Analysis of exhaust manifold of spark-ignition engine by using computational fluid dynamics (CFD)

Abstract

The exhaust manifold is a pivotal part of an internal combustion engine. The work of the exhaust manifold is complicated and depends on many parameters viz. backpressure, velocity, the temperature of the exhaust, etc. In this work, the performance of the exhaust manifold of a four-stroke, four-cylinder, spark-ignition engine was analysed using three types of fuels (gasoline, methane, and methanol) to estimate flow characteristics and backpressure. The manifold modelling is done in Fluent 18.0, followed by analysis and meshing in ANSYS software. Velocity, pressure and temperature profiles at 1000 rpm engine speed were made. We found that methanol provided the highest exit temperature and back pressure, whereas methane provided the lowest exit pressure. Backpressure decreased when using gasoline fuel. Methane resulted in the best exhaust manifold performance.