An Investigation on Turbocharger Turbine Performance Parameters Under Inlet Pulsating Flow

Three-dimensional steady and unsteady (pulsating) compressible flows in a vane-less turbocharger turbine of a 1.7 liter SI engine are simulated numerically, and the results are validated experimentally using a turbocharged on-engine test cell. Simulations are carried out for a 720° engine cycle at three engine speeds, and the complete forms of volute and rotor vanes are modeled. Two ways for modeling the rotating wheel, multiple reference frames (MRF), and sliding mesh (SM) techniques are also examined. Finally, the effects of pulsating flow on the turbocharger turbine performance parameters (TTPP) such as the inlet static pressure, reduced mass flow rate, and efficiency are obtained and compared with their values under steady flow. The results show that the accuracy of steady characteristic map to estimate the TTPPs has some source of ambiguity, which should be considered for detailed analysis. TTPP values under steady flow conditions are found to be significantly deviated from the unsteady results. These deviations are decreased as the engine speed increases.