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SAE TECHNICAL
PAPER SERIES 2001-01-1704

Intake-Valve Temperature Histories

During S.I. Engine Warm-Up

Alex C. Alkidas
GM R&D and Planning

Reprinted From: The Proceedings of the 2001 Vehicle Thermal

Management Systems Conference
(P-363)

Vehicle Thermal Management Systems

Conference & Exhibition
Nashville, Tennessee
May 14-17, 2001

400 Commonwealth Drive, Warrendale, PA 15096-0001 U.S.A. Tel: (724) 776-4841 Fax: (724) 776-5760
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ISSN 0148-7191
Copyright 2001 Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc.

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Intake-Valve Temperature Histories
During S.I. Engine Warm-Up
Copyright © 2001 Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc.
ABSTRACT
The present study is an experimental investigation on the
influence of engine operational parameters on the
temperature history of intake valves. During the initial
stage of the warm-up process, the temperature history of
the intake valve followed an exponential behavior with a
time constant that ranged from about 23 to 39 s for the
test conditions examined. In contrast, the temperature
history of the coolant varied linearly with time suggesting
that the net heat input to the coolant is roughly constant
during the initial stage of the engine warm-up process.
After the initial transient phase that lasted about one
minute, the temperature rise of the intake valve was
quasi-steady. During this latter period, the measured
intake valve temperature was predicted by the steady-
state temperature correlation developed in an earlier
study.
INTRODUCTION
For port-fuel injection engines, intake valves serve as
target for the fuel spray in order to promote rapid fuel
evaporation and mixing with the intake air prior to
entering the engine cylinder. The temperature of the
intake valves is of great importance for fuel evaporation,
especially under cold conditions. Under these
conditions, unevaporated fuel entering the combustion
chamber was found to be the primary cause of high
1
engine-out hydrocarbon (HC) emissions [1-3] . Thus the
speed by which the intake valve warms up has a
significant positive effect on fuel economy and emissions.
In addition, knowledge of the temperature history of the
intake valves during engine warm-up is very important for
engine controls, since it affects the evaporation rate of
the fuel off the back (intake-port side) surface of the
intake valves.
The present study is an experimental investigation on the
influence of engine operational parameters on the
temperature history of intake valves during engine warm-
 engine warm-up. Their study, which was primarily
1XPEHUVLQEUDFNHWVGHVLJQDWHUHIHUHQFHVIRXQGDWWKH
HQGRIWKLVSDSHU
2001-01-1704
Alex C. Alkidas
GM R&D and Planning
up. It is a companion to an earlier study [4], which
investigated the factors that affect the intake valve
temperature under steady-state engine operation.
There is very little information on intake valve
temperature histories during engine warm-up, although a
number of studies [5-10] examined engine metal and
fluid temperature histories with the focus on coolant and
lubricating oil temperatures. Most of these studies have
found that the lubricating oil is the last component to
reach its equilibrium temperature. Trapy and Damiral
[10] found that most of the heat transferred to the oil,
primarily due to the frictional heat dissipation of the
journal bearings, is then transferred to the cylinder walls,
which explains why oil is the slowest component to
warm-up. With regard to the coolant temperature,
Willumeit and coworkers [5] reported that the coolant
temperature at the end of a trip, the duration of which
was less than the engine’s warm-up period, was
essentially dependent on the length of the trip and was
practically independent of the speed profile of the engine.
Valve temperature measurements were made by a
number of investigators [4,11-18], mostly under steady-
state engine conditions. Also, in most of the studies the
emphasis was on exhaust valve temperature, because of
its severity, which affects their structural integrity.
Daneshgari and coworkers [11] measured intake valve
temperatures at two locations while the engine was
undergoing a special dynamometer test cycle used to
evaluate valve deposits. They reported that the
measured temperature at the upstream location , which
was termed fuel-side, was significantly lower (about
50°C) than the temperature at the downstream location,
which was termed shadow side. They found that the
deposit build-up started at the shadow-side location and
propagated to the fuel-side location. Additionally they
observed that the valve temperature showed an
approximate linear dependence on the coolant
temperature, which was varied from 20 to about 95°C.
Curtis et al [17] performed limited experimental
measurements of intake-valve temperatures during
theoretical, showed that heat transfer through the valve
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seat and fuel evaporation are the most important heat 280
transfer processes. In agreement with the latter work 0$3 N3D
[17], Cowart and Cheng [18] recently modeled the 240
thermal behavior of an intake valve and concluded that
the valve warm-up period may be primarily determined
200
by the effective thermal inertia of the valve and the
valve-seat heat transfer.
160
This paper examines the influences of engine speed, 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000
Engine Speed - r/min
load, air-fuel ratio, and initial engine temperature on the 220
warm-up characteristics of the intake valves. Surface
temperature measurements were made at two locations
200
on the back surface of the intake valves of the #3
cylinder of a Saturn 1.9-L DOHC four-cylinder engine.
The subsequent section provides fundamental 180
information on the heat transfer processes experienced
by the intake valve, and summarizes the results of our 160
earlier study [4] on the intake-valve temperatures under 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
steady-state conditions. This is followed by the section Air-Fuel Ratio
220
that describes the apparatus and procedure used in this
investigation, the section that presents the experimental T (V6)
180 d
results on the temperature histories and their analysis,
and the closure that highlights the findings of this 140
investigation.
100
T u (V6)
INTAKE-VALVE TEMPERATURES UNDER
60
STEADY-STATE ENGINE CONDITIONS -20 0 20 40 60 80 100
Coolant Temperature - deg. C
Figure 1 shows the variations of the surface
temperatures of one of the intake valves of cylinder #3 of Fig.1 Steady-state surface temperature variations of
