Predictions of Transient Fuel Spray Phenomena in the Intake Port of a Si-Engine

The present study addresses the numerical prediction of the two-phase flow in the intake port of a SI-engine. Particular emphasis is put on transient phenomena, as well as secondary effects, such as droplet breakup and droplet wall interaction. These phenomena have a significant influence on the fuel air mixture characteristics and cannot be neglected in the numerical prediction. The numerical methodology, presented in this paper, is based on a 3D body-fitted Finite Volume discretization of the gas flow field and a Lagrangian particle tracking algorithm of the disperse fuel phase. The Unsteady Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes equations (URANS) are solved by a time-implicit three level scheme. In the Lagrangian particle tracking algorithm, the spray is modeled by superposition of a large number of droplet trajectories. Two advanced numerically effective models are presented for the prediction of droplet breakup and droplet wall interaction. Special emphasis is put on the correct reproduction of the droplet statistics. In the present study the fuel injection and spray preparation process within the intake port of a SI-engine is investigated. Spray preparation is dominated by atomization processes like droplet breakup and wall interaction which predominantly take place at the valve seat. In order to find the principal characteristics of fuel preparation in a SI-engine, a parametric study has been carried out focusing on the influence of the gap sizes of the intake valve which strongly affects the complete fuel preparation process. The study is concluded by an analysis of qualitative and quantitative results of the predicted flow field.