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Effect of Variable Length Intake Manifold on a Turbocharged Multi-Cylinder

Diesel Engine

Article  in  SAE Technical Papers · November 2013

DOI: 10.4271/2013-01-2756

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Effect of Variable Length Intake Manifold on a
Turbocharged Multi-Cylinder Diesel Engine
Jensen Samuel, Prasad NS, and Kumarasamy Annamalai
Combat Vehicles R & D Estt, DRDO, India
ABSTRACT
This paper presents the results of a study on the effect of
using a continuously variable length intake runner (intake
manifold) on Turbocharged multi-cylinder diesel engines.
While there is a large amount of data available for naturally
aspirated engines, no reliable source was found for the effect
of varying the length of intake runner for Turbocharged
engines. This study was done for relatively low-speed off-
highway diesel engines.
The study is based on the results of one-dimensional engine
models simulated in AVL BOOSTTM engine simulation
software. A simplified engine model has been used for the
single cylinder naturally aspirated engine, to demonstrate the
effects of varying intake runner effective length. The multi
cylinder study is based on validated model of a 12 cylinder
1000hp turbocharged diesel engine. It has been found that
multi-cylinder turbocharged diesel engines are more
responsive to intake runner length variations than naturally
aspirated engines.
INTRODUCTION
It is known that varying the length/diameter of the intake
manifold in any engine will lead to variations in the engine's
volumetric efficiency vs. engine-speed curve. [1] For different
engine speeds, the length of the intake manifold that will give
maximum volumetric efficiency will be different.
By designing a variable length intake manifold, it will be
possible to obtain maximum volumetric efficiency for all
engine speeds. Such manifolds have been used in
performance gasoline engines for quite some time now. [2]
2013-01-2756
Published
11/27/2013
Copyright © 2013 SAE International
doi:10.4271/2013-01-2756
However, little data was available regarding the effect of such
a manifold on a Turbocharged diesel engine.
The ratio between the actual and the ideal aspirated gas
masses is defined as volumetric efficiency. The volumetric
efficiency makes a qualitative statement about the air supply
to the system. [3]
(1)
The volumetric efficiency of an engine depends on quasi-
static phenomena, like viscous losses and charge heating, and
on dynamic phenomena connected to the pulsating nature of
the compressible fluid flow. The dynamic phenomena can
improve or worsen the cylinder filling according to the
engine rpm, so it is important to optimize them at the speed
of interest (with a tuned fixed-geometry intake manifold) or
in the whole working range (with a tuned variable-geometry
intake manifold). The intake manifold geometry is usually
varied in two ways - continuous or discrete.
The Principle of Resonance Charging
In order to achieve greater volumetric efficiency, an intake
system uses high and low-pressure waves to charge the
cylinder.[4] This is known as the principle of resonance
charging. When the inlet valve opens and the piston moves
downwards in the cylinder, in the direction of bottom dead
centre (BDC), it initiates a low-pressure wave in the vicinity
of the inlet valve. This low-pressure wave propagates itself
though the intake runner to the other end, which connects to
the atmosphere/compressor outlet (plenum).
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The low-pressure wave at the end of the pipe acts on the
volume of air present in the plenum. The pressure of the
volume of air in the plenum is significantly higher than the
air pressure at the open end of the intake runner. The low
pressure now present at the end of the runner pulls along the
air mass present here.
Figure 1. Propagation of low-pressure wave
They force themselves simultaneously into the resonance
pipe so that where the low-pressure wave was, an equally
large high-pressure wave develops, which propagates itself
towards the inlet valve. This high-pressure wave travels back
through the resonance pipe and pushes the air mass past the
still-open inlet valve into the cylinder. This continues until
the pressure before the inlet valve and the pressure in the
cylinder are equal. The engine thus experiences a pressure
wave supercharging. The volumetric efficiency can reach
values of about 1.0 and even above.
Figure 2. Development of high-pressure wave
The time (t) required by the low and high-pressure waves to
cover the distance (s) from the inlet valve to the collector and
back is given by:
(2)
The above time taken is always the same, because they move
at the velocity of sound (c). But the time period during which
the inlet valve is open is dependent on engine speed. As
engine speed increases, the period of time during which the
inlet valve is open and air can flow into the cylinder
decreases. A high-pressure wave returning through an intake
runner designed for low engine speeds will run into an inlet
valve which has already closed. Hence the pressure wave
supercharging cannot take place. It is clear that intake runners
of different lengths are required for optimal charging at every
engine speed.[5]
Reverse Flow in to the Intake
Because the intake valve closes after the start of the
compression stroke, a reverse flow of fresh charge from the
cylinder back in to the intake can occur as the cylinder
pressure rises due to piston motion toward TDC. This reverse
flow is largest at the lowest engine speeds. It is an inevitable
consequence of the inlet valve closing time chosen to take
advantage of the ram effect at high speeds. Varying the
length of the intake system for changing speeds could remove
this reverse flow in to the intake by timing the high pressure
wave to return at the inlet valve just before its closure.
Continuously Variable Intake Manifold
An innovative mechanism to produce infinite variations in the
length of the intake runner has been designed, and is shown
in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4. The mechanism, called herewith as
‘variator’, would be installed in between the intake manifold
plenum and the intake port of each cylinder. To achieve
continuously variable length of the intake manifold, the
variator design uses two parts, namely the stator and the
rotor. The stator would be held fixed to the cylinder head
while the rotors of each bank of cylinders would be linked
together and its position would be varied by a rotary actuator
thus varying the effective distance of air travel with respect to
engine speed. This mechanism could be produced with plastic
material, thereby complying with plastic manifolds and with
inherent characteristics of reduced intake runner drag co-
efficient and reduced cylinder mal-distribution.
Figure 3. Variator - Assembled view
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on emission has not been studied here but could be taken up

