+$#>Theory - Pipes
Pipes are one-dimensional elements, the properties of which vary as a function of space and time. The modelling of these elements is perhaps the most crucial aspect of ensuring simulation robustness and accuracy. It is essential for the simulation engineer to understand the limitations and assumptions of the models which are being applied therefore an extensive description of the pipe governing equations and solution technique is presented here.
The pipe theory section is split into the following sections:
"
Governing Equations of Gas Flow
"
Numerical Method
"
Pipe Wall Friction
"
Pipe Wall Heat Transfer
"
Pipe Bends
"
Tapered pipes
Each of these sections provides basic theory related to its particular topic. For more detailed information the user should consult Refs. 1-4.
A pipe is defined by specifying its diameter at various points along its length and some information about its wall properties. In this way, complex pipe shapes can be defined (see the Pipe Data section).
Note: It is important to note that the governing equations of one-dimensional flow are valid only when the fluid adheres to the walls of the duct considered. When separation occurs over extended sections of the duct the one-dimensional assumption is invalid. Separation will occur in pipes with severe increases in area in the downstream direction, or at any geometrical discontinuity. In these cases boundary models, such as sudden enlargements or contractions, should be used to mimic the flow behaviour.
References:
1. Winterbone, D.E. and Pearson, R.J., Design techniques for engine manifolds. Wave action methods for I.C. engines. Professional Engineering Publications, 1999 (ISBN 1-86058-179 X).
2. Winterbone, D.E. and Pearson, R.J., Theory of Engine Manifold Design. Wave action methods for I.C. engines. Professional Engineering Publications, 2000 (ISBN 1-86058-209 5).
3. Benson, R.S., The thermodynamics and gas dynamics of internal combustion engines (Volume 1), Clarendon Press, 1982. (ISBN 0-19-856210-1)
4. Horlock, J.H. and Winterbone, D.E., The thermodynamics and gas dynamics of internal combustion engines (Volume 2), Clarendon Press, 19862. (ISBN 0-19-856212-8)
+$#>Theory Pipes: Governing Equations of Gas Flow
If the pressure wave phenomena which exist in engine manifolds, and have a strong influence on the engine performance, are to modelled then pipe models must include at least one spatial dimension. In fact, since waves in pipes rapidly become plane after encountering geometrical discontinuities, one-dimensional model of pipe gas dynamics, provide a good compromise between solution accuracy and computer run-time.
The conditions within pipe elements are calculated at each time step (calculation crankangle) by solving a set of conservation equations for mass, momentum and energy. The following section describes how these equations are derived. By following this process the user can gain an understanding of the limitations of the pipe model and this provides a sound foundation to the successful modelling of manifold systems as equivalent one-dimensional pipe networks. Further information on gas flows in the manifolds of internal combustion engines can be found in Refs. 1 and 2.
Conservation Laws
The fundamental equations of fluid mechanics are mathematical statements that define the conservation of mass, momentum, and energy for a control volume. A conservation law asserts that the rate of change of a conserved flow property in a fixed volume is the result of the net effect of the flux of the property across the boundary of the volume and the change in that property due to internal sources. Consider the flow of a compressible fluid through an infinitesimal section of pipe in which the area of the cross-section perpendicular to the axis of the pipe varies, as shown in Fig. 1. If the area variation is gradual the fluid properties are approximately uniform across any cross-section and can be taken as functions of x and t only - the flow is then said to be quasi-one-dimensional.
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+$#>Theory Pipes: Numerical Method
A shock-capturing finite volume scheme is used to solve the governing equations of gas flow in pipes. A significant amount of background theory is required to present a numerical method in a proper context. Only a brief description of the underlying theory is given here. The interested user should refer to References 1 and 2, at the end of this section, for a full account of numerical methods for gas dynamics in engine manifolds.
The numerical method used in the Lotus Engine Simulation program is based on the two-step Lax-Wendroff scheme, used in conjunction with a symmetric non-linear flux limiter, giving second-order spatial and temporal accuracy. This scheme is a member of the class of shock-capturing finite difference schemes which are capable of handling shock waves and super-sonic flows that can occur in the manifolds of high-performance engines. The flux limiter, which is based on the total variation diminishing (TVD) criterion (TVD) (see later), helps to prevent the occurrence of spurious oscillations in the solution when shock waves and contact discontinuities are encountered.
The Two-Step Lax-Wendroff (Richtmyer) Method
The two-step Lax-Wendroff method is a space-centred scheme based on the computational stencil shown below in Fig. 1.
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+$#>Theory Pipes: Automatic Mesh Refinement
The size of the pipe meshes used in the simulation represent a compromise between the accuracy and speed of the calculation See the Numerical Method section. In regions of the model where the wave speed is not constant over the solution domain, the solution may become unstable. This is especially true in strong tapers, where the source terms relating to the area variation can have a destabilising effect on the calculation. The Lotus Engine Simulation features an automated mesh refinement routine which can yield significant benefits in model robustness, whilst not necessarily causing the computational penalty of defining finer meshes for the base model.
Refinement Criteria
When the Automatic Mesh Refinement option is enabled, the simulation checks the spatial and temporal variation in pressure and density. The variation in density and pressure between each pipe mesh point and the adjacent mesh point is checked for the current time level. Additionally, the variation in density and pressure between each pipe mesh point at the current time level, with those at the previous time level are checked. If the variation in density or pressure is found to be above the refinement limit, the number of meshes in that particular pipe is doubled. The current time-step is re-evaluated for all of the pipes in the model. The user can limit the how many times the number of pipe mesh points is doubled. If the variation in the parameters for all of the meshes in a given pipe are below the de-refinement limits and that pipe is currently at a higher state of refinement than the base model, then the number of meshes in that pipe will be halved.
The number of times a given pipe can be refined in any time-step is only limited by the user definable refinement level limit, or by the maximum allowable number of meshes in a pipe. Pipes are only allowed to de-refine once per calculation time-step.
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+$#>Theory Pipes: Wall Friction
The pipe wall friction factor, f, is defined as (English not US - definition)
.
(1)
It is common practice, in wave-action simulations, to use a constant value of f in the region of 0.004-0.01; in pipes containing bends higher values are often used. In fact the curve on the Moody diagram for a smooth pipe (surface roughness k 2.5 m) gives values in the range 0.0035-0.008 for Reynolds numbers in the range 1104-5105.
As described in the Pipe Data Variables section there are three ways to define the pipe wall friction factor in the Lotus Engine Simulation code. The first of these methods is to specify the wall friction factor directly. This requires some experience on the part of the user, and some knowledge of the cycle-averaged Reynolds numbers in the manifold pipes. The other two options set the pipe wall friction factor indirectly, either based on a value of the pipe wall surface roughness specified by the user, or by using a default value for the pipe wall surface roughness based on the material type of the pipe wall which has been specified by the user. In the latter case the default values for the material surface roughness are given in Table 1.
+$#>Theory Pipes: Wall Heat Transfer
The heat transfer term, q, in the energy equation presented in the section on the Governing Equations of Gas Flow) is used to represent simple convective heat transfer in the radial direction from the gas to the pipe.
An approximate treatment for convective heat transfer, due to Benson (see Refs. 1 and 2), is adopted in the Lotus Engine Simulation code. The approach is based on the assumption that the analogy between heat and momentum transfer in steady flow can be extended to non-steady flow. This assumption is not strictly true. In addition to the fact that the Reynolds analogy oversimplifies the mechanism of turbulent heat transfer, it also ignores the existence of any laminar sub-layer. The approach, however, is reasonable as a first approximation and is described below. The heat transfer rate per unit mass is
(1)
where h is the convective heat transfer coefficient and Tw and Tg are the temperatures of the pipe inner wall and gas, respectively. Reynolds' analogy gives the convective heat transfer coefficient as
,
(2)
where f is the pipe wall friction factor (which can be set independently of the value used in the wall friction term in the momentum equation). Equation (1) then becomes
,
(3)
and, for an ideal gas,
.
(4)
At the end of each cycle the total heat transferred to the walls at all the meshes in the pipe is summed and used to perform a simple one-dimensional heat transfer calculation to determine the pipe inner wall temperature that should be used for the next cycle. Thus it is necessary to specify the pipe wall thickness, material type and method of cooling in the Pipe Data Variables.
The assigned wall material properties for the default option are given in Table 1.
+$#>Theory Pipe Bends
Pipe bends are handled in the model in essentially the same way as a conventional pipe. The pipe bend angle and radius are specified as properties of the pipe (see Pipe Data Variables) and empirical data, based on Ref. 1, is used in order to infer an equivalent pipe-wall friction factor that mimics the pressure-loss effects of the bend on the gas flow.
The length of the pipe, , which forms the bend is required if this value is less than the product of the bend radius and angle
, the value of the bend radius is reduced to give the correct length. If the specified pipe length exceeds the product of the bend radius and angle the bend is placed in the centre of the pipe and the inlet and outlet pipe length surrounding the bend are set equal to half the difference
.
The pressure-loss due to the secondary flows and separated regions within the bend, and the redevelopment of the flow downstream of it, can be expressed as (see ref. 1)
,
(1)
where Kb is the bend loss coefficient. Considering the shear stress developed over a length of pipe x enables the pipe wall friction factor, defined as (see theory on Pipe Wall Friction)
,
(2)
to be expressed in the form
,
(3)
and combining this with eqn (1) gives
.
(4)
Miller (Ref. 1) gives data for the basic loss coefficient, Kb*, as a function of bend angle and the radius-to-pipe diameter (r/D) ratio at a Reynolds number of . This basic loss coefficient is then modified to give the corrected loss coefficient as
(5)
where the C values are correction factors which account for variations in Reynolds number (CRe), outlet pipe length (Co), and surface roughness (Cf). In this way the pipe friction factor may be increased by a factor of 3 or 4 in pipe bends.
Fig. 1 below shows the variation of the basic loss factor, Kb*, with pipe bend angle and r/D ratio for Re =. The surface roughness correction factor, Cf, for bends of
and
is given by
(6)
where fsmooth is the friction factor for a hydraulically smooth pipe and frough is the friction factor obtained using the assumed pipe and bend roughness. For and
the value of Cf is obtained from eqn. (6) using
.
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+$#>Theory Tapered Pipes
Tapered pipes are handled in the model in essentially the same way as the pipe bends. The pipe diameter at various distances along the pipe can be specified as properties of the pipe (see Pipe Data Variables). The equations presented in the Numerical methods section assume that the gas flow uniformly fills the entire pipe. Thus, secondary flow losses caused by flow separation in steep diffuser sections, are not accounted for. Empirical data, based on Ref. 1, has been used to develop a relationship which is used to infer an equivalent pipe-wall friction factor that mimics the pressure-loss effects of the diffuser sections on the gas flow.
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+$#>Theory Pipe Junctions
When pipes are connected together the program checks the junction type. If only two pipe ends are connected and the diameters of both pipes at the junction are the same then as smooth transition (equal area junction) is modelled and there is no pressure discontinuity at the junction. If the two pipes have different diameters then a step change in area is modelled and a pressure discontinuity will be produced by the requirement for mass and momentum continuity. In this case the sudden enlargement and sudden contraction models detailed in Ref. 1 are used.
If more than two pipe ends are connected at the junction then a constant pressure junction is modelled. A constant pressure junction can be transformed into a pressure-loss junction by dropping the pressure-loss junction icon on the pipe junction concerned.
The propagation of pressure waves through junctions in engine manifolds is an intrinsically multi-dimensional phenomenon. The modelling of such junctions within a one-dimensional simulation presents a major challenge, since the geometry of the junction cannot be fully represented and can have a significant influence on the pressure waves that propagate through them.
Variations of two boundary models have been most widely used in wave action engine simulations for dealing with multi-pipe junctions: the constant pressure junction, and the pressure-loss junction approaches. With both of these junction models it is necessary to assume that the flows entering and leaving the junction are one-dimensional, and that the physical dimensions of the junction are negligible compared with the overall dimensions of the pipe network.
In turbocharged diesel engines the assumption of constant-pressure junctions is often acceptable because the flow velocities are quite low. The situation is changed if pulse converter junctions (see Fig. 1) are fitted because these are basically junctions which have been designed to give high pressure losses in preferential directions. In petrol (or gasoline) engines the gas flow velocities are substantially higher and then it becomes increasingly important to take account of these flow losses, since they can have an affect on the volumetric efficiency of the engine.
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+$#>Theory Pipe Junctions: Two-Pipe Equal Area Junctions
When two pipes if the same cross-sectional area are joined together they form an equal area junction which produces no pressure-loss effects on the gas flow through it. The boundary equations for this type of junction can be calculated using either the Method of Characteristics or the two-step Lax-Wendroff method these options can be selected from the Data menu. In the former case identical algorithms to those described for a pipe interior mesh calculation in references 1 and 2 are used. In the latter case a special computational stencil for the two-step Lax-Wendroff method is constructed in order to cope with different mesh sizes in the pipes which are joined. Figure 1 shows how a virtual mesh point is introduced in the largest mesh adjacent to the boundary. The gas properties at this mesh point are interpolated from the values at the surrounding mesh points and then used in the finite difference calculation which is carried out over equally-spaced meshes.
The finite difference option will handle transonic and supersonic flow conditions more robustly than the method of characteristics option.
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+$#>Theory Pipe Junctions: Constant Pressure Junctions
The simplest method of dealing with a multi-pipe junction is to assume that the static pressure at all of the pipe ends comprising the junction is uniform, so that
,
(1)
+$#>Theory Pipe Bundles
The pipe bundle is a simple mechanism for representing a group of similar pipes by a single pipe. It is useful for the modelling of exhaust catalyst bricks or charge-cooler passages.
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+$#>Theory Pipe Junctions: Pressure Loss Junctions
All junctions result in pressure losses, these losses are more significant in some junctions than in others. In order to allow inclusion of geometry induced effects, a new pressure loss junction model was developed. This requires data, particular to the junction, relating the pressure drop across the junction for various flow configurations to the pressure ratio, mass flow ratio, and mass flow rate. This data is usually expressed in terms of steady-flow pressure loss coefficients. Ref. 1 provides a source of these for many three-pipe junction configurations.
The use of steady-flow pressure loss coefficients in wave action simulations is based on the assumption that the pressure drop between any two branches of a junction, when experiencing an unsteady flow field, is instantaneously equivalent to the pressure drop between the branches when subjected to a steady flow. This forms the basis of the quasi-steady assumption which is normally used in the boundary models of engine simulation codes, for a more detailed discussion see Ref. 2.
In the Lotus Engine Simulation, a generalised technique is used for evaluating the instantaneous pressure loss between the branches of the junction. A detailed description of this model can be found in Ref. 3. This generalised technique is based on consideration of the fluid momentum and has the advantage that it allows junctions formed by any number of branches to be considered. The only additional data required by this model, over the constant pressure junction model, is the angular relationship between the various branches which form the junction. See the pressure-loss junction data page for details.
Definition of the Pressure Loss Coefficient
The pressure loss junction model requires data, particular to the junction, relating the pressure drop across the junction for various flow configurations to the pressure ratio, mass flow ratio, and mass flow rate. This data is expressed in terms of a steady-flow pressure loss coefficients, which can be expressed in terms of the stagnation pressure drop, as
.
(1)
Here Ki represents any loss coefficient, and the subscripts up and down are used to denote the upstream and downstream branches between which the loss coefficient applies and com denotes the branch which carries the entire flow passing through the junction.
Twelve separate coefficients are required to characterise even a simple three-pipe junction. The loss coefficients must either be obtained from steady flow tests (eg. Miller (1)), or from empirical (see Ito and Imai (4)) or simplified analytical formulations (eg Bassett et al. (5)). A description of the procedure for measuring the steady-flow pressure-loss coefficients of a junction is given in Ref. 2. These loss coefficients simply express the stagnation pressure drop caused as the flow passes between two branches of the junction and can be incorporated into the junction boundary equations, which are then solved using an iterative process, which is described fully in Ref. 2.
It may be anticipated that the pressure-loss junction model would perform poorly in unsteady flow situations, as it employs steady-flow pressure-loss data. However, Bassett et al. (6) have demonstrated that it can perform well, even in flows which contain shock waves.
Estimation of the Loss Coefficient
Expressions relating the pressure drop between the various branches of the junction are required. It may be argued that when more than one pipe contains flow towards the junction, that the pressures at the ends of each of those pipe ends must be equal. In the pressure-loss model built into the Lotus Engine Simulation code, the junction branch which contains the largest mass-flow rate towards the junction at any given time-step is identified and set as the datum branch for the time-step under consideration. Thus, only a relationship for estimating the pressure loss between the branch designated as the datum branch and the branches with flows away from the junction is required.
Consider a junction formed by n-branches; at any given instant, some of these branches will contain fluid flowing towards the junction, and others will contain fluid flowing away from the junction. It can be shown (see Ref. 3) that an expression can be obtained for the pressure loss coefficient between the datum branch (denoted dat) and any other branch, j, containing flow away from the junction, as
,
(2)
where the area ratio between the datum branch and any other branch is defined as
.
(3)
and the mass flow ratio is defined as
.
(4)
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+$#>Theory - Cylinders and Plenums
Cylinders and plenums are so-called zero dimensional elements in that they have properties of mass, pressure, temperature and volume but NOT length. The conditions within these elements are calculated at each crank angle by solving the energy equation in the form
(1)
The solution procedure is summarised as follows;
Calculate heat release due to combustion
Calculate enthalpy change due to gas flows
Calculate heat transfer using old cylinder temperature
Estimate change in cylinder pressure due to energy and volume changes
where:
mcyl
=
cylinder mass
cv
=
specific heat at constant pressure
Tcyl
=
cylinder temperature at previous increment
dV
=
change in volume during increment
Vcyl
=
cylinder volume.at previous increment
=
ratio of specific heats
Estimate displacement work
where
pcyl
= cylinder pressure at previous increment
Estimate temperature change
(1) Enter iteration loop to converge on cylinder temperature
Calculate cylinder pressure
where
pnew
= new cylinder pressure
Vnew
= new cylinder volume
Rcyl
= Universal gas constant for gases in the cylinder.
Calculate displacement work
Recalculate heat transfer based on mean gas temperature during increment.
Calculate energy change due to this gas temperature
Calculate internal energy change due to change in cylinder temperature.
Where Enew and Ecyl are the internal energies of the gas in the cylinder at this and the previous time steps respectively.
Calculate the error in temperature due to the mismatch in changes in internal energies
If dT is greater than 0.01 K repeat calculations from (1).
When converged on temperature recalculate all conditions within the cylinder.
The above methodology is the most simple approach to solving the energy equation for zero dimensional elements. Other programs use more complex predictor - corrector algorithms which can be more computationally efficient. The authors have tested these but found the above approach to be the most robust.
In order to ensure stability under all test conditions the crank angle increments are limited to ensure that the change in mass of a zero dimensional element does not exceed 25% of the current mass in a particular time step. This is performed by assuming that the rate of change in mass from the previous step will also apply to the current step. This limit is most often invoked on high compression ratio four stroke engines at TDC overlap.
Much of the zero-dimensional element theory was derived and adapted from the following publications.
References:
1. The Thermodynamics and Gas Dynamics of Internal Combustion Engines (Volume 1) R.S.Benson (section 1.3.3 pp 36 & section 4.9 pp 182) (ISBN 0-19-856210-1)
2. The Thermodynamics and Gas Dynamics of Internal Combustion Engines (Volume 2) J.H.Horlock & D.E.Winterbone (section 10 pp 583 & section 18 pp 1016) (ISBN 0-19-856212-8)
3. Internal Combustion Engines (Volume 2) R.S.Benson & N.D.Whitehouse (chapter 8 pp 271 & chapter 9 pp 303) (ISBN 0-08-022720-1)
4. Turbocharging the Internal Combustion Engine. N.Watson & M.S.Janota (section 15.5 pp 528) (ISBN 0-333-24290-4)
+$#>Theory - Gas Properties
Gas is transferred to all elements as a mixture of 11 gases plus fuel. The properties of the individual gases are calculated as functions of temperature with these properties being averaged as molar fractions to give the overall properties of the mixture. The main benefit of this approach is that a wide range of fuels and air fuel ratios can be accurately simulated. With the effects of gas composition on parameters such as the speed of sound in exhaust systems being correctly calculated.
The properties calculated for each gas mixture are;
Enthalpy H (J)
Internal Energy U (J)
Heat Capacity @ const p (J/K)
Heat Capacity @ const V (J/K)
Specific Enthalpy h (J/kg or J/kmole)
Specific Internal Energy u (J/kg or J/kmole)
Specific Heat Capacity @ const p Cp (J/kg.K or J/kmole.K)
Specific Heat Capacity @ const V Cv (J/kg.K or J/kmole.K)
Gamma
The gas species considered are;
CO2
CO
N2
H2O
O2
H2
C8H18
C12H26
CH4
H
N
NO
O
OH
The gas property model is based on polynomial curve fits to thermodynamic data for each species.
For each species i at temperature T the enthalpy and specific enthalpy are given by;
The internal energy and specific internal energy are given by;
The heat capacity and specific heat capacity at constant pressure (cp & scp) are given by;
The heat capacity and specific heat capacity at constant volume (cv & scv) are given by;
The ratio of specific heats
The constants for the polynomials are;
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+$#>Theory - Fuel Properties
Default values for calorific value, relative density, hydrogen carbon ratio and molecular weight for each fuel option are provided. These are;
| Fuel | Calorific Value kJ/kg |
Density |
Distribution |
|||
| 1: Gasoline | 43000 | |||||
| 2: Diesel | 42700 | |||||
| 3: Methane | 46280 | |||||
| 4: Methanol | 20000 | |||||
| The user is free to specify any of the fuel properties. The simulation will automatically adjust the combustion chemistry and heat release rates as appropriate. The combustion chemistry employed is described in detail in reference 1 with corrections for CO and O2 as decried below. The maldistribution factor The use of full chemical kinetics combustion models is not appropriate for the majority of simulation work as the models are computationally expensive on computer resources. An alternative method of catering for the dissociation effects on effective heat release has therefore been developed through the use of a so called maldistribution factor. The maldistribution factor is incorporated to allow for a reduction in effective calorific value of the fuel due to poor charge mixing and dissociation. A factor of 0.0 implies almost perfect mixing and a high effective calorific value for the fuel. If a factor of 1.0 is used, a reduction in %CO2 and increase in %CO and %O2 is used to re-calculate the effective calorific value of the fuel. The effective calorific value is defined as the calorific value minus the effects of combustion to CO (rather than CO2) and to H2 (rather than H2O). The assumed energy release rates are; " C to CO2 32760 kJ/kg " C to CO 9100 kJ/kg " H2 to H20 120000 kJ/kg A typical gasoline engine would have a maldistribution factor of between 1.0 and 3.0. Values less than 1.0 imply better combustion and may be appropriate for gas fuelled engines. The effective calorific value calculated by the program is provided in the .MRS output file. The relative proportions of CO2, CO and O2 produced by different maldistribution factors are shown on the Eltinge chart (see below) References 1. Internal Combustion Engine Fundamentals J.B.Heywood (section 4.2 pp 130) (ISBN 0-07-028637-X) 2. Fuel-Air Ratio and Distribution from Exhaust Gas Composition L.Eltinge SAE 680114 {
|
+$#>Theory - Combustion Models
The program employs a single zone heat release model. This means that during combustion the heat released is used to heat the whole of the combustion space. The main implication of this assumption is that the bulk gas temperature is generally lower than the core combusted gas temperature behind the flame front. This may have an effect on detailed in-cylinder heat transfer, however since the semi-empirical heat transfer models make gross assumptions regarding heat transfer coefficient and wall temperature the effects of this assumption are small. The program will be extended in future versions to allow the use of a two zone combustion model.
The heat release rate can be defined either using one of two empirical heat release functions or to be defined explicitly by the user in the form of an angle verses heat release rate curve. The empirical heat release functions are derived from the Wiebe equation (reference 1) and adapted to diesel combustion characteristics by the addition of a pre-mixed combustion phase by Watson & Pilley (reference 2)
Wiebe Function
The Wiebe function define the mass fraction burned as
,
where
A
=
A coefficient in Wiebe equation
M
=
M coefficient in Wiebe equation
=
actual burn angle (after start of combustion)
b
=
total burn angle (0-100% burn duration)
Two Part Wiebe Function
The two part Wiebe function defines the mass fraction burned in the premixed combustion period as
The mass fraction burned during the diffusion combustion period is defines as
,
where,
A
=
A coefficient in Wiebe equation
M
=
M coefficient in Wiebe equation
C1
=
cp1 coefficient in Watson & Pilley equation
C2
=
cp2 coefficient in Watson & Pilley equation
=
fraction of premixed combustion to total combustion
=
delay angle between premixed and diffusion combustion
=
actual burn angle (after start of combustion)
b
=
total burn angle (0-100% burn duration)
The main advantage of the Wiebe functions are that they are normalised by the combustion duration. Thus the user may quickly change the total combustion duration and be confident of achieving a realistic heat release rate.
Wiebe Function Defaults
The single part Wiebe function is used by default for all combustion systems. The model coefficients are set as a function of the fuel type. The default coefficients are;
| 1 Gasoline | ||||
| 2 Diesel | ||||
| 3 Methane | ||||
| 4 Methanol | ||||
| At present there are no defaults for the two part heat release equation. Typical values for the constants for a turbocharged DI diesel engine are however; A = 10.0 M = 0.4 C1= 2.0 C2 = 5500 Combustion Duration The definition of the combustion duration is a function of the type of fuel being used. It is notoriously difficult to reliably measure both the start and end of combustion in spark ignited gasoline and methanol fuelled engines. An approach has therefore been adopted by which the combustion duration of these engines is defined as the number of crank degrees between 10% and 90% mass fraction burnt. For diesel (and some gas) engines however the start and end of combustion are more easily obtained. Thus for all other engines the combustion duration is defined as the number of crank degrees between 0 and 100% mass fraction burned. Default combustion durations are available for several fuel / combustion system combinations. These are mainly intended to allow the user to quickly develop a new model and should not be relied upon for accurate modelling of each combustion system / fuel type combination. The available defaults are; Fuel |
Carburettor | Port Injected | Direct Injection | Indirect Injection |
| Gasoline | Eqn.1 | Eqn.1 | Eqn.1 | Eqn.1 |
| Diesel | Eqn 2 | Eqn 3 | ||
| Methane | ||||
| Methanol | Eqn.1 | Eqn.1 | Eqn.1 | Eqn.1 |
| 11
With the default combustion durations defined by; Eqn.1 Eqn.2 Eqn.3 Combustion Phasing The definition of the combustion phasing is a function of the type of fuel being used. It is notoriously difficult to reliably measure both the start of combustion in spark ignited gasoline and methanol fuelled engines. An approach has therefore been adopted by which the combustion phasing of these engines is defined as the number of crank degrees after TDC firing at which 50% of the fuel has been burnt. (Note a negative combustion phasing value for these engines implies an angle of 50% burn before TDC). For diesel (and some gas) engines however the start and end of combustion are more easily obtained. Thus for all other engines the combustion phasing is defined as the number of crank degrees before TDC at which combustion starts. (Note a negative combustion phasing value for these engines implies a start of combustion timing after TDC). 0 Default combustion phasings are available for several fuel / combustion system combinations. These are mainly intended to allow the user to quickly develop a new model and should not be relied upon for accurate prediction of performance or maximum cylinder pressure. The available combustion phasing defaults are; Fuel |
Carburettor. | Port Injected | Direct Injection | Indirect Injection |
| Gasoline | A50%-10.atdc | A50%-10.atdc | A50%-10.atdc | A50%-10.atdc |
| Diesel | SOC- 5 5.btdc |
SOC- 6 0.btdc |
||
| Methane |
||||
| Methanol | A50%-10.atdc | A50%-10.atdc | A50%-10.atdc | A50%-10.atdc |
Maximum Cylinder Pressure Targets (IHRPHO,TPMAX) Some simulation studies require that performance is predicted at a specified maximum cylinder pressure or that cylinder pressures are limited so as not to exceed a specified limits. Both of these options are provided through the IHRPHO and TPMAX input data. The two options are described as; " Target PMAX " PMAX retard With target PMAX the simulation program will automatically adjust the heat release phase in order that the predicted maximum cylinder pressure matches that specified by the user. The heat release phase will be either advanced or retarded as required. An algorithm by which the simulation rapidly converges on the required phasing is used, however there are no explicit convergence checks that prevent the program from stopping if the maximum cylinder pressure does not match that required by the user. The PMAX retard option is similar to the target PMAX option but in this case the heat release phase may only be retarded. This means that if the maximum cylinder pressure does not achieve the target then the heat release phasing remains unchanged. If the maximum cylinder pressure is found to exceed the target then the heat release phase is retarded until the target maximum cylinder pressure is achieved. This option is particularly useful when trying to mimic the effects of knock in gasoline engines. An assumption is usually made is that at a given engine speed, knock will always occur at the same maximum cylinder pressure. Thus in a simulation study, if the changes in engine specification produce an increase in volumetric efficiency, then the increase in predicted performance is limited by the imposition of heat release retard. Test results have shown that the combustion duration increases with ignition retard. Thus if the PMAX retard option is used in conjunction with any of the wiebe functions, then the 10-90% burn duration is automatically increased by 3.75 degrees per degree of retard. The above model provides an approximation to the effects of knock. It is however only an approximation and the detailed response of every engine to knock and ignition retard will differ. In fact on some gasoline engines the maximum cylinder pressure achieved with lower volumetric efficiency can be higher that that achieved with high volumetric efficiency. User Specified Combustion This option enables the user to specify the burn curve with a series of angle, mass fraction burnt ordinate pairs. The first angle burn angle and the first mass fraction burnt must equal 0.0. The last angle entered is taken as the burn angle (0-100%) and should be accompanied by a mass fraction burnt figure of 1.0. The user must check that the mass fraction burn curve is monotonically increasing (i.e. there are no negative rates). This check is NOT performed by the program. When deriving this type of data from measured cylinder pressure data it is strongly recommended that the cylinder pressure data is first smoothed. This will help to ensure a smooth mass fraction burn curve. References 1. Habempirische Formel fur die Verbrennungsgeschrwindigkeit Verlag der Akademie der Wissenschaften der VdSSR I.Wiebe Moscow (1956) 2. A Combustion Correlation for Diesel Engine Simulation. N.Watson, A.D.Pilley & M.Marzouk. SAE 800029.
|
| Combustion System | ||||||
| Carburetted | ||||||
| Port Injected | ||||||
| Direct Injected | ||||||
| Indirect Injected | ||||||
| The liner area is calculated at each increment by summing the piston displacement from TDC with the bump clearance. The default bump clearance is calculated from the compression ratio and assuming the cylinder employs a disk combustion chamber. Cylinder Wall Temperatures The cylinder wall temperatures are either specified explicitly by the user or calculated via a simple one dimensional heat transfer calculation for the cylinder head and liner walls. The cylinder walls are assumed to have a wall thickness that is a directly proportional to the bore diameter; " Head flame face thickness = 0.13 x Bore " Liner thickness = 0.07 x Bore The thermal conductivity of the walls is specified by the material index. The assigned wall material properties are; Material |
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| Cast Iron | ||||||
| Aluminium | ||||||
| Steel | ||||||
| Zirconium | ||||||
| The coolant temperature is assumed to be 100 oC and the coolant connective heat transfer coefficients are assumed to be 10000 W/m2/K, for the cylinder head and 8000 W/m2/K for the liner. Thus from a knowledge of the heat transfer rate the gas side wall temperature may be calculated. The heat transfer rate for the first cycle is estimated from the fuel flow rate. On subsequent cycles it is obtained from the previous cycles heat transfer results. 0 The heat transfer rate for the liner wall temperature calculation is assumed to be 44% of the heat transfer rate to the cylinder head. This approach is adopted because of the changing liner surface area and the subsequent difficulty in deriving a meaningful heat transfer rate per unit area. The mean surface temperature of a cylinder head on most modern four stroke engines is heavily dominated by the valve temperatures. Valve head temperatures are calculated for both inlet and exhaust valves as a function of fuel type and air fuel ratio. For gasoline and methanol engines; AFR < 11.5 Inlet Valve (oC) = 5.8.AFR + 367.6 Exhaust Valve (oC) = 25.7.AFR + 418.5 11.5 < AFR < 18.0 Inlet Valve (oC) = -0.5 .AFR3 + 19.1.AFR2 - 236.5 AFR + 1389.8 Exhaust Valve (oC) = -0.89.AFR3 + 31.6.AFR2 - 344.1.AFR + 1860.1 18.0 < AFR < 26.0 Inlet Valve (oC) = -38.25.AFR + 1094.5 Exhaust Valve (oC) = -69.50 AFR + 1907.0 26.0 < AFR Inlet Valve (oC) = 100.0 Inlet Valve (oC) = 100.0 For diesel engines; AFR < 25.0 Inlet Valve (oC) = -4.1 AFR + 504.2 Exhaust Valve (oC) = -4.2 AFR + 663.0 25.0 < AFR < 80.0 Inlet Valve (oC) = -4.1 AFR + 504.2 Exhaust Valve (oC) = -0.003.AFR3+0.611.AFR2-41.92.AFR + 1260.1 80.0 < AFR < 200.0 Inlet Valve (oC) = -0.635.AFR + 227 Exhaust Valve (oC) = -1.667 AFR + 433.6 200.0 < AFR Inlet Valve (oC) = 100.0 Exhaust Valve (oC) = 100.0 For gas engines; Equivalence Ratio (EQV) > 1.27 Inlet Valve (oC) = 84.7 / EQV + 367.6 Exhaust Valve (oC) = 375.2 / EQV + 418.5 1.27 < EQV < 0.81 Inlet Valve (oC) = -1556/EQV3 + 4071/EQV2 - 3453/ EQV + 1389.8 Exhaust Valve (oC) = -2770/EQV3 + 6736/EQV2 - 5023/.EQV + 1860.1 0.81 < EQV < 0.56 Inlet Valve (oC) = -558.5/EQV + 1094.5 Exhaust Valve (oC) = -1015/EQV + 1907.0 0.56 < EQV Inlet Valve (oC) = 100.0 Exhaust Valve (oC) = 100.0 The cylinder head temperature is calculated as the area average of the wall temperature and the valve temperature. The piston temperature is assumed to equal to the area averaged cylinder head temperature. This is a gross assumption, however, it is the only one that can reasonably be made given the wide variety of piston geometrys and materials. Users who do not wish to use the above valve temperature and piston assumptions but do wish to employ the simple one dimensional model may specify the conductance for the head, piston and liner. Where The one dimensional calculation is performed individually for the head, piston and liner thus giving a greater flexibility to the wall temperature model. Cylinder Heat Transfer Models The heat transfer models proposed by Annand (reference 1), Woschni (reference 2) and Eichleberg (references 3 & 4) are provided in the program. All these models have been derived from a basic Nusselt Number / Reynolds Number correlation for flow in pipes. Each model employs coefficients that have been developed to best reproduce the heat transfer results obtained by experiment. The coefficients used by the program may either be the default values or may be tuned by the user to best suit the engine being studied. Annand The connective heat transfer model proposed by Annand is defined as; where h = heat transfer coefficient A = Annand open or closed cycle A coefficient B = Annand open or closed cycle B coefficient k = thermal conductivity of gas in the cylinder Dcyl = cylinder bore Re = Reynolds number based upon mean piston speed and the engine bore.The density is that calculated for the cylinder contents at each crank angle. Thus the heat transfer per unit area of cylinder wall is defined as; where; dQ/F = heat transfer per unit area C = Annand closed cycle C coefficient. The first part of the heat transfer equation is the connective heat transfer and the second part the radiative heat transfer. Radiative heat transfer is only modelled during combustion. Thus C is only required for the closed cycle model. Default coefficients are provided for the Annand model. The choice of coefficients being a function of the combustion system type. Open Cycle Coefficients are; Combustion System |
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| Carburetted or Port Injected | ||||||
| Direct or Indirect Injected | ||||||
Closed Cycle Coefficients are; Combustion System |
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| Carburetted Port Injected | ||||||
| Direct or Indirect Injected | ||||||
The radiative heat transfer term should more correctly be a function of the fuel type with a higher number being used for diesel fuel and the lower for the other fuel types. Often it is necessary to tune the coefficients of the in-cylinder heat transfer model to achieve good correlation both for volumetric efficiency and heat transfer. It is recommended that only the A coefficient is tuned with the B coefficient being set at 0.8. Typical values for A range between 0.1 and 0.3. (see Ref. 5). Woschni The connective heat transfer model proposed by Woschni is defined as; where h = heat transfer coefficient A = Woschni open or closed cycle A coefficient B = Woschni open or closed cycle B coefficient C = Woschni open or closed cycle C coefficient D = Woschni closed cycle D coefficient p = Cylinder pressure T = Cylinder temperature V = Cylinder volume Dcyl = Cylinder bore Tsoc = Cylinder gas temperature at start of combustion psoc = Cylinder gas pressure at start of combustion Vsoc = Cylinder volume at start of combustion pmotor = Motoring cylinder pressure The mean swirl velocity is given by; Srat = Woschni open or closed cycle swirl ratio 0 N = Engine speed [rev/min] The motoring cylinder pressure is given by; where G = Woschni ratio of specific heats. The last term (factored by D) in the Woschni model is a so called combustion term and is thus used only during the closed cycle. The heat transfer per unit area of cylinder wall is defined as; 0 Default coefficients are provided for the Woshni model. The choice of coefficients being a function of the combustion system type. Open Cycle Coefficients are; Combustion System |
A | B | C | Srat | ||
| Carburetted or Port Injected | 3.26 | 9.12 | 0.834 | 0.0 | ||
| Direct or Indirect Injected | 3.26 | 6.18 | 0.417 | 0.0 | ||
Closed Cycle Coefficients are; Combustion System |
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| Carburetted or Port Injected | ||||||
| Direct or Indirect Injected | ||||||
| Note the default coefficients provided for the direct and indirect injection engines are the same as those reproduced by Heywood (reference 6), with the same units being employed by the equations as shown in that text. The coefficients used for the carburetted and port injected engines are those which have been found to best match the measured performance and heat transfer results from test engines at Lotus. Often it is necessary to tune the coefficients of the in-cylinder heat transfer model to achieve good correlation both for volumetric efficiency and heat transfer. It is recommended that the B and C coefficients are tuned. An inexperienced user may find it more convenient to tune the swirl ratio term only. Eichelberg The convective heat transfer model proposed by Eichelberg is defined as; where h = heat transfer coefficient A = Eichelberg open or closed cycle A coefficient B = Eichelberg open or closed cycle B coefficient p = Cylinder pressure T = Cylinder temperature The heat transfer per unit area of cylinder wall is defined as; Default coefficients are provided for the Eichelberg model. Open Cycle Coefficients are; Combustion System |
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| All Combustion Systems Types | ||||||
| Closed Cycle Coefficients are; Combustion System |
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| All Combustion Systems Types | ||||||
| This was the first and most simple of the published heat transfer correlations. The user is recommended to tune the A coefficient as required. References 1. Heat Transfer in the Cylinder of Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engines. W.J.D.Annand (Proc.I.Mech.E 177.973 (1963)) 2. Experimental Investigation of Instantaneous Heat Transfer in the Cylinder of a High Speed Diesel Engine. K.Sihling & G.Woshni. SAE 790833 3. Investigation of Internal Combustion Engine Problems. G.Eichelberg Engineering Oct 1939 Vol 148, 463 & 547 4. Unsteady Heat Transfer in Engines. V.D.Overbye et al. SAE Transactions NY 1961 461 5. The Thermodynamics and Gas Dynamics of Internal Combustion Engines (Volume 2) J.H.Horlock & D.E.Winterbone (section 12.4.3 pp 767) (ISBN 0-19-856212-8) 6. Internal Combustion Engine Fundamentals J.B.Heywood (section 12.4.3 pp 678) (ISBN 0-07-028637-X)
|
+$#>Theory - Plenum Heat Transfer
Heat transfer in plenums is calculated using the connective heat transfer coefficient supplied by the user. For the majority of simulations the heat transfer coefficient may be set to 0.0. The following notes however provide a guide as to how a heat transfer coefficient of the correct order of magnitude may be calculated by the user.