the test engine at the two locations of measurements the intake valve V6 at the upstream and
with engine speed, air-fuel ratio and coolant temperature. downstream locations with engine operational
The ‘filled’ symbols represent data from the upstream conditions
location and the ‘open’ symbols represent data from the
downstream location of the intake valve. The baseline
condition was: MAP = 70 kPa, engine speed = 2200 To explain the above exhibited behavior of the valve
r/min, spark timing = MBT, and coolant temperature temperature with the various operational conditions of the
= 90°C engine one should consider the intake-valve heat transfer
processes. The heat transfer experienced by an intake
For the ranges of operational parameters examined, the valve during an engine cycle is very complex. It consists
surface temperature of the intake-valve at the two of several individual, transient heat transfer processes,
locations on its back face increased linearly with engine which have different heat transport mechanisms (i.e.,
speed and coolant temperature. On the other hand, the conduction, convection radiation, evaporative), different
variations of these surface temperatures with air fuel ratio durations, and which occur at different times in the
exhibited maxima at near stoichiometric composition. engine cycle. Figure 2 summarizes the intake-valve heat
Fuel enrichment or enleanment resulted in reduction in transfer processes.
the surface temperatures. Another important result
shown in Fig. 1 is that the upstream location of the intake The heat transfer processes, which result in a net heat
valve always ran significantly cooler than the transfer into the intake valve are:
downstream location. The temperature difference
between the two locations, which reached values as high (A) the heat transfer from combustion-chamber gases
as 40°C, was found to correlate with the fuel mass flow during the closed intake- valve period, and
rate. (B) the heat transfer from combustion gases, which back
flow into the intake port during the valve overlap
period.
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F evaporative cooling since the upstream location comes in
B equation:
C
E (
D where the first term represents the evaporative heat
A the temperature of the injected liquid fuel from the initial
Fig.2 Schematic of the heat transfer processes of an
intake valve
The heat transfer processes, which result in a net heat
transfer out of the intake valve are:
(C) the convective heat transfer to the air flowing over
the valve during the intake process,
(D) fuel spray cooling via heat conduction and
evaporation during the injection and fuel evaporation
period,
(E) conduction heat transfer through the valve seat
during the closed intake valve period, and
(F) conduction heat transfer through the valve guide.
The increase in intake-valve temperature with increasing
engine speed is believed to be primarily due to the
resulting increase in the combustion-chamber heat
transfer although convective cooling of the intake valve
by the intake air and fuel-spray cooling of the intake
valve is expected to increase with increasing engine
speed. The behavior of the intake-valve temperature
with air-fuel ratio is similar to that found for the
combustion- chamber surface temperatures [16], and is
the result of the variation of the combustion-gas
temperature with air-fuel ratio, which exhibits similar
behavior [19]. The observed variations of the surface
temperatures of the back face of the intake valves with
air-fuel ratio may be attributed primarily to the heat
transfer from the combustion gases during the overlap
backflow, and to a lesser degree to the heat transfer from
the combustion gases. Combustion chamber structure
temperature measurements on the head and block [20]
showed significantly reduced sensitivity to air-fuel ratio.
The linear increase of the intake valve temperature with
coolant temperature, observed, also, by Daneshgari et al.
[11], is attributed to the resulting reduction in heat
conduction losses to the cylinder head structure.
Next, considering the differences in temperature between
the upstream location and the downstream location, the
lower temperature of the upstream location, which was
also observed by Daneshgari, Borgmann and Job [11], is
believed to be due mainly to the effects of spray
contact with the fuel spray whereas the downstream
location does not “see” the fuel spray. The spray
2
evaporative cooling may be represented by the following
4 VSUD\ = P ) ∆+ 9 + F S (7VDW − 7 ) )
transfer, Qev, and the second term represents the
sensible heat transfer, Qse, i.e. the heat require to raise
temperature T0 to the saturated temperature of the fuel
Tsat.
Computations presented in Fig. 3 (see Ref. 4 for details)
show that, for ‘dry-wall’ surface condition of the intake
valve, the evaporative heat transfer is the largest;
however, both the sensible heat transfer and the
convective heat transfer are very significant. One should
bear in mind, that the evaporative heat transfer to the
wall will be significantly reduced for the intake valve
surface being in the ‘flooded’ state or in the ‘Leidenfrost’
state.
Experimental evidence provided by Alkidas [4] shows
that the sensible heat transfer is of comparable
importance as the heat of evaporation of the fuel, which
is widely considered as the primary mechanism of
cooling the valve by the fuel [22]. Supporting evidence
has also been provided by Shayler, Colechin and
Scarisbrick [23], who observed significantly higher heat
transfer rates on the intake port of a single-cylinder
engine for wetted-port conditions than for dry-port
conditions, which they attributed to both the cooling effect
of fuel arriving on the port wall at temperatures lower
than that of the port and to the vaporization of the fuel.
2
Grissom and Wierum [21] separated liquid spray
cooling into the following three distinct operational
modes:
1. The spray forms a thin liquid film upon the surface.
The state of the surface is referred to as ‘flooded wall’
and the heat transfer process is called ‘spray film
cooling’.
2. The surface vaporizes all of the impinging spray. The
state of the surface is referred to as ‘dry-wall’ and the
heat transfer process is called ‘spray evaporative
cooling’.
3. A thin vapor film is formed over the surface, which is
formed on impact by the impinging spray droplets. The
state of the surface is referred to as ‘Leidenfrost’ state
and the heat transfer process is called the Leidenfrost
mode of heat transfer.
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valves per cylinder and centrally located spark plug. The

