CFD Methodology for the Simulation of Mixture Formation of High Performance PFI Engines

Mixture composition strongly influences the stability of combustion of spark ignition engines. The control of air to fuel ratio at ignition is a critical issue for high performance engines: due to the low stroke-to-bore ratio the maximum power is reached at very high regimes, letting little time to the fuel to evaporate and mix with air. The aim of this work is to present a CFD methodology for the evaluation of mixture formation applied to a Ducati high performance engine. The phenomena involved in the process are highly heterogeneous, and particular care must be taken to the choice of CFD models and their validation. In the present work all the main models involved in the simulations are validated against experimental tests available in the literature, selected based on the similarity of physical conditions with those of the engine configuration under analysis. The multi-cycle simulation methodology here presented reveals to be a useful tool for the evaluation of the mixture quality around the spark plug at ignition, allowing a parametric analysis of the effects of the injection process on engine output.