The Nusselt number/Prandtl number/Reynolds number correlation usually applied to turbulent flow in pipes is;
where
and
h
=
heat transfer coefficient
(W/m2/K)
k
=
gas conductivity
(W/m/K)
cp
=
specific heat capacity
(kJ/kg/K)
=
gas density
(kg/m3)
v
=
gas velocity
(m/s)
=
dynamic viscosity
(kg./ s.m)
d
=
characteristic length
(m)
Re arranging the above equation and assuming that the Prandtl number remains constant at around 0.7 yields
The following table provides typical air properties over a range of temperatures;
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+$#>Theory - Ports
0
Modelling of Intake and Exhaust Ports
1
In modelling the intake and exhaust ports of engines the geometry of the port should be included in the pipe model, as the port element contains no length, it merely contains data relating to the valve flow coefficient at various valve lifts.
2
Modelling the Flow Through a Valve
3
When gas flows through a valve the development of separation and recirculation regions gives rise to a vena-contracta where the actual cross-sectional area of the gas stream (effective area) is less than the geometric area of the orifice. This phenomenon cannot be simulated directly using a one-dimensional model and has to be characterised using empirical data. Data giving measured effective valve areas, or flow coefficients (), are required as input values to Lotus Engine Simulation. There are several other boundary features which require similar information or data giving the variation of pressure drop with mass flow rate across the device (for example Throttles).
5
The effective area of a valve is a hypothetical concept which enables the mass flow through the valve to be evaluated for a given pressure difference across it. A mathematical model of the flow through the valve is developed, from which the effective area of the valve throat can be derived from the measured values of pressure across the valve and the mass flow rates. The value of effective area obtained is dependent on the particular mathematical model (Woods and Khan [1]) and therefore if the data is to supplied to a wave-action simulation program it is imperative that the model used to analyse the steady-flow data matches that employed in the boundary model of the computer program. In this way the use of effective flow area measured using a steady-flow rig enables the mass flow rate obtained in the experiments, for a particular valve lift and pressure difference across it, to be reproduced by Lotus Engine Simulation. The Port Flow Tool Section describes the measurement procedure in detail.
6
Calculation of the Effective Area,
8
The purpose of this section is to outline general principles and not to review the details of various models for predicting the flow of gas through a valve. The specific example of subsonic flow through an exhaust valve will be used to develop an expression for the effective flow area of the valve. The form of the final expression giving the mass flow rate as a function of pressure ratio and effective flow area is identical for subsonic flow through an inlet valve into a cylinder. In the latter case, the static pressure in the intake pipe is used as the upstream pressure and the stagnation pressure in the cylinder, , is the downstream pressure value.
10
Consider a single-cylinder engine, as shown below, where the flow exits from the cylinder through a single valve into an exhaust port/pipe of constant cross-sectional area.
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+$#>Theory - Valves
0
Valves may be specified by one of five options;
"
Poppet valve
"
Self acting reed valve
"
Disc valve
"
Piston port
"
User specified angle area curve
Poppet Valves
The valve lift profiles may be specified by one of four options;
"
Default fast lift polynomial
"
Default slow lift polynomial
"
User specified polynomial
"
User specified angle/lift ordinate data
With each of the options the valve lift duration is specified by the number of crank degrees between valve opening (AVO) and valve closing (AVC). When the user specified angle/lift ordinate data option is used the lift profile data are linearly scaled so that the lift duration matches that specified with AVO and AVC. The advantage of this scaling is that the user may specify one generic valve lift profile and perform valve timing sensitivity studies by changing only one or two numbers (ie AVO and AVC) in the input data file.
With each of the lift profile options the maximum valve lift is specified by the maximum valve lift AVLM. When the user specified angle/lift ordinate data option is used the lift profile is linearly scaled so that the maximum valve lift matches that specified with AVLM. Users who wish to perform valve timing sensitivity studies should be aware that the maximum achievable valve lift reduces with reducing lift duration. Thus in order to generate realistic valve timing trade-offs the maximum lift should be adjusted with the valve lift duration.
Polynomial Lift Curves
The default lift curves employ a polynomial consisting of four coefficients and four exponents. The nature of the polynomial is such that the sum of the coefficients is -1.
The coefficients of the default lift curves are;
| These are shown below The default and user specified polynomial lift options allow the user to input a maximum lift dwell angle. This is the number of degrees at which the valve remains at maximum lift after the opening before starting to close. The dwell angle should not be a negative number. { Polynomial Valve Lift Curves The user specified angle/lift ordinate data option allows the user to provide the actual cam design data as input to the simulation. This data is specified in crank angle / valve lift ordinate pairs. The first crank angle should be 0.0 and the last the lift opening duration (although the duration may be subsequently scaled as described above). The first and last valve lift ordinates should be 0.0. The figure above compares the a Lotus designed direct acting 235 cam valve lift ordinate curve with those generated by the default slow and fast lift curves generated for the same to of ramp duration and maximum lift. The most significant difference between the cam design curve and the fast lift polynomial is during the ramp at the beginning and end of lift. It is recommended that not all of the ramps are included in the angle/lift ordinate data. Experience has shown that best simulation results are achieved when angle/lift ordinate data are included for approximately 10 crank degrees before the top of the opening ramp and after the top of the closing ramp. The most appropriate extensions to the lift curve will change from engine to engine depending on the tappet clearance and flexibility of the valve train. The strategy employed to convert cam design data into valve lift ordinate data for input to the simulation is summarised as follows; { Cam Profile Corrections A relatively simple self acting reed valve model is employed in the program. The model shown schematically below, employs a spring mass representation of the valve/reed that is forced to move between the valve seat and the lift stop by the pressure on either side of the valve and the area over which this pressure acts. { The force on the valve is given by where The valve velocity is integrated as and the valve displacement is then calculated from the equation The valve lift can then be integrated using the equation Finally, the flow area is evaluated as where The model assumes that there is no valve bounce on either the valve stop or the valve seat. This implies that the self-acting valve is well matched to the application. Disc valve The disc valve model calculates the flow area of a port which is covered and uncovered by a disc which rotates at crankshaft speed. The model is shown diagramatically below,. { The flow area is calculated from the area of the port that is uncovered by the disc valve and the disc valve discharge coefficient. The discharge coefficient is assumed to reduce with increasing area from 1.0 to the value for the fully uncovered port provided by the user. Piston Ported Valve The piston ported valve model calculates the flow area of a port which is covered and uncovered by moving piston. The model is shown diagramatically below. { The flow area is calculated from the area of the port that is uncovered by the piston and the port discharge coefficient. The discharge coefficient is assumed to reduce with increasing area from 1.0 to the value for the fully uncovered port provided by the user.
|
+$#>Theory - Turbochargers
Turbochargers are modelled as compressors and turbines on a common free spinning (or compounded) shaft. The general approach is the same as that published in references 1, 2 and 3, with the instantaneous compressor and turbine performance being derived from non dimensionalised characteristic maps.
The input data structure has been designed to be as similar as possible to that published in the SAE J1826 turbocharger gas stand test recommended practice. The provision of mass flow, pressure ratio, speed and efficiency scaling factors to allow the user to scale a base map to fine tune a particular compressor / turbine characteristic to a given engine application. The compressor and turbine routines are designed to be very robust. Thus smoothing and extrapolation of test data is not essential prior to input to program. The extrapolation assumptions made within these routines are described in the following sections.
The accurate simulation of free spinning turbochargers demands that the simulation converge on a shaft speed that provides an exact work balance between compressors and turbines. Convergence is judged to have been achieved when the turbine work is within 2% of the compressor work. At the end of each cycle the simulation examines the shaft work balance and automatically increases or decreases the shaft speed as appropriate. Within each cycle the shaft speed is permitted to fluctuate in response dynamic imbalance between compressor and turbine work. The amplitude of this imbalance is controlled by the compressor and turbine inertias.
Compressors
Compressor maps must be defined as a series of constant speed lines defining mass flow, pressure ratio and efficiency. The speed lines must each employ the same number of mass flow points per curve and must be monotonically increasing in order. The input data order is summarised by the following diagram.
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+$#>Theory - Superchargers
The Model
The objective of the supercharger model in Lotus Engine Simulation is to calculate the pressure and temperature rise of the gas, and its mass flow rate as it passes through the device. Fig. 1 shows the variation in the state values, upstream and downstream of the compressor, on a T-s diagram.
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Theory - Expanders+$#>
Theory - Charge Coolers
+$#>Theory - Mechanical Links
Compressor and turbines are linked to shafts via a specified gearing and mechanical efficiency. The mechanical efficiency is that efficiency by which work is transmitted to or absorbed from the shaft. This may be used to model the bearing losses in a turbocharger.
The inertias specified are for the compressor of turbine wheel only. The inertia referred to the shafts by the gearing is automatically calculated within the program.
Both compressors and turbines may be linked to the crankshaft. This causes the flow devices to operate at one speed only. The power absorbed by or transmitted from these flow devices is added to the TOTAL engine performance and economy results printed in the .MRS file.
References:
1. The Thermodynamics and Gas Dynamics of Internal Combustion Engines (Volume 1) R.S.Benson (section 9 pp 479) (ISBN 0-19-856210-1)
2. Internal Combustion Engines (Volume 2) R.S.Benson & N.D.Whitehouse (chapter 10 pp 339) (ISBN 0-08-022720-1)
3. Turbocharging the Internal Combustion Engine. N.Watson & M.S.Janota (section 15 pp 517) (ISBN 0-333-24290-4)
+$#>Theory Engine Dynamics
Simulation of engine transient performance requires the calculation of the engine mechanism dynamics. The engine dynamics can be calculated in LES based on cycle-averaged values of brake torque and engine inertia so that the engine speed is updated once per cycle. Alternatively the intra-cycle variation of torque and inertia can be considered so that the engine speed is updated at every calculation time step.
The basic equation for calculating the engine acceleration is
,
(1)
where is the engine speed in rev/sec,
is the brake torque,
is the load torque,
is the total engine inertia referred to the crankshaft,
is the load inertia, and
is the engine speed. The brake torque is given by
,
(2)
where is the torque generated by the gas pressure forces,
is the resisting torque generated by the engine friction, and
is torque generated by the engine inertia forces at any particular crank position and is given by
(3)
The engine inertia referred to the crankshaft varies as a function of crank angle and is given by
,
(4)
where is the rotational inertia of the crankshaft about its centreline,
is the rotational inertia of the valvetrain system,
is the rotational inertia of the engine accessaries,
is the need of the valvetrain system relative to the crankshaft, and
is the speed of the accessary drive relative to the crankshaft.
In equations (3) and (4) the quantity represents the reciprocating mass of each piston / cylinder assembly (including a contribution from the connecting rod mass see below). The parameter
represents the rotating component of the connecting rod mass,
is the distance from the crankshaft centreline to the piston-pin centre,
is the crank throw,
is the connecting rod length,
is the crank angle with respect to TDC,
is the angle between the connecting rod and the cylinder / crank axis,
is the inclination of the cylinder / crank axis from the vertical,
is the acceleration due to gravity.
The term represents the residual inertia of the two-mass representation of the connecting rod. Using this approach simplifies the engine dynamics calculations by lumping the mass of the connecting rod at its extremities (large- and small-end centres). The two lumped masses obey the relationships
(4)
and
;
.
(5)
In these equations and
are the distances of the rotating and reciprocating mass components from the centre of gravity (C of G) of the connecting rod, shown in Fig. 1. This two-mass representation of the connecting rod requires the addition of a residual inertia component in order to generate the actual inertia of the connecting rod using the two lumped masses from the equation
(6)
where is the actual inertia of the connecting rod about its centre of gravity in an axis parallel to the axis of the crankshaft centreline. The residual inertia can also be expressed as a function of the radius of gyration of the connecting rod in the form
(7)
The input data variables related to the quantities in the above equations are described in the Input Data Section of this Help File.
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Theory - Friction
+$#>Theory Silencer Modelling and Noise Prediction
The approach to modelling silencer elements in the Lotus Engine Simulation code follows the theoretical approach described by Onorati in Ref. 1. Two types of silencer element can be modelled using the built in Silencer Super-Elements within Lotus Engine Simulation, these are simple reactive silencer elements and perforate/resistive elements.
Modelling Simple Reactive Silencers
Reactive silencers achieve the abatement of sound pressure levels by reflecting the acoustic power, carried by pressure waves, back to the noise source. They exploit the mechanism of reflection and transmission of sound waves at geometrical discontinuities (abrupt area changes, junctions of pipes, etc.) to control the acoustic power generated by the source and transmitted downstream along the pipe-system, through the interaction between the engine noise source and the silencing device. These silencers are distinct from absorptive, or dissipative, devices, which make use of sound-absorptive material to dissipate the acoustic energy as heat when pressure waves travel along the ducts of the acoustic element.
The simplest reactive silencer configurations that may be introduced in intake and exhaust pipe systems are expansion chambers, and Helmholtz and column side (quarter-wave) resonators. The correct calculation of the acoustic characteristics of these elements is very important, since they represent the fundamental elements used to build up more complex silencers through acoustically equivalent schemes.
Expansion chambers, shown generically in Fig. 1a, have a broad-band attenuation, which approaches zero for the resonant, or transparency, frequencies of the system: these frequencies are given by
(1)
where n = 1, 2, 3,..& Resonators have a narrow-band action, with intense attenuation only at the resonant frequencies. The frequency of a Helmholtz resonator, shown in Fig. 1b, is
,
(2)
where F and ln are the cross sectional area and the length of the neck respectively, V is the volume of the chamber. The resonant frequency of a column (or quarter wave) resonator, shown in Fig. 1c, is
,
(3)
where lr is the column resonator length and n=1, 3, 5, ...)
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+$#>Combustion Analysis Tool Overview
The Combustion Analysis Tool is essentially a stand-alone combustion analysis program. However, it also allows the user to quickly create user-defined heat release phase and period combustion data for use in the test conditions section of the Lotus Engine Simulation code models.
The program uses a simple heat release approach to analyse cylinder pressure / crank angle data and calculates the burn duration, phase, and mass fraction burned, which can be used as input data for the Lotus Engine Simulation code combustion model. (See Data module Heat release phase or period)
The program also calculates the rate of pressure rise and heat release and enables graphical display of these quantities.
The Combustion Analysis Tool can also be used in conjunction with a database.
+$#>Combustion Analysis Tool Opening the Combustion Analysis Tool
There are three methods of opening the Combustion Analysis Tool:
Firstly, after loading the Lotus Engine Simulation code, if the Start Wizard is active, then the user is able to select the Combustion Analysis Tool option directly from the wizard.
However, if the start wizard had been disabled or the user is already working within the Lotus Engine Simulation code, they must select either Tools / Combustion Analysis Tool from the main menubar or click on the Combustion Analysis Icon near the top of the window.
+$#>Combustion Analysis Tool Closing the Combustion Analysis Tool
In order to close the Combustion Analysis Tool, either click on the Close Icon at the top right of the window or select File / Close from the combustion analysis tool menubar.
On the Combustion Analysis File menu, there is another close option named Close (make current), as shown below. This also closes the Combustion Analysis program but at the same time, also copies the calculated data into the relevant sections of the current Lotus Engine Simulation code model.
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Combustion Analysis Tool Solving+$#>
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+$#>Combustion Analysis Tool - Viewing Graphical Results
Graphical results can be viewed by left-clicking on the Graphical Results button, as shown below. This will display the graphical results window which contains a graph on the left hand portion of the window and a display control section on the right hand side of the display.
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+$#>Combustion Analysis Tool - Listing Graph Values
If the user wishes to accurately read off particular values from the displayed graph, then they should firstly select Graphical Results / List from the Combustion Analysis Tool menubar. When this has been done, cross-hairs will appears as the user moves the mouse pointer over the graph area. To list a graph value, click on the graphical display at the point of interest. X axis (Engine RPM) and Y axis (from whichever graph is selected) values will be displayed at the bottom of the graph area, as shown below. The colour of the text indicates which graph values are being displayed. The value displayed will relate to the point at which the vertical cross-hair crosses the line which is closest to the cross point of the cross-hairs. Click with the cross-hair cross point as close as possible to the point of interest. To remove the cross hairs when finished listing values, click the right mouse button.
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+$#>Combustion Analysis Tool - Listing Database Entries
When there is data stored in the database scratch file (see Database Structure) then it is possible to list the stored database entries. This is done by selecting Database / List Entries from the Combustion Analysis Tool menubar, as shown below. After performing this task, a window will appear with a spreadsheet-style layout of the database data. Particular entries can be highlighted by clicking on them with the left mouse button.
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+$#>Combustion Analysis Tool - Reverting to Original Database Order
In order to return the database order back to its original order, when the database listing has been displayed, press the right mouse button whilst the mouse pointer is positioned anywhere on the database listing and select Revert to Original Order from the pop-up menu, as shown below.
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+$#>Combustion Analysis Tool - Clipping Columns
An alternative method of hiding certain database entries is to clip columns. This allows the user to hide the entries above, below or on either side of specific column values. In order to do this, position the mouse pointer over the column heading of interest and then press the left mouse button to select the column. Then press the right mouse button to bring up the pop-up menu. From the listing, select either High Clip Selected Column (To hide entries with column values above a certain value), Low Clip Selected Column (To hide entries with column values below a certain value) or Pass Clip Selected Column (To hide entries above and below certain values). After selecting the type of clip, a dialogue box will appear, requesting the relevant column value(s). Enter the value(s) to complete the procedure, as depicted below.
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#Combustion Analysis Tool Icon
+$#>Concept Builder Overview
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What is the Lotus Engine Simulation code Concept Builder?
The Lotus Engine Simulation code Concept Builder is a powerful tool allowing the user to quickly gain an appreciation of the parameters associated with a particular engine configuration. It considers the dimensions of and gas flow through, the intake system, cylinders and the exhaust system. The Lotus Engine Simulation code Concept Builder can be used in isolation from the simulation program as a stand-alone analysis tool, or it can be used to quickly generate the basis of a pipe network model for a simulation. It uses established theory combined with Lotus Engineering engine knowledge to produce an engine model that can provide a starting point for the engine development process.
The Concept Builder can be accessed in three ways. The Concept Builder can be entered from the wizard which appears when the simulation code is started up. It can be activated by clicking on the appropriate icon at the top of the Network Builder screen. Alternatively, the Concept Builder can be accessed by clicking Concept Tool within Network Builders Tools menu.
The Concept Builder tool consists of a single interface window. Fundamental engine parameters including the number of cylinders, total swept volume and the maximum power speed are located at the top of the window. Directly below are the pressures and temperatures at the inlet and the exhaust respectively. Default values are used within Concept Builder for these, but user defined values can be entered.
The central regions of the window display the boxes associated with all the basic dimensions of the intake system and the exhaust system. An outline diagram of the engine system indicates each dimension graphically.
The final section of Concept Builder is highlighted in blue and includes all non-dimensional parameters calculated by the Concept Builder code. These include valve and valve timing details, tuning speeds, gas flow parameters and the mean piston speed.
The parameters which have notepad symbols next to them in the Concept Builder interface window allow the user to define how the values of the parameter are calculated from a given list of other parameters. In this way the user is able to over-ride the Lotus devised criteria for the determination of many of the Concept Builder parameters.
The Extended Data section enables the user to modify some of the criteria which are used to specify the intake and exhaust options.
The simplest way to run the Concept Builder is by entering only the No. of Cylinders, Swept Volume and the Maximum Power Speed for the desired engine. The Concept Builder will run automatically when enter is pressed. It should be noted that these three values must always be entered in order to run the Concept Builder.
Each of the parameter boxes has a padlock icon next to it. By activating this icon the user will fix any value that has been entered into the box. This feature allows the user to fix parameters relating to the engine. The Concept Builder will then calculate all the other parameters based these values. Fixed values are highlighted in purple.
Lotus Engineers have specified working ranges for the values within Concept Builder. The ranges recommended include all reasonable parameter values according to Lotus knowledge. If a value is entered that is outside of this range, or if a value is calculated that is outside of this range, the relevant box or boxes will be highlighted in red, as shown in the screen-shot below.
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+$#>Concept Builder System Dimensions
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System Dimensions
Dimensional data relating to the intake and exhaust systems within the Concept Builder engine is calculated according to limits and ratios dictated by Lotus Engineering. These limits and ratios have been found to provide the most desirable engine performance characteristics.
Calculations Performed
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Bore (1) is initially calculated by assuming a Bore/Stroke ratio of 1:1.
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Maximum stroke is calculated using the maximum engine speed and assuming a maximum permitted piston speed of 20ms-1. For the purposes of this calculation, Bore(1) is used.
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Actual stroke is calculated for the engine to achieve the specified swept volume. If this stroke exceeds the maximum stroke calculated, its value will be re-set to the limited value.
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Actual Bore is calculated from the Actual Stroke. This value replaces the Bore(1) value calculated previously.
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Inlet throat diameter is calculated from the bore diameter. The throat area is taken as 23% of the bore area.
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Inlet throat gas velocity is calculated using the continuity equation. This considers the expanding volume of the cylinder as the piston moves down and calculates the corresponding velocity of the gas through the throat, assuming that the gas is an incompressible fluid. If the gas flow speed exceeds 80ms-1, Concept Builder changes the throat diameter to that which will result in a maximum gas velocity of 80ms-1.
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Exhaust throat diameter is calculated as a proportion of the inlet diameter. Lotus Engineering guidelines dictate that the exhaust throat area is 70% of the inlet throat area.
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Inlet port diameters are calculated according to a throat/port area ratio of 1: 0.8
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Inlet port gas velocity is calculated using the standard continuity equation. If the calculated gas velocity exceeds 110ms-1, the port diameter is set to a value that will limit the gas flow to this maximum value.
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Exhaust port diameters are calculated according to a throat/bore area ratio of 1: 0.9
It is critical that within an engine both the intake system and the exhaust system are tuned so that the desired torque and power curves can be realised. Engine tuning considers the propagation of pressure waves through the system and their reflection. Pressure waves can be used to enhance the volumetric efficiency of the intake system and to aid the removal of residual exhaust gas in the exhaust system. Concept Builder uses two basic tuning equations.
The intake system is tuned using the Helmholtz resonator equation. Concept Builder sets the Helmholtz tuning speed as Max Power Speed 1500 rev/min, although a user defined value can be set. The Helmholtz speed is the point of maximum volumetric efficiency and is therefore the point of maximum torque - See Concept Builder Theory Helmholtz resonator method.
The exhaust system is tuned using a simple wave propagation equation based on the wave propagation speed in the gas. The calculation is performed on the basis of the blow-down pulse being reflected as a rarefraction wave at the end of the exhaust primary pipe and this wave returning to the exhaust valve within a crank angle period of 120. This aims to ensure the reflection of the peak of the blow down pulse during the valve overlap period to assist scavenging.
Concept Builder Theory - Exhaust Tuning.
Concept Builder Theory
Helmholtz Resonator Method
The Concept Builder uses the Helmholtz Resonator method to calculate the intake pipe dimensions required to achieve a desired tuning speed. The tuning speed of an engine is the speed at which the induction process matches the natural frequency of the combined pipe and cylinder system.
The Helmholtz Resonator method considers the gas within the intake pipe as a finite incompressible mass. The volume of gas is considered as a spring with no inertia. Deceleration of the gas plug causes a peak in pressure at BDC.
Concept Builder can be used in a number of ways in relation to the tuning speed. It can either be used to calculate the Helmholtz speed directly, or it can be used to calculate the exhaust length required to provide tuning at a user defined engine speed. The user can set a specified engine speed by entering a value in the Helmoltz engine speed box and activating the locking device indicated by the padlock icon.
Helmoltz Resonator Equation
where
N = engine speed (rev/min)
Fp = Pipe cross sectional area
Lp = Pipe length (m)
Vc = Mean cylinder volume = 0.5 * cylinder swept volume + clearance volume.
a = speed of sound =
where
= Ratio of specific heats
R = Gas constant
T = Temperature (K)
N.B - The values of Fp and Lp are modified to take into account the tapering of the intake pipe.
Tuned Exhaust Speed
Concept Builder uses a standard wave propagation equation to calculate the exhaust length for a user specified maximum power speed. Alternatively Concept Builder can be used to determine the tuning speed for a specified exhaust length.
Concept Builder calculates the necessary exhaust pipe length by first calculating the speed of sound for the fluid. It then determines the theoretical distance travelled by the wave during a 120 period. By multiplying this time duration by the speed of sound, the wave propagation distance may be calculated. The exhaust length is half the total distance calculated.
Calculation of engine speed from a user defined exhaust length is calculated using a rearrangement of the same equation.
Exhaust Tuning Equation
Time for blow down and pulse return
where
N = engine speed (rev/min)
Exhaust Length = Time for blow down and pulse return * speed of sound * 0.5
Gulp Factor
The volumetric efficiency is a ratio of the mass of air trapped in a cylinder to the mass of air that could be trapped within the swept volume if the air was at inlet manifold density. This efficiency must be high in order to maximise the performance of an engine. If all other parameters remain constant, the mean effective pressure is directly proportional to it.
The Concept Builder calculates the so-called Gulp Factor of the system to indicate the limitation of the breathing system. Firstly Concept Builder takes a default Lotus valve lift profile. This profile can be scaled to suit a user specified valve lift duration if required. Next it pescribes a flow coefficient curve corresponding to the bore/stroke ratio for the engine in question. From this curve the flow coefficient at each individual valve lift point can be determined.
A mean effective valve area for the duration of the valve open period is determined by integration of the valve lift curve. Finally the Gulp Factor is calculated.
The Gulp Factor is in effect the Mach Index for the fluid, although the Mach Index does not take into account the flow coefficient. The Mach Index is the average Mach Number over the entire valve open period and it is proportional to the ratio of the bore area to the mean inlet valve area. Increasing Mach number beyond a threshold value corresponds to decreasing volumetric efficiency. This trend is a consequence of the flow within the inlet valve approaching sonic speeds and thus choking.
Inlet Gas Velocity/ (Mean Flow Coefficient * Mach Number) = Gulp Factor
= Mach Index
= Bore Area
= Piston Speed
= Mean Inlet Valve Area
= Speed of sound in gas =
+$#>Concept Builder Editing Equations and Functions
The func tions and empirical relationships used within the concept tool are based on a combination of Lotus Engineering Experience and fundamental gas dynamics. All of these relationships are expressed in terms of Fortran syntax that the user can edit and replace the default settings with their own. These changes are saved to the users ini file.
To identify whether a variables relationship can be changed look for the edit icon next to the data field. The example sectional screen shot below shows several data fields with the function editor adjacent to them, (ringed).
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Concept Builder Extended Data Setting#>
#>Concept Builder Edit Icon
+$#>Data Checking Tool - Overview
Overview
The data checking wizard provides a tool that allows the user to check the validity and quality of the current data. A large number of checks are performed and a list is given for each data section, of the number of Errors, Warnings and Comments found in the current data. A message is given for each item in the list that identifies the particular data variable at fault.
The data checking wizard is run in one of two modes, either directly as a interactive window, or indirectly as a summary message dialogue.
The data checking wizard is run directly through the menu item Tools / Data-check Wizard.
This displays a window that shows the list of messages in a scrollable text region adjacent to the appropriate data section icon.
The data checking wizard is run indirectly every time a calculation is performed, the data values are checked and if any discrepancies identified a simple summary of the number of errors, warnings and comments is displayed.
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+$#>Data Checking Tool Data Checking Fail Types
Data Checking Fail Types
Three types of message are displayed by the data checker, these are Error, Warning and Comment. Due to the complexity of the data requirements and the inter dependency it is not always clear cut as to the appropriateness of a particular value or flag setting. Some solution types will use different data values and thus adds further vagaries to their validity.
The first category of Error is used when a data value(s) or type is felt to be in error in all possible scenarios. Typical examples of this are failure to enter a value for a compulsory variable, or incorrectly entered, negative or out of range numbers.
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+$#>Data Checking Wizard Opening the Data Checking Wizard
Opening the Data Checking Wizard
To open the data checking wizard select the menu Tools / Data-check Wizard from the main window menubar. Alternatively the Data Checking Icon can be selected. Whilst the wizard is open the icon remains indented and the pull down menu item is ticked.
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+$#>Data Checking Wizard Updating the Data Checking Wizard Display
Updating the Data Checking Wizard Display
If the data checking wizard window has been left open whilst changes have been made to data, its display will potentially no longer reflect the true No. of errors, warnings and comments. To update the display select Functions / Update from the wizard menubar. The current data will then be checked and the wizard display updated.
+$#>Data Checking Wizard Closing the Data Checking Wizard
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Closing the Data Checking Wizard
To close the data checking wizard select either the close icon at the top right corner of the wizard window, the wizard window menu at the top left, the menu item Functions / Close from the wizard menubar, or alternatively the Data Checking Icon can be un-selected.
The Lotus Engine Simulation interface allows the user to enter data, read in, save models, create new models, and adjust data in existing models. Data entered via the interface is written to an input data file which has the extension .sim. This file is read by the program Solve Module when the calculation begins.
Icons representing the various model elements are associated with property sheets which allow the user view and edit the data for that element. Graphical features allow the user to view the result of changes to some of the specific data-sets and adjust data. The network builder interface gives a visual representation of the engine model. More detailed descriptions of the models used by the program can be found in the Theory section of this help file.
Data Sub-Components
The sub-components of the engine model are:
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Base Engine Data
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Fuel and Fuel System Data
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Combustion and Heat Transfer Data
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Scavenge Model Data
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Ports and Valves Data
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Pipes and Plenums Data
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Throttle Data
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Turbocharger and Compressor Data
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Inlet Data
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Exit Data
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Intake/Exhaust Super Elements
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Test Conditions Data
When an element is placed on the builder is selected the relevant property sheet is displayed which enables the user to edit the properties associated with the element. Some property sheets spawn subsidiary windows in which the user can enter more detailed information related to a particular sub-model. Property sheets may also contain spreadsheets. Certain functions can be performed on elements from the Right Mouse Button menu, e.g. pipes can be automatically split at a nominated point.
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Note that when editing property sheets variables are held in memory after editing when the user selects another elements or submits the data to be run.
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Model Structure
Simulation models of the engine system are created through defining elements. Six element types are provided:
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Cylinders (zero-dimensional elements with combustion, work and heat transfer);
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Plenums (zero dimensional elements with work (optional) and heat transfer);
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Pipes (one-dimensional elements with wall friction and heat transfer);
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Inlets (infinite source of inlet gas at specified pressure and temperature);
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Exits (exhaust boundary specified pressure);
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Closed end (special element used for pipes end connections).
These elements are connected by so called flow devices which regulate the flow of gas between the elements. The currently available flow devices are;
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Valves (both cam operated valves, piston-ported valves, reed-valves and disc valves);
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Throttles (defines a flow area and discharge coefficient);
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Compressors (full turbocharger compressor map model);
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Turbines (full turbocharger turbine map model);
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Charge Coolers (flow device with pressure loss and heat transfer);
Each element may be connected to another via any flow device with the exception of a multi-pipe junction. Two pipe junction models are available:
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the Constant Pressure model produced by simply connecting together pipe ends;
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the Pressure-Loss model produced by placing an icon over an existing constant pressure junction an supplying junction pipe branch angles.
The pressure-loss model is particularly suited to modelling junctions in high-speed engines and those with pulse-converter manifolds.
+$#>Input Data The Sim File
The Lotus Engine Simulation model data is stored in an ASCII text file, with a key word based structure that allows individual data sections to be identified by the applications file reader. Historically the structure of this file was relatively simple and fully documented in the help file, such that experienced users were able to edit the file using the viewing/editing tools provided, to perform model data changes.
With the introduction of a fully functioning drag and drop style interface the use for direct editing as a user technique has become restricted and is no longer recommended. The sim file format is no longer documented in the help file.
With future updates it is anticipated that the inclusion of protected data sections in the file and indeed whole file encryption will remove direct editing of the sim file as an end-user function.
The current release include two tools for viewing and editing the sim files, but the support for these as end-user features will be withdrawn at a future release.
The sim file viewer can be opened from the File / File View menu item, whilst the sim file editor can be opened from the File /File Edit menu item. These two text viewers are identical in function with the exception that the user cannot edit the text in the viewer. The most useful commands with these tools are the File / Get Current and File /Make Current options.
+$#>Input Data - Parameter Limits
The Lotus Engine Simulation code employs parameterisation of practically every array within the program. This means that the limits can be easily changed upon request. For example the maximum number of cylinders is parameterised as 20. If a user wished to model 24 cylinders then a one number change in an include file and a recompilation would facilitate this.
The parameter limits can be found in the Element Summary.
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+$#>Input Data - How to Load a Model
To load a previously created model or one of the supplied examples, select the file open icon from the main window, or File/Open from the menu-bar. This brings up the standard windows file-browser.
