its radius is decreased), its angular velocity must
increase.
• Tumble is measured at the flow bench, and two different tumble indexes are
defined:
Meter simulator
Tumble-swirl converter
 Tumble ratio: RT  T  D / vis Tumble vortex
8M T Intake duct
 Tumble number: N T 
m a  D  vis Air inlet
Engine cylinder head
Honeycomb matrix
 POLITECNICO
Tumble DI MILANO

Tumble ratio RT
port a port b port c p

port a port b port c port d port e port f

Flow coefficient C

• Going from port ‘a’ to port ‘f’, the

entering flow is more and more
completely directed towards the
cylinder wall on the side of the
exhaust valves. So the tumble ratio
grows on a large interval of valve
Valve lift/diameter l/dM lift/diameter ratio.
 POLITECNICO
Tumble DI MILANO

Tumble ratio RT
port a port b port c p

port a port b port c port d port e port f

Flow coefficient C

• Correspondently the flow

coefficient C decreases, since the
air velocities becomes higher and
higher and a smaller and smaller
part of the valve periphery is
offered to the entering flow.
Valve lift/diameter l/dM
 POLITECNICO
Tumble DI MILANO

port a port b port c port d port e port f

• Ducts which use some energy amounts to produce organized air motions, they
proportionally reduce the air mass inducted in the cylinder. So high levels of
tumble are searched at partial loads, since they help to increase combustion
velocities (especially when EGR is high), but they are avoided at full-loads where
maximum powers are required.
 POLITECNICO
Squish DI MILANO

• Structured rotational flow on a cylinder axial plane, generated towards the end
of the compression stroke.

Squish Squish
area area
Squish
area
 POLITECNICO
Squish DI MILANO

• Structured rotational flow on a cylinder axial plane, generated towards the end
of the compression stroke.
• The fluid motion producing squish is due to non-uniform decrease in time of the
volume of different zones of the combustion chamber.
• As the piston approaches
TDC, the volume between
the head and the bowl varies
slowly. The volume of the
zone above the squish area is
Squish Squish rapidly decreasing, forcing its
area area
Squish fluid mass to move inwards
area
the bowl, where a squish
structured vortex is created
(mainly in an axial plane).
 POLITECNICO
Squish DI MILANO

• As appropriate index, the squish area can be used. It is the area approaching
closely the cylinder head at the end of the compression stroke.

• This area is usually expressed by a non-dimensional number, dividing it by the

cylinder cross section, obtaining the percentage squish area of a given
combustion chamber.

Asquish Asquish
Asquish%  
Acyl   D2 / 4
• It is not possible to characterize the squish in the same way done for swirl and
tumble, for this reason dynamic tests are performed to measure the squish
velocity usq , representing the radial component of the gas velocity across the
inner boundary of the squish region.
 POLITECNICO
Squish DI MILANO

Measurements
D
Detailed model
Squish velocity usq[m/s]

c Simplified model
Db
A: Db/D = 0.45, c = 1.0 mm
B: Db/D = 0.55, c = 1.0 mm
C: Db/D = 0.55, c = 2.5 mm

Crank angle [°]

 POLITECNICO
Squish DI MILANO

• The squish velocity increases as:

 the ratio bowl/cylinder diameter Db/D decreases, since the corresponding
squish area grows;
 the clearance area c, between the piston and cylinder head decreases,
enhancing the squish effect;
 the piston is approaching TDC, reaching its maximum value at -10°.

• After TDC, a reverse squish motion occurs, since the volume above the
squish area is now increasing more rapidly than the volume of the other
zones of the combustion chamber. Burning gases are so forced to flow out
of the cup, generating a complex system of turbulent vortexes able to
effectively enhance the combustion efficiency.
 POLITECNICO
Exercise DI MILANO

Rs  s  D / vis

8M s
Ns 
m a  D  vis
 POLITECNICO
Exercise DI MILANO

Measured data:
 POLITECNICO
Exercise DI MILANO

Poppet valves
C  m a / m id  m a / Avref  id  vis  
 d v2 
 m a /   01  a01( p2 / p01 ) 
 4 
The flow coefficient for fully turbulent flow is independent on Re.
where a01 is the total speed sound in 1 and the compressible flow function is:

 2 k 1

2  p2   p2  
k k
( p2 / p01 )      
k  1  p01   p01  
 
 POLITECNICO
Exercise DI MILANO
 POLITECNICO
Exercise DI MILANO
 POLITECNICO
Exercise DI MILANO

Rs  s  D / vis

8M s
Ns 
m a  D  vis
 POLITECNICO
Exercise DI MILANO