A Formula Student engine must receive the required air mass flow through an intake system that is tightly constrained by packaging and competition regulations. The geometry therefore has to minimise aerodynamic losses while still fitting within the available vehicle space.
FlowMotion used CFD to analyse the airflow through the intake. The simulations provided the local velocity and static-pressure distributions and showed how bends, area changes and the mandatory restrictor influenced the flow towards the engine.
Strong adverse pressure gradients can cause the boundary layer to separate from the wall. This separation produces additional pressure loss and can make the flow distribution towards the engine less uniform.
Design variants were therefore compared using pressure loss, flow uniformity and the resulting engine air mass flow rather than local velocity alone. Compressibility effects were included where the local Mach number made them relevant.
The CFD analysis made it possible to optimise the intake geometry before manufacturing, balancing compact packaging against the aerodynamic performance required by the engine.
