Study on Design Optimization of Air Intake Snorkel Using 1D & 3D Tools 2018-01-0490

With the increase in customer expectations related to engine performance and vehicle NVH, it has become the need of the hour for automotive industry to continuously use state of-the-art designs. These dynamic concepts require innovative simulation techniques correlated with testing to value engineer the optimal design and further validations. Compact engine room packaging and futuristic aesthetics changes in styling have further magnified these challenges. Packaging air intake system and positioning air intake snorkel are among such challenges that play a critical role for improving engine performance and life.

The objective of this paper is to propose an approach for optimizing design and position of air intake snorkel to meet desired intake air temperature, noise targets with no water entry in to engine. Full vehicle computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation is performed for predicting air intake temperature, water wading and 1D simulation for suction flow noise. Reynolds’s Navier Stroke equation along with radiation model is used for predicting the air intake temperature in adverse vehicle running conditions. A Multi-phase Volume of fluid (VOF) model is used to simulate the water entry simulation at different water levels to check the volume of water entering the air intake snorkel region. Low frequency noise is being simulated using 1D simulation tool by calculating volume velocity at the orifice and monopole radiation as a linear post processing step. Different design configurations are validated through simulation and results are correlated with actual testing data to determine the optimized design of air intake snorkel.