Flow-pattern switching in a Motored Spark Ignition Engine

TL;DR

This study investigates the cycle-to-cycle variability of intake-jet flow in a motored spark ignition engine, revealing two distinct flow patterns linked to swirl ratio variations through PIV, POD, and LES analyses.

Contribution

It demonstrates the existence of two flow patterns caused by swirl ratio variability and introduces phase-dependent POD analysis to identify flow pattern shifts in engine cycles.

Findings

Two flow patterns identified in intake-jet flow.

Flow pattern correlates with intake valve horizontal position.

Flow pattern shifts observed after engine speed perturbations.

Abstract

Cyclic-to-cycle variability, CCV, of intake-jet flow in an optical engine was measured using particle image velocimetry (PIV), revealing the possibility of two different flow patterns. A phase-dependent proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) analysis showed that one or the other flow pattern would appear in the average flow, sampled from test to test or sub-sampled within a single test; each data set contained individual cycles showing one flow pattern or the other. Three-dimensional velocity data from a large-eddy simulation (LES) of the engine showed that the PIV plane was cutting through a region of high shear between the intake jet and another large flow structure. Rotating the measurement plane 10{\deg} revealed one or the other flow structure observed in the PIV measurements. Thus, it was hypothesized that cycle-to-cycle variations in the swirl ratio result in the two different flow patterns in the PIV plane. Having an unambiguous metric to reveal large-scale flow CCV, causes for this variability were examined within the possible sources present in the available testing. In particular, variations in intake-port and cylinder pressure, lateral valve oscillations, and engine RPM were examined as potential causes for the cycle-to-cycle flow ariations using the phase-dependent POD coefficients. No direct correlation was seen between the intake port pressure, or the pressure drop across the intake valve, and the in-cylinder flow pattern. A correlation was observed between dominant flow pattern and cycle-to-cycle variations in intake valve horizontal position. RPM values and in-cylinder flow patterns did not correlate directly. However, a shift in flow pattern was observed between early and late cycles in a 2900-cycle test after an approximately 5 rpm engine speed perturbation.