Prediction of High Altitude Performance for UAV Engine

2015-26-0207
Published 01/14/2015

Kamran Hashmi and D Radhakrishna

Vehicles Research and Development Estt.

CITATION: Hashmi, K. and Radhakrishna, D., "Prediction of High Altitude Performance for UAV Engine," SAE Technical Paper
2015-26-0207, 2015, doi:10.4271/2015-26-0207.
Copyright 2015 SAE International and Copyright SAEINDIA

Abstract

Introduction

This paper deals with the application of 1-D simulation technique for
prediction of engine performance at high altitudes. 1-D engine
simulation is an important tool for engine development activities.
Engine design through simulation can substantially cut down time
needed to execute experiments and prototyping, as todays softwares
can simulate most of the experiments. This approach was applied for
simulation of a spark-ignited engine for UAV. A detailed 1-D
thermodynamic model was prepared for the engine configuration in
Ricardo WAVE environment; different simulation runs were executed
and then performance parameters like brake power, torque, specific fuel
consumption, BMEP, in-cylinder pressure etc. were predicted. In 1-D
simulation technique, predicted performance shall always be co-related
with test results for correct interpretation. Subsequently the simulated
results of 1-D thermodynamic model were validated with test results in
the present case; both cycle average parameters and instantaneous
parameters were used to validate the thermodynamic model.

1-Dimensional thermodynamic simulation is a tool to simulate flow

throughout the whole engine system. The essential processes of the
complete engine system are described by means of mathematical
equations to calculate physical states in all computational volumes at
all the instants. It enables calculation of cycle-averaged parameters
for assessment of engine performance. 1-D thermodynamic
simulation has been demonstrated to be a fundamental tool for engine
design, thanks to its capability to provide an accurate prediction of
intake and exhaust flows under actual engine operations. However,
when attention is focused on brake performance and engine-out
emissions, experimental information is generally required to model
the combustion process [1].

A validated model of high accuracy level is advantageous and can be

applied with greater confidence to optimize engine parameters. The
validated model is an important and milestone step for any engine
development process. In the present case the validated model was used to
predict high altitude performance of UAV engine i.e. power at different
altitudes. High altitude performance for UAV engine is always critical, as
it is a deciding factor for UAVs in terms of climb rate, service ceiling,
max. speed, etc. Further simulated high altitude performance of the
engine was then compared with high altitude test results and showed
good co-relation. The model validated at first place responded with ease
with varying environmental conditions. To sum up, this paper flows
through the approach used by us in defining the 1-D thermodynamic
model, its simulation, methodology for model validation and lastly its
application to predict high altitude performance.

Key Words
1-D, Engine simulation, Thermodynamic model, 4-stroke 4-cylinder,
Turbo-charged spark ignited, Engine for UAV, High Altitude
Performance

In this approach, the axial velocity component is assumed to be much

larger than the velocity components in the cross-sectional plane. The
governing equations are the same for this case as those for the general
3-D case. However, by assuming that the flow varies only in the axial
(stream wise) direction, the three conservation relations (of mass,
momentum and energy) are simplified to a greater extent [2]. The
flow and combustion in an internal combustion engine is quite
intricate and complicated. Despite this complexity it is conceivable to
look upon the engine as a piping system through which the fluid
flows, from upstream the inlet air filter to the exhaust pipe, joining
engine components as the compressor, the intercooler, the cylinders,
and the turbine. Such a simplified approach has the advantage of
enabling one to assess different designs in a short time.
Since CFD modelling of the whole engine is not feasible, 1-D codes
are frequently used to optimize different systems for improved engine
performance. Still, a 1-D flow assumption through these components
may not be sufficiently accurate for component optimization.
However these codes are very handy to see engine as a whole. To
simulate the entire engine system, the system is broken into different
components as pipes, pipe bends, flow splits and other components as
the engine cylinders, cylinder valves, compressor and turbine [3]. The
flow through the pipe components is modelled with the assumption of
one dimensional flow while the flow properties through the

compressor and turbine, and the combustion process in the cylinder,

are modelled without spatial solution and rely on empirical relations
and measured input data.
High altitude performance of aero engines is very important as it
significantly governs factors which affect the performance of UAVs.
When simulating altitude, air pressure and temperature are more
important parameters to control, as humidity has lesser effect on
engine performance [4]. Inlet air pressure has a very significant effect
on the performance of an engine because of its influence on the mass
of oxidizer available for a combustion event. With all other
independent parameters held constant, a decreasing pressure leads to
reductions in the density and mass of the air in the cylinder for a
given cycle; thus reduction in power. Further decreasing temperature
alone leads to increase in density and mass of the air in the cylinder
for a given cycle; thus increases the power. But when altitude
increases, the effect caused by pressure dominates.

