Technical Paper
Numerical Optimization of Flow Uniformity inside an F-Oval Substrate
2007-04-16
2007-01-1088
F-oval substrates have been widely used in automotive applications for Close Coupled Converters (CCC) of SI engines and pre-Diesel Oxidation Catalysts (DOC) of CI engines under tight packaging constraints where there is no space for other substrates with the same volume such as H-oval, a Y-oval or round substrates. Although flow uniformity in the front of a substrate is extremely important, it is very challenging to obtain excellent flow uniformity with an F-oval substrate. Current study is focused on how to optimize inlet cone design to achieve optimal flow uniformity by using 3-D Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tools. First, exhaust mass flow rate and inlet cone length are investigated to understand their effects on flow uniformity and pressure loss. Then, based on a relatively short straight cone, angle cones are built.