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The paper reviews the development and optimization of a SI high performance engine, to be used in Formula SAE/Student competitions. The base engine is a single cylinder Yamaha 660cc motorcycle unit, rated at about 48 HP at 6000rpm. Besides the reduction of engine capacity to 600cc and the mounting of the required restrictor, mechanical supercharging has been adopted in order to boost performance. The fluid-dynamic optimization of the engine system has been performed by means of 1D-CFD simulation, coupled to a single-objective genetic algorithm, developed by the authors. The optimization results have been compared to the ones obtained by a well known commercial optimization software, finding a good agreement. Experiments at the brake dynamometer have been carried out, in order to support engine modeling and to demonstrate the reliability of the optimization process.

2-stage supercharging applied to HSDI Diesel engines is a promising solution for enhancing rated power, low end torque, transient response and hence the launch characteristics of a vehicle. However, a trade-off is required to match some conflicting issues, i.e. overall dimensions, cost, emissions control and performance. The outcome strongly depends on the specific constraints and goals of the project. In the paper, reference is made to 2.8L, 4 cylinder in-line unit produced by VM Motori (Cento, Italy), equipped by a standard variable geometry turbocharger. A 1D thermo-fluid-dynamic model of the Euro V version of the engine was built and calibrated against experiments at the dynamometer bench, at both full and partial load.