140 specifications are listed in Table 1.

The main systems external to the engine are the coolant

Convective
and lubricating oil systems, the intake air system, the
120
Sensible exhaust system, and the fuel delivery system. Air into
the engine was provided at controlled pressure,
Evaporative
temperature and humidity by an air conditioning supply
100 system. The engine inlet air was metered by a laminar
flow element system situated upstream of the baffled

250
80
200

150
60

100

40 50
Upstream Location
0
0 50 100 150 200 250
20 250

200

0
1300 2200 3000 3500 4000 4500 150
Engine Speed - r/min
100
Fig.3 Computed variations of some of the components
of intake-valve heat transfer with engine speed, 50
showing the importance of evaporative and Downstream Location
sensible heat transfer 0
0 50 100 150 200 250
Returning to the temperature measurements, the Measured Temperature - deg C
recommended correlations for the intake valve
temperatures at the upstream (Tu) and downstream (Td) Fig.4 Predicted vs. measured valve temperatures at
locations are [4]: the upstream and downstream locations,
showing the accuracy of the developed steady-
7X =  +  ⋅ 7& +  ⋅ 1 −  ⋅ (ϕ − ) (1)
 state empirical correlations

and Table 1. Engine Specifications

Number of cylinders 4
7G =  +  ⋅ 7& +  ⋅ 1 −  ⋅ (ϕ − ) (2)

Displacement (nominal), L 1.9
Compression ratio 9.5:1
where Tc is the coolant temperature in °C, N is the Bore, mm 82
engine speed in r/min, and φ is the equivalence ratio of Stroke, mm 90
the air-fuel mixture. The accuracy of these correlations is Connecting rod length, mm 145
demonstrated in Fig. 4, which shows plots of the Pin offset, mm 0.8
predicted temperatures versus the measured
temperatures at the two locations of measurements. Intake valve opening, deg 344
Intake valve closing, deg 592
APPARATUS AND PROCEDURE Exhaust valve opening, deg 134
Exhaust valve closing, deg 374
ENGINE INSTALLATION - The test engine was based _______________________
on the Saturn 1.9-L DOHC four-cylinder engine [24], 0 deg corresponds to TDC (comp.)
which features a pent-roof combustion chamber, four
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mixing tank. The fuel delivery circuit comprises the
pump, the fuel rail, which supplies fuel to the four port
injectors, and the heat exchanger, which is used for
temperature control. The rate of fuel consumption, which
is equal to the rate of fuel replacement to the circuit, was
measured by means of a fuel flowmeter.
The exhaust gas temperature in the entrance region of
each of the exhaust-manifold runners was measured by
means of an aspirated single-shielded thermocouple.
Through a sampling line in the exhaust pipe, a portion of
the exhaust was diverted to the emissions bench for
exhaust-gas analysis. A valve downstream of the flexible
section of the exhaust pipe was utilized to simulate the
exhaust back pressure in a vehicle equipped with
converter and muffler.
For warmed engine conditions, the outlet temperatures of
the coolant and lubricating oil were controlled externally
by test cell heat exchangers, which had both cooling and
heating capabilities. The coolant flow rate was controlled
by an external pump and a bypass flow circuit. For cold
engine conditions, a portable water-cooled chiller was
Injector Location
Intake Port
Upstream
Thermocouple, Tu
Fig. 5 Schematic of the intake port showing the injector location and the locations of the upstream and
downstream thermocouples on the back surface of the intake valve
TEST PROCEDURE AND CONDITIONS.- The test
procedure was as follows: With the engine not running
(stationary condition) and the coolant and oil circulating,
the temperature of the coolant was adjusted to the
prescribed initial temperature using the chiller controls.
Then the engine was motored and the engine speed and
MAP were adjusted to the prescribed values. In the next
used to simulate these conditions. The use of chiller
outlet and inlet manifolds allows the chiller to cool the
coolant and lubricating oil (indirectly through a heat
exchanger) to the desired temperature and also to cool
the intake manifold or any other component of the
engine.
TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENTS - The two intake
valves of the #3 cylinder of the Saturn engine (valves: V5
and V6) were instrumented with thermocouples by Eaton
Corporation. Each valve had two thermocouples at its
back side (intake port side) one at an upstream location
and the other, diametrically opposed to the first, at a
downstream location. The thermocouple at the upstream
location is able to ‘sense’ the injected fuel impinging onto
the valve, whereas the thermocouple at the downstream
location cannot ‘see’ the fuel spray. Figure 5 shows the
intake port geometry and the location of the two
thermocouples on the back surface of one of the intake
valves.
Intake
Downstream
Thermocouple, Td
step, the engine cooling system was isolated from the
heat exchangers and recording of the data was initiated.
After a very short period, which was usually less than a
minute, fuel injection was initiated and recording of the
data continued until the coolant temperature reached well
above 100°C, when the fuel was shut off and the
experiment was completed. The start of the warm-up
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period (i.e., t = 0 s) was determined as the time when the
exhaust temperature began to rise.
These transient experiments were run at two initial
coolant temperatures, -6° and 20°C, keeping engine
speed, manifold absolute pressure (MAP) and air-fuel
ratio approximately constant and spark timing at MBT.
Tests were run at two engine speed levels, 1300 and
2200 r/min; two manifold absolute pressure (MAP) levels
40 and 70 kPa; and three air-fuel ratios 12, 14.3, and 17,
which represent rich, stoichiometric, and lean
compositions. The test matrix is presented in Table 2. At
each test condition, the valve and intake port
temperatures, all the fluid (intake and exhaust gases,
coolant and lubricating oil) temperatures and pressures,
all the fluid flow rates, fuel economy, engine torque and
engine-out emissions were recorded at a sampling
interval of 10 s.
The fuel was California Phase II gasoline, typical
properties of which are shown in Table 3. The lubricating
oil was Mobil 5W-30, and the coolant was a 50/50
mixture of ethylene glycol and water.

