Numerical and Experimental Analysis of the Intake Flow in a High Performance Four-Stroke Motorcycle Engine: Influence of the Two-Equation Turbulence Models

An experimental and numerical analysis of the intake system of a production high performance four-stroke motorcycle engine was carried out. The aim of the work was to characterize the fluid dynamic behavior of the engine during the intake phase and to evaluate the capability of the most commonly used two-equation turbulence models to reproduce the in-cylinder flow field for a very complex engine head. Pressure and mass flow rates were measured on a steady-flow rig. Furthermore, velocity measurements were obtained within the combustion chamber using laser Doppler anemometry (LDA). The experimental data were compared to the numerical results using four two-equation turbulence models (standard k-epsilon, realizable k-epsilon, Wilcox k-omega, and SST k-omega models). All the investigated turbulence models well predicted the global performances of the intake system and the mean flow structure inside the cylinder. Some differences between measurements and computations were found close to the cylinder head while an improving agreement was evident moving away from the engine head. Furthermore, the Wilcox k-omega model permitted the flow field inside the combustion chamber of the engine to be reproduced and the overall angular momentum of the flux with respect to the cylinder axis to be quantified more properly.