Improvement of Wankel engine

performance at high altitudes

L. Tartakovsky, V. Baibikov, M. Veinblat
3
rd
Conference on UAV Propulsion Technologies
Technion, Haifa
30 January 2014
Technion Israel Institute of Technology
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
Internal Combustion Engine Laboratory
The problem
UAV engine's power drop under high-altitude flight
conditions
One of Possible Solutions
Engine turbocharging
Main objectives
Keeping a Wankel engines rated brake power
as constant as possible in the altitudes range
between 0 and 15,000 feet
Possible improvement of engines efficiency
Selection of a turbocharger currently available
on the market for Wankel engine supercharging
Simulation approach
Application of the GT-POWER software initially
intended for modeling reciprocating piston
engines for simulating a rotary Wankel engine
Main differences between Wankel and piston
engines affecting their performance
Difference in patterns of working chamber volume and
surface change with the shaft angle
Differences in the heat transfer conditions
Hot and cold stator zones of the Wankel working chamber
surfaces are separated contrary to a piston engine
Charge rotational movement of Wankel working chamber
Differences in combustion patterns
Unfavorable shape of Wankel working chamber - higher
surface/volume ratio
Larger relative value of crevice volumes
Development of a piston-to-Wankel
engine geometric similarity criteria

Displacement equality
Compression ratio equality
Identical behavior of working chamber volume dependence
on angle of shaft rotation
Identical behavior of working chamber surface-to-volume
ratio change vs. angle of shaft rotation
Identical behavior of intake and exhaust ports discharge
coefficients vs. angle of shaft rotation
The method
Compilation of the virtual reciprocating piston engine,
geometrically similar to the considered Wankel engine
Modifying the Wiebe equation used for simulation of the fuel
combustion by taking into account the peculiarities of the
combustion process in a Wankel engine
Application of the modified relationship between Nusselt,
Prandtl and Reynolds numbers for calculation of the heat
transfer coefficient;
Virtual blowing of the intake and exhaust ports for calculation
of their discharge coefficients.
Simulated Wankel engine
Naturally aspirated, spark ignition, single-rotor
Rated shaft speed 8,100 rpm
Rated brake power 70 HP
Displacement of each working chamber 344cc
Designation Parameter Value
z Number of cylinders 3
Compression ratio 7.6
B Bore, mm 118.6
S Stroke, mm 31.2
R Crank radius, mm 15.6
L Conrod length, mm 220
V
d
Displacement, cm
3
1032
Parameters of the virtual piston engine
Geometric similarity
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
0 30 60 90 120 150 180 210 240 270 300 330 360
Rotor or 0.5*crankshaft angle, degrees
W
o
r
k
i
n
g

c
h
a
m
b
e
r

v
o
l
u
m
e
,

c
m
3
Wankel
Piston
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
0 30 60 90 120 150 180 210 240 270 300 330 360
Rotor or 0.5*crankshaft angle, degrees
W
o
r
k
i
n
g

c
h
a
m
b
e
r

s
u
r
f
a
c
e
/
v
o
l
u
m
e

r
a
t
i
o
,
c
m
2
/
c
m
3
Wankel
Piston
Working chamber volume Working chamber surface/volume ratio
Altitude performance of the naturally
aspirated Wankel engine
At flight altitude of 15,000 feet the engine's power drops by a factor of 1.7
7
0
.
1
6
1
.
6
5
3
.
9
4
6
.
9
4
0
.
5
2
0
0
.
9
1
9
9
.
7
2
0
1
.
5
2
0
3
.
6
2
0
9
.
2
0
25
50
75
100
125
150
175
200
225
250
275
300
325
0 3750 7500 11250 15000
Altitude, feet
Break power, hp
SFC, g/(hp*h)
Air pressure , bar x
100
Air temperature, K
Air density x 100
kg/m3
Turbocharger selection
Garret GT12 and GT15 turbochargers were selected for further consideration
Turbocharger selection
The required air flow rate is marked by red line
Turbocharger Garret

GT1548 was finally

selected
Simulation model of the
turbocharged engine in the GT-Power
1 cylinders; 2 turbine wheel; 3 compressor wheel; 4 throttle; 5 wastegate controller
Altitude performance prediction
throttling the intake manifold
Sea level 7,500 feet 15,000 feet
At altitude 15,000 feet and 4500 rpm the compressor enters into the surge zone
At altitude 15,000 feet and 8100 rpm the compressor works very close to its
maximal operation speed 180,000 rpm
Altitude performance
throttling the intake manifold
1
9
2
.
0
1
9
0
.
8
1
9
0
.
3
6
9
.
6
6
9
.
4
7
1
.
6
118.6
134.6
180.9
3
1
3
84
3
18.6
24.6
29.7
0.0
25.0
50.0
75.0
100.0
125.0
150.0
175.0
200.0
225.0
0 3750 7500 11250 15000
Altitude, feet
BSFC, g/(hp*h)
Break power, hp
Turbocharger speed, rpm / 1000
Throttle angle, deg
Throttle discharge coefficient x
100
Altitude performance prediction
Damping volume in the intake manifold
1 cylinders; 2 turbine wheel; 3 compressor wheel; 4 throttle; 5
wastegate controller; 6 - damping volume
Dependence of the air flow swing on
the value of the damping volume
Altitude performance prediction
Damping volume in the intake manifold
Sea level 7,500 feet 15,000 feet
No surge danger
Turbocharger operates far from its maximal operation speed
Altitude performance
Damping volume in the intake manifold
Plenum
184
185.5
187.3
70
71.1 70.7
115.607
131.496
151.004
36
45
90
0 3750 7500 11250 15000
Altitude, feet
BSFC, g/(hp*h)
Break power, hp
Turbocharger speed,
rpm / 1000
Throttle angle, deg
Comparison of the engine performance with
different methods of pressure waves
suppression - Altitude 15,000 feet
Better specific fuel consumption by about 1.5%
Turbocharger operates far from its maximal operation speed
Engine power under partial loads is up to 27% higher
1 the damping volume
2 the throttle screening
Conclusions
A modeling was carried out by using the GT-POWER software. The
method of compiling a virtual piston engine was applied
At the flight altitude of 15,000 feet Wankel engines power drops by a
factor 1.7
Performance predictions of the turbocharged engine confirmed a
possibility of maintaining its power at all altitudes up to 15,000 feet, but
revealed presence of a strong pressure wave process in the engine's intake
manifold
Two different methods of the compressor wheel protection from impact
of the intake air pressure waves were studied: throttling and dumping
volume use
Very important advantage of the damping volume method is a reduction
of the turbocharger's speed by about 17% under maximal power and higher
engine efficiency by about 1.5% practically under entire engine speed range
Expected increase of the supercharged engine weight may be assessed
as 6 kg.

Thank you!

More info:
tartak@technion.ac.il
Technion Israel Institute of Technology
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
Internal Combustion Engine Laboratory