Effect of Intake Manifold Geometry on Cylinder-to-Cylinder Variation and Tumble Enhancement in Gasoline Direct Injection Engine
Abstract In order to improve the performance of the gasoline direct injection engine system, it is fundamentally important to reduce the cylinder-to-cylinder variation which affected by the intake manifold geometry. Furthermore, the early tumble development which influences the characteristics of the mixture as followed by the atomization and evaporation of the fuel, also greatly affects engine performance. Thus, in this study, the cylinder-to-cylinder variation in volumetric efficiency and tumble for two different type of intake manifold (curved type and straight type) was investigated using computational fluid dynamic program, CONVERE v2.4. And influence of the intake manifold curve radius to the early flow intensity and tumble development was analyzed. As a result, it was advantageous for cylinder-to-cylinder variation in the straight intake manifold compared to the curved intake manifold. When the intake manifold curve radius was increased in the straight intake manifold, it was effective in strengthening the early flow and tumble intensity. At 3000 rpm, the distance from the intake manifold inlet to the port also had an effect. Therefore, it is possible to improve the intake manifold performance by increasing the intake manifold curve radius and adapting turbocharging at engine speeds above 3000 rpm.