As an alternative to the standard file browser the File/Open (preview) main menu item can be used to scan through folders to locate and graphically preview any located model files without the need to load them into the interface.
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+$#>Input Data - How to Extract a Model from an *.mrs File
Models can be extracted from previously created *.Mrs results files. Select File/Extract Model from .mrs File from the menu-bar, as shown below. This brings up the standard windows file-browser.
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+$#>Input Data - How to Save a Model
To save a model, select the file save icon from the main window tool-bar or the menu-bar option File/Save, as shown below. If no change has been made to the model, this automatically brings up the browser to add a new file-name. Otherwise the file is overwritten.
To save the current model unchanged or otherwise, select File/Save As from the menu-bar or the file save as from the main window tool-bar. This will automatically bring up the browser and prompt the user to enter a new filename. If the same or another used filename is entered the user is prompted to accept overwriting of that file.
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+$#>Input Data - How to Change an Option
To change an option, for instance the type of fuel burnt in the engine (Data/Fuel and Fuel System/Fuel Type), use the mouse to select the arrow at the right of the display box. This presents the available options and allows selection from the list.
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+$#>Input Data - How to Use Spreadsheets
To manipulate data in a spreadsheet, for instance the valve lift data, first ensure that a map is available. If not enter a value for the number of points, as shown below, and then press <RETURN>
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+$#>Input Data Data Import Tool
Selecting Data/Manage Data Import from the main window tool-bar, as shown below, opens the Data Import Tool.
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+$#>Input Data - Base Engine Data - General
The base engine data that is required by Lotus Engine Simulation can be broken down into the following categories:
Cycle Type
This data is entered using the Data/Cycle Type menu on the tool bar. This enables the user to specify the cycle type of the engine.
Engine Geometry
Data such as bore, stroke and connecting rod length are entered via the property sheet associated with each Cylinder element in the builder.
Engine Inertia
For Transient Calculations data on the mass and inertia of various components needs to be specified. This is again done from the property sheet associated with each Cylinder element in the builder.
Cylinder and Valve Event Phasing
The timing of each cylinder with respect to TDC of cylinder 1 needs to be specified. Again this is done from the property sheet associated with each Cylinder element in the builder. The timing of the valves is specified via the property sheet associated with each Valve.
The Cylinder Timing Display can be used to view the relative phasing of the cylinder motion and valve events.
+$#>Input Data - Base Engine Data Variables
Bore: Cylinder bore [mm]
Stroke: Cylinder stroke [mm]
Cyl Swept Volume: Displays the swept volume of the current cylinder based on the cylinder dimensions (bore and stroke) entered. This field is provided for information only and is not a user definable property.
Total Swept Volume: Displays the total swept volume of all of the cylinders in the current model. This field is provided for information only and is not a user definable property.
Con-rod length: Length of connecting rod from centre of little-end to centre of big-end [mm].
Pin Off-Set: Piston pin off-set [mm]. Positive towards ant-thrust side of piston.
Compression Ratio: Compression ratio must be greater than 1.0. (Clearance vol.+swept vol.)/(clearance vol.).
Combustion and Heat Transfer: The Combustion and Heat Transfer data section is concerned with defining the types of models to be used for representing the combustion and heat transfer processes and the surface areas and temperatures of various components within the cylinder.
Phase: Phasing of cylinder firing with respect to TDC firing of cylinder 1 [deg.].
Note that the Cylinder Phase Display button can be used to visualise the firing the firing-order (and Valve Lift Profiles Valve) of the cylinders which have been included in the model, as shown below:
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+$#>Input Data - Cylinder Timing Display
The cylinder timing display is used to show cylinder position and associated valve lifts, through the engine cycle. It can be used purely from the Data Entry Module as a visual data checking tool, or it can also be opened from the Results Module as a post processing tool.
The display opened from the data entry module will be similar to the display shown below. This has the timing rose diagram in the bottom left of the screen, the scaled 2d view of the cylinder in the centre and the relevant data to the right of the display. The example shown is for a single intake valve element and a single exhaust valve element. (This can be identified either from the fact that the rose diagram has only one line for inlet and one for exhaust, or from the data widgets the second column of which is greyed out).
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+$ #Input Data - Fuel and Fuel System Data - General
This data is accessed using the Fuel and Fuel System element on the builder interface.
The Fuel and Fuel System data section is concerned with defining the method of introducing the fuel in to the engine (i.e. the combustion system) and specifying the type of fuel to be burnt.
Gasoline, Diesel, Methane, and Methanol fuels can be simulated. The manner by which fuel is introduced to the model is closely linked to the specified combustion system type. For all direct injection / indirect injection engines, fuel is introduced to the cylinder at the same rate as it is combusted. For other combustion system types the fuel is either port injected, where fuel is mixed with the fresh charge flowing through the inlet valves, or added via a carburettor, were fuel is pre-mixed with charge air before being introduced via an inlet.
The properties of each fuel type are displayed but are only editable if the type of fuel selected is User Defined. The fuel types are limited to those composed of C,H, and O atoms only.
+$#>Input Data - Fuel and Fuel System Data Variables
Fuel System: Combustion / fuel delivery system type:
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Carburettor
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Port-Injection
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Direct Injection
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Indirect Injection
Fuel Type: Type of fuel to be burnt in the engine:
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Gasoline
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Diesel
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Methane
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Methanol
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User defined
If the fuel type is User Defined the following data needs to be supplied:
Calorific Value: Calorific value (specific heating value) of fuel [kJ/kg]
Relative Density: Relative density of fuel
Hydrogen / Carbon Ratio of Fuel: Ratio of number of hydrogen atoms (moles) to number of carbon atoms (moles) in fuel.
Oxygen / Carbon Ratio of Fuel: Ratio of number of oxygen atoms (moles) to number of carbon atoms (moles) in fuel.
Fuel Molecular Mass: Mass per kilo-mole of fuel.
Maldistribution Factor: This factor is used to allow for a reduction in the effective calorific value of the fuel due to running rich, dissociation effects, and poor charge mixing. Suggested values for this parameter are: 1.0 for gasoline, diesel, or methanol, and 0.0 for methane. Further information can be obtained in the Theory section.
+$#>Input Data - Combustion and Heat Transfer Data - General
Combustion and Heat Transfer data is accessed through the cylinder property sheet.
The Combustion and Heat Transfer data section is concerned with defining the types of models to be used for representing the combustion and heat transfer processes. Wiebe functions are used to define the heat release rates.
The first window to appear allows direct editing of the Combustion Data. The Heat Transfer data is accessed from the bottom half of this window and is sub-divided into the categories of
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Open cycle
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Closed cycle
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Component Surface Areas
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Component Surface Temperatures
These options are selected using buttons from the lower portion of the main window.
+$#>Input Data - Combustion and Heat Transfer Data - Combustion Model
The option of single or two-part Wiebe functions is available; the two-part Wiebe function should only be used for simulating diesel combustion systems as the second part of the function models the diffusion burning process. For more information on the combustion models used in the Lotus Engine Simulation code see the Theory section.
Data Variables
Type: Type of model for heat release rate:
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Single Wiebe function
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Two-part Wiebe function for diesel combustion systems only
Single Wiebe
Wiebe A: Coefficient A in Wiebe equation (see Theory section)
Wiebe M: Coefficient M in Wiebe equation (see Theory section)
Two-Part Wiebe
Wiebe A: Coefficient A in Wiebe equation (see Theory section)
Wiebe M: Coefficient M in Wiebe equation (see Theory section)
CP1: Coefficient CP1 in Wiebe equation (see Theory section)
CP2: Coefficient CP2 in Wiebe equation (see Theory section)
Fract: Fraction of premixed combustion (between 0 and 1) (see Theory section)
Delay: Delay angle between first and second parts of Wiebe function [deg.] (see Theory section)
Default and User Defined options are available for both single and two-part Wiebe models. The option not selected is greyed out.
+$#>Input Data - Combustion and Heat Transfer Data - Heat Transfer Model
Heat transfer data is accessed via the menu options Open cycle HT and Closed cycle HT which appear in the cylinder property sheet on the righthand-side of the builder interface when a cylinder element is clicked on.
A choice of the Annand, Woschni, or Eichelberg models is available for in-cylinder heat transfer in both the open and closed periods. All three models generate values for the convective heat transfer coefficient in the cylinder; the closed period Annand model includes a term for radiative heat transfer.
The same model is used for all cylinders.
For further information on the heat transfer models used in the Lotus Engine Simulation code see the Theory section.
Data Variables
The variables below are entered for both the open and closed period parts of the cycle, unless indicated otherwise.
Annand Model
A: Annand A coefficient (see Theory section)
B: Annand B coefficient - exponent of Reynolds number (see Theory section)
C: Annand C coefficient - for radiation term in closed period only (see Theory section)
Woschni Model
A: Woschni A coefficient (see Theory section)
B: Woschni B coefficient - mean piston speed factor (see Theory section)
C: Woschni C coefficient Swirl speed factor (see Theory section)
D: Woschni D coefficient - factor for closed period pressure differential (see Theory section)
G: compression / expansion index closed period (see Theory section)
SR: swirl ratio
Eichelberg
A: Eichelberg A coefficient (see Theory)
B: Eichelberg B coefficient exponent of product of cylinder pressure and temperature (see Theory)
Default values for all the above coefficients are provided by the interface but it is often necessary to tune these values to achieve a good correlation for both volumetric efficiency and heat transfer. For the Annand model it is recommended that only the A coefficient is tuned. For the Woschni model it is recommended that the B and C coefficients are tuned, but an experienced user may wish to adjust only the swirl ratio term. For the Eichelberg model it is suggested that the A coefficient should be adjusted.
An essential element in modelling the heat transfer in an engine is the specification of the component surface areas and temperatures. The data windows for this information are described below.
+$#>Input Data - Combustion and Heat Transfer Data - Component Surface Areas
Component surface area data is accessed through the cylinder property sheet.
Because the detailed combustion chamber geometry is not entered as data it is necessary to provide other means of defining the relevant areas for heat transfer calculations. This is done simply by defining the cylinder head and piston surface areas as factors of the cylinder bore area.
Default values can be selected for surface area ratios or can be defined by the user. If the user defined option is selected the required data is entered into a spreadsheet. This data can be assigned as being common to all the cylinders or can be defined for each individual cylinder.
Note that in order to enter data into the spreadsheet the correct number of cylinders must first be set in the Base Engine data window.
Data Variables
Head / Bore: Ratio of cylinder head area to cylinder bore cross-sectional area
Piston / Bore: Ratio of piston surface area to cylinder bore cross-sectional area
Exp. Liner: Length of liner exposed by piston at TDC [mm].
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+$#>Input Data - Combustion and Heat Transfer Data - Component Surface Temperatures
This data is accessed through the cylinder property sheet.
The heat transfer calculation requires values for the gas-side surface temperatures of the combustion chamber. This can be achieved by entering the component temperatures directly or by specifying the material type and coolant properties or the thermal resistance of the cylinder head / piston crown / cylinder liner wall. The data required by the various options is described below. Information on the thermal network model itself is given in the Theory section. The simulation calculates the gas-side wall temperature using a one-dimensional heat flux calculation.
Define material and coolant properties
This option enables the user to select a material type from a drop-down menu. If the material type desired does not feature on the list a user defined material type may be created by entering the thermal conductivity in the appropriate value box. The data can be defined as common to all cylinders, or can be defined on an individual basis. Arrow buttons are used to toggle through the number of cylinders.
As part of the thermal network calculation it is necessary to specify a coolant temperature, a wall / coolant heat transfer coefficient, and a component wall thickness. Default values (given in the Theory section) are available or user may specify these values directly. The data can be defined as common to all cylinders, or can be defined on an individual basis. Arrow buttons are used to toggle through the number of cylinders.
Define overall thermal resistance and coolant temperatures
It is possible to define the overall thermal resistance for the transfer of heat from the cylinder to the coolant using this option. The respective coolant temperatures are also required default or user defined values may be specified.
Define inner wall temperatures for components
This option enables the user to enter the component surface temperature directly.
Note: Some values for the piston are difficult to define and in the cases where data for the piston is not requested the heat transfer rate though this component is calculated as a ratio of that through the cylinder head.
Data Variables
Cylinder head / Piston / Liner: material properties (thermal conductivity [W/m/K]) / coolant properties (temp. [oC]; wall / coolant heat transfer coefficient [W/m2/K]; wall thickness [mm]), or thermal resistance [mm2/K/W] and coolant temperature [oC].
+$#>Input Data - Scavenge Model Data - General
This data is accessed via the cylinder property sheet.
The Scavenge Model Data is used to define the way in which the in-coming charge to the cylinder is mixed with the cylinder contents. These models affect the values of volumetric efficiency predicted by the code.
The simplest model is the Perfect Mixing model and this assumes that any gas entering the cylinder is instantaneously and homogeneously mixed with the gas in the cylinder. This is the default scavenging model for all cylinders and results in the most pessimistic performance predictions because it releases some intake charge to the exhaust in the gas exchange process as soon as any inflow to the cylinder has occurred.
In the Perfect Displacement model assumes that any charge gas entering the cylinder does not mix with the gas currently held within it. This ensures that any gas flowing out of the exhaust valve during the valve overlap period is composed entirely of combustion products until all the residual gas has been removed.
The Benson and Brandham model is a hybrid of the perfect mixing and perfect displacement models in which a pre-defined portion of the scavenging process is characterised by the perfect displacement model, after which the perfect mixing model takes over.
For further details of these and the Blair model see the Theory.
No additional variables are required by the Perfect Mixing and the Perfect Displacement models. The Blair model requires additional data that is empirically derived.
+$#>Input Data - Scavenge Model Data Variables
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Constant A: Scavenge ratio up to which displacement scavenging is used in Benson / Brandham model, or Constant A in Blair model (see Theory).
Constant B: Constant B in Blair model (see Theory section).
Constant C: Constant C in Blair model (see Theory section).
This data is accessed via property sheets associated with the port element in the builder interface.
The Port Data property sheet allows the user to specify the port flow characteristics obtained from steady flow rig tests. This data is then used in conjunction with valve lift data in order to calculate the effective flow area of port and valve assemblies at any crank angle in the engine cycle. Note that a port data should only be used in conjunction with a poppet valve element in the builder.
Ideally the user should be in possession of flow rig data measured for the port / valve assembly concerned (User Cf curve ..). If this data is not available Default Good and Default Poor port data can be selected which are derived from curve fits of the Lotus port flow data base. The default characteristics differ for intake and exhaust ports.
The option also exists for the user to specify the port flow coefficient at 0.3 L/D (User Cf at 0.3 L/D). With this option the program interpolates between (and extrapolates beyond) the default good and poor flow curves in order to generate a flow characteristic that achieves the required flow coefficient at 0.3 L/D.
For further information on the heat transfer models used in the Lotus Engine Simulation code see the Theory section.
+$#>Input Data - Port Data Variables
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+$#>Input Data - Valve Data - General
This data is accessed via property sheets associated with the port element in the builder interface
The user may select any one of the following valve element options:
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Poppet valve;
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Self-acting reed valves;
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Disc valves;
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Piston port;
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User specified angle area curve.
These options are selected from the element list menus on the left of the builder interface. Any combination of valve types can be used on an engine. Note that port data should only be used in conjunction with the poppet valve option.
A description of the data variables required by each valve type can be seen by clicking on the links above.
More detailed descriptions of the models can be found in the Theorysection
+$#>Input Data Valve Data - Poppet Valve Lift Options
The valve lift profiles may be specified by one of four options:
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Default fast lift polynomial;
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Default slow lift polynomial;
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User specified polynomial;
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User specified angle / lift data
With each of the options the valve lift duration is specified by the number of crank degrees between valve opening (AVO) and valve closing (AVC). Valve timings can be modified either directly by changing the opening and closing timings or by changing the MOP (maximum opening point) value this enables the user to advance or retard the cam timing and maintain the period by adjusting only a single number. Note that if the opening and closing timings are being edited the MOP value box is greyed-out and is modified automatically. Conversely, if the MOP value is edited the opening and closing value boxes are greyed out and are modified automatically.
When the user specified angle/lift ordinate data option is used the lift profile data are linearly scaled so that the lift duration matches that specified with AVO and AVC. The advantage of this scaling is that the user may specify one generic valve lift profile and perform valve timing sensitivity studies by changing only one or two numbers (ie AVO and AVC) in the input data file.
With each of the lift profile options the maximum valve lift is specified by the maximum valve lift AVLM. When the user specified angle/lift ordinate data option is used the lift profile is linearly scaled so that the maximum valve lift matches that specified with AVLM. Users who wish to perform valve timing sensitivity studies should be aware that the maximum achievable valve lift reduces with reducing lift duration. Thus in order to generate realistic valve timing trade-offs the maximum lift should be adjusted with the valve lift duration.
It should be noted that the Lotus Concept Valvetrain tool can be used to generate actual cam profiles which can be downloaded directly into the poppet valve lift data using the Close Make Current option.
Polynomial Lift Curves
The default lift curves employ a polynomial consisting of four coefficients and four exponents. The nature of the polynomial is such that the sum of the coefficients is -1.
The coefficients of the default lift curves are given in the Theory section.
The default and user specified polynomial lift options allow the user to input a maximum lift dwell angle. This is the number of degrees at which the valve remains at maximum lift after the opening before starting to close. The dwell angle should not be a negative number.
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+$#>Input Data Valve Data - Self Actuating Reed Valves
A relatively simple self acting reed valve model is employed in the Lotus Engine Simulation code. The model employs a spring mass representation of the valve/reed that is forced to move between the valve seat and the lift stop by the pressure on either side of the valve and the area over which this pressure acts. It is assumed that there is no valve bounce on either the valve stop or the valve seat. This implies that the self-acting valve is well matched to the application. For details of the reed valve model see the Theory section.
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+$#>Input Data Valve Data - Disc Valves
The disc-valve model calculates the flow area of a port which is covered and uncovered by a disc which rotates at crankshaft speed. The flow area is calculated from the area of the port that is uncovered by the disc-valve and the disc-valve discharge coefficient. The discharge coefficient is assumed to reduce with increasing area from 1.0 to the value for the fully uncovered port provided by the user. For further details of the disc-valve model see the Theory section.
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+$#>Input Data Valve Data - Piston Ported Valves
The piston ported valve model calculates the flow area of a port which is covered and uncovered by moving piston. The flow area is calculated from the area of the port that is uncovered by the piston and the port discharge coefficient. The discharge coefficient is assumed to reduce with increasing area from 1.0 to the value for the fully uncovered port provided by the user. For further details of this model see the Theory section.
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+$#>Input Data - Valve Data - User Specified Angle Area Ordinates
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+$#>Input Data - Pipe Data - General
The data defining the pipe geometry, material type, and surface roughness is entered in the property sheet associated with each pipe. Four basic types of pipes exist which can be picked directly from the tool-kit on the lefthand-side of the builder interface: pipes, virtual pipes, pipe bundles, and bends.
Pipes
The normal type of pipe included in a model is assumed to have a straight centre-line so that no flow losses associated with turning flows other are characterised. For more information on this model see the Theory section.
Virtual Pipes
The second pipe in the Pipes tool-kit (depicted by a dashed green line) represents a virtual pipe which is simply a means of connecting one point in a model to another eg the end of a pipe to a plenum. Virtual pipes have no properties associated with them but are useful in laying out the schematic of an engine model.
Pipe Bundles
The pipe bundle is a simple mechanism for representing a group of similar pipes by a single pipe. It is useful for the modelling of exhaust catalyst bricks or charge-cooler passages.
The pipe bundle element has identical properties to the Pipe Element, except that it includes a Count Multiplier, which is used to multiply the pipe bundles contribution at each end.
The 1-D Assumption
The flow of gas within pipe elements is assumed to be one-dimensional, inviscid, compressible, and unsteady. Disturbances generated by the periodic nature of the engine operating cycle propagate as plane waves in the pipe elements and reflect at geometrical discontinuities such as pipe junctions, plenums, and valves, and at thermodynamic discontinuities such as contact surfaces and shock waves. Tapered pipes can be defined by specifying different diameters at the pipe ends; these elements produce gradual reflections of waves which pass through them. Secondary flow losses in these tapers can be accounted for See the Theory section.
Pipe Mesh Points
Pipes are spatially discretized by defining a number of meshes within them. This can be done manually, or by using the automatic mesh generator. Mesh lengths of between 1 and 2 cm for inlet pipes and 2 and 3 cm for exhaust pipes are recommended if the pipes are meshed manually. The user should be aware that the optimum mesh-size is engine speed dependent. Setting the mesh size effectively fixes the absolute time step of the calculation. At higher engine speeds this time can encompass several degrees crankangle. This means that relatively large changes in the conditions within a cylinder, for example, may occur over one time step and this affects the accuracy of the simulation. Although various checks are implemented in sub-models to prevent excessive time steps, the pipe mesh size should be reduced for very high engine speeds. (Note that if the Pipe Auto Meshoption is set to ON, and additional, higher speed test points are added, or the highest speed points are removed, then the number of meshes in the pipes will be automatically be reset this may prevent previously saved *.Prs files from loading correctly See *.Prs Results). The options for setting pipe mesh data are accessed from the Data menu on the toolbar.
Automated Mesh Refinement
The pipe mesh can be allowed to automatically refine during the calculation. This can be activated by selecting Pipe Mesh Auto-Refine from the Data menu on the toolbar. When the pipe mesh auto-refine is Enabled, the simulation checks the spatial and temporal pressure and density variation. If the non-dimensional pressure or density variation at any mesh point is greater than the refinement limit, the Auto Mesh refine routine will double the number of meshes in that pipe See the Theory section.
Pipe Dimensions
Pipes with continually varying cross-sectional area can be defined by specifying the equivalent pipe diameter at up to 20 points along their centre-line. The pipe geometry is defined in the spreadsheet generated via the All dimensions button and can be visualised either by clicking on the graphical display button in this spreadsheet or by using the more powerful Pipe graphical display button. The latter option allows the user to view the position of the specified diameters and the pipe mesh points within the pipes. Note that the equivalent diameter should be based on the pipe cross-sectional area and not the pipe wetted perimeter (i.e. the hydraulic diameter).
The pipe geometry which has been specified can be visualised using the Pipe Graphical Display facility on the pipe data property sheets. The mesh points within the pipe can be displayed on the same diagram by clicking on the icon represented by the red circles. From this display the user can also view any up and downstream pipes which are attached to the pipe in focus.
Note that abrupt changes in pipe cross-sectional area should not be modelled using a single pipe the pipe should be split at this point.
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+$#>Input Data - Pipe Data Variables
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+$#>Input Data - Pipe Bundle Data Variables
The Pipe Bundle is a simple mechanism for representing a group of similar pipes by a single pipe. It is useful for the modelling of exhaust catalyst bricks or charge-cooler passages.
The pipe bundle data variables are identical to those of the Pipe Element, except that it includes a count multiplier. The count multiplier simply represents the number of instances that a pipe having the same attributes occurs (for example the number of passages in a catalyst brick See Catalyst Super Elements) and is simply used to multiply the pipe bundles contribution at each end.
When replacing a group of identical pipes with a single pipe bundle element, the pipe bundle element should be given the same pipe length, diameter and wall roughness properties as one of the pipes being replaced. The count multiplier should be set to the number of identical pipes that the bundle element is being used in place of.
+$#>Input Data - Pipe Bend Data Variables
Pipe bends (the third type of pipe element) can be included in the engine model by selecting the element which lies second from the bottom of the Pipes tool-kit. These elements differ from the standard pipe type by the requirement to supply the additional two properties of bend angle and bend radius. The additional flow losses produced by these elements are included in the model by the use of steady flow data (taken from ref. 1) which enables the effective pipe wall friction factor to be calculated based on the Reynolds (either the instantaneous or cycle averaged depending upon the Pipe Wall Friction Setting) number through the bend. For more information on this model see the Theory section.
Pipe Bend Angle: Angle through which pipe turns.
[deg]
Bend Radius: Radius of pipe bend (average)
[mm]
Note that the bend geometry specified can be viewed and edited using the Pipe Graphical Display facility, as shown below.
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+$#>Input Data - Pressure-Loss Junction Data Variables
Pipe junctions are formed in the model by linking together pipe ends. This normally forms a constant pressure junction. A special pipe junction model, which accounts for the effects on the flow caused by the angles at which the pipes forming the junction meet can be used by dropping the element at the bottom of the pipe tool-kit list onto a conventional junction. The model enables the user to specify the angular displacement of the pipes which is used by the code to calculate flow losses in the junction.
This type of model is especially appropriate for junctions in high-speed engines. For more information on the model itself, and junctions in general, see the Theory section.
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+$#>Input Data - Plenum Data Variables
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+$#>Input Data - Throttle Data
The data defining the throttles in the pipe network is entered in the property sheet associated with each throttle element.
The throttle option specifies the characteristics of flow devices, having known flow area, which are used to connect one element to another. The throttle element can be used to provide restrictions in the exhaust an inlet systems to provide an additional source of pressure loss in the model (e.g. to reduce inlet depression, or increase exhaust back-pressure). Note that only one pipe, plenum, or other element can be connected to each side of a throttle.
The throttle element essentially requires two items of data, geometric flow area and flow coefficient (). The product of the geometric flow area and the
then gives the effective flow area of the throttle. Different data can be supplied for flow in the nominal forward and reverse directions. See the Theory section for more details.
Throttle Type
Throttles may be specified as one of the following types:
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Simple Area
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Butterfly
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Slide Plate
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Slide Valve
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Barrel Valve
These throttle types are used to define the geometric fluid flow area, normal to the direction of flow.
Discharge Data Type
The definition of the throttle flow coefficient, , is defined in the Theory section.
data can be supplied to Lotus Engine Simulation in a number of ways:
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CF Fixed Value
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CF 1D Spline
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CF 2D Map
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Mass Flow 1D Spline
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Mass Flow 2D Map
Each of the methods for specifying the throttle geometric data can be used with any of the above options.
Note that it is possible to specify different sets of data for forward and reverse flow directions by selecting the appropriate options from the Discharge Directionality menu shown below.
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+$#>Input Data - Simple Area Throttle
This throttle geometry option allows the user to specify directly the geometric flow area of the throttle.
Data Variables
Minimum C.S.A. :
Cross sectional area of the throttle. This value can be entered directly, or an equivalent diameter can be entered.
Eqiv. Diameter :
Can be entered in place of the cross-sectional area.
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Input Data - Butterfly Throttle+$#>
Input Data - Slide Plate Throttle
+$#>Input Data - Slide Valve Throttle
This throttle geometry option allows the user to enter geometry data specifically related to a slide valve type throttle from which Lotus Engine Simulation will calculate the geometric flow area of the throttle.
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+$#>Input Data - Barrel Throttle
This throttle geometry option allows the user to enter geometry data specifically related to a barrel type throttle from which Lotus Engine Simulation will calculate the geometric flow area of the throttle.
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+$#>Input Data - Compressor, Turbine, Supercharger and Charge Cooler Data - General
Turbochargers
Turbocharging equipment is modelled by selecting a turbocharger element from the Machines tool-kit. Data for compressors, turbines, and charge coolers is entered in separate sections.
Turbochargers are modelled as compressors and turbines on a common free-spinning shaft. The instantaneous compressor and turbine performance is derived from non-dimensionalized characteristic maps.
The input data structure has been designed to be as similar as possible to that published in the SAE J1826 turbocharger gas stand test recommended practice. The provision of mass flow, pressure ratio, speed and efficiency scaling factors to allow the user to scale a base map to fine tune a particular compressor / turbine characteristic to a given engine application.
Scaling factors can be applied to compressor and turbine speeds, mass flows, pressure ratios, and efficiencies by clicking on the Scale Factors option on the Tool Bar for the compressor/turbine data sheet. This generates a menu with options to set the scale factors for the compressor and turbine data. Once a selection has been made a table appears into which the relevant scale factors are entered.
The Tool Bar also offers the facility to copy a set of characteristics from one compressor/turbine/cooler to another. This saves much repetitive data entry if multiple turbochargers are used which are identical.
Further details of the approach used to simulate turbocharged engines can be found in the Theory section.
Turbines
In addition to turbines which comprise part of turbocharger assemblies, individual turbines can be added to the model, using the turbine element. This element is intended to represent a device for the conversion of exhaust gas energy into work for an auxiliary power system. The work produced is not added to the engine crankshaft work.
Compressors
In addition to compressors which comprise part of turbocharger assemblies, individual compressors can be introduced into the model, using the compressor element, and can be assigned as either being driven from the engine crankshaft or an electric motor. In the former case the compressor work is subtracted from the engine crankshaft directly; in the latter case the compressor work is calculated but is not subtracted from the crankshaft work.
Superchargers
Positive displacement superchargers are modelled by selecting the supercharger element from the Machines toolkit. The power required to drive the supercharger element is subtracted from the available crankshaft power. For further details on modelling supercharged engines see the Theory section.
Expanders
Positive displacement expander element can be modelled by selecting the expander element from the Machines toolkit. The expander element can be considered as a supercharger working in reverse. The user can specify if the power generated by the expander is fed to the crankshaft or not.
Charge-coolers
Charge coolers provide a means by which heat is subtracted from (or supplied to) the gas in the engine simulation model. Charge-coolers can be modelled by selecting the charge-cooler element from the Machines toolkit. The characteristics of the charge cooler are supplied in the form of pressure loss, coolant temperature and effectiveness verses mass flow rate ordinate data, see the Theory section .
Alternatively, depending upon the geometry of the device and the data available, it may appropriate to model a charge-cooler using the pipe bundle mode.
Wastegates
Turbochargers fitted with wastegates can be modelled by using the appropriate combination of pipes and throttles to by-pass the turbocharger turbine. A pre-built group of elements exists in the model builder tool-kitwhich also contains the relevant control elements necessary to actuate the wastegate.
+$#>Input Data - Compressor Data Variables
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+$#>Input Data - Turbine Data Variables
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+$#>Input Data - Supercharger Data Variables
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+$#>Input Data Turbo Machines- Data Conversion Tool
The modelling of turbo machines in 1d simulation is based around the use of steady state performance maps. These maps of Mass Flow, Pressure Ratio and Efficiency are normally supplied by the Turbo Machine manufacturer, the exact form and units of which tend to vary from supplier to supplier.
To assist in producing data that is in the right form and in the correct units a utility tool is available for use in the importing a manipulation of maps. The tool provides combinations of unit corrections, scale factors and reference point resetting. The tool can be opened from the data sheet menubar of the Turbocharger and the Centrifugal compressor. It is also available direct from the main menu bar Tools / Turbo Machines Data conversion Tool.
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+$#>Input Data - Inlet Boundary Data
The Inlet and Exit Boundary elements define the extremities of the intake and exhaust system models. The variation of the inlet air pressure and temperature with engine speed can be specified in the Boundary Data spreadsheet for an inlet. Note that this data can also be defined via the Steady-State Test Conditions Menu. Note also that no boundary data can be entered into the spread sheet menu until the steady-state test conditions have been defined.
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+$#>Input Data Mechanical Links Data Variables
Mechanical links currently are only relevant for transient analysis where they provide a means of defining not only the connection from the cylinder to the load, (this is assumed under steady state runs), but also define the inertia properties of the crankshaft. In future releases where multiple crankshafts are supported these mechanical links will then also define connectivity order and ratios between crankshafts.
Mechanical links can only be connected to the mechanical link connection on a cylinder, (the visibility of this needs to be set to on), and the output connection to a load, (as usual virtual links can be used to ease visual placement on the network).
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+$#>Input Data Loads Data Variables
Mechanical links currently are only relevant for transient analysis where they provide a means of defining not only the connection from the cylinder to the load, (this is assumed under steady state runs), but also define the inertia properties of the crankshaft. In future releases where multiple crankshafts are supported these mechanical links will then also define connectivity order and ratios between crankshafts.
Mechanical links can only be connected to the mechanical link connection on a cylinder, (the visibility of this needs to be set to on), and the output connection to a load, (as usual virtual links can be used to ease visual placement on the network).
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+$#>Input Data - Intake/Exhaust Super Elements - General
At present there are two basic types of Super-elements; Silencer Super-elements and Catalyst Super-elements.
Silencer Super-Elements
There are two basic types of silencer type: reactive silencers and resistive silencers. Simple examples of reactive silences include Helmholtz and quarter-wave resonators these devices attempt to reflect the acoustic energy carried by the pressure perturbations, generated by the engine, back toward the noise source. They exploit the mechanism of reflection and transmission of sound waves at geometrical discontinuities in ducts to control the control the acoustic power generated by the source and transmitted along the manifold. Obviously such devices are effective only over relatively narrow frequency ranges around their natural frequencies.
Resistive (also known as dissipative or absorptive) silencers are very common, being found in most silencers, and make use of sound-absorptive material to dissipate the acoustic energy as heat. Typically a perforated duct separates the main exhaust pipe from a cavity which is filled with the absorptive material. This kind of silencer provides good attenuation over a large frequency band but gives poor attenuation at low frequencies.
The concept of Silencer Super Elements is to allow the user to develop models of complex intake or exhaust silencer components rapidly. Silencer elements are generally composed of a number of pipes and volumes. A Silencer Super Element provides a way of automatically interpreting the geometry of a multi-element component and constructing an equivalent one-dimensional pipe network model.
A screen-shot from the Super Element interface for a reactive silencer element is shown below.
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+$#>Input Data - Silencer Super Elements Data Variables
Label: Text entered here serves only as a reminder for the user and appears as a comment line in the *.sim file.
Silencer Type: Choice of Silencer Super Element type:
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Simple (No Inserts)
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+$#>Input Data - Perforate Silencer Super Elements Data Variables
Label: Text entered here serves only as a reminder for the user and appears as a comment line in the *.sim file.
Silencer Type: Choice of Super Element type:
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+$#>Input Data - Catalyst Super Elements Data Variables
Label: Text entered here serves only as a reminder for the user and appears as a comment line in the *.sim file.
Silencer Type: Choice of Super Element type:
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Catalyst Single Brick
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+$#>Input Data - Test Conditions Data - General
The test conditions define the engine operating conditions at which the simulation is to be performed. This data is accessed via the Data Menu on the toolbar. Two types of test condition can be specified: Steady-State and Transient.
+$#>Input Data - Steady State Test Conditions Data - General
Steady state test conditions can be used to define a series of discrete fixed speed tests conditions for the engine model. A steady state operating condition also needs to be defined for the starting point of a transient test see Transient Tests. The steady state test conditions menu is accessed via the Data Menu on the toolbar, as shown below, or by clicking on the Steady State Test Conditions - Summary Icon. The most powerful way of editing the steady state test conditions data is through the steady state test conditions summary.
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+$#>Input Data - Test Conditions - Steady State Create Wizard
Create Wizard
The Steady State Test Conditions Create Wizard can be opened by clicking on the Data menu and then on Test Conditions, another menu will appear allow Steady State Create Wizard to be selected, as shown below.
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+$#>Input Data - Steady State Test Conditions Data Test Points
In the Test Points Menu it is possible to specify a range of different engine speeds at which steady state simulations are to be performed.
Test Point: Test points can be added to the list by pressing the left hand mouse button, whilst the mouse pointer is positioned over Test Point Column. A Pop-Up menu will appear, which enables test points to be created, copied or deleted.
The maximum number of user defined test conditions is currently limited to 50, but this can be increased in required.
Speed: Engine crankshaft speed (rev./min.).
Solve: Can either be set to On or Off. Once test points have been defined, individual points can be activated or de-activated. The user should check that all points that are to be run are set to On before a simulation is submitted.
Label: Text entered here serves only as a reminder for the user and appears as a comment line in the *.sim file.
Case Type: Three case types are available, Builder Default, Load Finder (Simple) and Load Finder (Bounded). The type of calculation to be performed can be selected by pressing the left hand mouse button, whilst the mouse pointer is positioned over the Case Type Column. A Pop-Up menu will appear, which enables the test type to be selected.
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Builder Default - the model will be run at the defined test speed, using the model geometry defined in the builder window.
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Load Finder (Simple) the load finder will run the model at the defined test speed and attempt to match the output of the engine to that specified for the Load Finder Value. The output of the engine will be controlled by varying the control variable of the specified control group. The model will be run for a specified number of engine cycles (No Cylces (1)) using the default value for the load finder variable. The Load Finder will modify the Load Finder Variable, using damped linear scaling, to attempt to match the engine output to the Load Finder Value, the model will run for No Cycles (2) before changing the Load Finder Value again. Note that using the simple method, the Load Finder will assume that a reduction in the Load Finder Variable will load to a reduction in engine output. It should also be noted that due to the way the Load Finder seeks the desired engine output, the number of engine cycles before the Convergence Check should be increased significantly.
