Preliminary turbulence length scale measurements in a motored IC engine

A recently developed laser Doppler velocimetry system for making two-point spatial correlation measurements of velocity fluctuations has been applied to the turbulent flow field of an IC engine. Fluctuation integral length scales have been measured within the clearance volume of a ported, single cylinder engine with a disc-shaped chamber and a compression ratio of 8.0. The engine was motored at 600 rpm and the engine flow field had a swirl ratio at top dead center of approximately 4. These measurements were made at the center of the clearance height at three-quarters of the cylinder radius. The integral length scale was found to reach a minimum of approximately one-fifth of the clearance height near TDC. Comparison of the results obtained using this technique with the integral length scales measured in engines by others authors using different methods gives agreement to within a factor of two.