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Coolant flow absorbs heat generated from engine combustion, and continued efficient heat transfer is crucial in high performance racing engines to provide maximum engine power and durability. Any potentially stagnant flow may cause an overheated zone in the coolant jacket resulting in structural damage. Critical areas can include the cylinder head around exhaust ports. Due to complexity of the geometries, flow patterns around those areas are not well understood. In this report, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis, combined with testing, is utilized to study a typical racing engine coolant jacket. The results include coolant flow assessment in critical zones as it is affected by cooling flow inlet, head gasket design, and flow outlet geometries.

The process and the tools that are used for engineering an optimum engine air-flow subsystem are critical for the successful execution of an engine program. From the perspective of the Air-Flow Subsystem Engineer, the requirements and concept subsystem of components, component subsystem, engine subsystem, and vehicle system engineering processes are described. Additionally, applicable tools such as benchmarking, engine cycle simulation, vehicle simulation, computational fluid dynamics, steady air-flow bench, engine dynamometer, and vehicle testing are explained. As an example, this paper illustrates the process by which a modern, high-performance, high-volume production-intent engine air-flow subsystem, in particular, the intake manifold component, is engineered and how these tools are applied.