4 replies to this topic

[Canuck]

I'm curious about the intake plenums used on F1 engines. Every picture or cut-away I've seen of an F1 engine (that springs to mind as I ponder and write this morning) shows the individual runners being fed from a plenum box. Even those units that had adjustable-length runners in front of the throttle were terminated inside what appears to be a plenum box. Is it's function to provide an aerodynamically-clean (smooth / non-turbulent) volume? Seal engine heat from intake air? Does it promote above-atmospheric pressure at the intake at speed? Or is the plenum an illusion that isn't actually a plenum?

Prompted by looking at the latest "throw your stock air box away and run these IR cone filters instead" advertisement. Cone filters that rest on top of the cylinder heads it must be said.

[desmo]

Have you read SAE paper 2002-01-3318

Prediction of Formula 1 Engine and Airbox
Performance using Coupled Virtual
4-Stroke and CFD Simulations
B. D. J. Maynes, R. J. Kee, R. G. Kenny and R. Fleck?

[gruntguru]

Is it's function to provide an aerodynamically-clean (smooth / non-turbulent) volume? Seal engine heat from intake air? Does it promote above-atmospheric pressure at the intake at speed? Or is the plenum an illusion that isn't actually a plenum?

- Yes
- Yes
- Yes ("Speed" in two senses of the word. 1. Road speed - ram air supercharging is worth a 4% power increase at 300kph. (1% @ 150 kph) 2. Tuning the plenum volume as a resonator will aid cylinder filling at chosen engine speeds)
- What Desmo said.

[kikiturbo2]

+ house a very large panel air filter..

[Canuck]

Have you read SAE paper 2002-01-3318

Prediction of Formula 1 Engine and Airbox
Performance using Coupled Virtual
4-Stroke and CFD Simulations
B. D. J. Maynes, R. J. Kee, R. G. Kenny and R. Fleck?

No...but I will now.