INTERNAL

COMBUSTION
ENGINES
SIMULATION IN
OPENFOAM
Tommaso Lucchini
Dipartimento di Energetica,
POLITECNICO DI MILANO
Tommaso Lucchini: “Internal Combustion Engine Simulation in OpenFOAM”, 01-28-2006
 TOPICS

• ENGINE SIMULATION IN OpenFOAM

o State of Art
o engineFOAM
o dieselEngineFOAM
• RESULTS
o Engine Case: Fiat-Lancia 16V VIS
o Spray Case: Spray from a pressure-swirl Injector

• FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS (collaboration with Dr. Jasak)

o Topology modifiers applied to engine meshes
o Four-Stroke Engines (valve action)
o Two Stroke Engines

Tommaso Lucchini: “Internal Combustion Engine Simulation in OpenFOAM”, 01-28-2006

 ENGINE SIMULATION
• COMPLEX PHYSICAL MODELS
o Compressible (transonic) flow
o Turbulence, Combustion, Chemistry
o Lagrangian Particles for Spray
• COMPLEX GEOMETRY HANDLING
o Moving Mesh
o Topological Changes (valve action)
• MODEL TO MODEL INTERACTION
• NEW PHYSICAL AND NUMERICAL MODELS
o Implementation
o Testing
o Object-Oriented Structure

Tommaso Lucchini: “Internal Combustion Engine Simulation in OpenFOAM”, 01-28-2006

 ENGINE MODELLING IN OPENFOAM
• SOLVERS
o engineFOAM
o dieselEngineFOAM

• engineFOAM
o Spark-ignition engines
o RANS combustion modeling of premixed combustion
o Weller combustion model (also known as b-Ξ)

• dieselEngineFOAM
o Diesel engines
o Eulerian-Lagrangian approach for spray tracking
o RANS combustion modeling of non-premixed combustion
o Chalmers Partially Stirred Reactor Combustion Model

Tommaso Lucchini: “Internal Combustion Engine Simulation in OpenFOAM”, 01-28-2006

 ENGINE SOLVERS
Thermodynamic Approach

src/thermophysicalModels/combustion

Spray particles tracking

src/lagrangian/dieselSpray

Chemistry Model for chemical source terms

src/thermophysicalModels/chemistryModel

Mesh handling and “engine components”

src/OpenFOAM/meshes/fvMesh
src/topoFvMesh
src/engine

Tommaso Lucchini: “Internal Combustion Engine Simulation in OpenFOAM”, 01-28-2006

 PREMIXED COMBUSTION (engineFOAM)
FLAMELET APPROACH: burnt and unburned gases are
divided by a thin and wrinkled turbulent flame front.
Unburnt gas properties:
Tu, hu, ρu
Burnt gas properties:
Tb, hb, ρb
Cell properties:
T, h, ρ, p, b, ft
Laminar flame speed Su
hhuCombustionThermo
inhomogeneousMixture
sutherlandTransport
specieThermo
janafThermo
perfectGas
laminarFlameSpeed

b-Ξ Combustion Model by Weller solve

(
~ fvm::
fvm::ddt
ddt((rho,
rho, b)
∂ ρb
∂t
( )
~~
( ~
) ~
+ ∇ ρUb − ∇ 2 ρ Db ∇b = − ρuSu Ξ ∇b
+ mvConvection-
mvConvection->fvmDiv(
+ fvm::
fvm::div
div((phiSt,
fvmDiv(phi,
phiSt, b, "div
phi, b)
"div((phiSt,b)")
phiSt,b)")
- fvm::
fvm::Sp
Sp((fvc::
fvc::div
div((phiSt),
phiSt), b)
- fvm::
fvm::laplacian
laplacian((turbulence-
turbulence->muEff(),
muEff(), b)
);
b: normalized fuel fraction
Gulder correlation for laminar flame speed Su

Tommaso Lucchini: “Internal Combustion Engine Simulation in OpenFOAM”, 01-28-2006

