Lotus 2

Getting Started Using Lotus Engine Simulation 81
Tutorial 4 ‘Building a Multi-Cylinder Engine Model’
Figure 6.10. Concept Tool generated model.
Concept Tool Test Points
The concept tool automatically creates two test points for us, the first for a maximum torque point and
the second at our defined maximum speed condition. The maximum torque speed point is controlled
by the Helmholtz Engine Speed data entry in the concept tool.
Figure 6.11. Concept Tool generated test points.
Running the Concept Tool Model
Because of the limitation s on exhaust options available with the concept tool the created model is not
identical to that we created in the previous tutorial with a 4-2-1 exhaust. We could now modify the
82 Getting Started Using Lotus Engine Simulation
Tutorial 5 ‘Using the Concept Tool’
concept tool produced model to have the 4-2-1 exhaust as previously, but for the purpose of this
exercise we will continue with the ‘as-created’ model.
Before we run this model open the text descriptors (Data / File Descriptions…) and set the Test No.
to tutorial_5, then save the model to tutorial_5.sim.
We can now run our concept tool generated model in the normal way using the launch icon. Because
of the reduced number of test points and fewer pipes this model will run in approx 6 minutes on a 500
MHz machine.
Once run load the mrs results into the graph display, (see figure below).
Figure 6.12. Concept Tool model .Mrs results.

7 Tutorial 6. ‘Using Sensors and Actuators’
Overview
This chapter introduces you to Sensors and Actuators. We will
use sensors and actuators to simulate an engine that has
variable valve timing (VVT).
This chapter contains the following sections:
 Loading the Model, 82
 The Importance of Groups, 82
 Adding Sensors and Actuators to a Model, 84
 Using Control Elements, 86
 Running the VVT Model, 88
 Running the Model with Fixed Geometry, 89
 Exercise – Adding an Exhaust Cam Phaser, 89
Getting Started Using Lotus Engine Simulation

Tutorial 6 ‘Using Sensors and Actuators’
Loading the Model
For this tutorial we will use the existing model created in tutorial 4. Load the previously saved file
tutorial_4.sim and check it’s the same as shown in the figure below.
Getting Started Using Lotus Engine Simulation
Figure 7.1. Loaded tutorial_4.sim model file.
The Importance of Groups
Sensors and actuators are added to the model in a similar manner to all the other components. To
simplify the use of sensors and actuators they are normally applied to an element via its group
association. Thus before we start to add the sensors and actuators we need to create the required
groups.
To build our VVT model we will change the inlet valve timing as a function of engine speed, thus we
need to be able to apply an actuator to each inlet valve element. This would need four separate actuators
unless we make a group out of the inlet valves.
To create the group, select from the top menu bar Groups / New, enter the label for the new group as
Inlet Valves VVT and select Ok.
Figure 7.2. Defining the group label.
Select the Edit / Pick Area menu item or icon and pick an area that encompasses all of the inlet valves,
(see below). We could pick and add each individual valve separately, but picking an area allows us to
add them all in one go.
Figure 7.3. Selecting a group of elements.
To add the selected inlet valves to our group select the group menu item Groups / Add to Group / Inlet
Valves VVT
To confirm successful creation of the group display the group using Groups / Current / Inlet Valves
VVT. This should then just display our four inlet valves. To return to displaying the complete model
selectGroups/Cancel
Adding Sensors and Actuators to a Model
We can now add the required sensors and actuators. We will attach a sensor to a cylinder to sense
engine speed and an actuator to one of the inlet valves to vary inlet valve timing as a function of engine
speed.
Sensors and actuators are not attached to the same connection points we use for linking the engine
components together with, instead they are connected to the elements harness connector’. By default
all element harness connectors are not visible, their visibility is turned ‘on’ individually by element as
required. You can only connect to a harness connector if it is visible. The visibility switch can be found
in the elements property sheet.
Figure 7.4. Setting the harness connector visability.
Select Cylinder 1 and make its harness connector visible. Select Poppet Valve 1 (inlet) and make its
harness connector visible, see Figure 7.5 below.
Figure 7.5. Harness Connectors Visible
To connect sensors and actuators to the model and to each other we use harness wires. These can be
selected from the Sensors and Actuators toolkit tab.
First we will add the required sensor and actuator, then

we will connect them together with the harness wires.
From the Sensors and Actuators toolkit tab select the
sensor element and place it just above cylinder 1. Flip
the sensor direction so that its output faces towards the
inlet valve (hint to flip an element flow select Ctrl+f
when the required element is ‘in-
focus’).
Now select an actuator element and place it just

above Poppet valve 1, again rotate the element so
that it points towards the target valve’s harness
connector.
We can now connect the elements together using

three harness wires.
Connect the cylinder harness connector to the input of the sensor. With the second harness wire connect
the output from the sensor to the input of the actuator. Finally with a third harness wire connect the
output from the actuator to the harness connector on the poppet valve. Your model should now look like
that shown below.
Note that the first harness wire has be displayed as a ‘double bend’ style, as with ordinary pipes and
virtual links this makes no difference to the properties of the element, it is purely to assist in element
connection and improving the visual appearance.
We must now define which particular

property of the cylinder we wish to sense
and which valve property we wish to define
with the actuator. Select the sensor and
select from the Sensed Parameter list
Crank Speed (rpm) . For this particular
parameter we can leave the Sensor Group
Type as Single .
Now select the actuator and select from the