Table 2. Test Matrix

Coolant Temp.
at t=0 s Speed MAP Air-Fuel
Test # (°C) (r/min) (kPa) Ratio
301 -6 1300 40 14.3
302 -6 1300 40 12.0
303 -6 1300 40 17.0
304 -6 1300 70 14.3
305 -6 2200 40 14.3
306 -6 2200 70 14.3
307 20 1300 40 14.3
308 20 1300 40 12.0
309 20 1300 40 17.0
310 20 1300 70 14.3
311 20 2200 40 14.3
312 20 2200 70 14.3

7DEOH7\SLFDO$QDO\VLVRI3KDVH,,*DVROLQH
Specific Gravity at 15.6°C = 0.737
Reid Vapor Pressure (kPa) = 45.5
LHV (MJ/kg) = 42.29
RON = 96.8
MTBE (LV%) = 11.0
H/C ratio = 1.97
O/C ratio = 0.018
(A/F)st = 14.33
F.I.A. (vol. %)
Saturates = 72
Olefins =4
Aromatics = 24
Distillation Results
% Temp. (°C) % Temp. (°C)
IBP 35.6 60 103.9
5 52.8 70 112.2
10 60.0 80 122.2
20 68.3 90 138.3
30 76.7 95 153.3
40 85.0 END 191.1
50 94.4
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RESULTS that the surface temperature of the intake port at the

entrance region, which is made of high thermal
Figures 6 and 7 show typical temperature histories of the conductivity aluminum alloy, is controlled by the heat
exhaust gas stream, coolant, lubricating oil, intake valve transfer from the coolant passages. Finally, the
at the two locations, and of the intake port for 1300 and lubricating oil exhibits the lowest warm-up rate, in
2200 r/min respectively. For both sets of data, spark agreement with other studies [7,8,10].
timing was MBT, the MAP was 40 kPa, the air-fuel ratio
was stoichiometric, and the initial coolant temperature 600

was 20°C. The coolant temperature refers to the coolant Exhaust

outlet temperature, the lubricating oil temperature was 550
measured in the oil pan and the intake-port temperature
was the surface temperature on the floor of the intake 500
port near the entrance region.
450 N = 2200 r/min
500 MAP = 40 kPa
400 A/F = 14.3
Exhaust T = 20°C
450 0
350

400
300
N = 1300 r/min
MAP = 40 kPa I. Valve (u)
350 250
A/F = 14.3
T = 20°C I. Valve (d)
0 200
300

