Comparative non-linear simulation of temperature profiles induced in an exhaust manifold during cold-starting

Abstract

The simulation of an exhaust manifold's thermal behaviour is an important concern for various reasons. Amongst them is the need to minimise catalyst light-offtime as significant exhaust emissions are generated within this period. Modelling such behaviour is not simplistic as it is governed by complex interactions between exhaust gas flow and the manifold itself. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is a powerful tool for such simulations. However its applicability for transient simulations is limited by high central processing unit (CPU) demands. The present study proposes an alternative computational method to assess and rank the relative impact of the manifold's thermal properties on its exterior temperature. The results show that stainless steel manifolds potentially minimise heat loss from the exhaust gas when compared with their cast iron counterparts. This may result in an increase in thermal energy being available to heat the catalyst.