 LAGRANGIAN SPRAY MODELLING
The spray is a Cloud of parcels, and evolves according to:
MASS, MOMENTUM AND ENERGY EXCHANGE WITH THE GAS PHASE
dieselSpray.evaporationSource()
dieselSpray.momentumSource()
dieselSpray.heatTransferSource()
ADDITIONAL SUB-MODELS (spraySubModels)
INJECTION (injectorModel)
ATOMIZATION (atomizationModel)
BREAKUP (breakupModel)
EVAPORATION (evaporationModel)
COLLISION (collisionModel)
WALL IMPINGEMENT (wallModel)
DRAG (dragModel)
HEAT TRANSFER (heatTransferModel)
TURBULENT DISPERSION (dispersionModel)

RUN-TIME SELECTION TABLES ALLOW TO EASILY DEFINE

NEW SPRAY SUB-MODELS

Tommaso Lucchini: “Internal Combustion Engine Simulation in OpenFOAM”, 01-28-2006

 DIESEL COMBUSTION (dieselEngineFOAM)
hCombustionThermo
Cell properties reactingMixture
T, h, ρ, p, Yi chemistryModel
chemistrySolver

TURBULENCE-CHEMISTRY INTERACTION
Partially Stirred Reactor Concept

RRi : Chemical Source Term

τ chem ωi : Reaction Rate
RRi = ω& i
τ mix + τ chem τchem : Chemical Time
τmix : Mixing Time

A chemical system has to be solved to provide ωi

Reaction mechanism in chemkin or foamChemistry formats

ODE, Sequential, EulerImplicit Chemistry solvers

Tommaso Lucchini: “Internal Combustion Engine Simulation in OpenFOAM”, 01-28-2006

 ENGINE MOVING MESH
STATE OF ART
Moving and deforming mesh, without topological changes
Algorithm specified in src/engine/include/movePiston.H

Piston Bowl Points: Move with piston displacement

Liner Points: Deformation
Head Points: Do not move

Tommaso Lucchini: “Internal Combustion Engine Simulation in OpenFOAM”, 01-28-2006

 RESULTS
Fiat-Lancia 16V ENGINE, prediction of the pressure history
(to be published at the SAE 2006 World Congress)

Gasoline spray emerging from a pressure-swirl injector for GDI engines

(SAE 2005-24-86)

t = 1.0 ms t = 2.0 ms t = 3.0 ms

Tommaso Lucchini: “Internal Combustion Engine Simulation in OpenFOAM”, 01-28-2006
 DEVELOPMENT: ENGINE MESH
Mesh aspect ratio should be kept as more constant as
possible, also reducing the number of cells the
computational time decreases….

ADDITION/REMOVAL of CELL LAYERS DURING THE PISTON

MOTION
Correct estimation of the combustion and spray processes
if the fluid motion and turbulence distribution at IVC are
correctly predicted.

VALVE ACTION
Tommaso Lucchini: “Internal Combustion Engine Simulation in OpenFOAM”, 01-28-2006
 DEVELOPMENT: ENGINE MESH
MESH MODIFIERS (src/dynamicMesh)
ALLOW TOPOLOGICAL CHANGES TO THE MESH
Add/Remove Cells/Faces/Points
Layer Addition-Removal (layerAdditionRemoval)

Attach/detach boundary (attachDetach)

Sliding Interface (slidingInterface)

Tommaso Lucchini: “Internal Combustion Engine Simulation in OpenFOAM”, 01-28-2006

 DEVELOPMENT: ENGINE MESH
MESH MOTION (src/dynamicMesh/motionSolver)
The point motion is specified by an FEM solver.
Boundary condition for the points is assigned and
the motion-diffusion equation is solved:
r
M =0
2
r
∇ µ motion M = 0
µmotion : motion diffusion
M : motion points field

SIMPLE DEFORMATION r r
OF A 2D SQUARE BOX M = Up
Tommaso Lucchini: “Internal Combustion Engine Simulation in OpenFOAM”, 01-28-2006
 DEVELOPMENT: ENGINE MESH
MESH MOTION ALGORITHM

DETACH THE
SLIDING INTERFACES

PERFORM
LAYER ACTION,
SOLVE FOR MOTION
AND MOVE POINTS

ATTACH THE
SLIDING INTERFACE

Tommaso Lucchini: “Internal Combustion Engine Simulation in OpenFOAM”, 01-28-2006