150
250 Coolant (o)
100
I. Valve (u) Port
200
I. Valve (d) 50
Oil Pan
150
0
Coolant (o) -2 0 2 4 6 8
100 Time - min
Port
Fig.7 Temperature histories of the exhaust gas
50
stream, coolant, lubricating oil, intake valve at
Oil Pan the upstream and downstream locations, and of
0 the intake port, for the 2200 r/min test condition
-2 0 2 4 6 8 10 12
Time - min To examine the influence of operational conditions on the
engine warm-up characteristics we considered the
Fig.6 Temperature histories of the exhaust gas intake-valve temperature at the downstream location and
stream, coolant, lubricating oil, intake valve at the coolant-outlet temperature. The effects of engine
the upstream and downstream locations, and of speed, air-fuel ratio, and load (MAP) on the temperature
the intake port, for the 1300 r/min test condition histories of the intake valve and coolant are presented in
Figs. 8-10, respectively. For these data the baseline
Several observations can be made considering the two condition is: engine speed = 1200 r/min; air-fuel ratio =
figures. First, the exhaust temperature history and the 14.3; coolant temperature = -6°C; MAP = 40 kPa; and
intake valve histories are characterized by an initial rapid spark timing = MBT
warm-up period that has an interval between 1 to 2
minutes and a final warm up period with a nearly From these results it is clear that the rates of
constant rate of temperature rise. Second, as expected temperature rise of the intake valve and coolant are
from the steady-state results, at any given time the valve significantly augmented by increasing the speed and
temperature at the downstream location was higher than load. Both of these operational parameters were found
that at the upstream location, with the exception of the to increase significantly the heat transfer rate from the in-
very early times during warm-up. Third, the intake-port cylinder gases to the combustion-chamber walls [19,21].
surface temperature history is nearly identical to the In the case of air-fuel ratio, the stoichiometric
temperature history of the coolant outlet. This implies composition showed the highest overall temperature rise,
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which is in agreement with the steady-state results [4], characteristic equation of the dynamic response of a first-
but during the initial warm-up period the rate of order single-degree mechanical (spring-mass-damper)
temperature rise was highest for the rich condition system [25]. From (3) the rate of temperature rise of the
(A/F = 12.0). intake valve is given by:

250 G7LY GW = (β τ LY ) ⋅ H[S(− W τ LY ) (4)

200 INTAKE VALVE
and, consequently, the initial rate of temperature rise,
150
i.e., at W =  , is:
100
G7LY  GW = β τ LY (5)
50
1200 r/min 250
0
2200 r/min
-50 200 INTAKE VALVE
-3 0 3 6 9
120 150

100 COOLANT 100

80 50
60
0
40
-50
20 -3 0 3 6 9 12 15
120
0 MAP = 40 kPa, Tc,0 = -6°C
100 COOLANT
-20
-3 0 3 6 9 80
Time - min 60

Fig. 8 Effect of engine speed on the temperature 40 A/F = 14.3

histories of the intake valve and coolant 20 A/F = 12.0
(air-fuel ratio = 14.3, coolant temp. = -6°C,
MAP = 40 kPa, spark timing MBT) 0 A/F = 17.0

-20
-3 0 3 6 9 12 15
The initial stage of the warm-up period is very important Time - min
in engine calibration and controls because during this
period the catalyst has not reached light-off conditions. Fig. 9 Effect of air-fuel ratio on the temperature
Therefore, the contribution to the HC emissions from this histories of the intake valve and coolant
period is disproportionately very large. Figure 11 shows (speed = 1200 r/min, coolant temp. = -6°C,
the intake-valve temperature history (upper graph) and MAP = 40 kPa)
the coolant temperature history (lower graph) during the
first minute of warm-up for test #301, which is described A simple thermal model of the intake valve that results in
in Table 2. The characteristics of the two temperature a temperature history given by Eq. (3) is described in
histories were found to be similar for all the tests. Thus, Appendix A, which also gives the definitions for all the
during the initial warm-up period, the intake-valve symbols used. The model assumes that the heat
temperature history may be represented by an equation transfer may be represented by two processes: a
of the form: constant input from the combustion chamber to the
intake valve, 4 FKY , and a heat loss from the valve to the
7LY (W ) = 7LY () + β ⋅ ( − H[S(− W  τ LY )) (3) environment, 4YD = KYD ⋅ $YE ⋅ (7LY − 7D ) . Based on this
model the experimentally determined constants β,
where 7LY (W ) is the intake-valve temperature at time t, β τ LY are given by:
is a constant which depends on engine conditions and
τ LY is the time constant. Equation (1) is the β = 4FKY ( $YE ⋅ KYD ) − [7LY () − 7D ] (6)
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the overall heat transfer process is represented by

and a constant heat input process from the combustion
chamber to the coolant. Based on this model the
τ LY = (KYD ⋅ $YE )  (P ⋅ F )LY (7) experimentally determined constant
is given by:

Considering next the coolant temperature history δ = 4 FKF  (P ⋅ F )F (10)

