Carbureted SI Engine Air Flow Measurements

Measurement of internal combustion engine air flow is challenging due to the required modification of the intake system and subsequent change in the air flow pattern. In this paper, various surge tank volumes were investigated to improve the accuracy of measuring air flow rate into a 674-cm³, four-stroke, liquid-cooled, internal combustion engine. According to the experimental results, when the venturi meter is used to measure the intake air flow rate, an air surge tank is required to be installed downstream of the venturi to smoothen the air flow. Moreover, test results revealed that increasing air surge tank volume beyond a limit could have a negative effect on the engine performance parameters especially in carbureted engines where controlling AFR is difficult. Although the air flow rate into the engine changed with increasing tank volume, the air-fuel ratio was leaner for smaller tank volumes. The volume of the air surge tank showed its greatest influence on the engine performance parameters when the throttle valve was approaching the wide-open position. The test results showed that a surge tank volume of about 10 to 11 times the engine displacement gave the most accurate air flow results compared to the engine without installing any surge tank, especially at higher engine speed and load.