Actuator Variable list MOP (deg) . Set the
Actuator Group Type to Group. Set the
Actuator Apply Type to By Value and set the
Actuator Solve Type to Per Cycle.
We now have a sensor that detects engine speed and an actuator that updates all the inlet valves MOP
(maximum opening point), at each cycle. We need to define the relationship between engine speed and
valve MOP. This is done using control elements that are created as children of sensors and actuators
and define how an input signal(s) is used to calculate the output signal.
Using Control Elements
Control elements are children of sensors and actuators. To be able to see the children of a particular
element we will introduce the concept of Levels. All of our existing model components can be
considered to exist in one level (considered as level 1), with a single parent (taken as at level 0). Sensors
and actuators, unlike the components we have worked with up to now, can have child elements
associated with them at a lower level (considered as level 2). We can move between levels where
relevant using the menu items, Data / Down a Data Level or Data / Up a Data Level, alternatively the
equivalent icons can be used, (it is currently not possible to move to level 0).
Figure 7.6. Level icons.
You can move down to level 2 with either sensors or actuators. For our particular example we need only
add a control element to the actuator and allow the sensor to simply pass its sensed speed value
unchanged.
If we select the sensor and move down to level 2, we will see two control components in inlet boundary
and an outlet boundary. These get added automatically as children to a sensor whenever you add a
new sensor. For our simple case of passing the value unchanged the inlet is left connected directly to
the outlet. At this level the toolkit contents change to reflect the new parent, (only elements that can be
children of the current parent are displayed). The toolkit now list 1D and 2D control elements. Return
back to level 1.
Figure 7.7. Default sensor children.
Select the actuator and move down to level 2, again we have an inlet boundary and an outlet boundary
that were added by default with the actuator. For our requirements with this example the simplest and
most appropriate control element to use is the 1D lookup table. We use the 1D table as we only require
the valve timing to vary as a function of 1 parameter, (engine speed). We need to insert the 1D lookup
table control element between the inlet and outlet boundaries. Separate the boundary elements and
connect in a 1D lookup table element, (see figure below). (Hint; remember to use the Edit / Move By /
Single option to enable connected elements to be moved indepenantly).
Figure 7.8. Actuator control elements after addition of 1D look-up table.
Next we need to define the properties of the 1D table. Select the 1D table component and pick the
LookUp Data option from the property sheet. This opens the data spread sheet. Modify the default
data supplied to have 8 points with X values (speed) of 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000, 6000, 6500 and
7000 and Y values (MOP) of 90, 90, 90, 95, 105, 120, 125, 125 (see table below).
Figure 7.9. Actuator 1D look-up table data.
Once the data has been entered close the table by selecting File / Close. In the property sheet set the
LookUp type for the actuator to Interpolate Only, this uses linear interpolation within the defined range,
but won’t extrapolate beyond the defined range instead using the first or last value as appropriate.
Return back up to level 1. In the text descriptors (Data / File Descriptors ), change the
Test No. to tutorial_6. Close the text descriptors box and now save the file as tutorial_6.sim. We are
now ready to run the VVT model.
Running the VVT Model
Submit the job in the usual way, again as in tutorial 4, this will take about 40 minutes to run on a 500
MHz machine. Once the run has finished load the mrs results into the mrs graphs.
Open the mrs results graph and load into position 2 the results from tutorial 4. We can now identify the
benefits of variable inlet valve timing compared to a fixed valve geometry engine.
Figure 7.10. Comparison of VVT model with Tutorial 4 fixed geometry model.
The VVT model shows significant improvements in the low speed region, but loses out slightly in the
upper speed region, this implies we have not picked an overall ‘optimum’ timing curve for the VVT
engine.
Running the Model with Fixed Geometry
It is possible to enable/disable individual actuators for different steady state test points. Thus although
we have now built a VVT model, we could run the original ‘fixed’ geometry engine without needing to
delete the sensors and actuators. These settings are controlled through the test conditions summary
spread sheet. From the menus select Data / Test Conditions / Steady State Test Data Summary…,
or alternatively use the F12 function key. This opens the test conditions summary used previously.
Select the Actuators tab.
FiFigure 7.11. Steady State Test Conditions – Actuators Tab
Each actuator is listed against each test point. Selecting the Option column with the left mouse button
provides the option to switch the individual actuators on or off. If you select All Off this will disable the
actuators for all test points and revert back to our original fixed geometry valve data.
Exercise Adding an Exhaust Cam Phaser
As a further example add an exhaust cam phaser. You will need to create a new group for the exhaust
valves, add a second actuator, (you can use the same sensor for engine speed). Add the required
control element and define suitable values. Remember that exhaust MOP’s are –ve.
You may want to try improving the inlet cam phaser, such that it is at least as good as the fixed geometry
engine, in the upper speed region.
Tutorial 7 ‘Using the Load Finder’
8 Tutorial 7. ‘Using the Load Finder’