presented in Fig. 11, during the initial warm-up period the
coolant temperature history may be represented by an Using regression analysis of the experimental
equation of the form:
temperature data, the time constant τ LY , and the
constants β and δ were evaluated, and
7F (W ) = 7F () + δ ⋅ W (8)
consequently the rates of temperature rise of the
intake valve and coolant were computed from Eqs.
where 7F (W ) is the coolant temperature at time t, and
(5) and (9). Table 4 summarizes the results of the
is a constant for a specific engine operational condition computations for all test conditions.
which depends on engine conditions. Equation (8) is the
characteristic equation of a linear system. Thus the rate N = 1300 r/min, M AP = 40 kPa
of temperature rise of the coolant is given by: 70 A/F = 14.3, T = -6°C
0
Intake Valve 1
G7F GW = δ (9) 60
Downstream Location 1
1
50
200 1
40
INTAKE VALVE
1
150 30
(-t/ττ )
20 1 β *[1-e
T (t)-T (0)=β iv ]
100 iv iv
10
50
0
0 MAP = 40 kPa 0 10 20 30 40 50 60
14
MAP = 70 kPa
-50 12 Coolant
-3 0 3 6 9 Engine-Outlet Location
120 10
100 COOLANT
8
80
6
60 N = 1300 r/min
4 TMAP
(t)-T= (0)=δδ *t
40 c c 40 kPa
A/F = 14.3
2
20 T = -6°C
0
0 0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
-20 Time - s
-3 0 3 6 9
Time - min Fig.11 Intake-valve and coolant temperature
histories during the first minute of the
engine warm-up process
Fig. 10 Effect of MAP on the temperature histories
of the intake valve and coolant (speed =
For the conditions examined, the time constant for
1200 r/min, air-fuel ratio = 14.3, coolant
the warm-up period of the intake valve, τ LY , varied
temp. = -6°C,
spark timing MBT) from 23 to 39 s. At the light- load condition,
increasing engine speed resulted in a reduction of
A simple thermal model for the coolant that results the time constant, but at the high-load condition
in a temperature history given by Eq. (8) is the reverse occurred; increasing the engine speed
described in Appendix B. The model assumes that resulted in an increase in the value of the time
constant. A reversal in trends occurred also for
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the load variation tests. Thus, at low-speed
conditions, increasing the load decreased the time
constant, while at the high-speed condition it
resulted in an increase in the value of the time
constant. With regard to air-fuel ratio effects, for
the low-speed, light-load conditions examined, the
stoichiometric air-fuel ratio resulted in the lowest
time constants.
Table 4. Effects of Operational Parameters on Initial Rates of Temperature Rise for the Intake Valve and
Coolant
Co olant and on the Intake-Valve Time Constant
The computed initial rates of temperature rise of
the intake valve (i.e. at t = 0 s) ranged from 1.8 to
4.8 •C/s whereas the corresponding range for the
initial rates of temperature rise of the coolant was
from 0.13 to 0.29 •C/s, which is at least an order
of magnitude lower than for the valve. In fact, for
the present test conditions examined, the ratio of
the temperature rise rates of intake valve and
coolant, R•, varied from 11.5 to 20.2 (see Table 4).

(a) Effects of Engine Speed

Tcool r/min τIV dTIV/dt dTC/dt R•

°C
s °C/s °C/s
MAP = 40 kPa
-6 1300 32.46 2.326 0.202 11.5
-6 2200 27.77 3.817 0.270 14.1
20 1300 25.23 2.996 0.165 18.2
20 2200 22.82 4.211 0.226 18.6
MAP = 70 kPa
-6 1300 23.75 4.651 0.230 20.2
-6 2200 39.39 3.936 0.298 13.2
20 1300 24.43 3.754 0.230 16.3
20 2200 27.73 4.796 0.290 16.5

(b) Effects of MAP

Tcool MAP τIV dTIV/dt dTC/dt R•

°C kPa
s °C/s °C/s
1300 r/min

-6 40 32.46 2.326 0.202 11.5

-6 70 23.75 4.651 0.230 20.2
20 40 25.23 2.996 0.165 18.2
20 70 24.43 3.754 0.230 16.3

2200 r/min

-6 40 27.77 3.817 0.270 14.1

-6 70 39.39 3.936 0.298 13.2
20 40 22.82 4.211 0.226 18.6
20 70 27.73 4.796 0.290 16.5
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(c) Effects of Air-Fuel Ratio

