Numerical Investigation of Internal Combustion Engine Related Flows

Abstract: Internal combustion engines has been used for more than 100 years. The use of the abundant energy supply stored as hydrocarbon fueled unprecedented economic growth. The use of hydrocarbons increased the work output of human labor significantly, thus increasing the economy and prosperity. However, during the latter part of the twentieth century negative consequences of the internal combustion engine has been noticed. Initially the being emissions of local pollutants such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and unburnt hydrocarbons. These pollutants have to this day in the western world been reduced significantly and further reductions are under way. Thereafter, has the focus been shifted somewhat to global emissions such as carbon dioxide due to the effect on the climate. However, as the most accessible oil resources have been exhausted the price of oil has five folded since the turn of the century, straining the exponential economic growth enjoyed for two centuries.Heavy duty diesel engine efficiency is still below 50\%, there is thus a need and a possibility to further increase engine efficiency. In this thesis, work has been done to increase the understanding of the flow prior to combustion. A better knowledge of pre-combustion in-cylinder flow would increase the possibility to reduce engine emissions and fuel consumption, through better mixing and lower heat transfer.The work presented is ordered in such a way that the flow structures created during the intake is presented first. Thereafter, the effect of compression is investigated. Intake flow structures are studied using Large-Eddy Simulations (LES) and experiments on a steady swirl test rig. The effects of compression are studied using simulations of predefined flow structures undergoing compression.It is found that the flow structures created during intake is qualitatively different depending of intake valve lift. And that a single Swirl Number (SN) is an insufficient quantity to characterize the flow created at low valve lifts, due to high fluctuations. During compression it is found that a high swirl number suppress small scale turbulence while the compression has an increasing effect of axial fluctuations due to vorticity-dilation interaction. Additionally, it is shown that turbulent kinetic energy is introduced in the flow field by the piston in the absence of tumble breakdown.