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Analysis of pressure pulsations in ducts is an active research field within the automotive industry. The fluid dynamics and the wave transmission properties of internal combustion (IC) engine intake and exhaust systems contribute to the energy efficiency of the engines and are hence important for the final amount of CO₂ that is emitted from the vehicles. Sound waves, originating from the pressure pulses caused by the in- and outflow at the engine valves, are transmitted through the intake and exhaust system and are an important cause of noise pollution from road traffic at low speeds. Reliable prediction methods are of major importance to enable effective optimization of gas exchange systems. The use of nonlinear one-dimensional (1D) gas dynamics simulation software packages is widespread within the automotive industry. These time-domain codes are mainly used to predict engine performance parameters such as output torque and power but can also give estimates of radiated orifice noise.

The concept of IC engine downsizing is a well-adapted industry standard, enabling better fuel conversion efficiency and the reduction of tailpipe emissions. This is achieved by utilizing different type of superchargers. As a consequence, the additional charger noise emission, at the IC engine inlet, can become a problem. In order to address such problem, the authors of this work have recently proposed a novel dissipative silencer for effective and robust noise control of the compressor. Essentially, it realizes an optimal flow channel impedance, referred to as the Cremer impedance. This is achieved by means of a straight flow channel with a locally reacting wall consisting of air cavities covered by an acoustic resistance, e.g., a micro-perforated panel (MPP). In this paper, an improved optimization method of this silencer is presented. The classical Cremer impedance model is modified to account for mean flow dependence of the optimal wave number.

The use of turbochargers with downsized internal combustion engines improves road vehicles’ energy efficiency but introduces additional sound sources of strong acoustic annoyance on the turbocharger’s compressor side. In the present study, direct noise computations (DNC) are carried out on a passenger vehicle turbocharger compressor. The work focuses on assessing the influence of grid parameters on the acoustic predictions, to further advance the maturity of the acoustic modelling of such machines with complex three-dimensional features. The effect of the boundary layer mesh structure, and of the spatial resolution of the mesh, on the simulated acoustic signatures is investigated on detached eddy simulations (DES). Refinements in the core mesh are applied in areas of major acoustic production, to generate cells with sizes proportional to the local Taylor microscale values.