at a later stage.

The Helmholtz model is utilized in the AVL Boost to predict

the effect of resonance charging in the intake and exhaust
systems. [7]

Figure 4. Variator - Cut-section view

Intake System Modeling

The intake system can be studied with suitable models, which
are able to take into account different fluid dynamic
phenomena which take place in the manifolds. Two methods
are considered effective:
• Lumped element method, which considers the fluid in a
duct as a single mass and the gas in the cylinder as a
pneumatic spring (Helmholtz Resonator)
• Numerical simulations by means of a finite-difference code

The agreement between the lumped element method and the

numerical simulations, in terms of analogy of a resonator-
provided intake system, is good. [6]

Fig.5. Helmholtz Resonator - Spring-Mass analogy

Helmholtz Resonator
A Helmholtz resonator is constituted by a cavity and a short
1-D Simulation
duct, which connects it to the system as shown in figure 5. It
behaves like a system composed of a pneumatic spring The dynamics of flow in IC Engine intake and exhaust
(cylinder) and a mass (the gas inside the short duct). Hence, it systems can be modeled most completely using one-
has a natural frequency (fn) of pressure oscillations which can dimensional unsteady compressible flow equations. These
models are very simple and take into account time derivatives
be calculated as follows:
when applying basic conservation laws. Such models are
used to simulate working cycle, collaboration of engine with
turbocharger, etc. The assumptions usually made in this type
of analysis are:
(4)
• The intake and exhaust system can be modelled as a
The intake system, composed by the cylinder (spring) and a combination of pipes, junctions and plenums.
regular intake manifold (mass), can be seen like a Helmholtz
resonator whose resonance frequency is given by the equation • Flows in the pipes are one dimensional and no radial heat
4 (the volume to consider is the mean cylinder volume). For a conduction occurs.
four stroke engine, optimum filling is obtained when the
• Boundary conditions are considered to be quasi-steady.
natural frequency is about twice the piston frequency. In an
engine without variable intake systems as the engine speed • Coefficients of discharge, heat transfer, pipe friction and
varies, the piston frequency varies, while natural frequency of bend losses for steady flow are valid for unsteady flow.
the pressure oscillations in the intake (as given by equation 4)
remains constant. For optimum filling, the length or diameter
of the intake runner has to be adjusted with respect to engine
speed. Since a practically viable mechanism has been
identified as described above to vary the length of the intake
runner, its effect on engine performance parameters has been
studied in this paper. The influence of intake length variation
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Effect of Varying Intake Manifold In order to fully exploit the benefits obtained from the
increased volumetric efficiency when used with the variator,
Length in a Single Cylinder NA Engine the air-fuel ratio of the engine has been maintained constant
Following table shows the summary of the main at all simulation runs, maintained same as that obtained in the
specifications of the AVL BOOST simulated model of a base test engine. In practice, this could be achieved by
single cylinder NA Diesel engine. suitably tuning the fuel injection system to exploit the
increased air mass flow rate. Figure 7 shows the effects of
Table 1. Engine Specifications varying the intake runner length on torque characteristics.
The trend is similar to the trends in volumetric efficiency
curve as shown in fig. 5, since volumetric efficiency is
directly proportional to the torque developed under
conditions of constant Air-Fuel ratio.