Overview
This chapter introduces you to the concept of the Load Finder. A
utility that modifies the properties of an element or group of
elements to match the output load to a target value.
 Loading the Model 92
 ‘Load Finder’ Objectives 92
 Adding the Throttle to a New Group 93
 Setting Up the ‘Load Finder’ Cases 93
 Monitoring the ‘Load Finder’ 96
 Running the ‘Load Finder’ Job 98
 Reviewing the ‘Load Finder’ Results 99
 Exercise – Virtual Links 99
Loading the Model
For this tutorial we will again use the existing model created in tutorial 4. Load the
previously saved file tutorial_4.sim and check it’s the same as shown in Figure
8.1.
Figure 8.1. Loaded model.
Load Finder Objectives
Until now, all our tutorials have been based on building models to run wide open throttle (WOT)/full load
type analyses. The objective of the load finder is to take our model and run it a load condition other than
that achieved with the ‘as-built’ engine model. Normally this would mean running our WOT model at
some part load condition. To do this the Load Finder uses an element, or group of elements, as the load
control and varies a particular property to set the load. Perhaps the simplest case that can be envisaged
is that of a simple intake throttle component, and varying its minimum cross sectional area. A slightly
more complex load controller could be the simulation of a throttle-less engine using poppet valve timing
as the control.
All our normal sensor and actuator functionality is available to use during a ‘load finder’ run, so we can
build additional control inter-dependency into our part load ‘load finder’ models.
It needs to be remembered that as you change the output load the validity of using fixed values for some
of the models properties is debatable. This is particularly true of combustion data where the combustion
phase and duration may vary with load. This variation of the combustion parameters can
be added to the model through the use of sensor and actuators attached to the cylinders. For the purpose
of this exercise we will ignore any influence of operating condition on the combustion.
Adding the Throttle to a New Group
To demonstrate the use of the Load Finder we will create a new group and add the inlet throttle to it. Create
a new group using Groups / New…, set the group label as Throttle, as shown in Figure 8.2.
Figure 8.2. New throttle group.
Select the intake throttle with the mouse, and with it in focus add it to our new group using Groups / Add
to Group / Throttle.
Setting Up the ‘Load Finder’ Cases
The load finder run is initiated from the test data summary spread sheet. Open this spread sheet up
using either the F12 function key or the pull down menu Data / Test Conditions / Steady State Test
Conditions Summary…
Figure 8.3. Opening the Steady-State Test Data Summary.
The load finder is switched on from the Test Points tab under the Case Type column, by default all test
points are created as Builder Def.. This means that the simulation is run using data exactly as defined
in the model.
Figure 8.4. Changing to a ‘load Finder’ run.
To change a test point to run a ‘load finder’ case, select in the Case Type column for the required test
point and select one of the two load finder options from the left mouse menu. From this menu you can also
set all test points to ‘load finder’ at the same time.
The two types of load finder, Bounded and Simple represent alternative approaches to controlling the
iterative process used to match the element property against the required load. The Bounded approach
as the name suggests requires the user to specify the upper and lower limit of any variation in the
element property, this can help reduce the number of cycles required to match to the required load. For
our example we will use the Simple approach. From the left mouse menu on the Case Type column
select All Tests Load Finder (Simple).
Having selected a simple ‘load finder’ run the next four columns are enabled, (we will ignore the two
columns on the far right No. of Cycles 1 and No. of Cycles 2). We need to define the units and value for
the load finder, what group will be used to control it and what variable. From the left mouse menu on the
load finder units column select BMEP (bar). (note: just set this on the first test point and we will copy it
to all test points later. In the Load Finder Value column for test point 1 enter 4.0. In the Control group
column for test point 1 select from the left mouse menu the group we created for the throttle, select
Throttle, as shown in Figure 8.5.
Figure 8.5. Setting the Load Finder Control Group.
We can now set the Control Variable by selecting from the left mouse menu in this column on test point 1
the required variable. We shall use Minimum C.S.A. as our control variable.
Figure 8.6. Selecting the Load Finder control variable.
We now need to copy these settings to all the other test points. We could simply repeat the above for
all the other test points or, more efficiently, we can select from the left mouse menu on the Test Point
column in test point 1 (far left of the spread sheet) the Copy Picked Test to All Test Points. The load
finder portion for all the other tests will be updated to reflect our entered settings for test point 1 (see
Figure 8.7)
Figure 8.7. Final Load Finder settings.
For this example we will run at a constant 4 bar BMEP across the entire speed range, but we could just as
easily have defined a Load finder value that varied between test points.
Before we leave the Test Data summary sheet we need to change one other solver setting. Because of
the iterative nature of the Load Finder we need to increase the maximum number of engine cycles to
give the solver sufficient cycles to converge to the required control variable value. The load finder will
also run a number of cycles before it will start to change the model data such that a certain level of
stability is achieved before the model is modified, further adding to the requirement for an increase in
the number of cycles.
We also need to disable the solver convergence check, as the convergence check is not a check on the
load finder solution but a check on mass flow convergence between adjacent cycles. One does not
necessarily imply the other.
Change to the Solution tab on the test data spread sheet. In the Cycle Limits column for test point 1
change from Default Cycle limits to User Defined Cycle Limits. We can now edit the next three columns
for test point 1 to be all set to 25. As before we can from this tab copy test point 1’s values to the other
test points.
Figure 8.8. Copying solution parameters to all test points.
We can now close the test data summary sheet and return to the main display.
Monitoring the ‘Load Finder’
During a Load Finder run, or in fact for any run type, we can make use of a specific sensor element to
monitor how the load finder solution is progressing. This sensor element is the Sensor Plot and is located
on the Sensors and Actuators tab of the toolkit. This sensor not only creates an output file independent
of the ‘mrs’ and ‘prs’ files but can also be viewed dynamically on the job status display as the run
proceeds.
We will use the sensor plot to display the average BMEP of the cylinders and the throttle
minimum cross sectional area. To this we first need to create another new group. This
group should be called Cylinders and contain all four cylinders. (If in doubt how to do
this refer back to the previous tutorial where we created a group for the inlet poppet
valves).
Change the toolkit tab to Sensors and Actuators. Select the plot sensor from the
toolkit and place just above cylinder 1. Turn on the harness connector for Cylinder 1
and for the inlet throttle.
Using a harness wire connect the cylinder to the input of the plot sensor, and similarly
connect the throttle’s harness connector to the input of the plot sensor. Your model
should now appear as shown in Figure 8.9.
Tutorial 7 ‘Using the Load Finder’ 1
Figure 8.9. Model after addition of plot sensor connections.
Having made the connections we now need to define how and what the plot sensor will store. Select the
plot sensor element so that we can view the elements properties. We will first define the name of the
output file. Select the browse icon next to the File Name entry in the property sheet and enter the
filename as tutorial7.trs (note: for a multiple speed run a separate file is produced for each speed and
an index added to the defined file name i.e. tutorial7.trs1, tutorial7.trs2 ….).
We now select which particular property we