Tcool A/F τIV dTIV/dt dTC/dt R•

°C
s °C/s °C/s
1300 r/min

-6 12 25.62 3.374 0.189 17.9

-6 14.3 32.46 2.326 0.202 11.5
-6 17.0 31.96 1.981 0.171 11.6

20 14.3 25.23 2.996 0.165 18.2

20 17.0 26.68 1.793 0.135 13.3

200
A question of important practical implication is
whether the empirical correlations for the intake 180
valve temperatures developed under steady-state
conditions can be use to predict the temperature 160
history during the whole or, at least, a portion of
the engine warm-up process. A priori, one expects
140
agreement between the computed temperatures
from the steady-state temperature correlations
120
and measured temperatures to occur during the T3_V6
latter stages of the warm-up period when the heat
T4_V6
transfer processes of the intake valve approach 100
quasi-steady conditions. On the other hand, during calc T3_V6
the early stages of the warm-up period the heat 80 calc T4_V6
transfer processes are transient and the
temperature predictions are not expected to be in 60
agreement with the measurements.
40
The results of comparisons between predicted and
experimental temperatures bear agreement with
the above statement. Figures 12-13 show 20
comparisons of the measured temperatures at the
upstream and downstream locations on the intake 0
valve and of the corresponding temperatures
computed from the steady-state empirical -20
correlations reproduced earlier in this paper from 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16
an earlier study [4], for engine speeds of 1300 and Time - min
2200 r/min respectively.
Fig.12 Comparisons of the measured temperature
With the exception of the first stage of the warm- histories of the intake valve at the upstream and
up period, the agreement in intake-valve downstream locations with corresponding quasi-
temperatures between predictions and steady temperatures computed from the
measurements is suprisingly good, if one accounts developed empirical correlations
for the errors in the correlations and temperature (speed = 1300 r/min, coolant temp.= -6°C )
measurements and errors in other measurements
such as air-fuel ratio.
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220
200
180
160
140
120 T3_V6
T4_V6
100
calc T3_V6
80 calc T4_V6
60
40
20
0 transient response of a first-order system. The
-20
-2 0 2 4 6
Time - min
Fig.13 Comparisons of the measured temperature
histories of the intake valve at the upstream and
downstream locations with corresponding quasi-
steady temperatures computed from the
developed empirical correlations
(speed = 2200 r/min, coolant temp. = -6°C )
CLOSURE
The warming up process of an intake valve may by
divided into two stages: an initial transient stage and a
final quasi steady-state stage. During the initial stage,
the behaviors of the measured temperature histories of
the intake valve and coolant suggested simple thermal
models for their warm-up process. For the coolant, the
rate of temperature rise is dependent solely on the rate
of combustion chamber surface heat transfer, whereas,
for the intake valve, besides the combustion-chamber
heat transfer, the rate of heat loss to the intake stream is
also important. Thus, the combustion-chamber surface
heat transfer is a primary factor for rapid engine warm-
up. The main engine operational parameters which
significantly augment the combustion-chamber heat
transfer are load and speed [26].
During the final stage of warm-up process, the quasi-
steady temperature history of the valve was adequately
described by steady-state temperature correlations
developed in an earlier study [4].
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
In the present study we measured intake-valve
temperature histories of a S.I. engine driven by a
dynamometer when the stationary condition of the engine
is changed very rapidly to a fired condition, defined by
constant values of speed, throttle, fueling rate and spark
timing. The intake valve temperature was measured at a
downstream and an upstream location on the back face
(intake-port side) of the intake valve. The influences of
the speed, load, air-fuel ratio, and initial engine
temperature on the warm-up characteristics of the intake
valves were examined. Based on the experimental
findings of this investigation the following conclusions
were reached:
1. The intake valve warmed up fastest followed by the
intake port surface and the coolant, which had nearly
identical warm-up rates, and then by the oil. During
the initial stage of the warm-up process, the
temperature history of the intake valve followed an
exponential behavior, which is characteristic of the
computed time constant ranged from about 23 to 39
s for the test conditions examined. In contrast, the
8 10 temperature history of the coolant varied linearly with
time suggesting that the net heat input to the coolant
is roughly constant during the initial stage of the
engine warm-up process. The computed rates of
temperature rise of the coolant were in the range of
about 0.14 to 0.3 °C/s. The corresponding range for
the initial rates of temperature rise of the intake valve
was from 1.8 to 4.8 °C/s, which is at least an order of
magnitude higher than for the coolant.

2. Based on the above behavior of the measured
temperature histories, simple mathematical models
for the initial warming-up of the intake valve and
coolant were constructed. For the coolant, the rate
of temperature rise is dependent solely on the rate of
heat transfer from the combustion chamber to the
coolant; for the intake valve, besides the combustion-
chamber heat transfer, the rate of heat loss to the
environment (intake stream and intake seat) is also
important.

3. After the initial transient phase that lasted about one
minute, the temperature rise of the intake valve was
quasi-steady. During this latter period, the measured
intake-valve temperature is predicted by the steady-
state temperature correlation developed in an earlier
study.

The downstream location of the intake valve heated up
faster than the upstream location. The slower rate of
temperature rise at the upstream location may be partly
attributed to fuel spray cooling. The average rate of
temperature rise of the intake valve increased with
increasing engine speed and load. The rate of
 Downloaded from SAE International by University of British Columbia, Wednesday, August 01, 2018
temperature rise was highest at near stoichiometric
conditions. Lean or rich air-fuel mixtures resulted in
lower rates of temperature rise. The initial rate of
temperature rise was found to increase significantly with
load but to have a weak dependence on engine speed.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The author gratefully acknowledges the many
contributions of Robert J. Drews, who provided the main
technical support to the experimental program.
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Dugdale, P. J., "Saturn DOHC and SOHC Four
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25. Beckwith, T. G., Buck, N. L., and Marangoni, R. D.,
Mechanical Measurements, Third Edition, Addison-
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26. Mandrusiak, G. D., and Alkidas, A. C., “Impact of
Engine Design on Vehicle Heating System
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27. Taylor, C.F., and Toong, T.-Y., “Heat Transfer in
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17, 1957.
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28. Heywood, J. B., Internal Combustion Engine