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Load Finder (Bounded) - the load finder will run the model at the defined test speed and attempt to match the output of the engine to that specified for the Load Finder Value. The output of the engine will be controlled by varying the control variable of the specified control group. The model will be run for a specified number of engine cycles (No Cylces (1)) using the Upper Bound value for the Load Finder Variable. The model will then be run for No Cylces (1) using the Lower Bound value for the Load Finder Variable. Subsequently the Load Finder will run the model for No Cycles (2) and evaluate the Load Finder Variable based on the Secant method. The Bounded version of the load finder is able to determine the correct direction in which to vary the Load Finder Variable in order to achieve the Load Finder Value. However, in some circumstances more engine cycles may need to be computed before convergence is achieved. Again, it should also be noted that due to the way the Load Finder seeks the desired engine output, the number of engine cycles before the Convergence Check should be increased significantly.
Load Finder Data
Load Finder Units: The units for the Load Finder Value can be specified by pressing the left hand mouse button, whilst the mouse pointer is positioned over Load Finder Units Column. A Pop-Up menu will appear, which enables the Load Finder units to be selected.
Load Finder Value: The engine output value that the Load Finder will attempt to converge on. The units of the Load Finder Value will be those specified in the Load Finder Units filed.
Control Group: The element group is specified see Element Groups. The Load Finder will vary the Control Variable of this Control Group to attempt to match the engine output to the Load Finder Value.
Control Variable: The Control Variable is the parameter of the Control Group which will be actuated by the Load Finder.
Upper Bound: Only applicable if Load Finder (Bounded) is selected for the Case Type option. The value entered in this item will be used as the initial Load Finder Value.
Lower Bound: Only applicable if Load Finder (Bounded) is selected for the Case Type option. The value entered in this item will be used as the second Load Finder Value.
No of Cycles (1): If Load Finder (Simple) is selected for the Case Type option, then the value entered in this item will determine the number of cycles that the model runs, using the default value for the Load Finder Variable. If Load Finder (Bounded) is selected for the Case Type option, then the value entered in this item will determine the number of cycles that the model runs with the Load Finder Variable set at the Upper Bound, then at the Lower Bound.
No of Cycles (2): If Load Finder (Simple) is selected for the Case Type option, then the value entered in this item will determine the number of cycles that the model is run, with a constant each Load Finder Value, subsequent to the initial period of No of Cycles (1). If Load Finder (Bounded) is selected for the Case Type option, then the value entered in this item will determine the number of cycles the model runs, with a constant Load Finder Value, subsequent to the runs with the Load Finder Variable set at the Upper Bound and Lower Bound.
+$#>Input Data Steady State Test Conditions Data Heat Release Phase
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The Heat Phase Menu is used to enter the combustion heat release timing data See Theory section for details.
Test Point: The test point numbers (defined in the Test Points Menu) appear in this column.
Speed: Engine crankshaft speed (rev./min.).
Phase Option: The option selected in this column determines the method for specifying the phasing of the heat release calculation. Pressing the left hand mouse button whilst the mouse cursor is over this column will activate a Pop-Up menu which allows the desired Phase Option to be selected. The definition of the combustion phasing is a function of the type of fuel being used. It is notoriously difficult to reliably measure both the start and end of combustion in spark-ignited gasoline and methanol fuelled engines. An approach has therefore been adopted by which the combustion phasing of these engines is defined as the number of crank degrees after TDC firing at which 50% of the fuel has been burnt. (Note a negative crankangle value implies an angle of 50% burn before TDC). For diesel (and some gas) engines, however, the start and end of combustion are more easily obtained. Thus for all other engines the combustion phasing is defined as the number of crank degrees before TDC at which combustion starts. (Note a negative crank angle value for these engines implies a start of combustion timing after TDC)
Default Heat Release Phase: Default heat release phase angles are available for all combustion systems. For Carburettor/Port Injected - Gasoline/Methanol engines the heat release phase is given as the angle of 50% burn (degrees ATDC). For all other combustion systems the heat release phase is given as the start of combustion timing (degree BTDC) - see Theory section for details.
User Defined Heat Release Phase: See above. Note that it is possible to specify this data individually or by making the values for cylinder number 1 common to all cylinders setting using the Cylinder Data option - see Theory section for details.
User Defined Initial Heat Release and Target Pmax: User defined starting heat release phase and target maximum cylinder pressure for all cylinders. With this option the heat release phase is automatically advances or retarded by the program such that the maximum cylinder pressure achieved the target maximum pressure - see Theory section for details.
User Defined Most Advanced Heat Release and Limiting Pmax: User defined most advanced heat release phase and limiting maximum cylinder pressure for all cylinders. With this option the heat release phase is automatically retarded by the program such that the maximum cylinder pressure never exceeds the target maximum pressure. This may be used as a first order correction for knock on gasoline engines - see Theory section for details. Note that it is possible to specify this data individually or by making the values for cylinder number 1 common to all cylinders by using the Cylinder Data option.
Cylinder Data: If anything other than Default Heat Release Phase is selected for the Phase Option, then the Phase Angle data and Pmax data can be set individually for each cylinder. Pressing the left hand mouse button whilst the mouse cursor is over this column will activate a Pop-Up menu which allows the desired Cylinder Data option to be selected.
Cylinder No.: If the Cylinder Data option is set to Individual the cylinder numbers will appear in this column.
Phase Angle: 50% burn point (Crank degrees ATDC). This is either set individually, or for all cylinders, depending upon the setting specified selected for Cylinder Data.
Pmax: Depending upon the selection for the Phase Option, field is used to enter the Target Pmax value or the Limiting Pmax value.
Note that the Combustion Analysis tool can be used to analyse cylinder pressure data in order to obtain heat release data at each engine speed. The results can then be written to the simulation data file using the Close Make Current option.
A facility which can be used to reduce the amount of data entered in the Test Conditions section is the Copy Data to All Test Points option which copies all the data in the sheet which is open to all the engine test points.
The Heat Period Menu is used to enter the combustion heat release duration data See Theory section for details.
Test Point: The test point numbers (defined in the Test Points Menu) appear in this column.
Speed: Engine crankshaft speed (rev./min.).
Period Option: The option selected in this column determines the method for specifying the combustion duration for the heat release calculation. Pressing the left hand mouse button whilst the mouse cursor is over this column will activate a Pop-Up menu which allows the desired Period Option to be selected. The definition of the combustion duration is a function of the type of fuel being used. It is notoriously difficult to reliably measure both the start and end of combustion in spark ignited gasoline and methanol fuelled engines. An approach has therefore been adopted by which the combustion duration of these engines is defined as the number of crank degrees between 10% and 90% mass fraction burnt. For diesel (and some gas) engines the start and end of combustion are more easily obtained. Thus for all other engines the combustion duration is defined as the number of crank degrees between 0 and 100% mass fraction burn.
Default Combustion Duration: Default heat release duration values are available for all combustion systems. These are mainly intended to allow the user to quickly develop a new model and should not be relied upon for accurate modelling of each combustion system / fuel type combination. - see Theory section for details.
User Defined Combustion Duration: User Defined Heat Release Phase: See above. Note that it is possible to specify this data individually or by making the values for cylinder number 1 common to all cylinders by using the Cylinder Data list box - see Theory section for details.
User Defined Mass Fraction Burned Curves: With this option the user may specify the variation of mass fraction burned with crank angle in order to define the combustion duration. Note that it is possible to specify this data individually or by making the values for cylinder number 1 common to all cylinders by using the Cylinder Data list box. This data will over-ride the data entered for the Combustion Model.
Cylinder Data: If either User Defined Combustion Duration or User Defined Mass Fraction Burn Curves options are selected for the Period Option, then the data can be entered individually for each cylinder. Pressing the left hand mouse button whilst the mouse cursor is over this column will activate a Pop-Up menu which allows the desired Cylinder Data option to be selected.
Cylinder No.: If the Cylinder Data option is set to Individual the cylinder numbers will appear in this column.
Release Period: If the Period Option is set to User Defined Combustion Duration then this column is used to enter the combustion duration. The heat release phasing is set by the data entered in the Heat Release Phase Menu. The shape of the heat release curve will be set by the data specified in the combustion model. This is either set individually, or for all cylinders, depending up the option specified in Cylinder Data.
No. of Points: If the Period Option is set to User Defined Mass Fraction Burn Curves then this column is used to enter the number of points that will be used to specify the mass fraction burn curve.
List Data: If the Period Option is set to User Defined Mass Fraction Burn Curves then this column is used, via a Pop-up menu, to toggle the display of the mass fraction burned data in the Angle and Mass Fraction columns.
Angle: If the Period Option is set to User Defined Mass Fraction Burn Curves then this column is used to enter the angle data for the mass fraction burn curve. The mass fraction burned angle data must start at 0 degrees. This column is only visible of the List Data option is set to 'On'.
Mass Fraction: If the Period Option is set to User Defined Mass Fraction Burn Curves then this column is used to enter the mass fraction burned data. The mass fraction burned data is entered as a value between 0 and 1 and the data must start at 0 and finish at 1. This column is only visible of the List Data option is set to 'On'.
Note that the Combustion Analysis tool can be used to analyse cylinder pressure data in order to obtain heat release data at each engine speed. The results can then be written to the simulation data file using the 'Close Make Current' option.
A facility which can be used to reduce the amount of data entered in the Test Conditions section is the 'Copy Data to All Test Points' option which copies all the data in the sheet which is open to all the engine test points.
+$#>Input Data Steady State Test Conditions Data Fuelling
The Fuelling Menu is used to enter the fuelling data - See Theory section for details.
Test Point: The test point numbers (defined in the Test Points Menu) appear in this column.
Speed: Engine crankshaft speed (rev./min.).
Combustion Option: There are three options available for the combustion option, which can be specified using the Pop-up menu. The user can opt to specify a combustion efficiency value, a combustion efficiency value and a mal-distribution factor, or neither.
Combustion Efficiency: Combustion efficiency, defined as the fraction of the fuel delivered to the cylinder or trapped in the cylinder that is burnt. (ratio) (normally = 1.0). This column is only activated if 'Combustion Efficiency' or 'Efficiency + Maldistribution' have been selected in the Combustion Option column.
Mal-Distribution Factor: This has the same definition as the mal-distribution factor that is provided/defined by the fuel specification, however the value specified here will override that previously defined in order to tune individual test points. This factor is used to allow for a reduction in the effective calorific value of the fuel due to running rich, dissociation effects, and poor charge mixing. Suggested values for this parameter are: 1.0 for gasoline, diesel, or methanol, and 0.0 for methane. Further information can be obtained in the Theory section.
Fuelling Option: The fuelling option is used to select how the amount of fuel added to the cylinder will be specified. Pressing the left hand mouse button whilst the mouse cursor is over this column will activate a Pop-Up menu which allows the desired Fuelling Option to be selected.
Trapped Air / Fuel Ratio: Trapped air fuel ratio specified for all or individual cylinders. This option is only available for DI or IDI combustion systems.
Equivalance Ratio: Equivalence ratio specified for all or individual cylinders. This option is only available for Carburetted or PI combustion systems. Equivalance ratio is defined as
Fueling Specified: Fuelling specified (mm3/inj) for all or individual cylinders. This option is only available for DI or IDI combustion systems.
A Calculatoris provided in order to calculate the equivalence ratio from the air / fuel ratio based on the fuel type specified. This calculator also indicates the stoichiometric air / fuel ratio for the fuel. The calculator can be invoked by pressing the left hand mouse button whilst the mouse cursor is over the Fuelling Option column, this will activate a Pop-Up menu, the last option on this menu activates the calculator.
A facility which can be used to reduce the amount of data entered in the Test Conditions section is the 'Copy Data to All Test Points' option which copies all the data in the sheet which is open to all the engine test points.
+$#>Input Data Steady State Test Conditions Data Boundary Conditions
The Boundary Conditions Menu is used to specify the conditions at the inlet and exit boundaries.
Test Point: The test point numbers (defined in the Test Points Menu) appear in this column.
Speed: Engine crankshaft speed (rev./min.).
Humidity Option: The Humidity Option allows the user to specify how they wish to enter the ambient humidity data. Pressing the left hand mouse button whilst the mouse cursor is over this column will activate a Pop-Up menu which allows the desired Humidity Option to be selected.
Specific Humidity (kg/kg): If Specific Humidity has been selected for the Humidity Option, then the ambient humidity can be entered in this column.
Relative Humidity (0-1): If Relative Humidity has been selected for the Humidity Option, then the ambient humidity can be entered in this column.
Ambient Air Pressure (bar-abs): The ambient pressure should be entered in this column. This value will be used in the determination of the volumetric efficiency of the engine.
Ambient Air Temperature (°C): The ambient temperature should be entered in this column. This value will be used in the determination of the volumetric efficiency of the engine.
Inlet No.: Each of the inlet boundaries in the model will be listed in this column.
Inlet Pressure: Pressure at each of the inlet boundaries. (bar-abs)
Inlet Temperature: Temperature at each of the inlet boundaries. (°C)
Exit No.: Each of the exit boundaries in the model will be listed in this column.
Exit Pressure: Pressure at each of the exit boundaries. (bar-abs)
Note that the exit temperature is taken to be equal to the temperature of the gas that has flowed out through it.
A facility which can be used to reduce the amount of data entered in the Test Conditions section is the 'Copy Data to All Test Points' option which copies all the data in the sheet which is open to all the engine test points.
+$#>Input Data Steady State Test Conditions Data Friction
The Fiction Menu is used to specify the engine mechanical frictional losses at each of the test conditions. Alternatively the Friction Estimator Tool can be used to estimate the FMEP values at each engine speed. The results can then be written to the simulation data file using the Close Make Current option.
Test Point: The test point numbers (defined in the Test Points Menu) appear in this column.
Speed: Engine crankshaft speed (rev./min.).
Friction Option: The Friction Option allows the user to specify how they wish to specify the engine mechanical losses. Pressing the left hand mouse button whilst the mouse cursor is over this column will activate a Pop-Up menu which allows the desired Friction Option to be selected. From this menu the user is able to choose from a variety of friction models available in the code. These are:
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H.B.Moss Gasoline Engine Friction Model
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Millington and Hartless DI Diesel Friction Model
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Millington and Hartles IDI Diesel Friction Model
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Chen and Flynn Large Engine Friction Model
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Patton and Heywood Model
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Honda Model
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Modified Honda Model
Details of these models can be found in the Fiction Tool Theory section.
It should be noted that the Patton and Heywood Model and both forms of the Honda Model require additional data regarding the dimensions of various engine components this is described below.
Alternatively the user can specify the frictional loss of the engine directly using the User Defined FMEP or the User Defined Mechanical Efficiency options. The User Subroutine option enables the user to dynamically pass data at runtime to an externally compiled routine, where the user can add their own friction model See the User Subroutines section.
Cylinder Data: If User Defined FMEP, User Defined Mechanical Efficiency, Patton and Heywood Model, Honda Model, Modified Honda Model or User Subroutine is selected as the Friction Option, then the data can be entered individually for each cylinder. Pressing the left hand mouse button whilst the mouse cursor is over this column will activate a Pop-Up menu which allows the desired Cylinder Data option to be selected.
Cylinder No.: If the Cylinder Data option is set to Individual the cylinder numbers will appear in this column.
FMEP (bar): If the User Defined FMEP option is selected in the Friction Option column, then the FMEP can be entered in this column. The FMEP is entered for each cylinder or assigned to all cylinders, depending upon the option selected in the Cylinder Data column. FMEP should not include pumping work as this is calculated by the model (bar).
User Defined Mechanical Efficiency: If the User Defined Mechanical Efficiency option is selected in the Friction Option column, then the mechanical efficiency can be entered in this column. The mechanical efficiency is entered for each cylinder or assigned to all cylinders, depending upon the option selected in the Cylinder Data column. The mechanical efficiency is entered as a value between 0 and 1. The FMEP will then be calculated as the product of the mechanical efficiency and the BMEP.
A facility which can be used to reduce the amount of data entered in the Test Conditions section is the 'Copy Data to All Test Points' option which copies all the data in the sheet which is open to all the engine test points.
If the Patton and Heywood Model or either form of the Honda Model have been selected in the Friction Option column, then additional data regarding the dimensions of various engine components is required. The columns for entering this data can be viewed by scrolling the Fiction Menu window to the right using the slider control at the bottom of the window.
Main Bearing Type: Pressing the left-hand mouse button whilst the mouse cursor is over this column will activate a Pop-Up menu which allows the appropriate main bearing type to be selected from a list of possible options In-line Default, V-Default or V Two Cyl Per Pin Default which can be selected by left-clicking on the required option. There is also a User Defined option, which allows bearing diameter and length data to be entered into the boxes to the two columns to the right of the No. of Mains column.
No. of Mains: Allows the number of main bearings in the engine to be specified.
Main Dia: If User Defined has been selected as the Main Bearing Type option, then the main bearing diameter is entered in this column.
Main Brg Length: If User Defined has been selected as the Main Bearing Type option, then the main bearing length is entered in this column.
Crank Pin Type: Pressing the left-hand mouse button whilst the mouse cursor is over this column will activate a Pop-Up menu which allows the appropriate main bearing type to be selected from a list of possible options In-line Default, V-Default or V Two Cyl Per Pin Default which can be selected by left-clicking on the required option. There is also a User Defined option, which allows bearing diameter and length data to be entered into the boxes in the two columns to the right of the Crank Pin Type column.
Pin Dia: If User Defined has been selected as the Crank Pin Type option, then the crank pin diameter is entered in this column.
Pin Brg Length: If User Defined has been selected as the Crank Pin Type option, then the crank pin bearing length is entered in this column.
Valve Train Type: Pressing the left-hand mouse button whilst the mouse cursor is over this column will activate a Pop-Up menu which allows the appropriate valve train type to be selected from a list of possible options, which can be selected by left-clicking on the required option.
Follower Type: Pressing the left-hand mouse button whilst the mouse cursor is over this column will activate a Pop-Up menu which allows the appropriate cam follower type to be selected from a list of possible options, which can be selected by left-clicking on the required option.
Valves Per Cyl: The total number of valves (inlet + exhaust) per cylinder is entered in this column.
Max Valve Lift: The maximum valve lift is entered in this column.
Cam Brg Type: Pressing the left-hand mouse button whilst the mouse cursor is over this column will activate a Pop-Up menu which allows the appropriate cam follower type to be selected from a list of possible options, which can be selected by left-clicking on the required option. If User Defined is selected then the cam bearing diameter and length data must be entered into the two columns to the right of the Cam Brg Type column
Cam Brg Dia: If User Defined has been selected as the Cam Brg Type option, then the camshaft bearing diameter is entered in this column.
Cam Brg Length: If User Defined has been selected as the Cam Brg Type option, then the camshaft bearing length is entered in this column.
Load Ratio: This column can be used to fine tune the friction values by adjusting the cylinder pressures and hence piston ring friction.
+$#>Input Data Steady State Test Conditions Data Solution
The Solution Menu is used to control the maximum timestep size used by the calculation and also the parameters that define when the calculation is complete.
Test Point: The test point numbers (defined in the Test Points Menu) appear in this column.
Speed: Engine crankshaft speed (rev./min.).
Step Size Option: Pressing the left-hand mouse button whilst the mouse cursor is over this column will activate a Pop-Up menu which allows the user to either specify default maximum calculation crankangle intervals to be used or specify the maximum crankangle step size that the calculation may take at given stages of the cycle. Inexperienced users are recommended to use the default option.
Inlet + Exhaust Open: If User Defined Crankshaft Maximum Angle Step Sizes is selected in the Step Size Option column then this column is used to specify the maximum allowable calculation crankangle increment that can be used during the valve overlap period of any given cylinder in the model. (maximum 2.0 degrees)
Inlet or Exhaust Open: If User Defined Crankshaft Maximum Angle Step Sizes is selected in the Step Size Option column then this column is used to specify the maximum allowable calculation crankangle increment that can be used whilst either the inlet or the exhaust valves of any cylinder are open. (maximum 2.0 degrees)
All Valves Closed: If User Defined Crankshaft Maximum Angle Step Sizes is selected in the Step Size Option column then this column is used to specify the maximum allowable calculation crankangle increment that can be used whilst all of the valves are closed. (maximum 2.0 degrees)
Cycle Limits: Pressing the left-hand mouse button whilst the mouse cursor is over this column will activate a Pop-Up menu which allows the user to choose to select default values for these parameters or set them himself. Inexperienced users are recommended to use the default option.
Before Convergence Check: If User Defined Cycle Limits is selected in the Cycle Limits column then this column is used to specify the No. of engine cycles which will be calculated before the solution convergence is checked (must not be less than 3).
Max. No. for Simulation Run: If User Defined Cycle Limits is selected in the Cycle Limits column then this column is used to specify the maximum number of engine cycles at which simulation will stop if not previously converged.(typically 10-25 However for load finder runs this should be increased significantly See Test Points Menu)
Cycle No. From Which Results Are Written: If User Defined Cycle Limits is selected in the Cycle Limits column then this column is used to specify the cycle number above which the results at the end of every cycle are printed to the .mrs file (giving the data summary for the simulation run).
A facility which can be used to reduce the amount of data entered in the Test Conditions section is the 'Copy Data to All Test Points' option which copies all the data in the sheet which is open to all the engine test points.
+$#>Input Data Steady State Test Conditions Data Plotting Options
The Plotting Menu is used to specify which data is written to the *.Prs file See the Prs Results Viewer section.
Test Point: The test point numbers (defined in the Test Points Menu) appear in this column.
Speed: Engine crankshaft speed (rev./min.).
Plotting Option: Pressing the left-hand mouse button whilst the mouse cursor is over this column will activate a Pop-Up menu which allows the user to either select either the Default Plotting Options or User Defined Plotting Options. If Default Plotting Options are selected, then the remaining columns in the Plotting Menu will become greyed out for that particular test point. If User Defined Plotting Options is selected, then the remaining columns in the menu are used to specify which data are to be written to the *.PRS file.
Cylinder Options: Pressing the left-hand mouse button whilst the mouse cursor is over this column will activate a Pop-Up menu which allows the user to select which data, relating to the cylinders, is saved to the *.PRS file. Only data saved to the *.PRS file will be available in the Prs Results Viewer.
Plenum Options: Pressing the left-hand mouse button whilst the mouse cursor is over this column will activate a Pop-Up menu which allows the user to select which data, relating to the plenums, is saved to the *.PRS file.
Pipe Options: Pressing the left-hand mouse button whilst the mouse cursor is over this column will activate a Pop-Up menu which allows the user to select which data, relating to the pipes, is saved to the *.PRS file.
Flow Options: Pressing the left-hand mouse button whilst the mouse cursor is over this column will activate a Pop-Up menu which allows the user to select if element mass flow data is required. Note that storage of the pipe mass flow rate data is controlled via the Pipe Options.
Turbine Options: Pressing the left-hand mouse button whilst the mouse cursor is over this column will activate a Pop-Up menu which allows the user to select which data, relating to the superchargers, compressors and turbines, is saved to the *.PRS file.
A facility which can be used to reduce the amount of data entered in the Test Conditions section is the 'Copy Data to All Test Points' option which copies all the data in the sheet which is open to all the engine test points.
+$#>Input Data Steady State Test Conditions Data Actuators
The Actuators Menu is used to specify which actuators are enabled for each test condition See the Sensors & Actuators section.
Test Point: The test point numbers (defined in the Test Points Menu) appear in this column.
Speed: Engine crankshaft speed (rev./min.).
Actuator: All of the actuators in the model are listed in this column. The user can select to enable or disable each of the actuators using the Option column. If an actuator is disabled, the element will revert to the properties entered for it in the element property sheet.
Option: Pressing the left-hand mouse button whilst the mouse cursor is over this column will activate a Pop-Up menu which allows the actuators to be individually switched On or Off. Alternatively the actuators can all be switched On or Off for a given test point or can all be switched On or Off. user to either select either the Default Plotting Options or User Defined Plotting Options.
A facility which can be used to reduce the amount of data entered in the Test Conditions section is the 'Copy Data to All Test Points' option which copies all the data in the sheet which is open to all the engine test points.
+$#>Input Data - Transient Test Conditions Data - General
Transient test conditions can be used to define a series of transient test cases for the engine model. A steady state operating condition also needs to be defined for the starting point of a transient test see Steady State Tests. The transient test conditions menu is accessed via the Data Menu on the toolbar, as shown below.
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+$#>Input Data - Transient Test Conditions Data Test Cases
In the Test Cases Menu it is possible to specify a range of different engine conditions for which transient simulations can be performed.
Test Case: Test cases can be added to the list by pressing the left hand mouse button, whilst the mouse pointer is positioned over Test Case Column. A Pop-Up menu will appear, which enables test cases to be created, copied or deleted.
The maximum number of user defined transient test cases is currently limited to 20, but this can be increased in required.
Label: Text entered here serves only as a reminder for the user and appears as a comment line in the *.sim file.
Length Type: Can either be set to Time or Cycles. This sets the x-axis for the defined transient test case. For Time the transient test case will be defined in terms of event against time, whilst Cycle will mean that the cycle event is defined against no of engine cycles.
Length (s)/cycles: Defines the length of the cycle either in seconds or No. of engine cycles, depending on length type above.
Load Inertia (kg/m2): Sets the inertia applied to the engine system model to simulation the inertial load in the system for transient load case. This should include for example any crankshaft flywheel that has not been added to the mechanical link.
Update Speed: Can be either By Time Step or By Cycle. This determines how often the crankshaft speed is re-calculated.
Event Type: Can be either Load vs Time or Load vs Cycles. This allows the transient events x-axis to be defined in either time or cycles independent of the overall events duration definition.
Event Units: Sets the load units for the transient event. Select from Mean Effective Pressure (bar), Power (kw) or Torque (Nm). This defines the y-axis of the transient event case.
Trans. First Value: Sets the value of the first load point to be used in a transient calculation. Always Use List directs the program to take all the load values used in the transient from the list defined in the input section. Use Last Steady State Cycle for Start sets the load condition for the first cycle of the transient to the BMEP level calculated at the end of the steady state section of the calculation subsequent values are interpolated. Use Last Steady State Cycle for All sets the load condition for the entire transient calculation to the BMEP level calculated at the end of the steady state section of the simulation.
No of Points: Defines the number of x-y points used to define the event.
Start Point: Sets the point in the defined event that the transient event should use as its start point. This would normally be 1, i.e. start at start of event, but the option is available to start from any of the event points.
List Data: Control the visibility of the event data. Set to on if you require to enter/edit the event data.
X -- Y: These two columns list the transient event data. The x values should be in units appropriate for the Event Type as either seconds or cycle No., whilst the y values should be in units appropriate for the Event Units.
+$#>Input Data - Transient Test Conditions Data Actuators
The Actuators Menu is used to specify which actuators are enabled for each test condition See the Sensors & Actuators section.
Test Case: The test case numbers (defined in the Test Case Menu) appear in this column.
Actuator: All of the actuators in the model are listed in this column. The user can select to enable or disable each of the actuators using the Option column. If an actuator is disabled, the element will revert to the properties entered for it in the element property sheet.
Option: Pressing the left-hand mouse button whilst the mouse cursor is over this column will activate a Pop-Up menu which allows the actuators to be individually switched On or Off. Alternatively the actuators can all be switched On or Off for a given test case or can all be switched On or Off. user to either select either the Default Plotting Options or User Defined Plotting Options.
A facility which can be used to reduce the amount of data entered in the Test Conditions section is the 'Copy Data to All Test Points' option which copies all the data in the sheet which is open to all the engine test points.
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Overview
Sensors and Actuators provide the mechanism for manipulating the simulation models data and form. Actuators are the element used to change the properties of a component in the model, whilst the sensor element performs the function of acquiring a components current calculated result or data value.
Sensors and Actuators are linked to the simulation model in a similar way to the standard components. Connections are made via harness wires, that are attached to the relevant components Harness point. These component harness points are normally not visible and need to be made visible before they can be used. This visibility setting is by individual component and is located in the components property sheet.
A typical use of a sensor and actuator would be to simulate variable valve timing, the sensor would sense engine speed pass this value to the actuator, that would then change the valve timing for the relevant valves.
In order that sensors and actuators can perform the functions required of them, it must be specified how the sensors pass the information to the various actuators and then how the actuators process that information and pass it on to the model component.
Since an actuator can have a number of sensor inputs we need to be able to implement the required functionality with simple element building blocks. The method employed is for sensors and actuators to have a number of control elements associated with them in a parent/child type relationship, each one of which has a specific definable function. Double-clicking on a sensor or actuator takes you down onto the child level where the required functional response can be defined by building a control element network.
A range of 1D and 2D control elements are available direct from the toolkit, (where the 1 and 2 refer to the number of inputs to the control element) to build the control element network.
To avoid repetition in the network, sensors and actuators can be applied to model element groups.
Adding to the Model
Sensors and Actuators are added to the simulation model in the same way as any other component, by selection from the appropriate toolkit panel with the left mouse and then dragged into position on the network display. They have their own tab on the toolkit, labelled Sensors & Actuators. This has the five basic sensor and actuator components, (see illustration below).
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+$#>Input Data Sensors and Actuators Harness Connections
Overview
Sensors and Actuators are connected to each other and in turn connected to the simulation model components through the use of harness wires. The harness wires are connected to the normal simulation model components through their harness connectors. These harness connectors are different to the normal connection points and are identified by being drawn as black squares rather than the normal connection points black circles.
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+$#>Input Data Sensors and Actuators Harness Wires
Overview
Harness wires provide the connection between the normal simulation components and the sensors and actuators. They also provide the connection between sensors and actuators.
Form
The harness wires are drawn in brown and have square ends to distinguish them from the normal pipe elements, Like pipe elements they are elastic and can be stretched to join components together. In a similar manner to pipes they can be displayed in three forms, straight, single bend and double bend. The different forms are intended to make network layout clearer and do not imply any functional difference.
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+$#>Input Data Sensors and Actuators Actuators
Overview
Actuators provide the means by which a components property can be changed. This property can be any physical value of a component such as length, diameter or volume, provided such a feature has been provided for. They are connected to components through their harness connectors using harness wires. The input to actuators are the output from sensors.
Actuators Types
There is only on actuator type; the generic actuator element. The generic actuator is used for all actuator activities, taking inputs from sensors and passing them on to the target component.
Connecting an Actuator
To add and connect an actuator to your model first enable the harness connector for the target model element, (tip highlight the target component and go to bottom of property sheet to find harness connector selection box). Change toolkit to show Sensors and Actuators tab, (you will probably need to use the toolkit arrow key to step down to display this tab), select the actuator from the toolkit using the left mouse button and drag the actuator to the required position on the network display. Now select a harness wire from the toolkit and add it to the network model connecting the output end of the actuator to the target elements harness connector, A simple example is illustrated below.
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Input Data Sensors and Actuators Examples
#Generic Sensor Element
#Time Sensor Element
#Generic Actuator Element
#Sensor Plot Element
#Harness Wire
#Down Level Icon
#Up Level Icon
#User defined Fortran function editor
#1D Lookup Table Data Editor
#2D Lookup Table Data Editor
#Turbocharger element
#Turbine element
#compressor element
#Supercharger element
#Expander element
#Charge-cooler element
#Wastegate element group
#The Default Good Port option automatically fills the port data spreadsheet with the default port flow data shown below.
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#If this option is selected, then the user will be presented with two spread sheet windows in which to enter the Flow Coeff Vs L/D data, one for forward flow data and one for reverse flow data. The forward flow direction is defined as the usual flow direction for type of valve under consideration. Thus, for an inlet valve, forward flow is flow from the inlet runner to the cylinder. For an exhaust valve, forward flow is defined as flow from the cylinder into the exhaust.
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#If the User Cf Map (common) option is selected, then the user will be presented with a single spread sheet window in which to enter the port flow coefficient (Cf) data as a function of valve L/D and pressure ratio. This Cf data will then be applied to both forward and reverse flows through the valve.
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#If the User Cf Map (fwd/rev) option is selected, then the user will be presented with two spread sheets (one for forward flow data and one for reverse flow data) in which to enter the port flow coefficient (Cf) data as a function of valve L/D and pressure ratio. The forward flow direction is defined as the usual flow direction for type of valve under consideration. Thus, for an inlet valve, forward flow is flow from the inlet runner to the cylinder. For an exhaust valve, forward flow is defined as flow from the cylinder into the exhaust.
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+$#>Friction Estimator Tool - Overview
The Friction Estimator is a standalone program, which allows the user to estimate the level of friction created by a variety of valvetrain and bearing configurations. It can also be used in conjunction with the Lotus Engine Simulation code to create data for entry into the user defined friction section of test conditions.
It should be noted that the friction results produced DO NOT INCLUDE PUMPING WORK since the simulation program calculates these itself.
The friction estimator is comprised of three main sections. Data, Text Results and Graphical Results. The user is required to enter data into the data section and then instruct the program to solve for the results. These results are then displayed in the text and graphical results sections for viewing.
+$#>Friction Estimator Tool - Opening the Friction Estimator Tool
There are three methods of opening the friction estimator tool:.
Firstly, after loading the Lotus Engine Simulation code, if the Start Wizard is active, then the user is able to select the friction estimator option from the wizard.
However, if the user is already working within the Lotus Engine Simulation program, they must either select Tools / Friction Estimator from the main menubar or click on the Friction Estimator Icon near the top of the window.
Alternatively, estimated friction can be invoked directly from the Steady State Test Conditions menu.
+$#>Friction Estimator Tool - Closing the Friction Estimator Tool
In order to close the Friction Estimator Tool, either click on the Close Icon at the top right of the window or select File / Close from the Friction Estimator menubar.
On the Friction Estimator File menu, there is another close option named Close (make current). This also closes the Friction Estimator Program but at the same time, also copies the calculated data into the relevant section of the current simulation model.
+$#>Friction Estimator Tool - Entering the Data
When opened, the Friction Estimator Tool will show the Data section. This is indicated by the depressed Data button in the upper left of the window.
The Data section of the Friction Estimator Tool is comprised of seven sections and these are as follows:
1 This section contains the Title and allows the user to type in the friction case they are in the process of creating.
2 Engine dimensions / specifications including Bore, Stroke, Compression Ratio, Number of Cylinders and Number of Main Bearings are stored in this section. To enter this data, the user must click on the required data box with the left mouse button and then type in the value.
3 Main Bearing Type is specified in this section. The user is able to choose this from a list by clicking on the down arrow to the right of the selection box. This will produce a list of possible options such as In-line Default or V Two Cyl Per Pin Default which can be selected by left-clicking on the required option. . There is also a User Defined option, which allows bearing diameter and length data to be entered into the boxes to the right of the main bearing type box.
4 This section requires the Crankpin Bearing Type to be selected from a list, and the options are the same as for the Main Bearing Type section. There is again a User Defined section with the same data requirements as above.
5 This section requires Valvetrain Data including Valvetrain Type and Follower Type (Both selected from pop-up lists by left-clicking on the down arrow to the right of the box and then clicking on the required option). Also, Valves Per Cylinder and Maximum Valve Lift are required.
6 Cam Bearing Sizes are required for this section. There are two options to choose from within a pop-up list (User Specified or Estimated Sizes). The User Specified option requires diameter and length values to be entered into the boxes to the right of the section.
7 The final section stores Load Case Data and this includes Start RPM, End RPM and Interval. These values are used to match the friction values to the test condition engine speeds already input into the Lotus Engine Simulation code. If the test conditions engine speed interval is odd, then the user must enter, one at a time, the odd values into both the start and the end RPM boxes and note down the values for manual entry into the relevant test conditions (user defined) friction values. Load Ratio is used to fine tune the friction values by adjusting the cylinder pressures and hence the piston ring friction
+$#>Friction Estimator Tool - Solving
Once all required data has been entered, it can be solved by selecting File / Solve Update from the main Menubar. This will produce results, which can be viewed through the Text Results and Graphical Results sections.
+$#>Friction Estimator Tool Updating the Lotus Engine Simulation Model
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After solving the data and producing results, it is possible to transfer the calculated data to the current simulation model. This is done by left-clicking on File / Close (Make Current) and then on one of the model options. These options include H.B.Moss (Howard Barnes Moss), Mill & H (Millington & Hartles), Pat & Hey (Patton, Nitschke, and Heywood), Honda, Modified Honda and Mean. Each of the above models uses a different approach to solving the data and the user has to decide which one is most appropriate. The mean option simply takes an average of all of the other models.
