Intake System

- Intake manifold
- Throttle
- Intake valves
- Fuel injectors / carburetor
Intake manifold: must be large enough to avoid flow resistance and small enough to
assure high air velocity and turbulence for better air-fuel mixing
Volumetric efficiency of SI engines
- Fuel characteristics
- Heat transfer in intake systems
- Valve overlap
- Fluid friction losses
- Choked flow
- Intake tuning
- Exhaust residual / EGR
Intake Tuning:

In the intake manifold gas flows in a pulsed manner
pressure waves are created, its wavelength depend upon the pulse frequency and air
velocity
Waves reflect back from the end of runner (intake pipe)
Primary waves and reflected waves either reinforce or cancel each other depending
on phase
If they reinforce close to the cylinder inlet, pressure of the air will be higher, more
air will enter the cylinder
=>System Tuned High volumetric efficiency
If out of phase engine out of tune

Old engines: Fixed length =>tuned only for design speed
New engines: active intake system =>can be tuned over a range of speeds
Intake Valves
The distance that the valve opens is called valve lift
l d A
A
A
C
d l
v pass
pass
act
Dv
v
=
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4 /
max
Discharge coefficient
Passage area
An empirical relation for minimum intake valve area ( ) | |
2
max
2
4
/
v i p i
d a U CB A

= =
C =empirical constant =1.3 (typ)
B =Bore of the cylinder
a
i
=speed of sound at inlet conditions
Valve arrangements
Variable Valve Control:
More efficient engine operation by varying the times at which valve opens,
duration of opening, valve overlap period etc.

At high speeds:
real time of cycle is less, need of more air-fuel per cycle.
Intake/exhaust valve opens earlier, have longer open durations and if possible
greater lift

At low speeds and idle:
Real time of a cycle is greater, less air-fuel required
Both intake & exhaust valves should open later and close earlier
Less valve overlap


Modern Automobiles: EMS Engine management System
Carburetors
Air enters the engine due to pressure difference
between engine cylinder and surroundings
Gets accelerated at the throat leads to reduction in
pressure
Pressure in the fuel reservoir is equal to atmospheric,
so pressure differential pushes the fuel in the throat
At high speeds large pressure difference large
supply of air & fuel
At low speeds & idle less pressure difference less
air fuel supply

Need of a Choke to start cold engines
Air and Fuel Flow
( )
2 / 1
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Air flow through venturi
fuel
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fuel air fuel
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Pressure differential -air
Pressure differential - fuel
Mass - fuel
Air fuel ratio
Maximum flow rate is reached when velocity at throat is sonic
( )
* * max
*
5 . 236
sec / 346
4 . 1
4 . 53 5283 . 0
A C m
m a
kPa p p
D air
amb
=
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- This can be used to size carburetor throat needed for an engine

- Once sized, it will work over a range of operating conditions
Fuel Injectors
- Nozzles that inject a spray of fuel into the intake air.
- Deliver metered amount of fuel so much better control and efficiency
- Fuel sprayed in vapor form so much better combustion process
- Modern automobiles have multiport fuel injectors for better evaporation
- Droplet size an important parameter smaller at higher speeds
Superchargers
- compressor mounted in the intake system to raise the pressure of the incoming air
- Mechanically driven off the engine crankshaft a parasitic load on the engine output
- A quick response to throttle/speed change
( )
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engine
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Power needed for supercharger
Isentropic efficiency for
supercharger
Mechanical Efficiency
Turbochargers
- Compressor powered by a turbine mounted in the exhaust flow of engine
- Advantage: Only waste energy is used
- Disadvantage: Turbo lag occurs due to sudden throttle change
( )
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Turbine efficiency
Compressor efficiency
Mechanical efficiency
Overall efficiency