 DEVELOPMENT: ENGINE MESH
TWO STROKE ENGINES

SLIDING INTERFACE TO SIMULATE PISTON MOTION

TROUGH SCAVENGING PORTS

LAYER ADDITION/REMOVAL ON THE PISTON SURFACE

Tommaso Lucchini: “Internal Combustion Engine Simulation in OpenFOAM”, 01-28-2006

 DEVELOPMENT: ENGINE MESH
FOUR STROKE ENGINES: MESH SETUP
valveStem

Layer A/R valveTop

valveBottom Layer A/R

valveCurtainPort
Master patch of valveCurtainCyl
the slidingInterface
Slave patch of
the slidingInterface

Layer A/R piston

Tommaso Lucchini: “Internal Combustion Engine Simulation in OpenFOAM”, 01-28-2006
 DEVELOPMENT: ENGINE MESH
FOUR STROKE ENGINES:
VALVE CLOSURE, ATTACH/DETACH BOUNDARY
The valve is closed when its lift is lower than a certain value
The valve closure is simulated using the attachDetach mesh
modifier

valveDetachInPort

valveDetachInCyl

When the valve opens the boundaries are re-attached

Tommaso Lucchini: “Internal Combustion Engine Simulation in OpenFOAM”, 01-28-2006

 DEVELOPMENT: ENGINE MESH
FOUR STROKE ENGINES:
Mesh motion MOVIE. Section of a 3D engine with
vertical valves

Layer
addition/removal
on the valveTop and
valveBottom patches Switching
beetween
deformation
slidingInterface and layering
continuosly
attached and
detached

Layer addition/removal
on the piston patch

Tommaso Lucchini: “Internal Combustion Engine Simulation in OpenFOAM”, 01-28-2006

 TESTING: icoTopoFoamEngine
• INCOMPRESSIBLE SOLVER
o PISO algorithm for pressure/velocity coupling
o Testing mesh motion
o Testing fields mapping
o Testing solution of equations with
disappearing/appearing cells

FOUR-STROKE ENGINE TWO-STROKE ENGINE

TEST CASE TEST CASE

Tommaso Lucchini: “Internal Combustion Engine Simulation in OpenFOAM”, 01-28-2006

 FOUR STROKE ENGINE RESULTS
EXHAUST STROKE
Velocity and pressure fields

168 CAD 243 CAD 293 CAD 318 CAD

Tommaso Lucchini: “Internal Combustion Engine Simulation in OpenFOAM”, 01-28-2006

 FOUR STROKE ENGINE RESULTS
INTAKE STROKE
Velocity and pressure fields

358 CAD 383 CAD 393 CAD 423 CAD

Tommaso Lucchini: “Internal Combustion Engine Simulation in OpenFOAM”, 01-28-2006

 FOUR STROKE ENGINE RESULTS
MASS CONSERVATION CHECK

Tommaso Lucchini: “Internal Combustion Engine Simulation in OpenFOAM”, 01-28-2006

 TWO STROKE ENGINE RESULTS

SCAVENGING PHASE, 320 CAD

Tommaso Lucchini: “Internal Combustion Engine Simulation in OpenFOAM”, 01-28-2006

 FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
•ENGINE MESH
o Compressible solver
o Turbulence, spray and combustion
o Angled valves
o Combination of valves + scavenging ports

•COMBUSTION

o Developing a C++ implementation of the

Pope’s “In Situ Adaptive Chemistry Tabulation”
(ISAT) to reduce computational time when
detailed chemistry is used.

Tommaso Lucchini: “Internal Combustion Engine Simulation in OpenFOAM”, 01-28-2006

 CONTACTS

TOMMASO LUCCHINI
Dipartimento di Energetica
Politecnico di Milano
Via la Masa, 34
20185 Milano
ITALY

e-mail: tommaso.lucchini@polimi.it
Web site: www.engines.polimi.it

Tommaso Lucchini: “Internal Combustion Engine Simulation in OpenFOAM”, 01-28-2006

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I am very grateful to the people who introduced me to the

OpenFOAM world….

Gianluca D’Errico

Hrvoje Jasak

Gianluca Montenegro

Niklas Nordin

Henry Weller

Tommaso Lucchini: “Internal Combustion Engine Simulation in OpenFOAM”, 01-28-2006