Once the data has been solved, it is possible to view the text results file. This is done by clicking on the Text Results button and using the standard windows scroll bar at the right of the display to view the entire file.
The text results file consists of three main sections. The first section gives a listing of all of the input data. The second section provides the user a breakdown of the components of friction within the engine using the Patton and Heywood method. The third and final section gives a comparison of results calculated using a number of friction prediction methods.
+$#>Friction Estimator Tool - Printing Text Results
In order to print the text results file, the user must select Text Results / Print from the Friction Estimator main menubar. This will initiate the standard windows print dialogue box. The whole text file will be printed using this method.
+$#>Friction Estimator Tool - Setting the Print Font Type
In order to change the font in which the text file is printed, the user should select Text results / Print Font from the friction estimator menubar and then select the required font type. There are three options for font type:
Fixed pitch, although less attractive, forces each character to be the same width, therefore making sure that all columns in tables line up perfectly.
Proportional Sans Serif font characters do not have a fixed width. They have a more attractive appearance than the fixed pitch font type but may not always line up properly.
Proportional Serif characters are simply a slight variation on the Proportional Sans Serif font type.
+$#>Friction Estimator Tool - Setting the Print Font Size
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In order to alter the print font size, the user must click on Text Results / Print Font Size within the friction estimator menubar and then click on the required standard font size (available sizes 6 16). A check mark will appear next to the chosen font size.
Text results can be saved to file by clicking on Text results / Save to File. This will bring up the standard windows browser dialogue box, allowing the user to select the file name and directory of their choice.
+$#>Friction Estimator Tool - Viewing Graphical Results
Graphical results can be viewed by left-clicking on the Graphical Results button. This will display the graphical results window which contains a graph on the left hand portion of the window and a display control section on the right hand side of the display.
+$#>Friction Estimator Tool - Changing the Graphical Display
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There are two main Graphical Display options available to the user. These are Individual Patton and Heywood and Comparison of Totals.
The Individual Patton and Heywood option allows the user to view an overlaid graph of each components friction, calculated using the Patton and Heywood method. Each component graph can be switched on and off by clicking on the check box next to each option.
The Comparison of Totals option allows the user to view an overlaid graph of the results of 5 different friction calculation methods (Howard Barnes Moss, Millington & Hatles, Patton & Heywood, Honda and Modified Honda) and the mean of the 5 methods. Each option can be switched on and off by clicking on the box next to each option.
If the user wished to transfer a graph to an external application then this is done by copying the graph to the clipboard and then pasting the graph into the target application. In order to copy the graph to the clipboard, select Graphical results / Copy to Clipboard from the main Friction Estimator menubar.
+$#>Friction Estimator Tool - Printing Graphs
In order to print the currently displayed graph, select Graphical results / Print Graph from the main Friction Estimator menubar. This will initiate the standard Windows printing dialogue box.
+$#>Friction Estimator Tool - Autoscaling Graphs
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Autoscaling the currently displayed graph automatically sets the scales of the graph so that the graph lines are all displayed clearly within the axes. In order to instruct the friction estimator to perform this function, select Graphical results / Autoscale from the friction Estimator menubar.
To zoom in on a particular section of the displayed graph, begin by selecting Graphical results / Zoom from the friction estimator menubar. This will initiate cross hairs which will appear when the mouse pointer is moved over the graph area. To select the required zoom area, position the cross hairs at the top left hand corner of the zoom area, left-click at that point, and release the mouse button. Next, move the cross hair to the right and down, dragging the selection box over the zoom area, then left click again. This will scale complete the zoom procedure.
+$#>Friction Estimator Tool - Listing Graph Values
If the user wishes to accurately read off particular values from the displayed graph, then they should firstly select Graphical Results / List from the friction estimator menubar. When this has been done, cross-hairs will appears as the user moves the mouse pointer over the graph area. To list a graph value, click on the graphical display. X axis (Engine RPM) and Y axis (Friction (Bar)) values will be displayed at the bottom of the graph area. The value displayed will relate to the point at which the vertical cross-hair crosses the line which is closest to the cross point of the cross-hairs. Click with the cross-hair cross point as close as possible to the point of interest. To remove the cross hairs when finished listing values, click the right mouse button.
+$#>Friction Estimator Tool - Graph Setup
If the user wishes to manually set the scales, titles etc. of the results graphs, they should select View / Setup from the Results Graph Window main menubar.
There are three sections within the Results Graph Setup window. These are Plot Text and X Axis and Y Axis.
Plot text allows the axes titles, fonts, colours and grid types to be specified by left-clicking on the relevant box and selecting the required option from the pop-up list or typing in the text / value as appropriate. Other options such as Auto Position and Scale Text With Page can also be switched on and off by left-clicking on the appropriate check-box.
X Axis allows the user to alter the minimum and maximum X Axis scale values as well as the interval and number of decimal places. This is done in the same way as for the first section.
Y Axis allows the properties of each plot line to be altered. These include line colour, line type, symbol colour and symbol type. These options can be changed by clicking on the relevant box and selecting the required option from the pop-up list. Specific lines and symbols can be made visible or invisible by left-clicking in the check box to the right of the line or symbol options of interest.
Graph Axes (1-6) can be cycled through by left-clicking on the back and forwards arrows at the top left of the relevant section. The current Axis is displayed between these arrows.
+$#>Friction Estimator Tool - Refreshing the Graph
If an option has been changed and the graph has not changed to reflect the chosen option, then it is necessary to Refresh the graph. This is done by selecting Graphical Results / Refresh from the friction estimator menubar.
+$#>Friction Estimator Tool - Database Structure
Each entry in the friction database is obtained from an actual file, stored in the friction sub-folder of the database directory. Each file contains the actual friction text file data, which can be loaded into an input data file (.sim file).
If each data file had to be loaded and friction results calculated each time the user wished to list the database entries, it would take an unacceptable amount of time. This problem has been solved with the use of a scratch file.
The scratch file contains a limited number of the data variables and results calculated from the actual friction files. This scratch file is then used to list the database entries rather than directly calculating the results each time a list is required, cutting down waiting time. The scratch file is saved automatically within the working directory of the Lotus Engine Simulation code.
When an entry is selected from the scratch file list and needs to be loaded into the friction estimator, the actual friction file in the database directory is directly loaded up and calculations performed.
If new files are introduced into the database directory then a new scratch file has to be built in order to update the listing.
It should be noted that before the database facility can be used, the Database Folder must be specified. This must be done from either the standard or the builder interface. The user must select Setup / Database Folder from the main menu and then enter the path of the folder in which all database files are stored.
+$#>Friction Estimator Tool - Listing Database Entries
When there is data stored in the database scratch file (see Database Structure) then it is possible to list the stored database entries. This is done by selecting Database / List Entries from the friction estimator menubar. After performing this task, a window will appear with a spreadsheet-style layout of the database data. Particular entries can be highlighted by clicking on them with the left mouse button.
+$#>Friction Estimator Tool - Rebuilding Database Scratch File
If there is currently no scratch file or if the user wishes to update the database data, then the Database Scratch File must be Rebuilt. This is done by selecting Database / Rebuild Database Scratch File from the friction estimator menubar.
+$#>Friction Estimator Tool - Loading Database Entry into Friction Estimator
In order to load a database entry into the Friction estimator, the user must first of all list the database entries and select an entry with the left mouse button. When this is done, the user must right-click with the mouse pointer over the selected entry and select Load Entry as Data File. This will load the friction file data into the Friction Estimator.
+$#>Friction Estimator Tool - Shuffling Columns
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If the user wishes to list the database entries by number order in a certain column then they should first of all list the database entries and then left-click on the required column heading. This will highlight the column in black if done correctly. The user must then click the right mouse button with the mouse pointer over the highlighted column heading. This will bring up a pop-up menu from which either Shuffle Selected Column by Highest or Shuffle Selected Column by Lowest must be selected depending on the users preference.
In order to return the database order back to its original order, when the database listing has been displayed, right click anywhere on the listing and select Revert to Original Order from the popup menu.
+$#>Friction Estimator Tool - Showing and Hiding Database Entries
If the user wishes to cross plot their data against only a portion of stored database data, this can be done by hiding all entries which are not of interest.
In order to hide an entry, highlight it by clicking on it with the left mouse button and then right-click on the selected entry and select Hide Selected Entries from the pop-up menu.
To hide several adjacent entries at once, left-click on the first target entry and then hold down the left mouse button and drag the mouse across the rest of the target entries until they are highlighted yellow. When this is done, release the left button, click the right mouse button then select Hide Selected Entries
In order to show all the entries again, right click anywhere on the listing and select Show All Entries.
To switch between hidden and shown entries, right-click anywhere on the listing and select Swap Show/Hide Entries.
+$#>Friction Estimator Tool - Clipping Columns
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An alternative method of hiding certain database entries is to clip columns. This allows the user to hide the entries above, below or on either side of specific column values. In order to do this, left-click on the column of interest then right click over the column heading to bring up the pop-up menu. From the listing, select either High Clip Selected Column (To hide entries with column values above a certain value), Low Clip Selected Column (To hide entries with column values below a certain value) or Pass Clip Selected Column (To hide entries above and below certain values). After selecting the type of clip, a dialogue box will appear, requesting the relevant column value(s). Enter the value(s) and that will complete the procedure.
The friction estimator produces six different engine FMEP values, each of which can be input into a simulation engine model. Five of these values are obtained from different friction models and the sixth value is simply a mean of the five different model values. The five friction models used are as follows:
1 Patton, Heywood and Neitsche (Spark-Ignition Engines)
2 Sandovall and Heywood (Spark-Ignition Engines)
3 - Howard, Barnes, Moss (Spark-Ignition Engines)
4 - Millington and Hartles (DI and IDI Diesel Engines)
5 - Honda (S.I. Engines)
6 - Modified Honda (Spark Ignition Engines)
+$#>Friction Estimator Tool - Patton Nitscke and Heywood Model
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The Patton, Nitschke and Heywood engine friction model is based on equations from Patton et al [1] made up of four main sections. These are Rotating, Reciprocating, Valvetrain and Auxiliary Friction. The total engine friction is calculated by summing these four friction values.
Rotating friction is made up of three main sub-sections - main bearing seal friction, main bearing hydrodynamic lubrication friction and turbulent dissipation to pump fluids. These are again summed to reach a total rotating friction value.
Main bearing seal friction considers the front and rear main bearing seal friction and is calculated using the following formula:
SEAL
Where:
Db
=
Main Bearing Diameter
B
=
Bore
S
=
Stroke
nc
=
Number of Cylinders
To calculate Main Bearing Hydrodynamic Lubrication friction:
LUBE
Where:
RPM
=
Engine speed (rpm)
Lb
=
Length of main bearing
nb
=
Number of main bearings
Load Factor is an additional factor added to increase accuracy. It is calculated using the following formula:
Turbulent dissipation to pump fluid accounts for the losses due to the transport of oil through the bearings and calculated as follows:
TURB
Therefore:
Total Rotating Friction = (SEAL FMEP + LUBE FMEP+ TURB FMEP)
Reciprocating Friction contains three sub-sections. These are Piston, Piston Ring and Connecting Rod friction.
Piston friction is calculated using the following formula:
PISTON
Where:
Sp
=
Mean Piston Speed
B
=
Bore
Piston Ring Friction is divided into two sub-sections (Friction without gas loading and Additional friction due to gas loading).
Friction without gas loading can be calculated using the below formula:
RING-NO GAS LOAD
Where:
N = Engine RPM
In order to calculate the friction due to gas loading, the following formula is used:
RING-DUE TO GAS
Where:
Pi
=
Intake pressure
Pa
=
Ambient Pressure
Rc
=
Compression Ratio
Therefore, total piston ring friction is given by:
TOTAL RING
Con Rod Bearing friction is modelled assuming the majority of the lubrication is hydrodynamic and is calculated as shown below:
CON ROD
Where:
Db
=
Big end bearing diameter
Lb
=
Big end bearing length
Nb
=
Number of big end bearings
B
=
Bore
S
=
Stroke
nc
=
Number of cylinders
Total Reciprocating Friction is the sum of: PISTON + TOTAL RING + CON ROD frictions.
Valve Train Friction is calculated from three sub-sections. These are Camshaft bearing friction, Cam and Follower friction and Oscillatory valvetrain friction. The FMEP values obtained from each of these sections are then summed to generate a total valve train friction FMEP value.
Camshaft bearing friction is calculated using a Lotus-modified Patton, Nitschke and Heywood formula. This is shown below:
CAMSHAFT
Where:
Dcb
=
Camshaft Bearing Diameter
Lcb
=
Camshaft Bearing Length
nmb
=
Number of Main Bearings
ncs
=
Number of Crankshafts
Cam and follower friction is calculated by either of two methods depending on whether the valve train uses flat followers or roller followers.
These two models are combined into one formula and constants are used to activate the required part of the formula. This is shown below:
CAM FOLLOWER
Where:
Const 1
=
600 or 0 (Depending on type of follower chosen)
Const 2
=
0.0227 or 0 (Depending on type of follower chosen)
nv
=
Number of valves.
Valve train oscillatory friction is calculated in two parts. These are oscillating hydrodynamic friction and oscillating fixed lubrication friction. These two parts are combined into one formula as follows:
OSCILLATING FMEP = oscillating hydrodynamic friction + oscillating mixed lubrication friction
OSCILLATING
Where:
CONST1
= Oscillating hydrodynamic constant determined by valvetrain type.
CONST2
= Oscillating mixed lubrication constant determined by valvetrain type.
LX
= Valve lift
B
= Bore
S
= Stroke
nc
= Number of Cylinders
Therefore, Total Valvetrain Friction = Camshaft bearing friction + Cam and follower friction + Valve train oscillatory friction.
Auxiliary friction is the final friction section and is calculated using a Lotus modified version of the Patton, Nitschke and Heywood. The modified equation introduces a swept volume term into the equation and is as follows:
AUX
Where:
CON1
= Lotus Constant (Acquired through experience)
ACONST
(Vs = Swept Volume)
If ACONST is calculated to be less than 0.5 then it is taken as 0.5.
Total Engine Friction from the Patton, Nitschke and Heywood model is calculated by summing the friction elements as follows:
TOTAL FMEP = Rotating FMEP + Reciprocating FMEP + Valvetrain FMEP + Auxiliary FMEP
References:
1. Patton.K.J, Nitschke.R.G and Heywood.J.B. Development and Evaluation of a Friction Model for Spark Ignition Engines. SAE Paper no. 890836, 1989. International Congress and Exposition, Detroit, Michigan, Feb 27 Mar 03, 1989.
The Sandoval and Heywood engine friction model is based on equations from Patton, Nitschke, and Heywood [1], and the update by Sandoval and Heywood [2]. The total engine friction, excluding pumping, is calculated by summing contributions from rotating, reciprocating, valvetrain and auxiliary friction approximations. The update by Sandoval and Heywood include terms that scale the friction results to estimate the effect of changing oil viscosity.
Oil viscosity Sandoval and Heywood introduce a viscosity scaling term to account for variation of hydrodynamic friction as a function of engine oil viscosity. The scaling term allows investigation of the effect of oil grade and temperature on engine friction. This scaling factor is introduced to the hydrodynamic terms for each of the rotating, reciprocating and valvetrain contributions.
Hydrodynamic scaling
Where is the viscosity of the oil from the test engine used to calibrate the engine friction model and
is the viscosity of the oil in the engine for which friction estimates are desired. The viscosity is calculated from the oil temperature and grade using the method outlined in Sandoval and Heywood.
Rotating friction concerns the friction losses due to rotation of the crankshaft. It consists of three main sub-sections; main bearing seal friction; main bearing hydrodynamic lubrication friction; and turbulent dissipation to pump fluids. These are summed to give the total rotating friction value.
Main bearing seal friction considers the front and rear main bearing seal friction calculated using the following formula:
(kPa)
Main Bearing Hydrodynamic Lubrication friction:
(kPa)
Turbulent dissipation to pump fluid
Accounts for the losses due to the transport of oil through the bearings and calculated as follows:
(kPa)
Notation
rpm
=
Engine speed
=
Length of main bearing
=
Number of main bearings
=
Main Bearing Diameter
=
Bore
=
Stroke
=
Number of Cylinders
=
Reference viscosity of oil
=
Viscosity of oil for test case
Total Rotating Friction
(kPa)
Reciprocating friction contains three sub-sections that approximate; piston friction under hydrodynamic and mixed friction regimes; piston ring friction due to gas loading; and connecting rod hydrodynamic friction.
Piston friction is calculated using the following formula assuming a combination of fully hydrodynamic lubrication and mixed regime lubrication:
The hydrodynamic term has been modified from the Sandoval and Heywood method so that the hydrodynamic friction is proportional to the square of mean piston speed.
(kPa)
(kPa)
Piston friction due to gas loading
(kPa)
where:
C
=
Lotus adjustment coefficient deduced from test data.
Big End Bearing friction is modelled assuming the lubrication is hydrodynamic and is calculated as shown below:
(kPa)
Notation
rpm
=
Engine speed
=
Length of big end bearing
=
Number of big end bearings
=
Big end bearing Diameter
=
Bore
=
Stroke
=
Number of Cylinders
=
Reference viscosity of oil
=
Viscosity of oil for test case
SPM
=
Mean piston speed
`
=
Compression ratio
=
Inlet manifold pressure
=
Atmospheric pressure
Total Recpirocating Friction
Valve Train Friction is calculated from three sub-sections. These are camshaft bearing friction, cam follower friction and oscillatory valvetrain friction. The FMEP values obtained from each of these are summed to give the total valve train friction FMEP value.
The coefficients used here for Cff, Crf, Com, Coh have been taken from Patton, Nitschke, and Heywood[1]
Camshaft bearing friction
Cam follower friction
The friction arising from the cam follower is calculated using the appropriate equation for either flat or roller follower.
Flat follower:
Roller follower:
Oscillating components friction:
Hydrodynamic:
Mixed regime:
Notation
rpm
=
Engine speed
=
Length of big end bearing
=
Number of big end bearings
=
Bore
=
Stroke
=
Number of Cylinders
=
Reference viscosity of oil
=
Viscosity of oil for test case
Cff
=
Flat follower coefficient
Crf
=
Roller follower coefficient
Coh
=
Oscillating hydrodynamic coefficient
Com
=
Oscillating mixed coefficient
Total Valvetrain Friction
Auxiliary friction is given by a polynomial fit to auxiliary friction data as a function of engine speed. The polynomial used is similar to that of the updated Sandoval-Heywood [2] method with the introduction of an adjustment coefficient:
where
A
=
Lotus adjustment coefficient.
Total Engine Friction is calculated by summing the friction contributions.
References:
1. Patton.K.J, Nitschke.R.G and Heywood.J.B.,Development and Evaluation of a Friction Model for Spark Ignition Engines. SAE Paper no. 890836, 1989. International Congress and Exposition, Detroit, Michigan, Feb 27 Mar 03, 1989.
2. Sandoval, D., and Heywood, J.B. SAE paper no. 2003-01-0725, International Congress and Exposition, Detroit, Michigan, 2003
+$#>Friction Estimator Tool - Howard Barnes Moss Model
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This model is used for friction prediction within Spark Ignition Engines and is based upon the principle that the level of engine friction is a function of the engine speed and the mean piston speed. Pumping work has been excluded from the equation since it is not required by the simulation program. The Lotus modified formula is shown below:
,
where:
RPM
=
engine speed [rev/min]
SPM
=
mean piston speed [m/s]
This method of calculating friction values is used for both direct and indirect diesel engines The formula obtained from Barnes-Moss [2] has been modified by lotus to exclude pumping FMEP (since this is calculated within the simulation code) and also to include a compression ratio term.
The formula is as follows:
where:
CR
=
Compression Ratio
References:
1. Barnes-Moss, H, A Designers Viewpoint. Passenger Car Engines, Conference Proceedings, pp.133-147, Institution of Mechanical Engineers, London, 1975.
The Honda models are based on the fact that the engine FMEP varies in proportion to:
NDE => Non-dimensional engine number
Equations used in both models are based on equations from Fujii et al [3] and Yagi, S & Ishibasi, Y [4]
Honda Model
This Model multiplies the non-dimensional engine number by a dimensional coefficient which consists of an engine speed dependant term and a constant term. It has also been modified by Lotus in order to remove pumping losses from the equation (since they are not required to be input into the simulation).
The equation used in the code is as follows:
Where:
FLBAR
=
Mean flow / Bore Area Constant - Derived from Lotus Experience
CST
=
Oil Viscosity Constant - Derived from Lotus Experience
CMD
=>
Equivalent Crank Diameter = (Dmb * nmb + Dbb * nbb) / (nmb + nbb)
Dmb
=
Main Bearing Diameter
Dbb
=
Big End Bearing Diameter
Nmb
=
Number of Main Bearings
Nbb
=
Number of Big End Bearings
Modified Model
This model contains the same basic non-dimensional engine number as the standard Honda model but the dimensional coefficient has been changed and refined to provide correlation with an alternative set of engines.
The Equation used in the code is based on the modified Honda formula and is as follows:
FMEP = (2.5E-8 * RPM2 + 1.0E-4 * RPM + 1.1) *
References:
3
Isal Fujii, Shizuo Yagi, Hiroshi Sono & Hiroshi Kamiya
Total Engine Friction in Four Stroke S.I. Motorcycle Engine
0
SAE Paper no 880268, 1988
3
Shizuo Yagi and Yoichi Ishibasi
Experimental Analysis of Total Engine Friction in Four Stroke S.I. Engines
SAE Paper no 900223, 1990
#Friction Estimator Icon
+$#>Network Builder Interface - Overview
Overview
The Lotus Engine Simulation Data Builder Interface allows the user to create a model of an engine using a graphical drag and drop method. Connections between components are made by dragging the inlet of one component to the outlet of another on the graphical display.
The Graphical Display allows the user to view all engine components in their connected state. Each component is represented by its own symbol so that they can easily be identified and selected. Parameters for each component can be entered via the properties window. Components and their properties can be copied, which can aid in reducing model construction time.
see Cutting and Pasting Components
Note: All engine geometry data can be entered through the Network Builder but STEADY STATE TEST CONDITIONS DATA MUST BE ENTERED before a run can be performed. Test conditions are accessed from the network builder interface by selecting Data / Test Conditions / Edit Test Data from the top menu or by pressing F12. Alternatively, the Test Conditions Wizard can be used to automatically create test conditions data and this can be initiated by selecting Data / Test Conditions / Create Wizard from the main menu, or selecting the steady state test conditions data icon.
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+$#>Network Builder Interface Adding Components
Adding Components
Components may be added to Network Builders workspace in a number of ways. The preferred method is to drag the desired component from the Toolkit. Click the left mouse button over the item and then position it on the workspace with another click of the left mouse button.
A second method of retrieving components is to drag them across from the Allowable Elements box, which is located at the lower right corner of the Network Builder screen, in the same manner.
The Allowable Elements box lists only those components that can be positioned upstream or downstream of the item currently selected, for example a plenum cannot be connected directly to a cylinder.
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| Nudges | |
| Nudge Up | Nudge the selected element up. |
| Nudge Down | Nudge the selected element down. |
| Nudge Left | Nudge the selected element to the left. |
| Nudge Right | Nudge the selected element to the right. |
| Rotate C/W | Rotate the selected element clockwise. |
| Rotate A-C/W | Rotate the selected element anti-clockwise. |
| Flip Flow Direction | Reverse the flow direction of the selected element. |
| Pipe Conversion | |
| Convert Pipe to Bend | Convert pipe to a bend with bend losses. |
| Convert Bend to Pipe | Convert bend to a straight pipe. |
| Merge Pipes | Merge two pipes (will average diameter at join if discontinuous). |
| Split Pipes at Length | Split selected pipe at a specified length, to create two pipes. |
| Straight | Convert pipe to straight for visual purposes only. |
| Single Bend | Convert pipe to bend for visual purposes only. |
| Double Bend | Convert pipe to double bend for visual purposes only. |
| Shorten Offset | Reduces the distance between the bends in a double bend pipe. |
| Lengthen Offset | Increases the distance between the bends in a double bend pipe. |
| Reduce Radius | Reduces the bend radius of a curved pipe (for display only) |
| Increase Radius | Increases the bend radius of a curved pipe (for display only) |
| Cut | Cut the selected element from the model |
| Copy | Copy the selected element |
| Paste | Paste a copied or cut element into the model |
| Delete | Delete the selected element |
| Copy Data From | Copy element data from another element to the selected element |
| Copy Data To | Copy element data from the selected element to another element |
| Delete All | Deletes all the elements in the current model! |
+$#> Network Builder Interface Viewing the Graphical Pipe DisplayOverview The pipe graphical display allows the user to view either a two-dimensional or three-dimensional graphical representation of pipes within an engine model. Pipe diameters, centres and connections can all be viewed easily, allowing the user to more easily visualise the pipe data they have input into the model. { Pipe Graphical Display Window Opening / Closing the graphical Pipe Display The pipe graphical display window can only be accessed from the Network Builder Interface. Once the user is working within Network Builder, they must left-click on a pipe in order to select it. On the right hand side of the screen, pipe data-entry boxes will appear as usual. To open the graphical pipe display, click on the Graphical Pipe Display Icon. In order to close the graphical pipe display, click on the standard Close Button at the top right hand corner of the window. Mesh point Visibility If the user wishes to view the mesh points along the pipe length, then they should click on the Mesh Point Visibility Icon. The mesh points can also be removed by clicking on the same icon a second time. Centre Line Visibility The centre line of the pipe will be shown on the graphical display if the user clicks on the Centre Line Visibility Icon. To remove the centre line, click on the same icon again. Pipe Diameters Visibility The diameters of the sections of the displayed pipe can be viewed by clicking on the Pipe Diameters Visibility Icon. There are again removed by clicking on the icon a second time. 2-Dimensional / 3-Dimensional Display The graphical display can be toggled between 2D and 3D by clicking on the 2D/3D Icon. Connected Pipes Display If the user wishes to view the pipes which are connected to either side of the selected pipe, they must click on the Connected Pipes Display Icon. These can be removed by clicking again on the same Icon. Dynamic Translate View To move the graphical display around within the graphical pipe viewer window whilst retaining the scale of the display, click on the Dynamic Translate View Icon and then left - click on the display, hold the button down and drag the display around the window with the mouse. Once the desired location has been reached, release the mouse button to set the display in that position. Dynamic Scale View To scale the graphical pipe display about its current position, click on the Dynamic Scale Icon, press and hold down the left mouse button over the display and drag the mouse either backwards or forwards until the desired scale is achieved. When satisfied with the sacle, let go of the button to set the scale. Zoom In / Out To Zoom either in or out by a small amount, click on either the Zoom in Icon or the Zoom out Icon as appropriate and click on the display to zoom. Autoscaling To make the pipes fit the screen automatically, click on the Autoscale Icon. Picking a Zoom Area To pick a specific area on the pipe display to zoom into, click on the Zoom Area Pick Icon, click the upper left hand corner of the rectangular area of interest, drag the selection box over the required area and left-click again to select the area. The view will then zoom into the selected area. Printing the graphical pipe Display To print the graphical pipe display, click on the Print Icon. This will call up the standard windows printing dialogue box. Copying the Graphical Pipe Display to the Clipboard, To copy the pipe display to the clipboard, Click on the Copy to Clipboard Icon.
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+$#>Network Builder Interface Moving Multiple Components
Moving Multiple Components
Using the Pick Single function denoted by the white arrow icon at the top of the Network Builder screen, it is possible to move components around the workspace. The user can specify the number of components that are moved at a time by selecting one of three options. These options are available either within the Move by section in Network Builders Edit menu, or by clicking the appropriate icon at the top of the screen.
Move element singularly icon
Selecting this option results in just one element being moved at a time.
Move element and 1st Children icon
Selecting this option will allow the component selected by the cursor to be moved and any additional components to which it is directly connected. Connections between the 1st children and further components to which they are connected will be broken.
Move element and Family icon
Selecting this option will allow the component selected by the cursor to be moved, any directly attached components (1st Children) and any further components to which the 1st Children are connected (family). Connections between the family and additional components to which the family members are connected will remain in tact.
+$#>Network Builder Interface Cutting and Pasting Components
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Cutting & Pasting Components
Cut
Selected items may be cut from the Network Builder model in one of two ways. Either the item is cut by clicking on the appropriate reference within Network Builders Edit menu, or the Ctrl+x key combination is used.
Copy
Selected items may be copied in one of two ways. Either the item is copied by clicking on the appropriate reference within Network Builders Edit menu, or the Ctrl+c key combination is used.
Copying Display to Clipboard
Using the copy display to clipboard command, the entire Network Builder display can be copied to the main clipboard, from which the display can be accessed by different working environments.
Paste
Components can be pasted form the clipboard onto the Network Builder workspace in one of two ways. Either the paste command is activated by clicking on the appropriate command within Network Builders View menu, or the Ctrl+v key combination is used.
Deleting Components
All components on the Network Builder workspace can be deleted at the same time by clicking Clear All within the Edit menu. Selected components can be deleted individually either by using the delete key on the keyboard, or by clicking the right mouse button and selecting delete from the options menu.
Viewing Toolbars / Menus
Toolkit
The toolkit is the list of component icons on the left side of he Network Builder screen. The toolkit can be activated or de-activated by clicking on the relevant option within Network Builders View menu.
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+$#>Network Builder Interface - Zooming
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Zooming
The zooming facilities are found within Network Builders View menu. Placing the cusor pointer above the Control menu item invokes the zoom menu. Clicking on either the zoom in option or the zoom out option will scale the engine diagram by a fixed proportion.
The standard zoom option may by used to zoom in on a user specified workspace area. Clicking on this option brings up two cross hairs. The cross forms one corner of a rectangle and can be positioned by the user in the desired location. A further click of the mouse button will activate a rectangle, which can be resized by dragging the mouse. The area enclosed by the rectangle is the zoom area. A final click of the mouse button will scale the desired area so that it fills the Network Builder workspace.
Scaling the View
Dynamic Scale
The Network Builder workspace can be scaled by selecting the Dynamic Scale option within the View menu. Alternatively the option can be activated using the appropriate icon at the top of the screen. Holding down the left mouse button and dragging the mouse will scale the view correspondingly. Releasing the mouse button will fix the scale of the workspace.
Autoscale
Autoscale is a function that automatically scales the Network Builder workspace to a degree whereby the model under construction fills the screen. Autoscale can be activated in two ways. The first method is to click on the Autoscale option within the View menu. Alternatively the CTRL-a key combination can be used. The builder display can be set to autoscale automatically when a model is loaded. This option can be found within the Setup menu.
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+$#>Network Builder Interface Moving the View
Moving the View
Pick Centre
The Network Builder workspace can be repositioned by the user as desired. Pick Centre enables the user to define a point on the construction diagram, the program will then translate the view so that this point becomes the centre of the screen. Pick Centre can be enabled through the View menu. Clicking on Pick Centre brings up a set of cross hairs that can be used to identify the new centre. Clicking on the left mouse button will activate the new centre.
Translating the View
The Network Builder workspace can be translated by selecting the Dynamic Translate option within the View menu, or by clicking on the appropriate icon at the top of the Network builder screen. Holding down the left mouse button and dragging the mouse, will translate the workspace correspondingly.
+$#>Network Builder Interface Visibility Options
Visibility Options
The Visibilities menu can be found within the View menu, as shown below.
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+$#>Network Builder Interface Pipe Mesh Auto-Refinement
Pipe Mesh Auto-Refinement
The pipe mesh auto-refinement can be selected or deselected by clicking on the Data menu and then on Pipe Mesh Auto-Refine, a menu will appear, as shown below.
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+$#>Network Builder Interface Pipe Wall Friction Setting
Pipe Wall Friction Setting
The pipe wall friction factor can be evaluated based on a cycled averaged pipe Reynolds Number, or based on an instantaneous mesh-wise Reynolds number see the Theory section of further details.
The pipe wall friction factor setting can be selected by clicking on the Data menu and then on Pipe Wall Friction Setting, a menu will appear, allowing either By Cycle or By Time Step to be selected, as shown below.
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+$#>Network Builder Interface Two-Pipe Equal-Area Junction
Two-Pipe Equal Area Junction
The type of calculation method used in the two-pipe equal-area junction model can be specified by clicking on the Data menu and then on Equal Area Junction. A menu will appear allowing the selection of the desired form of calculation scheme, as shown below.
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+$#>Network Builder Interface Test Conditions
Test Conditions
Test Data Wizard
The Test Data Wizard is a facility allowing the user to specify all the steady-state test conditions for the simulation model in a single step. The user is able to enter the minimum and maximum engine speeds and the number of test points. The Wizard then creates these steady-state test conditions. The Wizard uses mostly default options for combustion, fuelling, boundary conditions, friction, plotting and solution control. The Create Wizard is activated by clicking on the Data menu and then on Test Conditions, a menu will appear, allowing Create Wizard to be selected, as shown below.
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+$#>Network Builder Interface Connectivity Errors
Connectivity Errors
Connectivity errors between components will prevent the simulation from running. Components may overlap but not necessarily connect with one another, making it difficult to spot the error. The show connectivity errors option highlights components that are not connected properly by colouring them in red. This facility can be activated by clicking on the appropriate reference within Network Builders View menu, as shown below.
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+$#>Network Builder Interface Element Summary
Element Summary
The element summary provides a means to quickly allow the user to check the number of each component type contained within the current model
To open the element summary window select the Data / Element Summary& from the main window menubar.
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+$#>Network Builder Interface Sim Connections Summary
Data / Sim Connections Summary
A summary spread sheet is available through the Data / Sim Connections Summary menu that lists the connections as interpreted by the solver. This list does not include sensor and actuator type connections, which are handled in a more direct way, but only lists those model components associated with the actual gas transport, i.e. pipes, plenums, valves etc.
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+$#>Network Builder Interface Model Data Summary
Model Data Summary
A summary spreadsheet is available through the Data / Sim Model Data Summary menu that lists the data for key model elements. The tool presents the data for cylinder element, the port and valve elements and the first pipe connected to each port element in a tabulated form. This enables the rapid checking of the consistency of the data entered for these elements.
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#>Test Conditions Icon
#>Pick Single Icon
#>Pick Area Icon
#>Pick Lasso Icon
#>Move Singularly Icon
#>Move 1st Children Icon
#>Move Family Icon
#>Dynamic Scale Icon
#>Dynamic Translate Icon
#>Network Builder Icon
#>Graphical Pipe Display Icon
#>Mesh Points Visibility Icon
#>Centre Line Visibility Icon
#>Pipe Diameters Visibility Icon
#>2D/3D Display Icon
#>Connected Pipes Display Icon
#>Dynamic Translate View
#>Dynamic Scale View
#>Zoom In Icon
#>Zoom out Icon
#>Autoscale Icon
#>Zoom Area Pick Icon
#>Print Graphical Pipe Display Icon
#>Copy to Clipboard Icon
+$#>Network Builder Interface Cylinder Components
Click on icons and tabs to show component descriptions
+$#>Network Builder Interface Inlet Components
Click on icons and tabs to show component descriptions
+$#>Network Builder Interface Exhaust Components
Click on icons and tabs to show component descriptions
+$#>Network Builder Interface Pipe Components
Click on icons and tabs to show component descriptions
+$#>Network Builder Interface Machine Components
Click on icons and tabs to show component descriptions
+$#>Network Builder Interface Intake Super-Element Components
Click on icons and tabs to show component descriptions
+$#>Network Builder Interface Exhaust Super-Element Components
Click on icons and tabs to show component descriptions
+$#>Network Builder Interface Mechanical Link Components
Click on icons and tabs to show component descriptions
+$#>Network Builder Interface Load Components
Click on icons and tabs to show component descriptions
+$#>Network Builder Interface Sensor and Actuator Components
Click on icons and tabs to show component descriptions
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Cylinders provide a starting point for the construction of an engine model. Each cylinder has 4 intake and 4 exhaust connection points allowing multiple valves with different properties to be connected. More information on Cylinder Data.
The elements which can be connected up and downstream of this element are displayed in a group below the property sheet. Elements can be added to a model directly from this palette.
Intake Poppet Valves have one inlet and one exhaust connection and must be connected to the cylinder either directly or via a virtual pipe. Properties such as valve open, close, dwell and lift are stored for this component. More information on Poppet valves
The elements which can be connected up and downstream of this element are displayed in a group below the property sheet. Elements can be added to a model directly from this palette.