(P ⋅ F )LY ⋅ G7LY
Fundamentals, McGraw-Hill Book Co., N.Y., pp.
668-711, 1988. = 4 FK − KYD ⋅ $EY ⋅ (7LY − 7F ) (a2)
GW
29. French, C. C. J., and Atkins, K. A., “Thermal
Loading of a Petrol Engine,” Proc. Inst. Mech.
with the initial condition
Engrs (London), Vol. 187, Paper 49/73, pp. 561-
573, 1973.
at W =  7LY = 7LY  (a3)
30. Shayler, P. J., May, S. A., and Ma, T., “Heat
Transfer to the Combustion Chamber Walls in
Spark Ignition Engines,” SAE Paper 950686, 1986. The solution of the above DE with the initial condition is:
31. Kapadia, D. A., and Borman, G. L., “The Effect of
Heat Transfer on the Steady Flow Through a 7LY (W ) = β ⋅ [ − H[S(− W τ LY )] (a4)
Poppet Valve,” SAE Paper 670479, 1967.
32. Annand, W. J. D. “Experiments on a Model where the constant
is given by
Simulating Heat Transfer Between the Inlet Valve
of a Reciprocating Engine and the Entering
Stream,” Proc. Instn Mech Engrs, vol. 182, Pt 3H, β = 4 FK  (KYD ⋅ $EY ) − [7LY ( ) − 7D ] (a5)
pp. 37-41, 1967-68.
33. Engh, G. T., and Chiang, C., “Correlation of and the time constant τ LY is defined as
Convective Heat Transfer for Steady Intake-Flow
Through a Poppet Valve,” SAE Paper 700501, τ LY = KYD ⋅ $EY (P ⋅ F )LY (a6)
1970.
34. Annand, W. J. D., and Lanary, R. S., “Heat
Transfer Measurements on a Simple Model The combustion-chamber surface heat flux may be
3
Representing a Poppet Exhaust Valve in an estimated from the following empirical correlation [4] :
Outflowing Stream,” J. Mechanical Engineering
Science, Vol. 12, No. 3, pp.223-229, 1970. TFK =  ⋅ P JF ( ) 
(a7)
35. Martins, J. J. G., and Finlay, I. C., “Heat Transfer
to Air-Ethanol and Air-Methanol Sprays Flowing in  JF is the mass flow rate of air-fuel mixture
where P
Heated Ducts and Across Heated Intake Valves,”
SAE Paper 900583, 1990. though one cylinder of the engine in kg/h. Then the heat
transfer from the combustion gases to the intake valve
APPENDIX A through the front surface area of the valve, $ IY is:

4 FK = $ IY ⋅ TFK
A Simple Thermal Model for the Intake Valve During
(a8)
the Initial Stage of Engine Warm-Up

The simple thermal model of an intake valve during the The convective heat transfer from the intake valve to the
initial stage of engine warm-up is presented in Fig. A1. air stream was examined by several investigators[31-35].
The heat input is the heat transfer from the gases in the A typical correlation is that of Martins and Finlay [35]:
combustion chamber to the intake valve through the front æ 1X ⋅ . ö
1X =  ⋅  5H    and KDY = çç ÷÷
surface area of the valve. This heat transfer, 4 FK ,is
(a9)
è GY ø
assumed constant during the initial stage of warm-up.
The heat output (loss) is taken to be the convective heat where the Reynold number is defined as
transfer from the intake valve to the intake air through the
back surface of the valve. This heat transfer, 4 D , is
given by
4 D = KYD ⋅ $EY ⋅ (7LY − 7D )
where KYD is the convective heat transfer coefficient to
the intake air flow, $EY is the effective back surface area
of the intake valve, 7LY is the intake valve temperature,
which is assumed to be uniform across the valve, and 7D
is the intake-port air temperature. Based on the above
simple model the differential equation describing the
intake-valve warm-up process is:
5H = P ⋅ G Y  µ ⋅ $HII  . Here G Y is the valve diameter,
P is the air flow rate through the valve, . is the thermal
conductivity of the intake air, and $HII is the effective
(a1) area of passage between valve and seat.

There are several other combustion-chamber heat flux
correlations in the open literature such as Taylor and
Toong [27] (see also Ref. 28), French and Atkins [29],
and Shayler et al [30].
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Fig. A1 Thermal model of the intake valve during the initial stage of the engine warm-up process
APPENDIX B
A Simple Thermal Model for the Engine Coolant
During the Initial Stage of Engine Warm-Up
The thermal model for the coolant during the initial stage
of the warm-up process is a simple uniform temperature
model with constant heat input. The differential equation
is:
(P ⋅ F )F G7F = $F ⋅ TFK
GW
where $F is an effective heat transfer area between the
coolant and the combustion chamber of the engine, and
T FK is the combustion-chamber surface heat flux, which
was introduced in Appendix A.
The initial condition associated with equation (b1) is:
at W =  7F = 7F () (b2)
The solution of the above DE with the initial condition is:
7F (W ) = 7F ( ) + [TFK ⋅ $F (P ⋅ F )F ] ⋅ W (b3)
This equation describes a linear increase in temperature
with time during the initial stage of engine warm-up in
agreement with the experimental findings. An important
(b1) point to make here is that the thermal models for the
intake valve and coolant exhibit some consistency in that
the agreement with the experimental findings was
achieved by assuming in both models that the
combustion-chamber heat flux may be assumed constant
(time invariant) during the beginning of the warm-up
process.