Small Helmholtz Course: © Frits Overmars

Page 1
Small Helmholtz course

© Frits Overmars
I want to tell something about the events in the engine without mathematics, only with logic, so
that a 12 year old can understand it. This is just within the capability of my German language
skills.
Take a look at the picture HfD-1. There you can see a cylinder. Above the piston there is a
volume V cyl and therein there is a pressure P cyl . Then comes the exhaust header. There is a gas
mass in it. It is not moving yet.
After the header, the exhaust volume is V out and the pressure P out.. Now let's look at what
happens with the engine running in milliseconds. But we do not have to rush; we can take time to
follow and think carefully step by step.
Case 1 : The piston is just opening the exhaust port. The pressure P cyl in the cylinder is higher
than the pressure P out in the exhaust. That means the gas mass to the left in the manifold is
pushed more than the mass on the right.
So the mass is accelerated to the right at first. Gas flows from the cylinder into the manifold and
thereby reduces the cylinder pressure Pcyl . At the same time gas from the manifold flows into the
exhaust pipe volume, and thereby the exhaust pipe pressure Pout increases.. As long as the
cylinder pressure P cyl is above the exhaust pressure P out , the gas mass in the manifold
accelerates, and the flow rate increases more and more. This goes on until P cyl is equal to P out.
Then the gas mass has reached its maximum speed. Because the flow runs from left to right,
from the cylinder to the exhaust, less gas is always left in the cylinder, so that the pressure P cyl
continues to fall. The exhaust is just the other way around. There, more and more gas flows in,
causing the pressure P out to rise further and further. P out becomes higher than P cyl . To the right
of the manifold more is pushed left rather than right, and the flow in the manifold is slowed
down until it comes to a complete stop. The pressure on the right is now higher than on the left,
so the currently stationary gas mass in the manifold is now accelerated to the left, back to the
cylinder. The acceleration remains active until P cyl is again equal to P out . Then the gas mass
again reaches its maximum speed, this time to the left. Thereafter, P cyl grows over Pout from
additional gas mass and the left flowing gas mass is decelerated until it stops again. Now we are
back to the starting position: The cylinder pressure P cyl is high, the exhaust pressure Pout is lower,
and the gas mass in the manifold stands still. The system has now performed a complete
oscillation, from left to right and back.
Case 2 : Imagine that the cylinder volume V cyl is now twice as large. There is a lot more gas in
the cylinder than in case 1. If now gas flows out of the cylinder into the manifold, the cylinder
pressure P cyl is much lower. That's why it takes longer now until P cyl has dropped below the P out
value. It takes longer for the flow to stop. And when the flow goes to the left, back into the
cylinder, P cyl increases much slower, and it takes longer to stop this backflow. Everything takes
longer.
Case 3 : Now imagine that also the exhaust volume V out is twice as big. Then if gas flows from
the manifold into the exhaust, the pressure P out also increases slowly. It takes longer until the
flow is braked to the right and the return flow to the left comes on, etc.
Case 4 : Now we make the manifold diameter much smaller, as in picture HfD-4. The piston
opens the exhaust port again. The flow of the gas mass in the manifold is determined by the
pressure difference P cyl - P out. It is accelerated again to the right and the flow rate grows again.
But because of the small manifold diameter this flow rate is less in gas mass per second from the
cylinder to the exhaust. The flow into the cylinder is therefore slower, the pressure P cyl sinks
slower, the pressure P out increases more slowly; everything is slower.
Case 5 : the manifold gets back to its original diameter, as in picture HfD-1. But now we make,
as picture HfD-5 shows, the manifold much shorter. All other values V cyl , P cyl , V out and P out are
exactly as in case 1.
The pressure difference P cyl - P out, which supplies the acceleration of the gas mass, is also the
same again. But the mass itself is much smaller now! That is why it is accelerated more
violently. The flow velocity increases faster, the cylinder pressure P cyl decreases faster, and the
exhaust pressure P out rises faster. The flow velocity reaches its maximum value more quickly, is
slowed down more quickly, quickly changes the direction from right to left, is slowed down
there again more quickly. In short, the whole vibration takes place in less time.
Leak
Now for another topic. I have said a few times: gas flows from the manifold into the exhaust
volume, and thereby the exhaust pressure P out. rises. But already in picture HfD-1 one sees the
hook; the tailpipe! The exhaust has a leak, Gas comes in, but at the same time it also escapes.
That's why the pressure P out does not rise as fast as you want without the tail pipe leak. The
pressure curve in the exhaust behaves as if the exhaust volume would be larger than in reality.
And the larger the tail pipe diameter, the slower increase in Pout, and the lower Pout is. The
tailpipe diameter works like a damper in the system.
On the left side of the pictures there is also something remarkable: the overflow channel. As
soon as the piston opens the transfer port, not only the exhaust volume, but also the cylinder
volume has a leak. The cylinder pressure P cyl decreases, because gas flows out of the cylinder
over the manifold, but as soon as P cyl comes below the transfer pressure, fresh gas is pulled in. P
cyl falls less quickly than in a closed back flow.
As soon as the cylinder volume is brought into contact with the crankcase’s box volume by
opening the transfer ports, it also behaves as if it were larger than in reality. The vibration in this
coupled volume and tube system then runs slower; the system frequency drops.
Now here is something to think about:

Increasing the exhaust volume lowers the system frequency.
A reduction of the manifold diameter does this as well.
A shortening of the manifold increases the frequency.
Increasing the transfer opening angle lowers the frequency.
An increase in the tailpipe diameter lowers the frequency and weakens the pressure fluctuations
in the exhaust

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Small Helmholtz course

Now here is something to think about:

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