Intake Ports must be connected either directly, or via a virtual pipe to a poppet valve. Data such as number of valves, port type and valve throat diameter are stored for this component. More information on Ports
The elements which can be connected up and downstream of this element are displayed in a group below the property sheet. Elements can be added to a model directly from this palette.
One or more Inlets must always be used and are connected upstream of all components since they only have one connection. The inlet boundary pressure and temperature should be specified for this element. More information on Inlets
The elements which can be connected up and downstream of this element are displayed in a group below the property sheet. Elements can be added to a model directly from this palette.
Intake Throttles can be used between intakes, pipes and plenums and contain data the minimum cross-sectional area and discharge coefficient. More information on Throttles
The elements which can be connected up and downstream of this element are displayed in a group below the property sheet. Elements can be added to a model directly from this palette.
Intake plenums can be placed almost anywhere in the chain of elements and contains data such as Volume, Surface Area and Heat Transfer Coefficient. They must be placed at either side of any machines in order to provide boundary conditions for them and can be used in multi-cylinder model pipe junctions in order to represent manifold plenums or air boxes. More information on Plenums
The elements which can be connected up and downstream of this element are displayed in a group below the property sheet. Elements can be added to a model directly from this palette.
Stop Ends are used in order to blank off the ends of any pipes or resonator tubes that are added to the intake. They do not have any properties that can be altered since they simply seal the ends of tubes. More information on Stop Ends
The elements which can be connected up and downstream of this element are displayed in a group below the property sheet. Elements can be added to a model directly from this palette.
Intake Disc Valves are 2-stroke options and must be attached upstream of a variable plenum to control the air/fuel mixture flow into the crankcase. More information on Disc Valves
The elements which can be connected up and downstream of this element are displayed in a group below the property sheet. Elements can be added to a model directly from this palette.
Intake Reed Valves are 2-stroke options and must be attached upstream of a variable plenum to control the air/fuel mixture flow into the crankcase. More information on Reed Valves
The elements which can be connected up and downstream of this element are displayed in a group below the property sheet. Elements can be added to a model directly from this palette.
Piston Ported Intake Valves are used for 2-stroke applications and simulate the opening and closing of the intake port with piston movement. More information on Piston Ported Valves
The elements which can be connected up and downstream of this element are displayed in a group below the property sheet. Elements can be added to a model directly from this palette.
User Area Intake Valves are mostly used in two stroke applications to simulate any valve area not covered by the other valve options. They are predominantly used in association with the cylinder, but they can be used elsewhere in the engine system. More information on User Area Valves
The elements which can be connected up and downstream of this element are displayed in a group below the property sheet. Elements can be added to a model directly from this palette.
The Lotus Engine Simulation code 3 uses Variable Intake Plenums to represent the crankcase volume in a 2-stroke engine. More information on Plenums
The elements which can be connected up and downstream of this element are displayed in a group below the property sheet. Elements can be added to a model directly from this palette.
Exhaust Poppet Valves have one inlet and one exhaust connection and must be connected to the cylinder either directly or via a virtual pipe. Properties such as valve open, close, dwell and lift are stored for this component. More information on Poppet valves
The elements which can be connected up and downstream of this element are displayed in a group below the property sheet. Elements can be added to a model directly from this palette.
Exhaust Ports must be connected either directly or via a virtual pipe to a poppet valve. Data such as number of valves, port type and valve throat diameter are stored for this component. More information on Ports
The elements which can be connected up and downstream of this element are displayed in a group below the property sheet. Elements can be added to a model directly from this palette.
One or more Exits must always be used and are connected downstream of all components. The exit boundary pressure should be specified for this element. More information on Exits
The elements which can be connected up and downstream of this element are displayed in a group below the property sheet. Elements can be added to a model directly from this palette.
Exhaust Throttles can be used between exits, pipes and plenums and contain minimum cross sectional area and discharge coefficient data. More information on Throttles
The elements which can be connected up and downstream of this element are displayed in a group below the property sheet. Elements can be added to a model directly from this palette.
An Exhaust Plenum can be placed almost anywhere downstream from the cylinder and contains data such as Volume, Surface Area and Heat Transfer Coefficient. They must be placed at either side of any machines in order to provide boundary conditions for them and can be used in multicylinder model pipe junctions in order to represent collector cones. More information on Plenums
The elements which can be connected up and downstream of this element are displayed in a group below the property sheet. Elements can be added to a model directly from this palette.
Exhaust Stop Ends are used in order to blank off the ends of any resonator tubes that are added to the exhaust. They do not have any properties that can be altered since they simply seal the ends of tubes. More information on Plenums
The elements which can be connected up and downstream of this element are displayed in a group below the property sheet. Elements can be added to a model directly from this palette.
Piston Ported Exhaust Valves are used for 2-stroke applications and simulate the opening and closing of the intake port with piston movement. More information on Piston Ported Valves
The elements which can be connected up and downstream of this element are displayed in a group below the property sheet. Elements can be added to a model directly from this palette.
User Area Exhaust Valves are mostly used in two stroke applications to simulate any valve area not covered by the other valve options. They are predominantly used in association with the cylinder, but they can be used elsewhere in the engine system. More information on User Area Valves
The elements which can be connected up and downstream of this element are displayed in a group below the property sheet. Elements can be added to a model directly from this palette.
Variable volume exhaust plenums can be connected to most elements within the builder. More information on Plenums
The elements which can be connected up and downstream of this element are displayed in a group below the property sheet. Elements can be added to a model directly from this palette.
Pipes are shown as solid black lines and are used to model the actual pipes in the intake and exhaust system. A number of diameters can be specified along the length of each pipe and the data such as the pipe material, cooling type, thickness etc. can be entered. There are three possible types of standard pipe available straight, single bend and double bend. The straight pipes are used for connections, which are not obscured by other components and the single and double bend pipes are used in order to negotiate other components and also to tidy the display they do not imply any pressure drop effects due to bends. The properties of these three types of pipe are exactly the same and are simply there to provide more flexibility in the graphical construction of engine models. More information on Pipes
The elements which can be connected up and downstream of this element are displayed in a group below the property sheet. Elements can be added to a model directly from this palette.
Virtual links are simply a means of connecting different components of an engine model together when it is not possible to do so, due to the layout of the graphical display. For example, if four exhaust ports were required to be joined to one exhaust plenum without any pipes in-between, this would not normally be physically possible to achieve with the graphical display and would therefore require the use of virtual links. The Straight pipes are used for connections, which are not obscured by other components and the single and double bend pipes are used in order to negotiate other components and also to tidy the display. None of these three types of virtual link have any properties. More information on Pipes
The elements which can be connected up and downstream of this element are displayed in a group below the property sheet. Elements can be added to a model directly from this palette.
Turbochargers are modelled as compressors and turbines on a common free spinning (or compounded) shaft. A plenum must be connected either side of both the compressor and the turbine (4 plenums in total). Note: For more information on turbochargers see Theory Turbochargers. , Compressor Data Variables or Turbine Data Variables
The elements which can be connected up and downstream of this element are displayed in a group below the property sheet. Elements can be added to a model directly from this palette.
Charge coolers are placed between turbochargers / superchargers and the cylinder. Plenums must be attached to either side of a charge cooler in order to provide boundary conditions. More Information on Charge Coolers
The elements which can be connected up and downstream of this element are displayed in a group below the property sheet. Elements can be added to a model directly from this palette.
Superchargers are modelled as a single compressors on the intake side of the model and its operation depends on engine speed. More information on Plenums
The elements which can be connected up and downstream of this element are displayed in a group below the property sheet. Elements can be added to a model directly from this palette.
The Pipe Bundle is a simple mechanism for representing a group of similar pipes by a single pipe. It is useful for the modelling of exhaust catalyst bricks or charge-cooler passages. More information on Pipe Bundles
The elements which can be connected up and downstream of this element are displayed in a group below the property sheet. Elements can be added to a model directly from this palette.
These elements differ from the standard pipe type by the requirement to supply the additional two properties of bend angle and bend radius.. More information on Pipe Bends
The elements which can be connected up and downstream of this element are displayed in a group below the property sheet. Elements can be added to a model directly from this palette.
Pipe junctions are formed in the model by linking together pipe ends. This normally forms a constant pressure junction. A special pipe junction model, which accounts for the effects on the flow caused by the angles at which the pipes forming the junction meet can be used by dropping the element at the bottom of the pipe tool-kit list onto a conventional junction. The model enables the user to specify the angular displacement of the pipes which is used by the code to calculate flow losses in the junction. More information on Pressure Loss Junctions
The elements which can be connected up and downstream of this element are displayed in a group below the property sheet. Elements can be added to a model directly from this palette.
Axial compressor. More information on Axial Compressors
The elements which can be connected up and downstream of this element are displayed in a group below the property sheet. Elements can be added to a model directly from this palette.
The concept of Silencer Super Elements is to allow the user to develop models of complex intake or exhaust silencer components rapidly. Silencer elements are generally composed of a number of ducts and volumes. A Silencer Super Element provides a way of automatically interpreting the geometry of a multi-element component and constructing an equivalent one-dimensional pipe network model. More information on Super Elements
The elements which can be connected up and downstream of this element are displayed in a group below the property sheet. Elements can be added to a model directly from this palette.
The concept of Silencer Super Elements is to allow the user to develop models of complex intake or exhaust silencer components rapidly. Silencer elements are generally composed of a number of ducts and volumes. A Silencer Super Element provides a way of automatically interpreting the geometry of a multi-element component and constructing an equivalent one-dimensional pipe network model. More information on Super Elements
The elements which can be connected up and downstream of this element are displayed in a group below the property sheet. Elements can be added to a model directly from this palette.
The concept of Silencer Super Elements is to allow the user to develop models of complex intake or exhaust silencer components rapidly. Silencer elements are generally composed of a number of ducts and volumes. A Silencer Super Element provides a way of automatically interpreting the geometry of a multi-element component and constructing an equivalent one-dimensional pipe network model. More information on Super Elements
The elements which can be connected up and downstream of this element are displayed in a group below the property sheet. Elements can be added to a model directly from this palette.
The concept of Silencer Super Elements is to allow the user to develop models of complex intake or exhaust silencer components rapidly. Silencer elements are generally composed of a number of ducts and volumes. A Silencer Super Element provides a way of automatically interpreting the geometry of a multi-element component and constructing an equivalent one-dimensional pipe network model. More information on Super Elements
The elements which can be connected up and downstream of this element are displayed in a group below the property sheet. Elements can be added to a model directly from this palette.
The concept of Silencer Super Elements is to allow the user to develop models of complex intake or exhaust silencer components rapidly. Silencer elements are generally composed of a number of ducts and volumes. A Silencer Super Element provides a way of automatically interpreting the geometry of a multi-element component and constructing an equivalent one-dimensional pipe network model. More information on Super Elements
The elements which can be connected up and downstream of this element are displayed in a group below the property sheet. Elements can be added to a model directly from this palette.
The concept of Silencer Super Elements is to allow the user to develop models of complex intake or exhaust silencer components rapidly. Silencer elements are generally composed of a number of ducts and volumes. A Silencer Super Element provides a way of automatically interpreting the geometry of a multi-element component and constructing an equivalent one-dimensional pipe network model. More information on Super Elements
The elements which can be connected up and downstream of this element are displayed in a group below the property sheet. Elements can be added to a model directly from this palette.
The concept of Silencer Super Elements is to allow the user to develop models of complex intake or exhaust silencer components rapidly. Silencer elements are generally composed of a number of ducts and volumes. A Silencer Super Element provides a way of automatically interpreting the geometry of a multi-element component and constructing an equivalent one-dimensional pipe network model. More information on Super Elements
The elements which can be connected up and downstream of this element are displayed in a group below the property sheet. Elements can be added to a model directly from this palette.
The concept of Silencer Super Elements is to allow the user to develop models of complex intake or exhaust silencer components rapidly. Silencer elements are generally composed of a number of ducts and volumes. A Silencer Super Element provides a way of automatically interpreting the geometry of a multi-element component and constructing an equivalent one-dimensional pipe network model. More information on Super Elements
The elements which can be connected up and downstream of this element are displayed in a group below the property sheet. Elements can be added to a model directly from this palette.
The concept of Silencer Super Elements is to allow the user to develop models of complex intake or exhaust silencer components rapidly. Silencer elements are generally composed of a number of ducts and volumes. A Silencer Super Element provides a way of automatically interpreting the geometry of a multi-element component and constructing an equivalent one-dimensional pipe network model. More information on Super Elements
The elements which can be connected up and downstream of this element are displayed in a group below the property sheet. Elements can be added to a model directly from this palette.
The concept of Silencer Super Elements is to allow the user to develop models of complex intake or exhaust silencer components rapidly. Silencer elements are generally composed of a number of ducts and volumes. A Silencer Super Element provides a way of automatically interpreting the geometry of a multi-element component and constructing an equivalent one-dimensional pipe network model. More information on Super Elements
The elements which can be connected up and downstream of this element are displayed in a group below the property sheet. Elements can be added to a model directly from this palette.
The concept of Silencer Super Elements is to allow the user to develop models of complex intake or exhaust silencer components rapidly. Silencer elements are generally composed of a number of ducts and volumes. A Silencer Super Element provides a way of automatically interpreting the geometry of a multi-element component and constructing an equivalent one-dimensional pipe network model. More information on Catalysts
The elements which can be connected up and downstream of this element are displayed in a group below the property sheet. Elements can be added to a model directly from this palette.
The concept of Silencer Super Elements is to allow the user to develop models of complex intake or exhaust silencer components rapidly. Silencer elements are generally composed of a number of ducts and volumes. A Silencer Super Element provides a way of automatically interpreting the geometry of a multi-element component and constructing an equivalent one-dimensional pipe network model. More information on Catalysts
The elements which can be connected up and downstream of this element are displayed in a group below the property sheet. Elements can be added to a model directly from this palette.
Mechanical Link provide the connection between cylinders and loads. They are primarily associated with transient load conditions, as their inertial properties are not used in steady state runs. More information on Mechanical Links
The elements which can be connected up and downstream of this element are displayed in a group below the property sheet. Elements can be added to a model directly from this palette.
Steady state loads are normally not added to models, since their existence is assumed. Potentially as multi-shaft models become solvable the steady state load will be required to imply shaft connections. More information on Steady State Loads
The elements which can be connected up and downstream of this element are displayed in a group below the property sheet. Elements can be added to a model directly from this palette.
Transient load elements identify the inertial properties for a transient analysis, they also identify the connection point for a cylinder to the load. More information on Transient Loads
The elements which can be connected up and downstream of this element are displayed in a group below the property sheet. Elements can be added to a model directly from this palette.
Generic Sensors provide the means by which a components property can be sensed. This property can be a physical value such as length, diameter or volume, or it can be an instantaneously calculated value such as pressure, mass flow or temperature.More information on Sensors
The elements which can be connected up and downstream of this element are displayed in a group below the property sheet. Elements can be added to a model directly from this palette.
Time Sensors provide the means by which an analysis run can access the steady state or transient run time. More information on Sensors
The elements which can be connected up and downstream of this element are displayed in a group below the property sheet. Elements can be added to a model directly from this palette.
Actuators provide the means by which a components property can be changed. This property can be any physical value of a component such as length, diameter or volume, provided such a feature has been provided for.. More information on Actuators
The elements which can be connected up and downstream of this element are displayed in a group below the property sheet. Elements can be added to a model directly from this palette.
Plot file Sensors provide a means by which model parameters can be user selected and saved to a file during the analysis run. The created file can then be viewed or exported to Excel. More information on Sensors
The elements which can be connected up and downstream of this element are displayed in a group below the property sheet. Elements can be added to a model directly from this palette.
Harness wires provide the connection between the normal simulation components and the sensors and actuators. They also provide the connection between sensors and actuators.. More information on Harness wires
The elements which can be connected up and downstream of this element are displayed in a group below the property sheet. Elements can be added to a model directly from this palette.
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Program Overview Program Structure+$#>
Program Overview - Data Module
+$#>Program Overview - Solve Module
The engine is modelled by a set of differential equations which characterise the physical and chemical processes occurring within it. The solver provides an algorithmic mechanism for solving these governing equations, which are essentially provided with boundary conditions and constraints by the model constructed by the input data set.
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Engine Simulation Solution Procedure
The primary function of the program is to predict the flows between the elements of the model and to solve the energy, momentum and continuity equations as appropriate within each element to obtain the thermodynamic state variables and flow velocity at each crank angle throughout the engine cycle. The solution procedure is time marching and a number of engine cycles are simulated in order to obtain a converged (cyclically repeatable) solution. Convergence is automatically checked for mass flow into and out off each cylinder, plenum and pipe. When the difference in cycle-averaged mass flow over successive cycles for all elements falls below the defined convergence limits, the simulation is judged to have converged and no further calculations are performed.
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Initial Conditions
The program automatically estimates the initial conditions of pressure, temperature and mass, for each element. This ensures that the results of any simulation do not rely on initial estimates made by the user and that consistent results will be obtained for a given data-set.
Sub-Models
To simulate an engine the processes are broken down in such a way that a number of discrete sub-models can be formulated. The main sub-models are listed below. A summary of each model can be obtained by clicking on the title. More detailed information regarding these models can be found in the main section describing the Data Module and the Theory
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Thermodynamic Properties
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Fuel and Fuel System
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Combustion
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Heat Transfer
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Scavenging
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Valves
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Unsteady Gas Dynamics
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Turbochargers
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Friction
+$#>Program Overview - Results Module
The Lotus Engine Simulation program is structured so that up to 50 steady state engine speed and load conditions, or 20 transient test cycles, can be specified with any one simulation model. At the end of each simulation cycle, averaged results for airflow, volumetric efficiency, fuel flow, indicated and brake power, fuel consumption and heat transfer are printed to an ASCII (*.MRS) results file. The *.MRS results file may be viewed either directly through the *.MRS Text Results Viewer or the *.MRS Graph Viewer.
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For steady state tests, details of the element conditions and flows at each crank angle may be stored in a binary plot file (*.PRS) for subsequent post processing. These results include in-cylinder pressures, temperatures, volumes and fuel mass fractions burned and can be viewed in a variety of ways using the *.PRS Results Viewer.
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The status of the model components during a steady state or transient test can be written to a binary or ASCII file (*.TRS). The values written to the *.TRS Results File may be plotted while the simulation is running, or viewed after the simulation has finished.
+$#>Program Overview - Additional Features
Also accessible through the Lotus Engine Simulation program are a number of tools, which can be used to create accurate values for use within simulation models. These tools are essentially stand-alone programs developed by Lotus which have been adapted for use within the simulation environment. The tools are:
The Data Checking Wizard provides a tool which allows the user to check the validity and quality of the current data.
The Concept Tool allows the user to study, in a limited way, the parameters which affect the performance of a particular engine configuration and can be used to generate an engine simulation model quickly, using minimal input data. Simple analytical and empirical expressions, such as the Helmholtz resonator equation, are used to size the valves / ports, and intake and exhaust runners. In this way a unit-cylinder is produced which can be duplicated and connected to generate a multi-cylinder engine.
The Friction Estimator Tool provides a method of estimating the level of friction created by a specific engine configuration at a variety of engine speeds and also comparing it with a database of existing engines. This tool can be used either separately or in conjunction with Engine Simulation to quickly create user defined FMEP values which can be used directly in an Engine Simulation model.
The Combustion Analysis Tool is a combustion analysis program that analyses a cylinder pressure curve in order to calculate the heat release rates. It also allows the engineer to quickly create user-defined combustion data which can be loaded directly in an Engine Simulation model.
The Port Flow Analysis Tool, like the other tools, can be used to post-process measured flow bench results independently to obtain the flow coefficient of a port. These flow results or the associated database values can also provides the user with the port flow data for entry into the user defined option within the Engine Simulations ports and valves data section.
The Lotus Concept Valve Train, is an analysis tool intended to assist in the initial design and layout of a camshaft profile, from the layout of the segmented polynomial lift curve through to valve train static analysis and valve spring design. Specific templates pre-fill the designs with default data allowing the user to quickly produce a basic design, then using some of the interactive editing and joggle facilities changes can be made to improve and refine the design. Cam profiles produced can be exported in a number of ways to support other external applications like Adams Valve Train, or copied into a current engine simulation model.
+$#>Program Overview - Thermodynamic Properties
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The program tracks the flow of Gas, as a mixture of 11 molecular species plus gaseous fuel. The 11 species considered are CO, CO2, H, H2, H2O, N, NO, NO2, O, O2, and OH. For combustion any C/H/O type of fuel can be specified. The thermodynamic properties of the gaseous fuel are however assumed to be equivalent to either C8H18 (octane/gasoline), C12H26(dodecane/diesel) or CH4 (methane).
The effect of gas temperature on gas properties such as cp, cv and viscosity are calculated for the individual gas species and then averaged using the Gibbs-Dalton relationships. Thus gas properties change appropriately with both gas composition and temperature.
+$#>Program Overview - Fuel and Fuel System
Gasoline, Diesel, Methane, and Methanol Fuels can be simulated. The manner by which fuel is introduced to the model is closely linked to the specified combustion system type. For all direct injection / indirect injection engines, fuel is introduced to the cylinder at the same rate as it is combusted. For other combustion system types the fuel is either port injected, where fuel is mixed with the fresh charge flowing through the inlet valves, or added via a carburettor, were fuel is pre-mixed with charge air before being introduced via an inlet.
The fuelling rate can be specified by one of several options. For direct injection / indirect injection engines the fuelling may be specified as either the raw fuelling rate [mm3/inj] or as the trapped air fuel ratio. With the latter the fuelling rate is automatically adjusted with changes in air flow from one cycle to the next. For spark-ignition engines the operating equivalence ratio is specified.
+$#>Program Overview - Combustion
A single zone combustion model is employed. The combustion rate can be defined via either a one or two part Wiebe function, or via a user defined heat release diagram. Default combustion durations are available for most combustion system types including estimates for the premixed and diffusion fractions for DI diesel engines. Users are, however, encouraged to specify combustion duration derived from test results from engines similar to those being modelled.
Full chemical kinetics models are not employed in this version of the program. Dissociation effects (CO generation) are modelled through curve fits to the Eltinge diagram, which relates combustion products of CO and O2 to user specified parameters of air-fuel ratio and mal-distribution. This is approach avoids the computationally expensive chemical rate calculations.
Several options are available to control combustion timing. The first is to use a fixed combustion timing. The second is to allow the program to automatically adjust the combustion timing in order to achieve a user specified maximum cylinder pressure. The third is an extension of the second but in this option the combustion timing is only permitted to retard. This third option is particularly useful for simulating the effects of knock in gasoline engines where as a first approximation the maximum cylinder pressure at a given engine speed will remain fixed with changes in volumetric efficiency.
+$#>Program Overview - Heat Transfer
Heat transfer is modelled in all elements. Within cylinders one of three empirically derived heat transfer correlations may be selected. The available In-cylinder Heat Transfer correlation options are;
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Woshni;
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Annand;
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Eichleberg.
Default constants are provided for each model, however the user may freely tune any constant in the correlation to best suit the engine being modelled.
A simple connective heat transfer model is available for plenums. The user must supply the heat transfer coefficient and surface area. The heat transfer coefficient is assumed to be constant throughout the cycle.
Heat transfer within pipes is based on Bensons treatment of the Reynolds analogy, where instantaneous heat transfer is a function of the local gas and pipe wall temperatures, gas velocity and pipe wall friction factor.
The heat rejected or acquired by each element is summed throughout the cycle and can be obtained as output so that the user can fully understand the energy exchanges within the engine system.
+$#>Program Overview - Scavenging
Four Scavenging Models are available for the cylinder elements. These are:
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Perfect Mixing Model
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Perfect Displacement Model
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Benson-Brandham Displacement/Mixing Model
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Blair Stripping Scavenging Model
The default model for cylinders is the perfect mixing model.
The manner by which reverse flows are handled by any simulation program has a significant effect on the predicted performance. Within Lotus Engine Simulation all elements other than cylinders are assumed to exhibit perfect displacement scavenging.
+$#>Program Overview - Unsteady Gas Dynamics
The accurate simulation of high-speed engines requires the use of one-dimensional Pipe Elements in order to predict the unsteady gas dynamic effects on performance. One-dimensional unsteady flow in the pipe elements is modelled using a shock-capturing finite volume scheme. This scheme is capable of handling the large gradients in flow properties encountered in high-speed flows and is based on the two-step Lax-Wendroff method with a total variation diminishing (TVD) flux limiter (see ref. 1 below).
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A Pipe Bend model and a Diffuser Loss model are provided in order to account for the additional flow losses produced by the separation regions and secondary flows in such elements.
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Pipe boundary calculations are performed using the non-homentropic method of characteristics. This technique deals with boundary interactions in a physically correct manner to ensure accurate predictions of wave reflection and transmission characteristics.
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Reference 1. Winterbone, D.E., and Pearson, R.J., Theory of engine manifold design wave action methods for IC engines. Professional Engineering Publishing Ltd, London. 2000. ISBN 1 86058 209 5
+$#>Program Overview - Valves
Elements may be linked by one or more of several types of flow device, the most important of which is the Poppet Valve. Within Lotus Engine Simulation the user is requested to supply both the valve lift profile and the port flow coefficient curve. This avoids the use of cumbersome angle flow area curves that require regeneration each time the port design or valve lift profile are changed. The data structure for valve events is extremely flexible to allow parametric studies of these design parameters to be easily performed. A valve event may be modified by a single number change to the input file and the profile is automatically scaled to reflect the new lift duration or lift.
+$#>Program Overview - Turbochargers
Turbocharged engines may be modelled using either simple pressure sources and nozzles or by full modelling of the compressor and turbine devices.
The simplest approach is to specify an inlet element for which the user defines the required boost pressure and temperature. The turbine may be modelled by the use of a nozzle (throttle) in the exhaust system. The main drawback of this approach is that work required to provide the boost pressure is not provided by the exhaust nozzle.
A flexible approach to full modelling of turbomachinery has been adopted. The user may specify any number of compressors and turbines (within the dimensions of the program) and link these devices together via a specified gearing. The devices may also be linked to the crankshaft. Thus many strategies such as, sequential turbocharging, parallel turbocharging and/or turbocomponding may be studied. Successful simulation of a turbocharged engine requires the convergence of the turbocharger shaft speed and shaft power of the turbine. The turbocharger speed correction strategy has been tested on several systems to provide the most rapid convergence towards the steady state solution. It is however not uncommon for a large number of engine cycles (>20) to be required for convergence on a turbocharged engine.
The input data required for both compressors and turbines are the non-dimensional characteristic maps of mass flow and efficiency verses pressure ratio and speed. The data is expected in the format specified by the SAE standard to avoid cumbersome re-organisation of the data. A facility has been added by which maps may be scaled allowing compressor and turbine matching simulations to be easily performed. Variable geometry compressors and turbines are not catered for at present.
+$#>Program Overview - Friction
The user may either specify the engine friction or select one of four empirically derived Friction Models provided by the program. The models available are;
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Modified H.B.Moss Formula for Gasoline Engines
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Modified Millington & Hartles DI Diesel Correlation
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Modified Millington & Hartles IDI Diesel Correlation
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Chen & Flynn Large Engine Correlation
Other friction models are included in the Friction Modelling Tool.
+$#>Program Overview - Mechanical Links
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Rotating devices may be linked using Shafts via a specified gearing and mechanical efficiency. The mechanical efficiency is that efficiency by which work is transmitted to or absorbed from the shaft. This may be used to model the bearing losses in a turbocharger.
The inertias of the shaft can also be specified. The inertia referred to the shafts by the gearing is automatically calculated within the program.
Loads may be applied to the engine. The loads form two basic types Steady State and Transient. Loads are added to the model as elements and connected to the cylinders via mechanical links. To run conventional steady state load simulations it is not necessary to add a load as this is implied and the additional inertia data has no effect as the analysis is performed at constant crankshaft speed.
+$#>Program Overview - Sensors & Actuators
The Sensors & Actuators elements allow the user to control the operating parameters of components within a model whilst the model is running. The sensors & actuators incorporate a simple control elements which enable the control of component parameters based directly on the instantaneous or cycle averaged properties of other components. Thus, complex control strategies can be applied to turbocharger waste-gates, variable geometry induction systems, cam phaser mechanisms etc.. This is done directly from the Lotus Engine Simulation drag and drop environment.
+$#>Parametric / Optimizer Tool - Overview
The Parametric / Optimizer Tool essentially allows the user to run a series of tests without having to modify the initial engine model. Groups of components are created and the attributes of all the components within a group can be changed automatically using the Parametric Tool. The Parametric Tool allows the user to perform 1-D or 2-D parametric studies.
The Optimization Tool works in the same way as the parametric tool, except that the full matrix of tests will not necessarily be performed. The optimzation tool will attempt to converge on the best solution, based on a scoring system defined by the user.
Before the Parametric / Optimization Tool can be invoked, the user must specify the engine test conditions and define element groups.
+$#>Groups - Creating a Group
Two types of group can be created with the Lotus Engine Simulation builder interface:
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Single element type groups;
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Mixed element type groups.
Single element type groups contain elements which are all of the same generic type, i.e. all pipes or all plenums. Mixed element groups can be formed which contain a variety of element types. The classification of any group will automatically be assigned based on the element types within the group.
In-order for a group to be available for use in the Parametric/Optimizer Tools then it must be a single element group.
To create a group select Groups from the Lotus Engine Simulation menubar. Then select New from the menu to create a new group. A pop-up window will appear for the user to enter an identifying label for their group, as shown below.
This new group will contain no elements. Elements must be added to the group.
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+$#>Groups - Adding Elements to a Group
Before elements can be added to a group, the group must be created.
To add elements to an existing group requires the following three steps to be performed, these are also indicated in the screen-shot below:
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The user must click on the Rectangle Area Pick icon with the left mouse button. This icon is located in the edit control toolbar which appears above the Lotus Engine Simulation builder window, shown below.
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Once this icon has been depressed the elements to be added to the group can be selected from the builder window by dragging a box around then, as shown below. The box position is controlled with the mouse pointer, using the left button to select the location of the diagonally opposed corners.
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To add the selected elements to the group select Groups from the Lotus Engine Simulation menubar. Then select Add to Group from the menu. A pop-up window will appear enabling the user to select an existing group to add the elements to, as shown below.
If the group is to be used within the Parametric/Optimizer Tools then the elements contained with a group must all be of the same generic type, i.e. all pipes or all plenums.
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+$#>Groups - Deleting a Group
To delete a group select Groups from the Lotus Engine Simulation menubar. Then select Delete from the menu. A pop-up window will appear listing all of the current groups. The user must select which group to delete from this list, as shown below.
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+$#>Groups Adding User Group to Toolkit
To add a currently defined group to the toolkit the view must switched to viewing the elements within that group by selecting Groups from the Lotus Engine Simulation menubar, then selecting Current from the menu. A pop-up window will appear listing all of the current groups. The user must select which group to display from this list. Once a group has been selected, the builder window display will switch from displaying the current model, to displaying the contents of the selected group.
Once the display has been switched to the element group, the group can be added to the toolkit. Select Groups from the Lotus Engine Simulation menubar, then selecting Save Group to Toolkit from the menu. . A pop-up window will appear listing all of the current toolkit tabs. The user must select, from this list, which toolkit tab to save the group to, as shown below.
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+$#>Groups Removing User Group from Toolkit
To remove a group from the toolkit simply right mouse click on the group within the toolkit. A pop-up menu will appear allowing the Delete Group from Toolkit option to be selected, as shown below.
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+$#>Groups Adding User Group Folder to Toolkit
The contents of a directory containing element groups can be displayed in a user definable toolkit tab. To create a new tab select Groups from the Lotus Engine Simulation menubar. Then select Add User Group Folder to Toolkit from the menu. This will automatically bring up the file browser window and prompt the user to select the required directory.
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+$#>Parametric / Optimizer Tool - Parameters
The Parameters menu screen is accessed by clicking on the Parameters Tab in the Parametric / Optimizer Tool window. The Parameters menu screen is shown below.
Up to 10 parameters can be defined. This is specified in the No. of Parameters box. To change the number of parameters specified, simply position the mouse pointer over this box and press the left mouse button. Then type in the number of parameters to be defined.
If more than one parameter has been specified, then the parameters can be stepped through using the two horizontal arrow icons which appear in the Parameter Settings portion of the Parameters menu screen. Three pieces of information have to be entered for each parameter:
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Each parameter is required to be associated with an element group, see Creating a Group. The group that the parameter is associated with is selected by clicking on the down arrow next to the Group Id box. A list of all of the current groups will appear, simply click on one of these to select it.
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Once a group has been associated with the parameter, then the variable associated with that parameter must be selected. This is the variable that will be automatically changed by the parametric tool and will be applied to all of the elements within the selected group. To select the variable which is to be changed clicking on the down arrow next to the Variable box. A list of all of the variables associated with the group currently selected will appear, simply click on one of these to select it.
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The final data required for each parameter is the range over which the parameter is to be varied, and the step size of the variation. There are four ways in which this can be input, these are Value, Shift, Scale or By List and are selected by clicking on the appropriate button. The mode of operation of each of these four methods of parameter variation are :
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Value The minimum and maximum values for the parameter can be simply entered. The Parametric Tool will then perform simulation runs with the parameter set to the minimum specified value (entered by the user in the in the Min. box) and then incrementally increase it by the specified step size (entered by the user in the Step box) until the final run which will be at the value specified as the Maximum (entered by the user in the Max. box). The current value of the variable can be found by clicking on the yellow question mark icon.
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Shift Works in a similar way to the Value option, except that the values entered in Max., Min. and Step boxes are simply added to the current value for the variable.
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Scale This option also works in a similar way to the Value option. In this case the values entered in Max., Min. and Step boxes are used as a multiplying factor to the current value for the variable.
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By List When this option is selected the Max., Min. and Value boxes will become greyed out. Values for the variable to be set to, during the parametric test, are entered in the form of a list. This is done by clicking on the note-pad icon. A window will appear. The user can then specify the number of values to be entered. These values must then be entered into the table. The values entered into this list can be in the form of a Value, a Shift or a Scale, these functions have the same effect as described in Ii, ii and iii above. The Variable will be set to each of the entered values in turn.
Once the parameter data has been entered the parametric calculation can be performed.
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Parametric / Optimizer Tool - Viewing Parametric Results
#Parametric / Optimizer Tool Icon
+$#>Port Flow Analysis Tool - Overview
Overview
The input data requirements of the Lotus port flow test data analysis program, Port Flow, are presented. The equations employed within this program are presented for the users reference. In addition to this the majority of the data from the Lotus port flow database is presented in order to allow the test results from any port flow development program to be compared with those of other engines. This is extremely useful when judging the potential improvements to be gained from any further port development work.
+$#>Port Flow Analysis Tool Port Flow Testing
The layout of Lotus port flow rig when measuring flow, swirl and tumble is shown schematically below. All tests should be performed to the Lotus Air Flow Test procedure 4000-001. This procedure is described in Port Flow Test & Procedures. In the air flow bench, air is drawn through the cylinder head inlet ports, into the machine, through a measuring orifice and exits via the blower motor. Swirl is measured using a rotating vane supported in the cylinder bore between the cylinder head and the air flow bench. A schematic of the swirl rig is shown below. The average speed at which the vane rotates is the raw measurement of swirl. Tumble is measured in a rig that is supported between the cylinder head and the air-flow bench. A schematic is shown below. The rig is designed to allow tumble motion to be measured rotating vanes in the side tubes of the rig. The average speed at which the vanes rotate is the raw measurement of tumble.
Lotus employs a test pressure drop equal to 635 mm (25) of water. Both Ricardo and AVL use a pressure drop of 254 mm (10) of water. While these lower limits may be a result of a limitation in the apparatus, they do represent a significant difference in test conditions.
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+$#>Port Flow Analysis Tool Closing the Port Flow Analysis Tool
In order to close the Port Flow Analysis Tool, either click on the Close Icon at the top right of the window or select File / Close from the Port Flow Analysis menubar.
On the Port Flow Analysis File menu, there is another close option named Close (make current), as shown below. This also closes the Port Flow Analysis Program but at the same time, also copies the calculated data into the relevant section of the current Lotus Engine Simulation model.
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+$#>Port Flow Analysis Tool Solving
Once all required data has been entered, it can be solved by selecting File / Solve Update from the Port Flow Analysis menubar, as shown below. This will produce results, which can be viewed through the Text Results and Graphical Results sections.