The intake runner length of the baseline engine configuration

is 200 mm. In order to investigate the effect of intake runner
length variation on performance characteristics, engine cycle
simulation was performed with intake runner length sweeps
from 50 mm to 3500 mm.

Fig. 6 shows the engine volumetric efficiency at different

engine speeds with intake runner length varied. It could be
seen that short runner lengths contribute to maximum
volumetric efficiency at high-speed regimes but does not give
the best volumetric efficiency at lower speed regimes. Long
runner lengths contribute to maximum volumetric efficiency Fig. 7. Torque vs. Engine speed
at low-speed regimes. This is due to the fact that long runner
length increases the mass of air in the duct as explained by Figure 7 shows the effects of varying the intake runner length
the Helmholtz resonator model and also decreases the on BSFC. It can be seen that the BSFC is minimum when
Helmholtz natural frequency which in turn matches with the intake runner length is varied using the variator, as defined in
reduced piston reciprocating frequency at lower engine fig. 9.
speeds. Increased mass also results in increased inertia
effects, which is also favorable for part-load cylinder filling.
It could also be observed from fig. 6 that if the variator length
is set for maximum power as defined in fig.9, the volumetric
efficiency is maximum for the entire speed regime.

Fig. 8. BSFC vs. Engine speed

Fig. 9 shows the optimum length of the intake runner that

would be required for maximum power at various engine
speeds. The variator has to be mapped accordingly to
Fig. 6. Volumetric Efficiency vs. Engine Speed maintain the above intake runner lengths. Since this study has
 Downloaded from SAE International by Jensen Samuel, Friday, November 22, 2013 12:24:04 PM

been done for military engines, brake power was chosen as

the main optimization criteria.

Fig. 11. Percentage variation of engine performance

parameters when used with the variator

Fig. 9. Optimum Intake Length vs. engine speed (for

maximum power)
Effect of Varying Intake Manifold
Length in a Multi-Cylinder
Fig. 10 shows the power variation of the engine working with Turbocharged Diesel Engine
variator as compared with the baseline engine. The power is The AVL BOOST model of the base engine is shown in fig.
seen to have improved considerably at part load conditions. It 12.
could also be observed that the base engine intake runner
length has been fixed to obtain optimum cylinder filling at
3000 rpm, as explained by the Helmholtz resonator model.

Fig. 10. Power variations when compared with a

standard intake runner

Figure 11 shows the Percentage variation of engine Fig.12. AVL BOOST model
performance parameters when used with the variator. It could
be seen that a maximum power increase of 17 % at engine Following table shows the summary of the main
speed of 1000 rpm could be realised when used with the specifications of the base engine used in the AVL BOOST
proposed intake variator. The volumetric efficiency also simulation. The base engine used for validation is a V46-6
increases at a similar magnitude, with the BSFC variation turbo diesel engine with a maximum power output of 1000
being less than 1%. Even here it could be observed that the hp, developed for Armored Fighting Vehicle applications.
base engine intake runner length has been optimized to obtain
maximum cylinder filling at 3000 rpm, while using the
variator, the cylinder charge filling could be optimized for all
engine speeds.
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Table 2. Engine Specifications

Model Validation
The AVL BOOST engine model was simulated to achieve the
target power as in the experimental engine. The major engine
parameters have been validated and the deviations were Fig.15. Pressure - Crank Angle at 100% load and 1400
found to be less than 5% of the experimental data, as shown rpm
in fig. 13.

