Mechanical Engineering Dept.

CEME NUST 1
 Fluid motion within
combustion chamber

Mechanical Engineering Dept. CEME NUST 2

 AIR, FUEL, AND EXHAUST GAS MOTION

It is • Speed up evaporation of the fuel

important to • Enhance air-fuel mixing
have this • Increase combustion speed and
efficiency
motion to

Mechanical Engineering Dept. CEME NUST 3

 TURBULENCE
 Due to the high velocities involved, all flows into, out of, and within
engine cylinders are turbulent flows
 Thermodynamic transfer rates within an engine are increased by an
order of magnitude. Heat transfer, evaporation, mixing, and combustion
rates all increase
 When flow is turbulent, particles experience random fluctuations in
motion superimposed on their main bulk velocity. These fluctuations
occur in all directions, perpendicular to the flow and in the flow
direction. This makes it impossible to predict the exact flow conditions
at any given time and position

Mechanical Engineering Dept. CEME NUST 4

 TURBULENCE
Levels of turbulence within an engine

Large-scale
Smallest scale turbulence
turbulence

Occurs with eddies on the Totally random and

order of the size of the flow homogeneous
passage

Fluctuations are random but No directionality and

have a directionality controlled controlled by viscous
by the passage of the flow dissipation

Mechanical Engineering Dept. CEME NUST 5

 • During intake
•Normal desired turbulence
• A rotational motion called swirl is generated
• Near the end of the compression stroke
•Squish
Types of • Squish is a radial motion towards the center-line of
the cylinder
motion of •Tumble
the air-fuel • Tumble is a rotational motion around a
mixture circumferential axis
• During compression and combustion
•Crevice flow
• This is the flow into the very small crevices of the
combustion chamber due to the very high pressures
•Blow by
Mechanical Engineering Dept. CEME NUST 6
Turbulence intensity as function of engine speed
Mechanical Engineering Dept. CEME NUST 7
 SWIRL The main macro mass motion within the cylinder is a
rotational motion called swirl
 It is generated by constructing the intake system to give a
tangential component to the intake flow as it enters the cylinder
 This is done by shaping and contouring the intake manifold, valve
ports, and sometimes even the piston face
 Swirl greatly enhances the mixing of air and fuel to give a
homogeneous mixture in the very short time available for this in
modern high-speed engines
 It is also a main mechanism for very rapid spreading of the flame
front during the combustion process.
Mechanical Engineering Dept. CEME NUST 8
 Method to Generate swirl

Swirl motion
within cylinder Air entering cylinder from
tangential direction

Contoured intake
runner Contoured valve

Mechanical Engineering Dept. CEME NUST 9

 SWIRL
 Swirl ratio is a dimensionless parameter used to quantify rotational
motion within the cylinder. It is defined in two different ways in the
technical literature:
(SR)1 = (angular speed) / (engine speed) = w/N (SR)2 =
_
(swirl tangential speed) / (average piston speed) = ut / Up
 Average values of either the angular speed or tangential speed should be
used in these equations. Angular motion is very non-uniform within the
cylinder, being a maximum away from the walls and being much less
near the walls due to viscous drag.
 The non-uniformity is both in the radial direction, due to drag with the
cylinder walls, and in the axial direction, due to drag with the piston face
Mechanical Engineering Dept. CEME NUST 10
and cylinder head.
Fig 6·3 Average cylinder swirl ratio as
a function of crank angle for a typical
SI engine. Swirl is high during the
intake process, with a maximum near
TDC. It then is reduced by viscous
drag during the compression stroke.
There is a second maximum near the
end of compression when the radius of
rotation is decreased near TDC and
expansion from combustion occurs.
Viscous drag with the cylinder walls
during the expansion stroke quickly
reduces this again before blowdown
occurs.
Mechanical Engineering Dept. CEME NUST 11
 Combustion chamber geometry of
modern automobile engines, with
most of the clearance volume near
the centerline of the cylinder
 This increases squish and tumble, and
decreases the flame travel distance
for most of the combustion process
 Engines can be built with
(a) the clearance volume in the
cylinder head,
(b) as a bowl in the crown of the
piston face, or as a combination of
these
Mechanical Engineering Dept. CEME NUST 12
 Swirl
 In two-stroke cycle engines with intake ports in the cylinder walls, swirl is
generated by shaping the edges of the ports and direction of the intake
runners. Swirl greatly reduces dead spots in the scavenging process but
also increases mixing of the inlet charge with exhaust residual. The
shaping of inlet ports and runners to promote swirl reduces the volumetric
efficiency of all engines.
 For a CI engine the period of one swirl rotation and the number of holes in
the injector nozzle should be related to the injection time as :
injection time = (period of swirl ) / (number of holes)
This will assure fuel distribution throughout the entire combustion
chamber as shown in Fig 6-5
Mechanical Engineering Dept. CEME NUST 13
SQUISH AND TUMBLE
• When the piston approaches TDC at the end of the compression
stroke, the volume around the outer edges of the combustion
chamber is suddenly reduced to a very small value
• Many modern combustion chamber designs have most of the
clearance volume near the centerline of the cylinder
• As the piston approaches TDC, the gas mixture occupying the
volume at the outer radius of the cylinder is forced radially inward
as this outer volume is reduced to near zero
• This radial inward motion of the gas mixture is called squish