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+$#>Port Flow Analysis Tool Printing Text Results
In order to print the text results file, the user must select Text Results / Print from the Port Flow Analysis main menubar, as shown below. This will initiate the standard windows print dialogue box. The whole text file will be printed using this method.
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$#>Port Flow Analysis Tool Listing Database Entries
When there is data stored in the database scratch file (see Database Structure) then it is possible to list the stored database entries. This is done by selecting Database / List Entries from the Port Flow Analysis menubar, as shown below. After performing this task, a window will appear with a spreadsheet-style layout of the database data. Particular entries can be highlighted by clicking on them with the left mouse button.
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#Port Flow Analysis Icon
+$#>Quick Start Guide - Introduction
Introduction
The three basic steps necessary to create and run an engine simulation are;
Step 1 Generate the model data using (1) the Concept Tool; (2) entering data using the drag and drop builder; (3) loading and modifying an existing data file.
Step 2 Make sure that the Test Conditions section of the data reflects the operating condition at which the engine is to be simulated and launch the simulation using the Solve facility.
Step 3 Load the simulation results as either textual or graphical displays to review the calculated data.
+$#>Quick Start Guide - Startup Wizard
When the application is opened, the first dialog box displayed is the Startup Wizard, shown below.
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Quick Start Guide - File Formats
+$#>Quick Start Guide - Generating a Model
Generating a model is the process by which the user identifies the modelling options required and sets the relevant data values. Each data element has its own property sheet that can be edited to reflect the component being modelled. Components are added by selecting them from the toolbar at the side of the window and then dragging them onto a workspace where components can be joined together, manipulated, selected and data can be entered for each individual component. A list of elements which may be connected to the element currently in focus is given at the bottom right-hand side of the interface.
Once entered in a property sheet, data values are retained even when that sub-sections window is closed; this data is only overwritten if a different data file is loaded or the new file option is selected. The new file option returns all modelling option settings to default values.
A number of the data variables can be selected from a combi-box, this presents a fixed list of the available choices and helps to minimise data entry errors. The validity of the current defined data can be checked using the Data Checking Wizard which identifies by section, any data irregularities.
Spread sheet type forms are used for Port and Valve flow data, Compressor, Turbine and Intercooler maps, some Scavenge model options, and some of the Test Condition options, such as Heat Release, Fuelling, Boundary Conditions, and Friction. The spread sheets support cut and paste type functionality via the right mouse button, which can be used to speed up repetitive data entry. If the individual cells of a spread sheet are greyed out this implies that either the relevant option is off or that the necessary spread sheet dimension(s) variable has not been set. Where multiple curves or maps are employed arrow icons are used to step through the defined data sets. Where appropriate the graph icon can be used to open the graphical display of the data for viewing, listing, printing etc.
Existing data files can be loaded using either the file open icon, or by using the pull down menu options. Since the *.sim data files are ASCII text files and can thus be edited direct, two tools are provided within the Lotus Engine Simulation code to allow the user to either view the file or view and edit the data file. A direct link exists between these tools and the model data windows to allow data to be transferred between them without having to write and load data files.
+$#>Quick Start Guide - Solving a Model
The quickest route to initiating a simulation run is to click on the Solver Control icon on the tool Bar or the Solver Control option in the drop-down menu under Solve. Both these actions open the Solver Control window, ensure the Submit Job panel is displayed by selecting this panel tab. This panel allows the input data file name and results file names to be defined and the job submitted.
The simulation is initiated by clicking on the launch icon at the bottom of the window. The run status is displayed on the Dialogue Progress Bar. Note that the calculation cannot be started until names for the results files have been defined.
Selecting the Job Status tab displays the status panel which summarizes the progress of the simulation.
Selecting the Job Messages tab displays the messages panel which lists the solver messages for the selected job and the summary results for any completed test points.
Selecting the Settings tab displays the settings panel which enables the user to specify the location of the solver executable file and other solver settings.
+$#>Quick Start Guide - Viewing Results
The *.PRS Results Viewer is an alternative interface which allows the user to view crank angle related results via a graphical method. These results are created for each test point, every time a run is performed and consist of instantaneous crank angle predictions of temperature and pressure values within each component of the engine.
The Results File Viewer is a scrollable, resizable text window that allows the user to load, read and print the Lotus Engine Simulation text result file (the *.mrs file). The *.mrs file contains a summary of the input data and the major results pertinent to the solution run.
The Result Graph Viewer is a resizable graphics window that allows the user to load, plot and print results from the *.prs and *.mrs files.
Within the window a maximum of four graphs can be plotted, either as individual plots or overlaid on a single graph. All graphs are plotted against a single common x-axis variable. Cross plotting of up to five graphical results can be employed to enable rapid presentation of trends and differences to be performed.
Once the calculation is complete the results either textual or graphical can be loaded into the appropriate window.
For text results open the text results file viewer and load the required text results file, selecting load current will load the last runs text results.
For graphical results open the graph viewer and load the required graphical results file, selecting load current will load the last runs graphical results. Note that the Autoscale facility (accessed via the menu generated by the right mouse button) should be used when new data is displayed.
If the variables displayed need to be changed, open the specify graph axes window and set the required axes. The Autoscale. Zoom and Axis Scales functions can be used to manipulated the actual displayed area.
Additional functionality can be used to cross plot the results against a previous run, list point values and generate hard copies of the graphs.
+$#>Quick Start Guide - System Operating Requirements
The code has been developed for windows 98/NT 32bit only, on a range of machine specifications, and has shown reasonable speed on machines down to only 8MB of RAM and 75 MHz processor speed. It must be remembered that solver run times are directly proportional to processor speed and processor speeds of 500mHz should be considered the workable minimum. Whilst it is possible to run the application with the intra cycle results files turned off or set to a minimum, any serious use of the code will require the saving of these intra cycle (.prs) files. These .prs files can run to over 10mb per speed point for complex models with pipe intermediate results values being saved. Thus available hard disk space should also be reviewed.
The windows display settings that work best with this program is 'Small fonts', 'high colour 16 bit/24 bit' and min 800 x 600 desktop area, (256 colour mode will work with some loss of graphics). The use of 'large fonts' has been known to cause some graphics displacement and would not be recommended for use with this product.
+$#>Quick Start Guide - Licensing Errors
This application uses FLEXlm for its licensing. The necessary license file is not supplied with any installation CD, the license file being provided separately for security reasons. The password file is normally called lotuspass.lic and should be saved to the same folder that the software has been installed to.
You will have one of three types of licence depending on your particular licence requirements/agreement.
1. Demo licence file, uncounted, time bombed
2. Node locked, uncounted, time bombed
3. Floating licence, counted, time bombed
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+$#>Text Results - Text Results Viewer - Overview
The Results File Viewer is a scrollable, resizable text window that allows the user to load, read and print the text results files. These text results files contain a summary of the input data, results data for each input operating condition and a tabulated performance summary.
Text results files have the form *.mrs where * is the Test No, or string supplied by the user.
When a simulation is performed, the results files are automatically written but are not loaded into the viewer. This is unless the user specifies so by selecting the relevant option from the box which appears after the solver has completed its analysis.
A specific file can be loaded through the open command that uses the conventional file browser dialogue box, alternatively, if the results of the latest run are required, a specific command allows the current results to be loaded directly without requiring file browser.
The currently displayed text results files can be printed directly from the viewer window menu options using the standard Windows printer dialogue boxes.
The entire contents or a portion of the viewer display can be copied into another application such as Word or Notepad by use of the right mouse button functionality.
+$#>Text Results - Opening the Text Results File Viewer
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To open the text results file viewer, select Results / *.MRS Results / Results Viewer from the main menubar. Alternatively the Text Results Viewer Icon can be selected from either the top toolbar or the side panel, depending on the data module set-up.
When the viewer is open, the icon remains indented and the pull-down menu item is ticked.
On initially opening the viewer, no text results are displayed. These must be loaded into the display (see Loading a Text results File and Loading the Latest Text Results File).
To close the text results file viewer, select either Results / *.MRS Results / Results Viewer from the main menu, the close icon at the top right corner of the viewer or the results file viewer window menu at the top left. Alternatively the Text Results Viewer Icon can be un-selected from either the top toolbar or the side panel, depending on the data module set-up
Closing the results file viewer does not lose the display contents. Upon re-opening the viewer, the original text and position is retained.
+$#>Text Results - Loading a Text Results File
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To load a specific text results file into the viewer, with the viewer open select the File / Open option from the viewer window menubar. This will bring up the standard file browser with the default file filter being *.MRS.
Browse for the required file and select open, this file is then loaded into the viewer and will replace the existing components.
To load the latest text results file into the viewer, with the viewer open select the File / Load Latest option from the viewer window menubar. If this menu option is greyed out, it means that no solution had been run since the application was opened.
The current file is then loaded into the viewer and will replace the existing contents.
To print the displayed text results file, with the viewer open select the File Print option from the viewer window menubar. If this menu option is greyed out it means that no text results file has been loaded into the viewer.
The standard Windows print dialogue boxes are then employed to perform the printing task.
The entire contents or a portion of the currently displayed text results file can be copied and pasted into other external applications via the right mouse button functionality.
To copy the entire text results file from the viewer, with the viewer open and the required file loaded, click on the viewer with the right mouse button and chose Select All. This will highlight the entire file and now when clicking on the viewer with the right mouse button the Copy option is available, select Copy. The file is now held in the copy / paste buffer and changing to the target application the buffer can be pasted in using the appropriate application specific commands.
To copy a portion of a text results file from the viewer, with the viewer open and the required file loaded, click on the viewer with the left mouse button next to the required portion of text and holding the left button down, drag the mouse to highlight the portion. Let go of the mouse button and this will select the highlighted region. Next, click on the highlighted portion with the right hand mouse button and select Copy from the pop-up menu. This then stores the highlighted portion of the text file in the buffer and can be pasted in using application specific commands.
Typical external Windows applications that this works with are Word, Powerpoint, Exchange and Notepad.
+$#>Text Results - Text File Data Contents
The text results file contains 4 main sections:
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A Summary of Input Data for the Model,
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Results Data for Each Test Condition,
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A Tabulated Engine Performance Summary.
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An echo of the input model.
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The summary of input data shows all major data and options input into the model.
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Results data sections are shown after brief test conditions descriptions. The results data depends on the components of the model but generally the following sections are given:
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Gas flow data is given and includes such data as air mass flows per cycle, scavenge ratios and efficiencies.
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Fuelling data includes mass per cycle and equivalence ratio.
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Trapped conditions data gives in-cylinder pressures, temperatures residuals and phase angles.
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Performance data includes mean effective pressures, efficiencies and power.
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Consumption Data gives Specific fuel consumption and thermal efficiency values.
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Heat Transfer Data includes heat loss rate and fraction of fuel energy (both per cylinder).
At the end of the text results file, there is a Performance summary table. This saves the user from having to list each performance curve every time performance values are required in a spreadsheet. Instead, the table can be copied and pasted straight into the required application (see Copying the Text Buffer to External Applications)
+$#>Text Results - Extracting the Model File from the mrs File
The mrs results file now contain an echo of the input data appended to the bottom of the file. This provides a method of data integrity and allows for a model to be extracted from a specific results file.
This extraction can be performed either from the Results file viewer (acting on the currently loaded file), or directly from the main menu bar option File / Extract Model from .mrs File. In the case of the main menu bar option the user will be presented with the standard file browser to locate the required mrs file, you will then be warned of the potential loss of data as any existing stored model will be overwritten, before the model is extracted and loaded into the interface. The extraction from the currently displayed mrs viewer is identical except that there is no need for the file browser.
+$#>Text Results - Manipulating the mrs Text Display
Buffer Limit
The mrs results text display (along with a number of the multi-line text entries used in the application) has a buffer limit imposed on them. Should this buffer limit be exceeded users will find that the entire file may not be loaded, or in the case of editable multi-line entries, they will not be able to edit the text unless they first remove some text. This buffer limit can be manually increased through the main menu option Setup ./ Text Displays - Max Lines&.
Coloured Display
The text in the mrs text results display can be coloured to help identification of the main results text, the summary results and the echo of the model file. Normally all of the file is displayed in black text. If the Coloured Display option is set from the text viewer menu bar, then the summary results are coloured red and the model file is coloured green. This aids in identifying the relevant sections of the file as you scan through it.
Go to Summary
The user can jump to the concise summary listing in the mrs text results display by using the Display / Go to Summary menu option. This saves the user from scanning through the text to locate this information.
Find /Find Next
The menu options Display / Find and Display/ Find Next can be used by the user to search for particular text fields within the mrs text display. The search is case sensitive.
+$#>Text Results - Extracting Summaries into Excel
mrs Text Result File Viewer
The concise summary information can be extracted from the currently displayed text file and loaded directly into Excel. This presumes that Excel is installed on your machine and that the path to it has been correctly initiated. The menu item File / Extract Summary Results into Excel will not be available if the application was unable to locate Excel when first installed. This search for installed components can be re-run from the set-up menu if Excel has been subsequently installed or moved. Alternatively the path to Excel can be specified directly through the main set-up menu.
Provided the correct path has been supplied selecting the File / Extract Summary Results into Excel menu will open a new excel worksheet containing the concise summary data extracted from the currently displayed mrs text file.
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#>Text Results Viewer Icon
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Overview
The Results Graph Viewer is a resizable graphics window that allows the user to load, plot and print the graphical results files that contain up to 79 calculated variables. Within the window a maximum of four graphs can be plotted, either as individual plots or overlayed on a single graph. All graphs are plotted against a single common x-axis variable. Cross plotting of up to five graphical results can be employed to enable rapid presentation of trends and differences to be performed.
Graphical results files have the form *.MRS here; * is the Test No. string supplied by the user, it is displayed in the vehicle data window.
If a plot file with the same test number already exists, then the user will be asked if it is OK to overwrite the existing file.
When a Carps solution is performed, the results files are automatically written and when the run is complete, the option of loading the MRS or PRS files into the viewers. If the user requires to view the graphical results and has not already specified this when asked at the end of the run, the graph viewer must be opened and the appropriate graph results file loaded. These can be loaded as exclusive (i.e. the only results file), or into a selected position, from 1 to 5, within the cross plot status.
A specific file can be loaded through the Load Results (exclusive), the Load Results (shuffle) or the Load Results (position) commands that use the conventional file browser dialogue box. Alternatively if the results of the latest run are required, a specific command allows the current results to be loaded directly without requiring the file browser.
All currently displayed graphs can be printed directly from the viewer window menu options, using the standard Windows printer dialogue boxes, whilst the data values can also be saved into an ASCII column file using the Column Write Wizard.
The axis settings for the graphs can be set individually by the user, or the autoscale and zoom functions used to define the graph settings.
The appearance of fonts, colours, line types etc within the plot can be modified by the user using the Setup option.
Apart from the graph viewer window, control of the graphs and their display uses three other set-up windows. These include the Specify Graph window to define the axes variables, the Axis Scales window to set the axis minimum and maximum values and finally, the Cross Plot Status window to control the varies files used within a cross plot.
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+$#>Cycle Averaged Results (MRS) - Opening the Results Graph Viewer
To open the results graph viewer, select the menu item Results / Results Graph from the main menubar. Alternatively the Results Graph Viewer Icon can be selected from either the top toolbar or the side panel, depending on the data module set-up.
When the viewer is open the icon remains indented and the pull down menu item is ticked.
On initially opening the viewer no graphical results are displayed, these must be loaded into the display, see Loading a graphical results file and Loading the current graphical results file.
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+$#>ACycle Averaged Results (MRS) - Closing the Results Graph Viewer
To close the results graph viewer select either the menu item Results / Results Graph from the main menubar, the close icon at the top right corner of the viewer, the results graph viewer window menu at the top left or alternatively the Results Graph Viewer Icon can be un-selected from either the top toolbar or the side panel, depending on the data module set-up.
Closing the results graph viewer does not lose the display contents or setting. Upon re-opening the graph viewer the original graphs and set-up is retained.
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+$#>Cycle Averaged Results (MRS) - Loading a Graphical Results File
To load a graphical results file into the results graph viewer, with the graph viewer open select from the graph viewer menubar either, File / Load Results (exclusive), File / Load Results (shuffle), or File / Load Results (position 1 -5). (note that results can also be loaded in as current when appropriate, or through the Cross Plot Status window).
All three menu options will then proceed to display the standard file browser through which the required file may be selected, however depending on which load menu item was chosen the files data will be loaded into a different cross plot position.
Up to five results file can be held by the graph viewer at any one time, and they are stored in positions 1 to 5.
Load Results (exclusive) will load the selected file into position 1, overwriting any values previously stored in position 1 and removing any data from the other positions 2 to 5.
Load Results (shuffle) will load the selected file into position 1, shuffling down one position any files currently held in positions 1 to 4. Any data held in position 5 is lost by this shuffling process.
Load Results (position) will load the selected file into the chosen position, overwriting any values currently held in that position. All other positions remain unaltered.
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+$#>ACycle Averaged Results (MRS) - Loading the Latest Graphical Results File
To load the current graphical results file into the results graph viewer, with the graph viewer open select from the graph viewer menubar either, File / Load Latest (exclusive), File / Load Latest (shuffle), or File / Load Latest (position 1 -5). If these menu options are greyed out it means that no solution has been run since the application was opened.
All three menu options will then proceed to load the current graphical results file data, however depending on which load current menu item was chosen the files data will be loaded into a different cross plot position.
Up to five results file can be held by the graph viewer at any one time, and they are stored in positions 1 to 5.
Load Latest (exclusive) will load the current file into position 1, overwriting any values previously stored in position 1 and removing any data from the other positions 2 to 5.
Load Latest (shuffle) will load the current file into position 1, shuffling down one position any files currently held in positions 1 to 4. Any data held in position 5 is lost by this shuffling process.
Load Latest (position) will load the current file into the chosen position, overwriting any values currently held in that position. All other positions remain unaltered.
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+$#>Cycle Averaged Results (MRS) - Specifying the Graph Axes in the Results Graphs
The Specify Graph dialogue box enables the user to select the required common x-axis and up to 4 different y-axis from the 77 results variables. In addition this dialogue box also contains buttons to switch individual y-axes on and off, switch in and out of overlay mode, autoscale the plots and refresh the displayed graphs.
To open the Specify Graph dialogue box, select the menu item Results / Specify Graph from the main menu-bar. Alternatively the Specify Graph Icon can be selected from either the top toolbar or the side panel, depending on the data module set-up. If the Graphical results viewer window has been maximised to fill the screen, the Specify Graph dialog box can be opened by selecting View / Specify Graph.
The dialogue box contains four switches to set individual y-axes as either on or off, these buttons cannot be set to on until a variable has been selected from the adjacent list box.
Each axis has its own list box that the user can select the required axis variable from, these currently list 79 different calculated variables, from Test No through to Pipe Convergence (%).
Cross Plot
With each y-axis the user can cross plot an external data curve. This is intended for comparison with measurements etc. To add an external data cross plot enable the ss plot button on the specify graph dialog box. Then choose to either load the data from a file using the browser, or enter the data in directly through the edit icon. Data loaded from a file needs to be flat ASCII column data with two columns, the first of which would be in the units of the current x-axis and the second column is the y data.
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+$#>ACycle Averaged Results (MRS) - Specifying the Axis Scales in the Results Graphs
The Axis Scales dialogue box enables the user to control the required minimum and maximum axis values for each individual graph, (with the restriction of a common x-axis), the No. of increments on each axis and the No. of decimal points used both on the axes and used for the list facility. In addition this dialogue box also contains buttons to autoscale the plots and refresh the displayed graphs.
To open the Axis Scales dialogue box select the menu item Results / Axis Scales from the main menubar. alternatively the Axis Scales Icon can be selected from either the top toolbar or the side panel, depending on the data module set-up. Alternatively, the Axis scales window can be opened by selecting View / Axis scales from the MRS results graph menubar.
The dialogue box contains value entries for the minimum, maximum and increments for each axis, the user should set these to the required values. The zoom and autoscale functions will re-set these values as required.
The No. of decimal places for each y-axis can also be defined this controls the number used not just on the graph axes but also the number of decimal places given when listing values.
The force fit toggles can be used to overide the internal routines that attempt to round up the minimum and maximum axis to achieve a better scale, such that when ticked the axis will be set exactly as defined by the minimum/maximum/increments values, (this effectively already happens when a plot is zoomed with the exception of the no of increments).
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+$#>Cycle Averaged Results (MRS) - Using Zoom in the Results Graphs
To zoom a graph, with the graph results viewer open and the required graph displayed, select from the graph results viewer menubar the menu item View / Zoom. The cursor will change to a full screen cross-hair, then with the mouse select one corner of the required area with the left mouse button, let go and, then drag the rubber band box and select the other corner, again with the left mouse button. The display is then redrawn showing the selected area. Using the right mouse button for either of the selections cancels the zoom action.
If multiple y-axis graphs are displayed then the zoom function can be used in two different ways. Since the x-axis is common between the graphs setting the x-axis on one graph will also effect the other open graphs. In addition if the cursor picks are on both on the one graph that graphs y-axis values will be changed to reflect the zoom area picked. If the two cursor picks are on different graphs the y-axis values are ignored and only the x-axis is zoomed.
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+$#>ACycle Averaged Results (MRS) - Autoscaling the Results Graphs
To autoscale the displayed graphs select the Autoscale option from one of the following dialogue boxes or window menus.
The Specify Graph dialogue box
The Axis Scales dialogue box
The Cross Plot Status dialogue box
and the Results Graph window menubar
This will autoscale all the displayed graphs and refresh the display.
Also, the graphs can be autoscaled by pressing and holding down the Control button and then pressing A and releasing the Control button.
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+$#>Cycle Averaged Results (MRS) - Controlling the Cross Plot Status in the Results Graphs
Within the results graph viewer up to five different files can be displayed at any one time. These files could have been loaded through the graph viewer window menu, or they can be loaded into specific positions using the Cross Plot Status dialogue box.
To open the Cross Plot Status dialogue box select the menu item Results / Cross Plot Status from the main menubar. Alternatively the Cross Plot Status Icon can be selected from either the top toolbar, the side panel or the results graph window, depending on the data module set-up.
The cross plot status dialogue box shows the current files names loaded into the five positions. A blank entry implies no file is currently loaded. The file browser icon adjacent to each text box can be used to open the Windows file browser to locate and load the required *.MRS file.
Currently the required filename cannot be typed directly into the text entry, but must be loaded through one of the methods identified.
The visibility of individual cross plot files is controlled by the buttons to the left of the text entries in the cross plot status dialogue box (Indented = Shown).
Within the graphs the lines from each cross plot have a specific colour, the default colours are defined as;
Position 1: Red
Position 2: Yellow
Position 3: Green
Position 4: Cyan
Position 5: Blue
These settings can be re-defined by the user through the results graph set-up
The cross plot status dialogue box also contains autoscale and refresh buttons.
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+$#>ACycle Averaged Results (MRS) - Setting Up the Results Graphs
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To view the Results Graph Setup window, select View / Setup from the Results Graph Window main menubar.
There are two sections within the Results Graph Setup window. These are Plot Text and Plot Lines.
Plot text allows the axes titles, fonts, colours, legend positions and scales to be specified by left-clicking on the relevant box and selecting the required option from the popup list or typing in the text / value as appropriate. Other options such as Auto Position, Grid Visibility and Scale Text With Page can also be switched on and off by left-clicking on the appropriate check-box.
Plot Lines allows the properties of each plot line to be altered. These include line colour, line type, symbol colour and symbol type. These options can be changed by clicking on the relevant box and selecting the required option from the popup list. Specific lines and symbols can be made visible or invisible by left-clicking in the cleck box to the right of the line or symbol options of interest.
Graph Axes (1-4) and Plot Lines or Positions (1-5) can be cycled through by left-clicking on the back and forwards arrows at the top left of the relevant section. The current Axis / position is displayed between these arrows.
To list the x and y value of a point displayed on a graph, with the graph results viewer open and the required graph displayed, select from the graph results viewer window menubar the View / List Point menu option. The cursor will change to a full screen cross-hair and the user can then pick the point of interest from the graphs using the left mouse button.
The actual x and y values of the nearest point to the picked screens x-position is listed at the bottom of the window for all open graphs. If more than one line is cross plotted only the values for the line in the first active position are given.
The pick function remains active such that the user can continue to pick alternative points, the values for each pick overwriting the previous ones.
To cancel the pick action use the right mouse button
To change the Number of decimal places that are given on a list use the Axis Scales dialogue box to set the required accuracy.
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+$#>ACycle Averaged Results (MRS) - Listing Lines on the Results Graphs
To list the x and y values of a line displayed on a graph, with the graph results viewer open and the required graph displayed, select from the graph results viewer window menubar the View / List Line(s) menu option. This will open a scrollable text window that displays the x and y values for the current graph line and position.
The currently displayed line or position can be changed by selecting from the line list menu bar the required graph and/or the required position.
If no data exists for the selected graph line or position this is indicated on the display.
The displayed list can be cut and pasted using the right mouse button functionality.
This window must be closed before you can return to the main application.
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+$#>Cycle Averaged Results (MRS) - Using Overlay on Results Graphs
The default display method for a graph display with multiple y-axis, is that each will have its own separate graph within the viewer. These can be overlayed such that they share a common single graph.
To switch between separate and overlay modes use the Overlay switch on the Specify Graph dialogue box.
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+$#>ACycle Averaged Results (MRS) - Printing Results Graphs
To print the displayed graphs, with graph results viewer open and the required graphs displayed, select the View / Print Graph option from the graph viewer window menubar.
The standard Windows print dialogue boxes are then employed to perform the printing task.
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+$#>Cycle Averaged Results (MRS) - Moving the Icon Toolbar
It is possible to move the icon toolbar at the top of the MRS results viewer window to any point on the screen. This can be done by pressing and holding down the left mouse button with the pointer over the tab on the left hand side of the icon bar, then dragging the bar to the required position and releasing the mouse button.
If the user wishes to replace the icon toolbar onto the top menu, then it is necessary to press and hold down the left mouse button over the small area to the right of the icons.
#Specify Graph Icon
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#Icon Bar Tab
#Icon Bar Area
#MRS Graph Viewer Icon
#File Browser Icon
+$#>Crank Angle Based Results (*.PRS) - Overview
Overview
The .PRS Results Viewer allows the user to view *.PRS results files, which are created for each test point every time a run is performed. These results consist of instantaneous crank angle predictions of temperature and pressure values within each component of the engine.
If the store all pipe data option in Test Conditions has been selected before the run has been performed then it is possible to view the instantaneous crank angle results at each mesh point in the pipes.
+$#>Crank Angle Based Results (*.PRS) Starting Results Viewer
Starting Results Viewer
In order to access .prs Results Viewer, either select Module / Results Viewer from the main menu or click on the PRS Results Viewer Icon. Alternatively, press Ctrl+F2 to access the .prs results viewer.
+$#>Crank Angle Based Results (*.PRS) Exiting Results Viewer
Exiting Results Viewer
In order to exit Results Viewer and return to an alternative module, select Builder Interface from the Module menu with the left mouse button. Alternatively click on the Network Builder Icon.
+$#>Crank Angle Based Results (*.PRS) Viewing the Model
Viewing the Model
When in .prs Results Viewer, it is possible to view, zoom and translate the display in the same way as the Network Builder. It is also possible to select components of the system by clicking on them. However, it is not possible to manipulate the model as is possible in Network Builder.
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Network Builder Zooming
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Network Builder Scaling the View
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Network Builder Moving the View
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Network Builder Visibility Options
+$#>Crank Angle Based Results (*.PRS) Loading PRS Files
Loading PRS files
PRS files can only be loaded within the Results Viewer.
Within the Results Viewer, the individual PRS file is loaded into the memory by clicking on the PRS files option and then the Add data option within the Results menu. A number of PRS files can be loaded into the memory at any one time and displayed graphically. This is done by adding successive components in the same way. A complete list of components is available by clicking on the PRS status option next to Add data. This option also allows all stored *.PRS files to be removed and new ones to be added.
At the top of the screen there is an Open PRS Results File Status Icon and a Load PRS results file Icon which can also be used.
+$#>Crank Angle Based Results (*.PRS) Viewing Graphs
Viewing Graphs
Once the relevant *.PRS files have been loaded (see Loading PRS Files), instantaneous crank angle graphs can be viewed for each part of the system by clicking on the component of interest. The graphs automatically change to show the results for whichever component is selected.
Data relating to individual mesh points is available by activating the Pipe Mesh Visibility option within the Network Builder View menu. Data for these points is only available if the store all pipe data option is selected in the Test Conditions / Plotting section before the run is performed.
+$#>Crank Angle Based Results (*.PRS) Specifying Graph Details
Specifying Graph Details
It is possible to control the graphs displayed via the .PRS Graph Status window. This can be opened by either selecting Results/Graphs/Graph Status with the left mouse button, from the main Results Viewer menu or by clicking on the Open .PRS Graph Status Icon. Alternatively, the PRS Graph Status window can be opened by right clicking on the graph of interest and then selecting Graph Status with the left mouse button.
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+$#>Crank Angle Based Results (*.PRS) Adding & Removing PRS Graphs
Adding & Removing PRS Graphs
In order to add a new *.PRS Graph to the display, open the .PRS graph status window (See Specifying Graph Details) then click on the Add button and enter the data or into the data entry boxes at the bottom of the window. Alternatively, click on the Add .PRS File Icon at the top of the Results Viewer window and type the graph name and details into the data entry boxes.
If a graph is no longer required, once the .PRS Graph Status window is open, click on the graph name and then on remove. Graphs can also be directly removed from Results File Viewer by right-clicking on the graph to be deleted and the selecting Remove Selected Graph with the left mouse button.
To remove all graphs, select Remove All from the .PRS Graph Status window or Remove All Graphs after right-clicking on any graph in the main Results Viewer window.
+$#>Crank Angle Based Results (*.PRS) Zooming Graphs
Zooming Graphs
The zoom option may by used to view a user specified section of the graphs. To use this option, right-click on a graph and click on Zoom . This brings up full screen cross-hares. The cross forms one corner of a rectangle and can be positioned by the user in the desired location on a specific graph. A click of the left mouse button will activate a rectangle, which can be resized by dragging the mouse. The area enclosed by the rectangle is the zoom area. A final click of the mouse button will scale the desired area so that it fills the graph axes. Each of the other graphs displayed will automatically zoom to show the corresponding X-axis values.
+$#>Crank Angle Based Results (*.PRS) Scaling Graphs
Scaling Graphs
Dynamic Scale
This option can be activated by right-clicking on a graph and then left-clicking on the Dynamic Scale option. Selecting this option brings up a magnifying glass symbol. Holding down the left mouse button and dragging the mouse will scale the view correspondingly. Releasing the mouse button will fix the scale of the graph display.
Autoscale
Right-clicking on a graph makes two autoscale options available for the graph display. Autoscale Selected Graph automatically scales the chosen graph to fill the axes. Autoscale All graphs is similar to Autoscale Selected Graph but does the same, as suggested, to all of the graphs in the display.
+$#>Crank Angle Based Results (*.PRS) Moving Graphs
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Moving Graphs
Auto-Positioning
This option is activated by right-clicking on the graph display and then selecting either Auto-Position 1 All Graphs, Auto-Position 2 All Graphs or Auto-Position 3 All Graphs. The difference between these options is that Auto-Position 1 and 3 positions all graphs to totally fill the graph area and Auto-Position 2 fills the graph area with the first 2 graphs only.
Pick Centre
The Network Builder workspace can be repositioned by the user as desired. Pick Centre enables the user to define a point on the graph display. The interface will then translate the view so that this point becomes the centre of the screen. To use this option, right-click on the graph display then left-click on Pick Centre. A further click of the left mouse button will then set the centre of the graphs to the position of the mouse pointer.
Translating the View
The graph display can be translated by selecting the Dynamic Translate option after right-clicking on a graph. Activation of the option will bring up a white hand on the screen. Holding down the left mouse button and dragging the mouse, will translate the graph display correspondingly.
Viewing Instantaneous Values
The variation of a parameter with crank angle graph can be displayed for a particular engine component or pipe mesh point. The component or pipe mesh point is selected by positioning the mouse pointer over the point of interest and pressing the left mouse button. A magnifying glass icon will appear on the pipe network viewer, to indicate the selected point (two points can be viewed at once by clicking on the double magnifying glass icon and using the right mouse button to locate the second magnifying glass. The curves for the second point will appear in grey on the graphs). If View / Autoscale is selected form the menu-bar, the coloured contours on the pipe network viewer will scale based on the cyclic variation of the properties at the selected position. The contours displayed in the pipe network viewer will relate to the selected property in the graph window. A red border around the graph displaying that property indicates the property selected. The selected property can be changed by pressing the right mouse button whilst the pointer is over the graph display. A pop-up menu will appear and Graph Status should be selected. The .prs Graph Status will appear and the parameter required should be selected from the list and the On Display button pressed. Closing this window will then complete the selection procedure.
+$#>Crank Angle Based Results (*.PRS) Prs Picking
PRS Picking
In its simplest form the picking on the prs results display is a mechanism by which the user selects the single component that they wish to display the chosen results for. This single picking mode is the default mode, picking being made with the Left mouse button.
The two magnifier icons on the toolbar indicate the overall prs picking status. For simple single picking, only the first icon with a single magnifier should be selected, (as illustrated below).
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+$#>Crank Angle Based Results (*.PRS) Sound Pressure Level Analysis
Activating the speaker icon on the .prs viewer Toolbar transforms the graphical display on the righthand side of the results display environment to show the instantaneous pressure variation with crankangle, sound pressure level (dB) / frequency spectrum, and sound pressure level / engine order spectrum at the location selected (see Theory section). Data from two points can be viewed at once by clicking on the double-speaker icon and using the right mouse button to locate the second speaker. The curves for the second point will appear in grey on the graphs. Two additional panels will also appear giving the acoustical transfer function between the two points selected. This parameter represents the difference between the discrete sound pressure values between the two selected points.
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+$#>Crank Angle Based Results (*.PRS) Pipe Graphical Display (*.PRS)
Viewing Instantaneous Values Along Pipe
Once the relevant *.PRS files have been loaded (see Loading PRS Files), a window can be invoked to produce an animated display of the variation in properties along the length of the pipe, as shown below. This window is invoked by positioning the mouse pointer over the graphs in the results module and then pressing the right mouse button. A pop-up menu will appear and Display Pipe Graphic should be selected. The parameter displayed along the pipe will be that displayed in the selected graph in the results module. The menu option will be greyed out unless the selected component is a pipe.
To view the results in this display the graph icon must be selected. The length and offset of the Y-axis can be controlled through the pull down menus. In addition a number of the standard prs graph functions can be accessed directly from this window. The results/display for any attached pipes can also be displayed at the same time by selecting Attached pipes icon or using the View / Visiblities menu. The display will need to be autoscaled to include the other pipes within the displayed region.
The animation of the display is shown below. The control consul allows the user to control the animation.
The standard print, copy and export functions are fully supported.
Users should not that the window title indicates not only the central component selected but also the result currently being displayed.
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+$#>Crank Angle Based Results (*.PRS) Printing the Results Display
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Printing the Results Display
In order to print the displayed graphs, left click on Results / Print Results Display from the main Results Viewer menu. This will activate the standard Windows Print window.
User Defined Graph Function
The prs graphs have a number of standard instantaneous results that can be selected from the results and displayed against crank angle, such as pressure, mass flow, temperature etc. The user can also define their own graph(s) as combinations of the other defined graphs.
To define a user function graph open the .prs graph status dialog box. Define the standard results that you require within your user function, for example pressure in two positions. Then add a new graph and select its result as User Function (see example below).
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+$#>
Results - File Export Facilities
#Network Builder Icon
#Open PRS Results File Status Icon
#Load PRS Results File Icon
#Add New PRS Graph Icon
#Cycling Icons
#Exit Icon
#How to store all pipe data.
#.PRS Results Icon.
#Standard Interface Icon.
#
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#Open PRS Results File Status Icon
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A simulation is set up for launching using the Submit Job tab from the Solver dialogue box. To open the solver dialogue box select Solve/Solver Control from the drop-down menus, or the Solver Control icon on the Toolbar. This dialogue box has four tabs.
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Submit Job
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Job Status
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Job Messages
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Solver Settings
Up to 20 jobs can be submitted from the interface via the Solver Control window. When a job has been submitted its status can be monitored via the Job Status display panel.
The input data can be checked before commencement of a run by the Data-Checking Wizard which can be started from the Tools section of the drop-down menus.