Combustion Model
A two-zone Weibe combustion model was selected to describe the
rate of mass burned in thermodynamic calculations. In two-zone
combustion model, working fluid is considered separately as burned
and unburned mass fractions during the analysis. Weibe combustion
model allows the independent input of function shape parameters and
of burn duration. It is known to represent quite well the
experimentally observed trends of premixed SI combustion. It is a
primary combustion model and the most commonly used combustion
sub-model in SI engines. It can be applied to all engine cylinder
elements.
(Equation 1) shows the cumulative mass fraction burned as a function
of crank angle.

(1)

Model Description
The 1-D model is prepared for a four-stroke horizontally opposed
four-cylinder spark ignited turbocharged engine for UAV application.
The horizontally opposed configuration is generally given weightage
for this application because of following advantages:

It is more compact and wider.

It has lower center of gravity and has better stability.

It is provided with air cooling to reduce the engine weight, by

eliminating some water cooling system components.

It provides good balance because each piston momentum is

counterbalanced by the corresponding piston movement of
opposite side.

It can run very smoothly and free from vibrations and does not
require a balance shaft or counterweights on the crankshaft to
balance the weight of the reciprocating parts.

The basic engine parameters are Bore - 79.5 mm, Stroke - 61 mm,
Compression Ratio - 9:1. Specific empirical models were used for
modeling carburetor, throttle body, cylinder, turbocharger and
combustion.
(Figure 1) shows the snapshot of 1-D thermodynamic engine model
prepared using Ricardo WAVE software.

(Figure 2) shows the plot for Weibe function i.e. fraction of mass
burned against crank angle.

Figure 2. Weibe Function

Discretization
The intake and exhaust system of this engine were modeled as
combination of ducts and junctions. Further discretization of intake
and exhaust system was done for better results. The following
empirical relations were used for calculation of discretization length
for intake and exhaust side.

Intake side
Exhaust side

0.45 Bore (36 mm)

0.55 Bore (44 mm)

In general practices of 1-D thermodynamic simulation technique

intake side is discretized finer compared to exhaust side for better
results.
Figure 1. 1-D Thermodynamic Engine Model

Valve Parameters
The engine was modelled with 2 valves per cylinder, valve diameters
and lift profile was given as input to the 1-D model. (Table 1) shows
valve parameters for the present model.
Table 1. Valve Parameters

One thing that should be kept in mind is that two identical engines
will exhibit slightly different performance due to different conditions
such as: bearing wear, piston ring seal, valve seating, carbon
build-up, and fuel composition. These are all reasons why it is
important not to expect perfect-matching predictions. What is more
important is that the simulation accurately predicts the shape of the
curve as opposed to the exact magnitudes [5].

(Figure 3) shows the valve lift profile of intake and exhaust valves for
the present model.

Figure 4. Engine with Test Setup

Figure 3. Valve Lift Profile

Engine Specifications
(Table 2) lists the technical specifications for the engine:
Table 2. Engine Specifications

To validate the present model, both cycle-averaged and instantaneous

parameters were used. Cycle-averaged parameters like power and
specific fuel consumption was used for validation; whereas incylinder pressure values were utilized for validation of instantaneous
parameters.
The validation results showed good co-relation between test results and
simulation results. The deviation values are within acceptable limits
and at par with the similar reference simulations around the globe.
Figure (5), (6), (7), (8) and (9) show the trend for max. continuous
power, take-off power, specific fuel consumption, in-cylinder
pressure against engine rpm and highlight test and simulation results
respectively. In the above mentioned figures, primary axis shows the
plot for basis parameters whereas secondary axis shows percentage
error in simulated results with respect to test results.

Simulation and Validation

1-D thermodynamic model for the subject engine was defined in
complete sense, simulation was carried out and different results were
predicted and plotted. Experimental verification and validation of
thermodynamic model is very important step in 1-D engine simulation
technique; it helps in truing the model and enables analysts to use the
same for further optimization of engine parameters. Once the model is
validated it is a quick tool for evaluating the performances of different
design variants of engine. A model can only be as accurate as the input
data. This is a general principle that must be kept in mind when
attempting to validate a model.
Figure 5. Max. Continuous Power vs Engine Speed

Figure 6. Take-off Power vs Engine Speed

Figure 9. In-cylinder Pressure vs Engine Speed @ 5800 rpm

The following are key results from 1-D simulation:

Figure 7. Specific Fuel Consumption vs Engine Speed

Figure 8. Specific Fuel Consumption vs Engine Speed

At maximum continuous power condition i.e. at 5500 rpm,

power is 103.5 bhp as against 101.8 bhp and BSFC is 280 g/
kWh as against 280.2 g/kWh.

At take-off power condition i.e. at 5800 rpm, power is 113.8 bhp

as against 113.3 bhp and BSFC is 289.1 g/kWh as against 292.9
g/kWh.

