INTAKE RESTRICTOR

1. Objectives of this research is to optimize a venturi type design to

allow maximum possible mass flow rate to the engine from 20 mm
restrictor buy reducing the difference in pressure across venturi at
all speeds.
2. Analytical calculations are done based on standard results to get
maximum mass flow rate and CFD tool is used to calculate minimum
pressure drop across the restrictor buy varying converging and
diverging angles of venturi.
3. The aims therefore are Maximum Mass Flow Rate with
Minimum Pressure Drop.
4. At high engine speeds, engine requires much more air for
combustion and thus mass flow rate should increase, but due to
restrictor area being less air has to pass with very high velocity to
compensate or fill the engine with required amount of air.
5. Thus air tries to achieve maximum velocity through restrictor which
gives rise to critical flow conditions, where in air reaches its
maximum speed of Mach 1 at the restrictor.
6. In a nozzle or other constriction, the discharge coefficient (also
known as coefficient of discharge) is the ratio of the actual
discharge to the theoretical discharge, i.e., the ratio of the mass
flow rate at the discharge end of the nozzle to that of an ideal nozzle
which expands an identical working fluid from the same initial
conditions to the same exit pressures.
7. With some basic calculations for throttle body diameter for an
engine with 600 cc of displacement and for revolutions per minute
of 13000, the diameter of throttle body comes out to be 38 mm, and
the same is widely used in competition. This dimension will be the
diameter of venturi at inlet and outlet.
8. We have two dimensions which are fixed, so we have two
dimensions on which the venturi will perform and these are
converging diverging angles and length of venturi. Thus we have
defined two known and two unknown physical parameters for design
of venturi.
9. We also know that temperature at inlet is ambient and pressure at
inlet is atmospheric.
10.
For boundary conditions at outlet of venturi we can have
either pressure, velocity or mass flow rate. Calculating pressure and
velocity at outlet of venturi involves complex procedures and thus
gives rise to some errors. Mass flow rate at outlet can be easily
calculated by using choked flow equation.
11.
Mass Flow Rate is maximum when M=1.At these conditions
flow is choked.
12.
The most important parameter in compressible flows is Mach
number Ma=V/C where V is flow velocity and C is speed of sound. If
Mach number is less than 0.3, compressibility effects can be

neglected as there is around 3 % change in density. Whereas if Mach

number is from 0.3 to 1 flow is called subsonic and if Ma>1 flow is
supersonic, in this regions compressibility increases and its effects
are considerable.
13.
A venturi in itself can allow a maximum of 0.0703 kg/s of air
flow to engine, considering no losses in friction and turbulence. the
aim is to allow the engine to achieve the maximum mass flow with
minimal pull from the engine.
14.
The optimum solution to achieve maximum possible
mass flow rate of air as quickly as possible is to minimize
the pressure loss through the flow restriction
device.Different CFD Analysis were made for different
converging and diverging angles. The one with the least
pressure drop was selected.
15.
In many documented studies and literature, the recommended
shape for the convergent part of the restrictor is an elliptical curve
leading to the minimum diameter point, while a 3 to 7 taper on
the divergent end of the restrictor would allow the air to regain the
pressure lost as air flows into the constriction
16.
The phenomenon of a choked flow system is one pertaining to
compressible flow, such as that of air in the atmospheric
environment flowing through the air intake system, and into the
engines cylinders. In the FSAE context, the main location in which
choked flow is likely to develop would be at the air intake restrictor.
It is formed when air flows across a path with a decreasing crosssectional area.

INTAKE RUNNERS
17.
The intake runners are the parts of the air intake system
which delivers air from the intake manifold to the cylinders (see
Figure 3). In each runner, the dominant phenomenon that governs
its performance is actually the effect of acoustic waves.
18.
19.
The objective of a tuned intake runner would be to manipulate
this reflected wave (while the engine is running at a desired RPM) to
make sure that a high-pressure region coincides with a subsequent
Valve opening, improving air-flow into the cylinder, improving
volumetric efficiency, hence achieving peak torque at the required
RPM.
20.
The calculation for the length of the tuned intake runners is
based upon the duration between two events of the intake valves
operation: the first being the closing of the intake valve, and
the second being the re-opening of the intake valve on the
next cycle.

21.
While the tuning of runner lengths give the engine the
capacity to improve its volumetric efficiency by timing a higherpressure air column into the cylinder when the intake valves open, it
would be necessary to note that the length of the runner is only
tuned for a particular RPM, and that at other RPMs, particularly
those at which the reflected waves position a lower-pressured air
column at the intake valves as it open, will suffer a decrease in
volumetric efficiencies as a result.
22.
Runner Length= ((EVCD 0.25 V 2) (rpm RV)) - D
EVCD=Effective Valve Close Duration
Reflective Value-RV Reflective Value is the reflected wave (1, 2, 3,
n)
V-Pressure Wave Speed
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question517.htm (How do tuned
Intake Runners Work On your Car)
23.
http://www.rbracing-rsr.com/runnertorquecalc.html (Peak
Torque And Runner Dimensions Calculator)
24.
In general a longer runner is used to maximize low speed
torque and larger runner is used to maximize high speed torque.

PLENUM DESIGN
1. Some relatively common practices in performance air systems
are the use of baffles to change the effective length of the
runner and moving internals to change the effective
volume of the plenum at different rpms.
2. Many papers suggest that the plenum chamber should be 1 to 4
times as large as the engine displacement. However, there are
some trade-offs to consider. If the plenum is too small, the
restrictor could end up choking flow, which would result in a
significant loss of power. If the plenum is too large, there is a
decrease in throttle response, which is very important for a race
car
3. Large Plenums can often compensate for the restrictor since the
air comes from the plenum resulting in greater volumetric
efficiency and thus greater power.
4.