require to save for each wire connection. In the
Channel Select entry ensure this is set to Wire 1
and then in the Channel Parameter menu select
BMEP (bar). Change the Channel Group Type
to Group and Group Apply Type to Average of
Group.
Repeat this process for the throttle, by setting the

Channel Select to Wire 2 and the Channel
Parameter to Min. CSA (mm2). For this wire we
do not need to change the Channel Group Type
as we are only interested in the one element.
The sensor plot files can be saved in ASCII or

Binary format, include headings, and be stored on
either a time or crank angle basis.
We will accept the defaults for all these.
Running the ‘Load Finder’ Job
This job will take approx. 108 minutes on a 500 MHz PC.
Before we run the job edit the file descriptions and set the Test No. to Tutorial7 then save the data file to
Tutorial_7.sim.
Submit the job in the normal way using the launch icon from the solver control dialogue box, having
remembered to set the .MRS and .PRS file names (Tip: always use the data checking wizard to validate
any new models).
Once the job is successfully running we can monitor its progress using the job status tab on the solver
control window. From the Select Required Display selection box change from the normal Standard 5x
Bar Charts selection and pick Sensor Plot 1 (steady state). The normal bar chart display will change
to an x-y plot with two lines on, one for each sensor wire attached to the plot sensor. The graph will
display on the y-scale the values associated with the first wire. To change the displayed values use the
right mouse button on the graph and select Channel 2 from the Show Y-axis values for item in the
menu.
Figure 8.10. Plots sensor dynamic display.
Reviewing the Load Finder Results
When the job has run, load the mrs results into the mrs graph display. The first thing you will notice is
that the BMEP value does not make exactly 4.0 bar BMEP throughout the speed range. This is because
25 cycles was insufficient to exactly match the target. The BMEP varies from 3.3 bar to 4.2 bar.
Figure 8.11. 4.0 bar BMEP Load Finder Results – 25 cycles
Exercise – Virtual Links

Tutorial 7 ‘Using the Load Finder’ 3
We have seen from the previous load finder run that the increase in the required No. of cycles leads to
significant increases in run times. One way of reducing run times is to de-refine the model by replacing
the pipes with virtual links. Virtual links have no associated mass flow or properties they simply imply
element connections, they can also be used to just help layout our conventional pipe based model.
Whilst it is not normally appropriate to de-refine a model in this way, as removing the pipes will lose
there associated wave dynamics, there are occasions when it is acceptable to do this. This exercise will
illustrate the run time benefits that can be achieved when replacing the pipes with virtual links.
First delete all the pipes from the model then directly connect the free end of each inlet port to the free
end of the inlet plenum with a virtual link. Repeat this for the exhaust side. Your model should look like
that shown in Figure 8.12.
Figure 8.12. Virtual link version of the

model.
Re submit the job, (you may want to change the Test No string and save it to tutorial_7b.sim so that you
don’t lose the existing results). You may want to increase the number of simulation cycles to assist in
the load finder convergence, say 40 cycles. At 25 cycles you should find that the run time is reduced by
a factor of 10. The results are shown for 40 cycles compared to the full pipe model results for 25 cycles,
(note the improved load finder convergence with 40 cycles).
Figure 8.13. Comparison of results.