In-cylinder peak combustion pressure at take-off condition is

62.6 bar as against tested value of 59.5 bar.

Such a validated model can be used effectively for carrying out

engine tuning process for various design combinations such as
modifications in valve timing, ignition timing, inlet manifold, exhaust
manifold and predict their effect on engine performance. Other
parameters were also predicted once the model was validated; Figure
(10), (11) and (12) show trend of engine torque, thermal efficiency
and intake air flow with respect to engine rpm respectively.

Figure 10. Torque vs Engine Speed

Table 3. ISA Conditions

The power for the engine was predicted for the conditions mentioned
in (Table 3) and was compared with high altitude test results. (Figure
13) shows the trend of take-off power with respect to altitude.

Figure 11. Brake Thermal Efficiency vs Engine Speed

Figure 13. Take-off Power vs Altitude

The results of simulation showed good co-relation with test results.

The simulated engine power followed similar trend as well.

Figure 12. Intake Air Flow vs Engine Speed

Application
The validated model was then used to predict engine performance at
different altitudes, ISA conditions were used as input atmospheric
conditions. Pressure, p0 is 1013.25 hPa and Temperature, T0 is 15 deg
C as per ISA conditions at mean sea level conditions. Temperature
and Pressure decreases with the rate mentioned in equation (2) & (3)
with increase in altitude upto tropopause altitude [6].

(2)

(3)

The engine performance was predicted for the following ISA

conditions:

Once power results showed good co-relation with test results, other
parameters like Torque, BSFC, BMEP, etc. were also predicted and
analyzed.

Conclusions
The validation results showed good co-relation between test results
and simulation results. The deviation values are within acceptable
limits and at par with the similar reference simulations around the
globe. Such a validated model can be further used for carrying out
engine tuning process for various design combinations such as
modifications in valve timing, ignition timing, inlet manifold, exhaust
manifold and predict their effect on engine performance. In the
present case the model was used to predict engine performance with
altitude which is of prime importance for aerial application.
The following conclusions can be drawn from the present analysis:

The simulation results for take-off power, max. continuous

power and specific fuel consumption across all engine speeds
match well with the test results. The values are in acceptable
range. The trends as well as values for test & simulation results

show good co-relation. Also the model responds with agility

for both power and torque, which are the key performance
parameters.

In-cylinder pressure against crank angle was validated at 5800

rpm. The simulated pressure curve follows the similar trend as
tested one. The variation between tested and simulated results
was around 5.21%. This looks a good match; however it is
slightly higher when compared to other validated results. The
higher variation may be due to the measurement technique
for in-cylinder pressure. The reference engine is a twin spark
engine, while doing pressure measurement; pressure sensor was
positioned in one of the spark plug location. This may be the
reason for higher variation.
With rising altitude generally the power of any engine drops
because of dominating pressure effect over temperature. The
simulation predicted similar trend with altitude. The simulation
results predicted with rising altitude. The simulation results
predicted a drop of approximately 5 %, 23 % and 48 % for takeoff power at altitudes for 3048 m (10k ft), 6096 m (20k ft) and
9144 m (30k ft) respectively, which also matched well with test
results.

4.

Cline H., Testing Engines in Simulated Atmospheric

Environments, 1960

5.

Gurney, D., The Design of Turbocharged Engines Using

1D Simulation, SAE Technical Paper 2001-01-0576, 2001,
doi:10.4271/2001-01-0576.

6.

Cavcar Mustafa, The International Standard Atmosphere (ISA)

Contact Information
Shri Kamran Hashmi, Scientist C
Vehicles Research and Development Establishment
Ahmednagar
kamranhashmi@vrde.drdo.in

Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful to Dr. Manmohan Singh, Director VRDE for
granting the approval for publishing this work. The author would like
to thank team of engine development group for their help and support
in carrying out this research work.

Abbreviations

As a whole this 1-D simulation model predicts results with acceptable

accuracy levels and these results can be trusted to attempt assessment
for different design variants. The model responds well to changes in
engine rpm and predicts correct trend as well.

1-D - 1-Dimensional

References

- Degrees passed start of combustion

1.

Cerriet T.. al, 1D Engine Simulation of a Small HSDI Diesel

Engine Applying a Predictive Combustion Model, ASME, 2008.

2.

Renberg Ulrica, 1D engine simulation of a turbocharged SI

engine with CFD computation on components, Licentiate
Thesis, TRITA-MMK 2008:09, Royal Institute of Technology,
Stockholm.

3.

User Manual, Ricardo Wave Version 8.4

UAV - Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

W - Mass fraction burned
AWI - Weibe parameter
BDUR - Combustion Duration (10 - 90 %)
WEXP - Shape factor
ISA - International Standard Atmosphere
T - Temperature
h - Altitude
p - Pressure

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