Performance Evaluation
To study the effect of the ‘variator’, simulations were run by
maintaining a constant Air-Fuel ratio, same as that of the base
engine. The intake runner lengths were swept to evaluate its
effect on engine performance. As in the previous case, the
effect of engine emissions has not been studied as it was
beyond the scope of this work. Fig. 16 shows the ideal intake
runner length for maximum power and volumetric efficiency
over the engine operating speeds.

Fig.13. Percentage variation of simulated data from

experimental results

Fig.16. Intake runner length required for optimum

performance

Fig. 17 shows the variation in volumetric efficiency at

selected intake runner lengths. Fig. 18 shows the variations in
BSFC and fig. 19 demonstrates the percentage variations in
BSFC and volumetric efficiency when the baseline engine is
used with the variator.
Fig.14. Pressure - Crank Angle at 100% load and 2000
rpm
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Fig.17. Volumetric efficiency vs engine speed at different
intake runner lengths
Fig.18. Percentage variation of BSFC from baseline
engine as a function of intake runner length and engine
speed
Fig.19. Percentage variation of engine parameters from
baseline configuration when used with variator
Fig. 20 compares the volumetric efficiency of the single
cylinder NA engine with that of the 12 cylinder Turbo engine
over the range of its operating regime upon optimization with
the ‘variator’. It shows that the ‘variator’ gives better
performance when used in a multi-cylinder turbo charged
engine than in a single cylinder NA engine.
Fig. 20. Volumetric Efficiency vs. Speed (in percentage
of operating range)
CONCLUSION
The major engine parameters have been validated with
1000hp V46-6 turbo diesel engine and the deviations were
found to be less than 5% of the experimental data. Two
different engine configurations have been studied in this work
- a single cylinder NA engine and a 12 cylinder turbocharged
engine. Thermodynamic simulations show that in both cases,
the volumetric efficiency can be improved by the use of a
variable length intake manifold as shown in fig. 3 & 4.
The study reveals that the given engine's performance can be
improved throughout the operating speed by properly varying
the intake manifold length with engine speed and with
appropriate modifications to the fuel system. Hence, this
simple implement can be used to downsize any engine
leading to better part load efficiencies.
REFERENCES
1. Ceviz MA, “Intake plenum volume and its influence on
the engine performance, cyclic variability and emissions”,
Energy Conversion and Management (2007), doi:10.1016/
j.enconman.2006.08.006.
2. Taylor, J., Gurney, D., Freeland, P., Dingelstadt, R. et al.,
“Intake Manifold Length Effects on Turbocharged Gasoline
Downsizing Engine Performance and Fuel Economy,” SAE
Technical Paper 2012-01-0714, 2012, doi:
10.4271/2012-01-0714.
3. Heywood John B., “Internal Combustion Engine
Fundamentals”, McGraw-hill, 1988.
4. Ceviz MA, Akın M. “Design of a new SI engine intake
manifold with variable length plenum”, Energy Convers
Manage (2010), doi:10.1016/j.enconman.2010.03.018.
 Downloaded from SAE International by Jensen Samuel, Friday, November 22, 2013 12:24:04 PM

5. Bortoluzzi Daniele, “Fluid Dynamic Study of Intake

Manifolds of Internal Combustion Engines in Presence of
acoustic resonators”, http://www.dinamoto.it/
6. Oldrich Vítek, Jirí Navrátil, “Combination of 0-d internal
combustion engine simulation with 1-d fluid dynamics -
tuned manifold systems and variable valve timing”, Josef
Božek Research Center, paper code: F02V263.
7. AVL Boost, “Users Guide”.

DEFINITIONS/ABBREVIATIONS
ma - actual air mass in cylinder [kg]
mth - theoretical air mass [kg]
ηvol - volumetric efficiency [%]
t - Time period required by the low and high pressure waves
to cover the distance from inlet valve to collector and back [s]
s - distance from inlet valve to collector and back [m]
c - Velocity of sound in air [m/s]

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