9 Tutorial 8. ‘Multi-Cylinder Turbocharged
Model’
Tutorial 8 ‘Multi-Cylinder Turbocharged Model’
Overview
This chapter uses one of our previous naturally aspirated
multicylinder models and takes you through the steps to convert it
into a turbocharged model.
 Loading the Original Model 102
 Adding the Turbocharger 102
 Modifying the Turbocharger Data 104
 Monitoring the Turbocharger Speed 106
 Running the Turbocharged Model 107
 Viewing the Results 109
 Exercise 112
Loading the Original Model
We will again use the existing model created in tutorial 4. Load the previously saved
file tutorial_4.sim. We will need to modify the intake and exhaust pipe arrangements
to enable us to connect the turbocharger into the system.
Adding the Turbocharger
Change the toolkit tab to show Machines, select the turbocharger element at the
top of the toolkit and add it to your model just below cylinder 4. To aid connectivity we
will rotate the turbocharger round 180 degrees, (use Ctrl+Page Down), such that the
turbine portion of the turbocharger, (shown in orange – you may need to disable
the View / Show Connectivity Errors option) is uppermost. Finally we need to flip
the flow directions of both the compressor and the turbine. To do this with the
turbocharger in focus select from the right mouse menu, Flip Compressor and
Flip Turbine. Your model should now look like that shown in figure 9.1.
Figure 9.1 - Adding the Turbocharger.
With the turbocharger in focus we can see that the allowable connections are limited to plenums and
the inlet boundary, (assuming we ignore the virtual link).
We will move the existing inlet boundary on the inlet (upstream) side of the compressor (the compressor
is coloured blue). You will probably want to rotate it so that it lies in the horizontal direction to aid layout.
Now add a second inlet plenum to the downstream end of the compressor, simply copy and paste the
existing inlet plenum and move it to make the required connection. Change the volume of the new
plenum to 1.0 litres. Connect the outlet of this plenum to the throttle using a virtual pipe (coloured green),
you may want to change the visual appearance of the virtual pipe to single bend to assist in the layout.
Turbocharged engines tend not to have tuned inlet systems, so we will shorten the length of the primary
inlet runners (the 4 pipes connected immediately downstream of the original inlet plenum) from 350 mm
to 150 mm. Select each of these pipes in turn and alter their length in their property sheet. This will
have the benefit of reducing the number of meshes in these pipes, and hence will reduce the calculation
run times. Your model should now look similar to that shown in Figure 9.2.
Figure 9.2. Connecting the compressor.
We will now perform a similar series of changes, system to those we have implemented to the inlet, to
the exhaust. Move the existing exhaust plenum, throttle and exhaust boundary to the downstream end
of the turbine. Copy the existing exhaust plenum and add it to the upstream end of the turbine. Select
the exhaust throttle and alter its diameter to 60 mm in the property sheet. Your model should now look
similar to the one shown in Figure 9.3.
Figure 9.3. Connecting the turbine.
Now delete the secondary and tertiary pipes from the exhaust system, just leaving the exhaust ports
and primary runners (Hint: If you delete a component unintentionally, pressing Ctrl+Z will undo the
action. Alternatively selecting Edit / Undo from the menubar will perform the same action). Connect the
free ends of the exhaust primary runners and connect them to the free end of the new exhaust plenum.
We will shorten the length of the exhaust primary runners from 400 mm to 100 mm. Select each of these
pipes in turn and alter their length in their property sheet. You may want to change the visual appearance
of these pipes by altering them to double bend to assist in the layout. The location of the bends within
the pipe can be altered by selecting Lengthen Offset or Shorten Offset, using the right mouse button
menu, whilst the pipe is selected.
Finally, we shall change the compression ratio of our engine from 11:1 to 8:1. Select each cylinder in
turn and alter the compression ratio in the cylinder property sheet.
You should now have a fully connected turbocharger model. To verify your connections switch on the
connectivity error visibility using View / Show Connectivity Errors. If you have any elements shown in
red check your model with that shown in Figure 9.4 for the missing connections.
Figure 9.4 Turbocharger Fully Connected
Modifying the Turbocharger Data
We will now change the properties of the turbocharger data. The data contained within the default turbine
and compressor maps are from a large diesel engine and need to be changed before we run our model.
Select the turbocharger and edit the following parameters in the properties menu:
Compressor Inlet Dia. (mm) 50

Compressor Outlet Dia (mm) 40
Rot. Inertia (kg.m2) 4E-6
Turbine Inlet Dia. (mm) 40
Turbine Outlet Dia (mm) 60
Rot. Inertia (kg.m2) 4E-6
The property sheet for the turbocharger should now appear as shown in Figure 9.5. The inlet and outlet
diameters are simply the diameters of the entry and exits to the compressor and turbine. The rotating
inertia is used in the calculation for updating the turbocharger speed. The torque balance between the
compressor and the turbine is calculated, and the acceleration/deceleration of the device is limited by
its inertia. The speed calculation is either performed only one per engine cycle, or at every calculation
time-step, depending on the Update Speed option selected in the turbocharger property sheet. We shall
leave this at the default setting of By Time Step.
Rather than entering alternative compressor and turbine maps we will simply scale the existing data. To
view the compressor map data click on the pad icon, shown below, in the properties sheet menu.
Figure 9.5. Turbocharger property sheet.
A spreadsheet, which contains all the compressor data, will appear. The top left-hand box in this window
allows the user to specify the number of constant speed lines used to define the compressor map. The
default value is 6 (maximum = 20). Data for each turbine can be displayed by using the arrow keys next
to the value entry box. The map consists of mass flow versus pressure ratio and mass flow versus
efficiency values.
Figure 9.6. Compressor map data window.

Change the Speed Scale Factor from 1.0 to 1.5, the Mass Flow Scale Factor to 0.35 and the Pressure
Ratio Scale Factor to 0.7, as shown in Figure 9.6. This will apply these scale factors to all of the constant
speed lines defined in the compressor map. Clicking on the graph icon in the compressor map data
window will open a window displaying the compressor map. This should now look like the map shown
in Figure 9.7.
Figure 9.7. Compressor map.

