Technical Paper
An Experimental Approach to Shape Optimization of an IC Engine Intake Runner
2020-04-14
2020-01-0922
The air flow velocity field in an internal combustion engine is fundamentally involved in all aspects of the combustion process, broadly affecting engine performance, including fuel economy, stability, heat release rates, and exhaust emission. Unfortunately, common and advanced methods used to design engine surface geometries which control this velocity field typically rely on simple non-reacting models which fail to reflect true complex combustion behaviors. An alternative but presently undeveloped approach which could overcome this challenge, is to integrate shape optimization, additive manufacturing, and firing engine experiments in a process which creates designs driven directly by engine performance measurements and targets. In this work, an initial experimental approach to the shape optimization of a tumble-inducing orifice within an internal combustion engine intake runner was developed and demonstrated.