Mechanical Engineering Dept. CEME NUST 14

 SQUISH AND TUMBLE
 It adds to other mass motions within the cylinder to mix the air and fuel,
and to quickly spread the flame front
 Maximum squish velocity usually occurs at about 10°bTDC
 As the piston nears TDC, squish motion generates a secondary rotational
flow called tumble
 This rotation occurs about a circumferential axis near the outer edge of
the piston bowl
 During combustion, the expansion stroke begins and the volume of the
combustion chamber increases. As the piston moves away from TDC, the
burning gases are propelled radially outward to fill the now-increasing
outer volume along the cylinder. walls. This reverse squish helps to
spread the flame front during the latter part of combustion.
Mechanical Engineering Dept. CEME NUST 15
 Tumble action caused by
squish as piston approaches
TDC
 Tumble is a rotational motion
about a circumferential axis
near the edge of the clearance
volume in the piston bowl or in
the cylinder head

Mechanical Engineering Dept. CEME NUST 16

 DIVIDED COMBUSTION CHAMBERS
 Some engines have divided combustion chambers, usually with about
80% of the clearance volume in the main chamber above the piston
and about 20% of the volume as a secondary chamber connected
through a small orifice.
 Combustion is started in the small secondary chamber, and the flame
then passes through the orifice, where it ignites the main chamber.
 Intake swirl is not as important in the main chamber of this type of
engine, so the intake system can be designed for greater volumetric
efficiency. Mechanical Engineering Dept. CEME NUST 17
 DIVIDED COMBUSTION CHAMBERS

 It is desirable to have very high swirl in the secondary chamber, and the
orifice between the chambers is shaped to supply this; often, the
secondary chamber is called a swirl chamber.
 As the gases in the secondary chamber are consumed by combustion, the
pressure rises and flaming gas expands back through the orifice and acts
as a torch ignition for the main chamber. The expanding gas rushing back
through the orifice creates a large secondary swirl in the main chamber,
which enhances the combustion there
Mechanical Engineering Dept. CEME NUST 18
DIVIDED COMBUSTION CHAMBERS
Fig 6-7 Divided combustion chamber of an
SI engine. Secondary chamber will typically
contain about 20% of the total clearance
volume. Combustion is generally initiated in
the secondary chamber by positioning of the
spark plug. The main airfuel mixture in the
primary chamber is ignited by torch ignition
as the flame expands through the orifice
between the chambers. Often, divided
combustion chamber engines are also
stratified charge engines, with a rich charge
in the secondary chamber for good ignition
and a lean charge in the primary chamber
for good fuel economy.
Mechanical Engineering Dept. CEME NUST 19
 CREVICE FLOW and BLOWBY
 In the combustion chamber of an engine there are tiny crevices that fill
with air, fuel, and exhaust gas during the engine cycle
 These crevices include
 The clearance between the piston and cylinder walls (about 80% of
total)
 Imperfect fit in the threads of the spark plug or fuel injector (5%)
 Gaps in the gasket between head and block (10-15%)
 Unrounded corners at the edge of the combustion chamber and
around the edges of valve faces
 Although this volume is on the order of only 1-3 % of the total clearance
volume, the flow into and out of it greatly affects the overall cycle of the
engine
Mechanical Engineering Dept. CEME NUST 20
 How blowby occurs when combustion chamber gases are forced
past the compression rings of a piston

 As the piston moves up in the compression stroke the compression rings are forced
to the bottom of the ring grooves, and gas is forced into the crevice volume
between the piston and cylinder walls and into the piston ring grooves
 When the piston reverses direction for the power stroke the piston rings are forced
to the top of the grooves and the gas in the grooves can flow past the piston
 Gas also leaks past the piston rings through the gap where the ends meet
Mechanical Engineering Dept. CEME NUST 21
Various designs used on the ends of the piston rings to reduce
blow by flow

Mechanical Engineering Dept. CEME NUST 22

 CREVICE FLOW and BLOWBY
 The gas that gets totally past the piston and ends up in the crankcase is
called blowby.
 Late in the power stroke, when the exhaust valve opens, pressure
between the compression rings will be greater than in the combustion
chamber, and some gases will be forced back into the chamber. This is
called reverse blowby.
 Blowby raises the pressure in the crankcase and contaminates the oil with
fuel and exhaust gases. As much as 1% of the fuel is forced into the
crankcase in some engines. To keep crankcase pressure down, it must be
ventilated
 Because of the oil contamination caused by blowby, oil filter systems and
more frequent oil changes are necessary
Mechanical Engineering Dept. CEME NUST 23
Fig 6-10 Engine pressures as a function of
crank angle, showing cylinder pressure
(PI), pressure between piston
compression rings (Pz), and pressure in
the crankcase (P3). There is a time delay
for pressure change from one chamber to
the next due to the restricted flow
passage past the pistons. When the
exhaust valve opens and blowdown
occurs, pressure in the combustion
chamber decreases quickly and Pz > PI
can occur. This is when reverse blowby
occurs. The need for crankcase
ventilation can be seen by the pressure
buildup in the crankcase.
Mechanical Engineering Dept. CEME NUST 24
Consult
Book

Mechanical Engineering Dept. CEME NUST 25