We need to similarly scale the turbine map data. Close the compressor map data window and click on
the pad icon, shown below, in the turbocharger properties sheet menu. Change the Speed Scale Factor
to 1.5, the Mass Flow Scale Factor to 0.25 and the Pressure Ratio Scale Factor to 0.9.
Monitoring the Turbocharger Speed
It is often useful, when running a turbocharged engine model, to use the sensor element to monitor how
the simulation is progressing. We will use a sensor plot to display the turbocharger speed (If in doubt
how to do this refer back to the previous tutorial where we used a plot sensor to view BMEP and inlet
throttle CF).
Change the toolkit tab to Sensors and Actuators. Select the plot sensor from the toolkit and place it
just below the turbocharger element. Turn on the harness connector of the turbocharger. Using a
harness wire. connect the harness connector tab of the turbocharger (the turbocharger element has two
harness connectors, one attached to the compressor, the other to the turbine, these access the same
element properties, so it doesn’t matter which tab you connect to) to the input of the plot sensor, as
shown in Figure 9.8.
Having connected the plot sensor, we now need define
to what the plot sensor will store and to which file it will
be written to. Select the plot sensor element so that we
can view the element properties. We will first define the
file name for the output. Select the browse icon next to
the File Name entry in the property sheet and enter
the filename as tutorial8.trs, (note for a multiple speed
run a separate file is produced for each speed and an
index added to the defined file Figure 9.8. Model after addition of a plot sensor.
name i.e. tutorial8.trs1, tutorial8.trs2 ….etc.).
We now need to select which particular property we will store in the file, we can store one parameter for
each wire connected to a plot sensor, as we only have one wire connected we only need to define one
parameter. Ensure that the Channel Select entry box is set to Wire 1 and then in the Channel Parameter
menu select Comp Speed (rpm/K^0.5/T). Change the Channel Group Type to Single.
The sensor plot files can be in ASCII or Binary, include headings, and be against either time or crank
angle. Set the Plot Associate Type to Crank Angle and the Plot Sample Size (deg) to 20.
Running the Turbo-charged Model
Before we run our turbocharged model, we shall change the maximum number of engine cycles, as
turbocharged simulations can take longer to achieve a converged solution than naturally aspirated
simulations, as several cycles are required for the turbocharger speed to stabilise. Press the F12 key to
open the Steady State Test Data - Summary and click on the Solution tab. For the first test point
change the Cycle Limits from Default Cycle Limits to User Defined Cycle Limits. Change the Max
No for Simulation to 20 and the From which Results are Written to 20, as shown in Figure 9.9.
Figure 9.9. Edit the cycle limits.
Click on the Test Point column of the first test point and then select Copy this Tests Solution Data to
all Tests, as shown in Figure 9.10. This will change the maximum number of cycles to 20 for all of the
defined test conditions.
Figure 9.10. Copy new cycle limits to all tests.
Now click on the Plotting tab and ensure that the Plotting Option is set to User Defined Plotting
Options. Now change the Cylinder Options to Cylinder Stored, the Plenum Options to Plenum Stored,
the Pipe Options to All Pipe Data Stored, the Flow Options to All Flow Data Stored and the Turbine
Options to All Turbine Data Stored, for all of the test conditions, as shown in Figure 9.11.
Figure 9.11. Copy new cycle limits to all tests.
Close the Steady State Test Conditions Summary Window and change the file descriptions and set the
Test No. to Tutorial8 then save the data file to Tutorial_8.sim.
Submit the job in the normal way using the launch icon from the solver control dialogue box, having
remembered to set the .mrs and .prs file names.
Once the job is successfully running we can monitor its progress using the job status tab on the solver
control window. From the Select Required Display selection box change from the normal Standard 5x
Bar Charts selection and pick Sensor Plot 1 (steady state), as shown in Figure 9.12. The normal bar
chart display will change to an x-y plot. This graph will display on the compressor speed. Note: the
turbocharger speed is reset at the beginning of each steady state test point to be half way between the
maximum and minimum compressor speed curves defined in the compressor map.
You may observe the following message in the solver run-time window: Warning compressor match
point not found. This generally indicates that the instantaneous pressure ratio across the compressor is
higher than any point on the compressor map, for the current compressor speed. Provided that this
message only occurs a few times per cycle then it can be safely ignored. Persistent occurrences of this
message generally indicate a problem with the turbocharger map data or the model, and should be
investigated further.
Figure 9.12. Runtime monitoring of turbocharger speed using sensor plot.
Viewing the Results
Once the job has finished, the Batch Job Finished window will appear. This prompts the user to load the
simulation results into the various post-processing options within LOTUS ENGINE SIMULATION. Tick
the boxes to Load Text Results (.mrs), Load Graphics Results (.mrs) and Load Graphics
Results (.prs). This places the .MRS results file, which contains all the relevant cycle-averaged data,
and the .PRS file, which contains all the intra-cycle data, into the dedicated text reader and graphical
viewing facilities.
Use the graphical viewer to display the .MRS results. Open the .MRS file viewer by clicking on the icon
shown below.
This produces the window shown in Figure 9.13. Select the Autoscale option from the View menu within
this window.
Figure 9.13. .MRS Results Graphical viewer.
The first plot which can be viewed (see Fig. 9.13) shows the BSFC (brake specific fuel consumption),
BMEP (brake mean effective pressure), Torque, and Power produced by the engine. It can be seen that
the torque produced by the engine increases sharply between 2000 and 3000 rev/min. Peak torque is
at 3000 rev/min, and corresponds to a BMEP of about 30 bar. This BMEP is exceptionally high for a
turbocharged automotive engine, which typically have maximum BMEP values of less than 20 bar.
Further examination of the results shown in the .MRS graph viewer reveals that the predicted PMAX
values for this engine are about 150 bar from 3000 to 5000 rev/min, which is unrealistically high for a
spark ignition engine running on gasoline.
Select Display / Plot / Plot 8 from the .MRS graph viewer menu bar. The viewer window should now
change to display a blank screen, as only the first seven plots are defined by default. If the screen isn’t
blank use the arrow keys to move along until you find an unspecified plot. Now select View / Specify
Graph from the menu bar. The Specify Graph menu will appear allowing the variables displayed on
each graph to be specified. Up to four graphs can be specified for each plot screen.
Figure 9.14. Specifying new .MRS plots

