Convective Heat Transfer in Reciprocating Engines

Abstract

A formula is presented for computing the instantaneous convective heat transfer coefficient between the charge and the confining walls in a reciprocating engine. The formula is developed from basic considerations of turbulent diffusion and relates the convective heat transfer coefficient directly to the turbulence intensity in the charge. This feature distinguishes it from the existing methods of computing the convective heat transfer coefficient which require a precise specification of the continually changing velocity and length scales of the fluid flow. The proposed formula is therefore expected to be more accurate in heat transfer modelling for new and existing engines, particularly as turbulence measurements in engines progressively improve.