The text and graphical results can be viewed in the Results Module using built-in post-processing options.
To launch a model
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click on the Solver Control option within the drop-down menus under Solve,
or
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click on the Solver Control Icon from the Toolbar.
Either of these actions opens the Solver Control window, change to the Submit Job panel which provides the option to load the data currently held by the interface or to load an existing data file using the file browser icon which is located to the right of the text box. Note that loading of an existing .sim file to run from the Batch Control window will not replace the .sim file loaded in the Data Module.
Up to 20 batch files can submitted in this manner. If multiple simulations are to be set up and run concurrently it is useful to enter a label for the run in the text box at the top of the window. This label appears in the Job Status Display window.
Before the simulation can be launched the names of the results files must be entered in the appropriate text box windows. The names of the *.mrs and *.prs results files can be specified in the Batch Control window. These names can be determined by:
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entering the desired results file names directly in the text windows;
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assigning the same name as the *.sim file (Use .sim button)
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assigning the same name as the Test Number specified under the Base Engine window (Use testno button);
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using the file browser (initiated by the icon on the right of the text window) to select the name of an existing results file. Note that a warning will be issued that this option will overwrite the existing data in the file chosen.
There are options to display a prompt on the completion of a run and to display the run status in the dialogue box progress bar. The default for both these options is to be on.
Once a simulation has been launched it is possible to monitor its progress through the Job Status Display window.
+$#>Solver Job Status
The Job Status Display window can be invoked from either the Solver Control Icon on the Toolbar or from the Solver Control option on the Solve drop-down menu. Change the display to the Job Status panel.
The number of active runs, or jobs, is displayed in this window together with, run type (steady state or transient), the label associated with the particular run, the input data file name, and the results file names. If more than one run is active at any time the top set of arrow buttons can be used to toggle between the runs.
Job progress monitors in the form of Percentage Complete, Elapsed Time (in seconds) since the start of the particular job, and an estimate of the time Remaining (in seconds) are displayed. The number of current jobs and the time remaining till the next job is expected to finish are also displayed in the bottom right-hand corner of the main GUI window.
The current Test Number, Cycle Number, and Crankangle can be monitored from this window. For each engine cylinder there the evolution of the following variables can be tracked:
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maximum cylinder pressure (Pmax);
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volumetric efficiency (%);
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convergence of the cycle averaged mass flow rates through the inlet to the cylinder;
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convergence of the cycle averaged mass flow rates through the exhaust to the cylinder;
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start of combustion (SOC).
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+$#>Solver Job Messages
The Job Messages Display window can be invoked from either the Solver Control Icon on the Toolbar or from the Solver Control option on the Solve drop-down menu. Change the display to the Job Messages panel.
Job Messages are used to display for a currently running job a scrollable spread sheet display showing the summary values of the currently completed test points. This lists Speed, Brake Power, Brake Torque, BMEP, BSFC and Volumetric efficiency.
A second scrollable display provides a history of any associated solver messages for the currently displayed run. If more than one job is currently running then the arrow keys can be used to toggle between the jobs.
+$#>Solver Solver Settings
The Job Status Display window can be invoked from either the Solver Control Icon on the Toolbar or from the Solver Control option on the Solve drop-down menu. Change the display to the Solver Settings panel.
This panel provides access to a number of solver settings:
Exception Handler: By default this option is checked. This will cause the solver to trap any unforeseen solver crashes that otherwise could potentially cause Windows to hang or crash. If this option is not checked an un-handled fail would produce a traceback statement that may be useful for debuging, but obviously with the risk of a system crash.
Executable Location: The user can point to a specific solver executable by selecting the User Defined Executable File toggle and entering, (or browsing for), the required executable path and file name. Normally this option would be set to Default Executable File and this would cause the GUI to look for lesolve.exe in the same folder as the GUI was started in.
GUI / Solver Communication: The interval between the solver and the GUI attempting to communicate with each other during a job run is controlled by the two variables given here. Unless a specific problem has been encountered these should be left at the default values of 3000 for the GUI Status Update Interval and 300 for the Solver Status Write Interval.
Debug Msg Level: A feature introduced at version 5.03 which can be used to provide varying levels of solver messages. At Level 4 this provides a message at every subroutine entry. This is only intended for use by experienced users and support staff only, since the files created can be extremely large.
+$#>Solver User Subroutines
A number of data elements within the simulation model can make use of user subroutines to perform specific calculations, either to replace the default algorithm contained in Lotus Engine Simulation or to extend the simulation capability.
The components that currently have user subroutine options are;
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Sensors and Actuators - 1D Control Element [21]
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Sensors and Actuators - 2D Control Element [22]
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Cylinder Piston Motion [31]
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Cylinder Open Cycle Heat Transfer [41]
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Cylinder Closed Cycle Heat Transfer [51]
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Test Conditions Friction Mean Effective Pressure [61]
It is envisaged that this list will be increased with future releases to allow greater user control over the solution process. The bracketed numbers are the Class ID numbers, each user subroutine having a unique class number. This number is passed to the subroutine as one of the arguments such that the required algorithm can be applied. This will be covered in more depth later.
The source for the user subroutines is all contained in two source code files that are provided with the installation of Lotus Engine Simulation. Namely Usersubs.for and Usersubsc.cpp, being the Fortran and C versions. Both are pre compiled as Usersubs.dll and Usersubsc.dll to enable the application solver to run.
The user can mix the use of both Fortran and C subroutines within a single model as each instance of a user subroutine requires not only the Class ID, but a unique Case ID number and a flag setting to use either Fortran or C.
To make use of a user subroutine requires two basic steps. Firstly the required model element must be edited through the interface to point to a user subroutine, then the users subroutine must be added to the relevant source file (usersubs.for or usersubsc.cpp) and the source file recompiled into a dll.
Because the user subroutines are contained in a separate Windows dll file, no recompilation of the main solver is required. The new dll can simply replace the default ones provided with the install. (This compatibility holds provided the main subroutine External_Subs remains at the top of the file as the first subroutine and its argument list is not changed).
The default dlls have been compiled with Salfords FTN95 v1.60 for the Fortran version and Windows Visual C++ 6.0 for the C version. Both are converted into dlls using Salfords SLINK v1.28c. Users who experience problems creating their own compatible dlls should seek assistance from their Lotus Software Agent.
Initiating a User Sub from the Model
The selection of a user subroutine within the interface varies slightly for each of the individual instances.. A description of each user subroutine initiation is given below.
The sensors and actuators user subroutines [21 and 22] are selected simply by dragging these particular control components from the relevant toolkit.
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+$#>External Interfaces - Simulink
Overview
Lotus Engine Simulation is supplied with a toolkit of control elements, whilst these are suitable for simple control operations such as Variable Valve Timing (VVT) and Variable Geometry intake systems (VG), more complex control problems such as complete closed loop engine controllers require more specialized tools. One such tool is Matlabs Simulink, which is being widely used in all forms of engineering simulation.
To allow Lotus Engine Simulation to use this external tool a link is required that allows the two programs to co-simulate. Co-simulation uses a documented standard that allows separate applications from different vendors to run simultaneously, sharing data in a two-way communication stream.
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+$#>Simulink Adding Simulink to the Engine Model
To provide the Lotus Engine Simulation (LES) end of the co-simulation with Simulink the Simulink external interface element is added to the LES model. This can be located on the External Interfaces tab of the toolkit or directly via the Edit / Add / External Interfaces pull down menu item.
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Simulink Creating connections in LES
+$#>Simulink LES Solver Requirements
The LES solver used for the co-simulation is a modification of the standard solver. An additional C++ wrapper has been added to provide the necessary interfaces and procedure entry points for the com standard. This alternative solver (filename lesolveCpp.exe) needs to be added to the system registry in-order for the executable to be identified by the com events.
Registring
To register the solver open the Solver Control display in LES and select the Solver Settings tab. The executable that needs to be identified in the registry is lesolveCpp.exe. This will be in your Lesoft Install folder. Standard users will have the toggle next to Default Executable File checked, this then allows the interface to look for the solver in the same folder that it was started from. This also allows the interface to look for the Com solver in the same way when you register it. Thus if the Default Executable File toggle is checked simply select the Register Solver button to carry out the Registry update. If you are using an alternative default solver location and have the User Defined Executable File option set. Then you must first point the user executable at the required lesolveCpp.exe file.
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+$#>Simulink Running a Simulink Co-Simulation
The standard route to creating the LES-Simulink co-simulation models has been outlined in the preceding sections;
Adding Simulink to the Engine Model
Adding LES to the Simulink Model
Adding Connections in LES
LES Solver Requirements
Having been though the steps outlined in each of these sections the co-simulation job is run from Simulink in the same way as any other Simulink model.
Define the run time and correct type in the Simulink simulation parameters dialogue, Simulation / Simulation Parameters. Selecting either Fixed-Step or Vary-Step as required. The Simulation Stop Time should be set sufficiently large that the run is stopped by the LES solver rather than by Simulink. LES uses the Stop connection on the Demux connected to the LES S-Function mask to end the run once it has completed the speed point, speed sweep or transient run. If the Simulink Stop-time stops the run before the LES has finished a warning is given in the Matlab command window.
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STL Viewer Overview - Introduction
+$#>STL Viewer - Quick Start Guide
Introduction
This section is intended to briefly identify the route to generating the Engine Simulation model elements from a simple STL model.
Open the STL viewer by selecting the appropriate option from the start-up screen, (or can be found under the tools menu from within Lotus Engine Simulation).
Loading Files
Normally we would use an existing STL file and create the model elements from this. For tips on successfully loading STL files see AppSetup Options. In particular large models will require the internal array size to be set to provide acceptable speed and stability, (see AppSetup / Set Memory Facet Array Limit). For this quick start we will use an internally created simple STL model.
Add Cylinder
From the Add menu, select Add / Cylinder and accept the defaults. To ensure the created faceted cylinder is visible select View / Control / Autoscale. Change the view type to depth buffered, (View / Fill Style / Depth Buffered), and rotate the view round using the View / Control / Rotate View. For tips on viewing control see View Options. If you have problems viewing the STL model in Depth Buffered mode it may be due to Hardware limitations on OpenGL support. Further information on dealing with display settings is given in View Options.
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STL Viewer File Formats+$#>
STL Viewer File Units
+$#>STL Viewer Closing the Viewer
The STL Viewer can be closed in a number of ways. The response to some of these closure methods can depend on how the STL viewer was opened.
If the STL viewer was opened from the StartUp Wizard then use of either of the standard Windows closing techniques, (i.e. top left Close Alt+F4 or top right x), will close the complete application, (complete means STL viewer and the underlying Lotus Engine Simulation calling routine). In addition the ESC key will perform a similar function and behave in a similar way when the STL viewer is opened from the StartUp wizard.
If the STL viewer had been opened from the Tools pull down menu from the main Lotus Engine Simulation window then all the above options would close the STL viewer and return to the Lotus Engine Simulation window from which the STL viewer was opened.
The following pull-down menu items have a consistent response irrespective of how the STL viewer was opened.
File / Close (return to simulation) will close the STL viewer and return to, (or open), the main Lotus Engine Simulation (LES) builder window. If this option is greyed out or missing then you are not currently licensed (or a license free in the case of counted licenses) for Lotus Engine Simulation. Any created 1D pipes or 0D plenum information will not be copied into the current LES model.
Make Current (close) will close the STL viewer and return to (or open) the main LES builder window. As for the option above the availability of this menu item is subject to licence restrictions. The make current implies that any 1D pipes or 0D plenums will be added to the current LES model, with the user being required to define the extent of the mapping between the STL viewer window and the LES builder environment.
File / Exit will close the STL viewer and any underlying main LES window. All required data changes should be saved prior to exiting the application.
+$#>STL Viewer Controlling the View
Introduction
The appearance of the display is controlled and enhanced via a set of menu items (and icons) found in the View pull-down menu.
The STL 3D viewer supports display options from simple wire frame through to hidden line depth buffered displays. The visibility of individual graphic entities can be switched independently of each other. Dynamic viewing is available using the mouse to translate, scale and rotate.
Although the dynamic view options can be invoked directly from the relevant menu it is useful to able to modify the view in the middle of some sequential graphical feature selection. This is done by using the Z key to allow a single dynamic view event such as rotate to be applied, before returning to the graphical feature pick mode. Where this is available the prompt in the lower scrollable text display will indicate its availability via the (Z = change view) prompt. The dynamic view type that it will switch temporarily to indicated by the current icon selection and can be changed at any time by selecting the required modes icon.
View Control
The displayed view can be dynamically manipulated using the following pull-down menu items;
View / Control / Translate View Using the mouse left button press and hold down whilst moving the mouse. Translates the displayed view in the direction that the mouse is moved.
View / Control / Scale View Using the left button press and hold down whilst moving the mouse vertically. Moving the mouse upwards reduces the size of the displayed image, (i.e. zooming out), whilst moving the mouse downwards increase the image size, (i.e. zooming in). Horizontal movement of the mouse is ignored in this control mode.
View / Control / Rotate View The action of this mode is different depending on the cursor position when the initial left mouse button is pressed. If the cursor is towards the middle of the screen when left mouse button is pressed and held down, movement of the mouse changes the view orientation by moving the eye position whilst retaining the view target and the view up direction, (i.e. the view axis is rotate about the target point). If the cursor is towards the edge of the screen when the left mouse is pressed and held down, cursor movement rotates the view up vector about the current view axis.
View / Control / Pick View Centre changes the view target point by user selection of a currently visible facet vertex. This will appear as a translation of the model, but also it will place the current view target to have the x, y and z value of the selected facet vertex and hence dynamic view rotations will be about this new picked point.
View / Control / Zoom changes the viewed region. The user must select two points to define the required reduced viewing volume. The picked region is modified to retain the correct aspect ratio that contains the picked region. The region pick can either be by two separate left mouse button presses, or via a single press and hold down to drag to the required region.
View / Control / Autoscale resets the view scale and translation properties to ensure all visible facets appear within the viewing region. The Ctrl+A key combination acts as a shortcut to this menu item. This action will also reset the view target point to the mid point of all three directions, i.e. x, y and z.
Fill Style
The display fill style can be set to one of four available options. (note that the depth buffered option is not supported on Windows GDI type frame display, see later description under Graphics Frame Type for further information).
The fill style is changed either through the View pull down menu or the equivalent icon on the toolbar.
View / Fill Style / WireFrame sets the view type to simple wire frame display. No facet fill is used.
View / Fill Style / Filled sets the view type to filled. No depth buffering is used and thus all facet edges are visible irrespective of view depth.
View / Fill Style / Hidden Line sets the view type to a hidden line display. This has depth buffering to hide hidden facet edges with facets filled in background colour.
View / Fill Style / Depth Buffered (flat shaded) sets the view type to hidden line display as for the option above but the facets are filled with the defined default colour (green).
Component Visibilities
The visibility of individual graphics types can be controlled independently. These switch settings are toggled via the relevant pull down menu item under View / Visabilities. The graphics elements whose visibility can be toggled in this way are;
Vertex
Edge
Facet
Profile Points
Profile
Skin Groups
1d Pipes
0d Plenums
Virtual Links
Loss Junctions
Triad
Origin Marker
Bounding box
Egg Crate
Standard Views
Whilst in theory dynamic viewing allows you to view the model from any angle, it is often convenient to be able to quickly revert to a standard view. Three standard views are available from the menus that align the viewing axis along each of the Cartesian axes.
View / Std Views / x-y aligns the viewing axis along the z-axis such that the model is viewed in the x-y plane.
View / Std Views / x-z aligns the viewing axis along the y-axis such that the model is viewed in the x-z plane.
View / Std Views / z-y aligns the viewing axis along the x-axis such that the model is viewed in the z-y plane.
Free Edges
A number of modelling options rely on the ability to detect free edges. These are facet edges for which no direct connection can be identified to another facets edge. Because STL files contain no nodal connectivity, (instead each has its own vertex co-ordinates defined directly), the Free edge check has to be identified via a difference method based on real numbers rather than integer based nodal connectivity. Thus the free edge check uses a tolerance for identifying coincident points, (The tolerance value for free edges can be changed via the AppSetup / Tolerances pull down menu option).
Under the View pull down menu is an option to identify model free edges using the current detection tolerances. Free edges will be identified with a red circle drawn at free edge centre and the free edge itself is also highlighted.
An example of the use of free edge detection is in the direct creation of closed profiles. If a model has a number of clearly defined free tube ends, profiles can be created directly on them all in one go.
Background Colour
The default background colour can be changed to any user required setting. Users should avoid certain dark colours as this may lead to certain graphics features not appearing in the display.
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+$#STL Viewer Selection and Interaction
Introduction
The main method of identifying features within the model is via picking (or selection) with the mouse. Some operations require only a single pick, (such as selecting the view centre) whilst others require multiple picks, (such as creating a closed profile by edge picking). Some single pick operations can be chained together to repeat the operation, (such as facet selection), whilst even some multiple picks can be completed and then the operation repeated. The user is normally guided through these potential multiple pick operations by prompts displayed in the command window.
The Command Window
The command window is displayed across the bottom of the window and is a scrollable record of both user entries and application prompts. As a user moves through the menu options the command window prompt changes to indicate the current position in the menu structure. Thus if the user selects from the pull down menus View / Control / Scale View the command prompt will change to View, Control, Scale View>>
The command window can also be used to navigate through the menus and run menu commands from the keyboard. The keyboard input uses a first two-character recognition method. For example to change the image to one of the standard views the pull down menu option View / Std Views / x-y can be typed as vi st xy, note the use of spaces between each pair of characters to indicate a new menu level.
The command window will display prompts to guide you through a particular operation and will indicate the required input to complete an operation such as selecting D (for done) on a multiple chained pick operation such as facet delete. The command window will also list properties as you pick, so that operations such as vertex picking will list the x, y and z co-ordinates of the picked vertex. The command prompt will also indicate the availability of changing the view during the chained pick with the (Z=change view) prompt.
Multiple Selection
A number of operations can be performed in two ways, the first requires you to pick the necessary features as part of the operation, whilst the second will perform the operation on the features currently selected. This allows for rapid progression through a series of operations, as the output of one operation can include adding the resultant created feature to the current pick list. So avoiding the need for the user to pick it before moving on.
To pre pick a feature the Select pull down menu provides options to select singularly or by area individual feature types. A similar menu option allows for individual feature types to be un-selected. Selected features are highlighted normally in red.
The menu options for the individual features in the Select and Un-Select list are greyed out when that particular feature is not available for selection or none selected for un-selection respectively.
The last picked item can be un-selected using the short cut key Ctrl+Z, this can be repeated to remove successive last picks from the selected features.
The selected items do not need to be limited to one particular feature type, such as edges. But most operations only work on groups of one feature type so whilst it is possible to mix selected feature types it currently presents no obvious use.
Some operations will clear all current selection as part of their action. It is often convenient to manually clear all the current selections and this can be done via the pull down menu option Select / Clear All Picks.
Selection Menus
The following menus are used for feature selecting.
Select / Pick / Vertex changes to select facet vertex (corner) mode
Select / Pick / Edge changes to select facet edge mode
Select / Pick / Facet (Single) changes to select a single facet mode
Select / Pick / Facet (Area Pick) changes to select all facets from a selected area mode
Select / Pick / Facet (All Visible) selects all visible facets
Select / Pick / Profile Point changes to select profile point mode
Select / Pick / Profile changes to select profile mode
Select / Pick / Skin Group changes to select skin group mode
Select / Pick / 1d Pipe changes to select 1d pipe mode
Select / Pick / 0d Plenum changes to select 0d plenum mode
Select / Pick / Loss Junction changes to select loss junction mode
Select / Pick / Virtual Link changes to select virtual link mode
Select / Pick / Egg Crate Grid changes to select Egg Crate grid mode
The following menus are used for feature un-selecting.
Select / Un-Select / Vertex changes to un-select facet vertex (corner) mode
Select / Un-Select / Edge changes to un-select facet edge mode
Select / Un-Select / Facet changes to un-select a single facet mode
Select / Un-Select / Profile Point changes to un-select profile point mode
Select / Un-Select / Profile changes to un-select profile mode
Select / Un-Select / Skin Group changes to un-select skin group mode
Select / Un-Select / 1d Pipe changes to un-select 1d pipe mode
Select / Un-Select / 0d Plenum changes to un-select 0d plenum mode
Select / Un-Select / Loss Junction changes to un-select loss junction mode
Select / Un-Select / Virtual Link changes to un-select virtual link mode
Select / Un-Select / Egg Crate Grid changes to un-select Egg Crate grid mode
Other Select menus.
Select / Last Pick Undo cancels the last pick and removes the picked feature from the selection list. The short cut key for this command is Ctrl+Z. This command can be repeated to stepwise remove the last picks.
Select / Clear All Picks cancels all current picks. Clears the selection list.
Hints on Successful Picking
Each graphical feature has its own pick point (or points). To aid in correctly picking the required feature the following should be noted.
A feature cannot be picked twice, thus once it has been selected it will be ignored in any subsequent picks of the same feature type unless (or until) it is made un-selected. This can be used to advantage to make multiple picks of the same feature type at a common position.
The pick point for a facet edge is at its geometric mid point, (i.e. the average of the two ends x, y, z co-ordinates).
The pick point for a facet is its geometric centre, (i.e. the average of the three vertices x, y, z co-ordinates).
Picking a profile can be through any of its associated profile points.
A pipe skin group can be picked through selection of any of its defining profiles. The above comments regarding profile selection should be reviewed. Note that profiles cut as part of the pipe skinning process do not form part of the original pipe skin group and thus cannot be used to select the pipe skin group.
A volume skin group can be picked through any of its defining profiles. In the likely case that these also coincide with the skin group for an adjoining pipe the problem of creation order forcing picking of the wrong pipe can be overcome by picking the volume groups centre point.
A 1d pipe (or virtual link) can be picked from either of its end dots or its centre arrow. Because adjacent pipes may well share a common end dot position, picking of the centre arrow is more reliable. If two pipes share the same end dot the pipes are selected based on their creation order, successive picks of the same end dot will work through the creation order, each pick of the dot adding another pipe until all have been selected.
+$#>STL Viewer Creating Features
Introduction
To enable the generation of the equivalent 1D model components from the STL model operations need to be performed to create geometric features such as profiles, skin groups as well as options to create additional facets.
The principal route to producing the required 1D pipes and 0D plenums to create profiles using the facet geometry. Link these profiles to form skin groups and finally create components from these skin groups with reference to associated facets.
Creating Facets
Additional facets can be added to the model through simple selection of three existing facet vertices or direct entering of a the vertex values for a new facet. This allows for the possibility of local hand editing of a loaded facet mesh. (Additional options to Add groups of facets are covered in the relevant section). It should be remembered that separate STL files can be merged by using the File / Add rather than the normal File /Open& menu option.
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+$#>STL Viewer Adding Faceted Primitives
Introduction
The addition of faceted primitives to either an existing open model or for creating sample models from scratch is supported through the Add pull down menu options. This section does not cover the Add relating to the merging of two separate STL files, (see STL file Reading and Saving).
The primitives available include straight pipes, straight tapered pipes and curved constant diameter pipes. Each primitive has its own set of data input to control not only the dimensional aspects such as diameter and position but also the mesh density. Facets created in this way can be grouped, translated and/or rotated within the modelling environment to create more complex shapes such as manifolds.
The data requirements for each primitive type are listed below;
Cylinder Primitive
Create using Add / Cylinder (faceted, open ends)
Properties:
Origin X-Coord: Sets the x origin value for the pipe centre start point.
Origin Y-Coord: Sets the y origin value for the pipe centre start point.
Origin Z-Coord: Sets the z origin value for the pipe centre start point.
No. of Facets on CSA:
Radius: Sets the radius of the pipe cross section, the units will be as currently specified.
Total Length: Sets the overall length of the pipe from end to end, the units will be as currently specified.
No. of Facets along Length: Defines the number of facets that will be created along the specified length of the pipe.
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+$#>STL Viewer Deleting Features
Introduction
The deletion of features from the model is performed by type, that is whilst deleting facets all other feature types are ignored. The feature type to delete is set by the appropriate menu selection from the Delete pull down menu.
Feature deletion can be either delete from current or delete as you pick. With the second approach, the shortcut keys Ctrl Z as a last pick undo and Z as a change view option are supported. With the delete as you pick option the selected items are buffered into the current list and only deleted when the user selects D=done. On selecting done they buffered items are deleted and the current items buffer emptied.
The two menu options, Delete / Pick and Delete / from Current Selection both support the following graphics feature types;
Facet
Profile Point
Profile
Skin Group
1d Pipe
0d Plenum
Loss Junction
Virtual Link
Egg Create Grid
+$#>STL Viewer Modifying Properties
Introduction
The Modify pull down menu contains a number of options that allow the user to change the properties of certain feature types. This includes changing facets position and orientation through to flipping the flow direction of a 1d pipe. Each option is explained in detail below.
Profile Properties
To modify a profiles properties pick the required profile. The Modify / Profile Property (Current Selection) then allows the user to change the Tension value and the Arc Increment.
Tension (default 0.0) controls the style of profile connecting the defined profile points. The higher the number the more linear the line between points. A value of 500 can be considered as a straight line joining each defined point. A low tension value creates curved profiles passing through each point but attempting to use smooth arcs. The significance of the tension is not just to do with visual appearance since the points use to draw the profile, (rather than the few used to define the profile), are used to calculate the profile properties and hence equivalent pipe diameters.
Arc Increment (default 6.0) controls the number of points used to draw a profile. Thus whilst a profile may have been defined with maybe only three points, it will be drawn with significantly more. The larger the number the more points will de used to draw the profile, (not it is not directly the number of drawn points but an indirect control value).
Skin Group End Directions
To modify the end directions of a skin group pick the required skin group, (either pipe or volume). The Modify / Skin Group End Directions (Current Selection) then allows the user to set the cut directions of the selected skin group. Cut directions are indicated by the arrows drawn at the first and last profile boundary on a pipe skin group and the direction of each profile on a volume skin group.
The cut direction is important as it is used to dictate the direction that the adjacent facet wave-front solver will move in when attempting to identify what facets are associated with a created pipe or plenum.
Cut directions are listed as either +1 or 1, by changing from one value to the other the cut plane direction is reversed. The value of 0 is used as an internal flag that will trigger the auto cut direction algorithm.
Cut directions are listed in the order that they were picked for the creation of the skin group.
Volume Skin Group Centre Co-ordinates
To modify the end directions of a volume skin group pick the required volume skin group, (this is not applicable to pipe skin groups). The Modify / Skin Group Centre Coords (Current Selection) then allows the user to edit the automatically generated x, y and z co-ordinates of the skin group centre. When the skin group is created the centre co-ordinates are calculated based on a geometric mean of the profile centres, this is unlikely to be the required modelling position of the effective centre. The position of this centre will control the lengths any created pipes for constant pressure and pressure loss junctions and also the pipe angles for created pressure loss junctions.
1D Pipe Flow Direction
To flip the flow direction of a 1D pipe, (indicated by its centre arrow), pick the required 1D pipe and select Modify / Flip 1D Pipe Flow Direction (Current Selection). This will change the flow direction, i.e. interchange end 1 and end 2 positions. The pipe flow directions are retained in the saved work file and also carried into the simulation model when made current.
0D Plenum Flow Direction
To flip the flow direction of a 0D plenum, (indicated by its centre arrow), pick the required 0D plenum and select Modify / Flip 0D Plenum Flow Direction (Current Selection). This will change the flow direction. The plenum flow direction settings is principally used to assist in laying out and visualising the network within the STL viewer. This is because the plenum is always drawn horizontal within the STL display and when rotating the view the attached virtual link positions can become crossed. These crossed link positions would be carried over into the 2d positional data created on a make current, thus the flip option can improve the quality and appearance of the created simulation model.
0D Plenum Type Inlet or Exhaust
By default all created 0D plenums are created as inlets. To toggle the plenum type between inlet and exhaust, (indicated by its fill colour, cyan = inlet, orange = exhaust), pick the required 0D plenum and select Modify / Set 0D Plenum Type (In/Exh) (Current Selection). This will change the plenum type. The plenum type setting is retained in the saved work file and also carried into the simulation model when made current.
Modifying Facet Positions
The positions of facets can be modified with combinations of translations and rotations. Selected facets can be translated in terms of the changes to their global x. y and z values. For rotations selected facets can be rotated about any axis. The axis is defined by two user-entered points, the axis points are specified by values of global x, y and z.
Modifying Vertex Positions
The positions of facet vertices can be modified with translations in terms of the changes to their global x. y and z values. This allows the geometric relationship between vertices on the same facet to be altered.
Changing the State of Deleted Facets
When a facet is deleted from the model, (either directly with a pick and delete action or indirectly through a plane cut of a facet resulting in its replacement with up to three others), its geometry information is still retained within the data deck. This is because it may be referenced by an graphics feature created earlier. Within the View menus the user can switch between View / Normal and View / Deleted Facets. When in deleted facet view mode facets can be selected in just the same way as in normal view mode. The menu option Modify / Restore Deleted Facets (Current Selection) can be used to restore any selected deleted facets when in delete view mode.
+$#>STL Viewer Groups
Introduction
The ability to break a loaded STL model into smaller sub models is possible using the Groups functionality. Groups allows facets in specific areas to be collected together to not only improve the speed at which the specific part of the model can be viewed and manipulated, but also provides a mechanism by which plane cuts can be limited to a specific region. This second item is important when dealing with complex models where unnecessary plane cutting can produce instability within the cutting algorithms.
Groups only apply to facets, all other graphics features such as profiles are not affected by groups and group visibility.
Due to the potential storage issues a facet can only belong to one group. If it is already a member of a group when it is added to another its connection to the first group is lost.
Creating a Group
To create a group select Group / New& and enter in the data box the required group label by which this group will identified.
Adding Facets to a Group
Before a facet can be added to a group the group must already have been created, (see above). To add facets to a group, pick the required facets using the standard selection techniques, then select Group / Add to Group / GroupLabel, where GroupLabel is the label of the required group.
Facets already in a group can be added to via association. This is a step by step addition to the group of facets that are directly connected to exist group facets. Thus the group can be added to in layers to acquire the required sub model area. Use Group / Add Associated Facets to Group. A similar feature exists to remove layers, see Deleting facets from a group.
Viewing Elements in a Group
To view an existing group select Group / Current / GroupLabel, where GroupLabel is the label of the required group.To return to viewing the entire model select Group / Cancel.
Deleting Facets from a Group
To delete facets from a group you do not need to make the required group current, (this works either in group view or normal view), simply pick the required facets using the normal selection techniques. Once the required facets are current remove them from the group using Group / Remove from Group / GroupLabel where GroupLabel is the label of the required group to remove the facet from. Note that this does not delete the facets from the model only from the group.
Facets can be removed from a group using a free edge based layer approach. This is similar to the add by association in that facets are removed in a step by step function with minimal user input required. To use this method make the required Group current using Group / Current / GroupLabel then select Group / Remove Free Edge Facets From Group as many times as is required to reduce the group to the required region.
Deleting a Group
To remove a group select Group / Delete / GroupLabel, where GroupLabel is the label of the required group to delete. Note that this does not delete the facets in this group from the model only the group association data.
Renaming a Group
To rename a group make the required group current using Group / Current / GroupLabel where GroupLabel is the label of the required group to rename, then select Group / Rename& and enter the new name into the data entry box.
+$#>STL Viewer Listing and Measuring
Introduction
Whilst under the List menu only two menu items currently appear, one for listing the co-ordinates of a facet vertex and the other for measuring the distance between two facet vertices, a large amount of information is listed to the command window as part of feature creation and picking.
Listing Vertex Co-ordinates
To list the co-ordinates of a facet vertex select List / Vertex Coords and select the vertex of interest. This option will continue to pick and list until the command is changed and supports the option to change view via the Z shortcut key.
Any operation that involves selecting a facet vertex will also list the co-ordinates of the vertex as it is picked. Examples of this include creating profile from facet vertices and simple vertex picking.
Measuring Distance between Vertices
To measure the difference between two facet vertices, (they can be on different facets), select List / Measure, Vertex to Vertex and select the two vertices of interest. Note that the individual node co-ordinates are also listed as each vertex is picked.
Listing Closed Profile Properties
The properties of a profile are listed when it is selected, either via simple pick or as part of a more complex operation. The properties listed include;
No. of definition points
No. of drawn points
Centre Co-ordinates (x,y,z)
Perimeter length
Mean Radius
Cross section area
+$#>STL Viewer Application Setup
Introduction
A number of options are provided to assist in controlling the appearance, performance and the operation of the STL viewer, they are collected under the heading of Application Setup.
Start Options
On start-up of the STL viewer the user can choose between standard icons (AppSetup / Start Options / ToolBar Icons / Standard) displayed on the toolbar or mouse sensitive ones (AppSetup / Start Options / ToolBar Icons / Mouse Sensitive). This setting is saved to the users ini file such that it is retained for future re-use.
The user can set the Window size to open in its maximised state, toggle the AppSetup / Start Options / Maximised menu setting. This setting is saved to the users ini file such that it is retained for future re-use.
Exception Handler
The exception handler provides a software method of trapping and handling unexpected fatal errors whilst running the program. This provides a safe although not always particular helpful method of dealing with program fatal errors. Safe because it ensures that the application failing protects the machine from a system crash, in doing so it prevents any potentially informative failure messages from being displayed.
The option to turn the exception handler off (AppSetup / Exception Handler On) is given primarily as a tool for experienced users or developers to assist in debugging problems.
This setting is not saved to the users ini file, such that for each application restart its setting is returned to the default state of on.
Facet Array Memory Limit
The application can read in any size STL file. It uses a combination of internal virtual memory and scratch files to deal with the model data. Up to a certain limit all facet data is stored in memory and hence drawing and manipulating the data is far quicker than when it is necessary to read/write to a scratch file. The limiting value can be changed by the user up to an internally hard coded limit, (currently 1.E6). Select AppSetup / Set Memory Facet Array Limit& and entered the required value into the data entry box.
The limitation for this is based on the available memory on the machine used. As a general rule each facet requires 164 bytes, (or 1000 facets = 0.15 mb).
Where possible users should attempt to keep all facet data in virtual memory as this greatly improves speed and stability.
Tolerances
A number of operations involve picking positions and cutting of planes that use calculations based on comparing single precision real numbers. These comparisons are made compared to a tolerance for which default values are provided. With different model sizes and in particular different model units the default values may prove to be unreliable.
If users experience difficulty controlling feature picking or failures with profile cutting via planes then the default tolerance can be edited using AppSetup / Tolerances&
The four tolerances users can define are;
Screen Pick of Feature Grace, sets the distance in screen units that a pick must be within when compared to a features hot spot. If the distance is greater than this value it will not be selected. This value is saved to the users ini file.
Solution Tolerance for Coincident Edge Points, sets the distance in model units that is used for checking if the points that define two facet edges are coincident and hence have a coincident facet edge. This value is saved to the users ini file.
Solution Tolerance for Free Edge Points, sets the distance in model units that is used for checking if a facet edge is free or connected to another facet edge. This value is saved to the users ini file.
Solution Tolerance for Point/Edge in Plane, Sets the distance in model units that is to check if a point or facet edge can be assumed to lie within a 3D plane. This avoids creating very small facets when using plane cuts through a model. This value is saved to the users ini file.
Element Graphical Sizes
Graphical features that are displayed with dots, arrows and boxes have a default size that they are drawn at. In the case of using scaled feature display this value is used as a start value which is modified by the current display scale factor. If the scaled feature display option is turned off (see View / Scale Element Sizes) then the size is the actual screen size used to display the specific feature.
Features that have user control over their size are;
Profile Points
End Dots for Pipes and Virtual Links
1D Pipes
0D Plenums
Loss Junctions
Picked Features
These values are saved to the users ini file.
Identify Skin Group Associated Facets
This option controls whether Facets are deleted from a model when a pipe or volume skin group is converted to its equivalent pipe or plenum element.
The facets associated with the profiles are identified and used to scan from one profile to another deleting the facets as it goes in the form of a wave front. This option thus provides a visual way of monitoring the reduction of a facet model to an equivalent pipe plenum model, since areas of the model that have been converted will lose their facets. The potential problem with this is that to scan through the facet model identifying facet association can be time consuming on large models and with complex surfaces with very fine meshes may indeed cause the operation to stall indefinitely. To alleviate this the user can disable this option via the AppSetup / Identify Skin Group Associated Facets menu item, simply un-check this menu item.
$#>LOTUS ENGINEERING
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