We shall specify four new graphs for our plot screen. There are 3 selection boxes in the top left hand
corner of the Specify Graph menu, Individual, Overlay and Single. These alter the way our graphs will
appear, click on the Single selection box so that it appears depressed. We shall plot the parameters we
wish to view, against engine speed, so select Speed (rpm) as the X-Axis variable. For the Y-Axis
variables select Plenum Pressure (bar) for Y-Axis 1 and Y-Axis 2, Compressor Speed (rpm) for Y-
Axis 3 and Cylinder BMEP (bar) for Y-Axis 4. Select by Test for the Plot Type option, from the right-
hand side of the Specify Graph menu. In the bottom right-hand corner of the window select All Tests.
Now close the Specify Graph menu window and click on the plenum directly downstream of the
compressor. Make a note of the plenum number that appears in the component list box, shown above.
Click on the plenum directly upstream of the turbine, and make a note of its number. Return to the .MRS
graph viewer and re-open the Specify Graph menu window. Use the left and right arrows to return to
our new plot. In the Entry No. column we need to specify which component the parameters, that we
specified in the Variable column, will be taken from. For the Y-Axis 1 Plenum pressure, select the plenum
number corresponding to the plenum upstream of your turbine. For the Y-Axis 2 Plenum pressure, select
the plenum number corresponding to the plenum downstream of your compressor. For the Y-Axis 3
compressor speed, selecet Compressor 1. For the Y-Axis 4 Cylinder BMEP plot selecet Average of
Cyls. Your Specify Graph menu should now look similar to the one shown in Figure 9.14. Click on the
Autoscale button and then the Refresh button. Your .MRS plot should now look similar to the one
shown in Figure 9.15. You may want to change the line colours and alter the appearance of the grid on
the graphs. To do this close the Specify Graph menu window and select View / Setup from the .MRS
viewer menubar. You might like to experiment with the effect that the various options in this menu have
on the appearance of the plots.
Figure 9.15. Viewing the turbocharger operating parameters.
Examination of the four graphs we have just created reveals that the pressure in the plenum directly
upstream of the turbine reaches a pressure in excess of 8 bar at 6000 rev/min. Also, the compressor
delivery pressure is over 5 bar for a large proportion of the speed range of the engine. The compressor
speed is also very high, being about 250000 rev/min for the majority of the speed range of the engine.
You will notice that this is in excess of the highest speed line specified in our compressor map data.
LOTUS ENGINE SIMULATION has extrapolated the data in compressor map. You can also see that
the BMEP, and hence torque, of the engine is very strongly coupled to the compressor delivery pressure.
Typically, the boost pressure of an automotive spark ignited gasoline engine is limited to 2 bar, or less,
using a waste-gate.
We will examine how a simple waste-gate may be implemented, using the sensors & actuators elements,
in the following tutorial.
Exercise
Use the *.PRS viewer to examine the variation in pressures around the pipe network and the cylinder
pressure diagrams. Use the Graph Status menu, shown in Figure 9.16, (Results / .prs Results / Graphs
/ Graph Status… from the LOTUS ENGINE SIMULATION menubar, or simply Graph Status from the
right mouse button menu) to change the graphs to display turbine and compressor data, such as
compressor/turbine speed or pressure ratio.
Figure 9.16. The Graph Status menu.

10 Tutorial 9. ‘Turbocharged Model with a
Waste-gate and Charge-cooler’
118118 Getting Started Using Lotus Engine Simulation Tutorial 9
‘Turbocharged Model with a Waste-gate and Charge-cooler’
Overview
This chapter uses our turbocharged multi-cylinder engine, which we
developed in the previous tutorial, and takes you through the steps
to add a simple waste-gate. A simple control system for this waste-
gate is constructed, using the sensors and actuators elements.
 Loading the Original Model, 114
 Adding the Waste-gate, 1164
 Adding Control Elements to the Waste-gate, 1175
 Running the Turbocharged Model with a Waste-gate, 118
 Viewing the Results, 119
 Waste-gate for Variable Boost pressure, 120
 Damping the Waste-gate Motion, 124
 Exercise, 125
Loading the Original Model
We will use the existing turbocharged model created in tutorial 8. Load the previously
saved file tutorial_8.sim.
A waste-gate is essentially a valve that allows some of the exhaust gases to by-
pass the turbocharger turbine. In simple mechanical systems the waste-gate
consists of a simple spring-loaded valve and the inlet system pressure actuates
the opening of the waste-gate via a controlling diaphragm. We shall model the waste-
gate using a simple throttle element. The sensors and actuators elements will be used
to adjust the flow area of this throttle based on the inlet system pressure.
Figure 10.1. Adding the waste-gate throttle.
Adding a Simple Waste-gate
Select a throttle from the Exhaust Components toolkit and place it just below our inlet boundary, as
shown in Figure 10.1. Ensure that the Throttle Type is set to Simple Throttle and the Discharge Data
Tutorial 9 ‘Turbocharged Model with a Waste-gate and Charge-cooler’
Type is set to CF Fixed. Set the Throttle CF to 1.0 and the Minimum C.S.A. (mm2) to 700.0. Now select
a pipe from the Pipes toolkit. Connect the upstream end of the pipe to the plenum downstream of the
turbocharger and the downstream end to our new throttle element (you may want to shorten the plenum
downstream of the compressor, to stop the new pipe over lapping the end of the plenum. To do this
select the plenum and click the right mouse button, then select Shorten), as shown in Figure 10.2.
Change the length of the pipe we have just added to 50mm and ensure that the diameter is set to
35mm. Change the wall material to Cast Iron and the wall thickness to 3mm.
Figure 10.2. Add a pipe to the waste-gate throttle.
Select a virtual pipe from the Pipes toolkit and connect it from our waste-gate throttle to the plenum
upstream of the turbine, as shown in Figure 10.3. The mechanical connections for our waste-gate are
now complete. We now need to add the control elements.
Figure 10.3. Add a virtual pipe to the waste-gate throttle.
Adding Control Elements to the Waste-gate
Select the plenum downstream of the compressor and toggle the Harness Connector option to On. Now
do the same thing to our waste-gate throttle element. Click on the Sensors & Actuators toolkit tab and
select a sensor element. Place this sensor element just beneath the pipe connected to the wastegate.
Now pick an actuator element from the Sensors & Actuators toolkit and place it just to the right of the
sensor element. Use the harness wires from the Sensors & Actuators toolkit to connect the inlet plenum
harness connector to the sensor element, the sensor to the actuator, and the actuator to the harness
connector of the waste-gate throttle. Your model should now look similar to the one shown in Figure
10.4.
120120 Getting Started Using Lotus Engine Simulation Tutorial 9
‘Turbocharged Model with a Waste-gate and Charge-cooler’
Figure 10.4. Adding control elements to the waste-gate.
Select the sensor element and change the properties so that the Sensed Parameter is Pressure
(N/m2) and the Sensor Group Type is Single, as shown in Figure 10.5.
Figure 10.5. Selecting the Sensed Parameter.
Now we need to define the control strategy for the actuation of our waste-gate. We will attempt to model
a simple mechanical waste-gate, which is held shut by a spring, and actuated by the inlet pressure
acting on a diaphragm.
If we assume that the diameter of our diaphragm is 50 mm, then the cross-sectional area is roughly
0.002 m2. If we wish our waste-gate to begin opening at an inlet pressure of 1.8 bar, then the preload
we require in the spring that holds our waste-gate shut is
F = p.A = 180000[Pa] . 0.002 [m2]= 360N . (10.1)

If we want our waste-gate to be fully open by the time the inlet pressure has reached 2.0 bar, and we
want the maximum lift of our waste-gate to be 10 mm, then the spring stiffness required is given by
spring stiffness = ∆F = ( 200000 −180000)[Pa].0.002[m2]

= 4000N/m . (10.2)
l 0.01[m]
If we assume that the maximum flow area of our waste-gate is 700 mm2, and that this area varies linearly
between fully closed and fully open (at 10 mm lift), we can obtain an expression for the instantaneous
area of our waste-gate at a given valve lift
flow area[mm2] = l[m].70000[mm2 / m] . (10.3)

The instantaneous lift is obtained from
l[m]= force − preload = force[N]− 360[N] . (10.4)

spring stiffness 4000[N/m]
Denoting the inlet pressure as F1 calculate the instantaneous force on the spring as

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Getting Started Using Lotus Engine Simulation 81

Tutorial 4 ‘Building a Multi-Cylinder Engine Model’

Figure 6.10. Concept Tool generated model.

Concept Tool Test Points

Figure 6.11. Concept Tool generated test points.

Running the Concept Tool Model

Figure 6.12. Concept Tool model .Mrs results.

This chapter contains the following sections:

 Loading the Model, 82

 The Importance of Groups, 82

 Adding Sensors and Actuators to a Model, 84

 Using Control Elements, 86

 Running the VVT Model, 88

 Running the Model with Fixed Geometry, 89

 Exercise – Adding an Exhaust Cam Phaser, 89

Getting Started Using Lotus Engine Simulation

Figure 7.1. Loaded tutorial_4.sim model file.

The Importance of Groups

Figure 7.3. Selecting a group of elements.

Adding Sensors and Actuators to a Model

Figure 7.4. Setting the harness connector visability.

Figure 7.5. Harness Connectors Visible

First we will add the required sensor and actuator, then

Now select an actuator element and place it just

We can now connect the elements together using

We must now define which particular

Now select the actuator and select from the

Using Control Elements

Figure 7.6. Level icons.

Figure 7.7. Default sensor children.

Figure 7.8. Actuator control elements after addition of 1D look-up table.

Figure 7.9. Actuator 1D look-up table data.

Running the VVT Model

FiFigure 7.11. Steady State Test Conditions – Actuators Tab

Exercise Adding an Exhaust Cam Phaser

8 Tutorial 7. ‘Using the Load Finder’

This chapter contains the following sections:

 Loading the Model 92

 ‘Load Finder’ Objectives 92

 Adding the Throttle to a New Group 93

 Setting Up the ‘Load Finder’ Cases 93

 Monitoring the ‘Load Finder’ 96

 Running the ‘Load Finder’ Job 98

 Reviewing the ‘Load Finder’ Results 99

 Exercise – Virtual Links 99

Loading the Model

Figure 8.1. Loaded model.

Load Finder Objectives

Adding the Throttle to a New Group

Figure 8.2. New throttle group.

Setting Up the ‘Load Finder’ Cases

Figure 8.3. Opening the Steady-State Test Data Summary.

Figure 8.4. Changing to a ‘load Finder’ run.

Figure 8.5. Setting the Load Finder Control Group.

Figure 8.6. Selecting the Load Finder control variable.

Figure 8.7. Final Load Finder settings.

Figure 8.8. Copying solution parameters to all test points.

Monitoring the ‘Load Finder’

Figure 8.9. Model after addition of plot sensor connections.