Damn this is cool. Love seeing how perfectly tuned the S54 head is in comparison. I'm a little shocked at how much lower the flow is on the N54 than the S54, especially given the power that those things can produce.
Right! Fresh out of the wrapper, the S54 is a beast. It probably can get massaged too. I'd love to give it a shot after I ruin a few M54 heads.
So the N54 is a strange case, because turbo. I believe BMW kept the flow low to increase port velocity for better throttle response and to make it feel more like a large NA engine.
I have a total of 4 engine airflow/cylinder head modding books. Let me study a bit and I'll be back.
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-Corey
2003 Blue ZHP Sedan @ 210k
Dead due to damaged valve. Parts are being transferred to a wagon:
2003 325iT Japanrot 6MT @ 230k
Awesome project - yes Adam will has done a lot of work for it.
Side question - what technical background do you have? Will be interesting to see different perspectives/approaches to the problem (or optimisation, as you will).
'03 325i 6MT Individual - Estoril Blue
Thanks!
I have my education in Electrical Engineering, but I've been too far removed from my craft for a long time. School was more rigorous than my current work, so this "problem" will give me a chance to stretch my legs out.
The funny thing is, airflow seems to behave very similarly to electrical current...which would make sense, since they are both matter that's moving per unit time.
I guess I may as well throw my perspective out there.
Airflow requires a pressure differential to induce air movement, similar to how current flow requires a voltage differential in order for electrons to flow. A wire has a ton of electrons but they aren't going move unless a voltage is applied. Easy so far.
The higher the voltage/pressure diff, the more flow happens.
Current/airflow can increase, but too much current in an electrical conductor causes heat and a voltage drop due to friction. Similarly, too much air flow through an orifice or pipe causes friction and a pressure drop.
A restriction is something that resists the flow of the air and causes a pressure drop. A resistor is the electrical equivalent. These restrictions can be precisely controlled for a plethora of uses...like flow benches. *Hint*
Funny enough, the vacuum industry uses the term "airwatts" which is pressure times flow... similar to real "watts" which is voltage times current. Both represent power or the usefulness of the energy.
I have to think about an analogy for velocity...lol
But, that's my thought process and how I will go about looking at the air movement. Technically, I could model the system as an electrical circuit (SN: some mechanical engineers will model systems as electrical circuits because they have the exact same equations describing them...and circuit simulations are very reliable and cheap)
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-Corey
2003 Blue ZHP Sedan @ 210k
Dead due to damaged valve. Parts are being transferred to a wagon:
2003 325iT Japanrot 6MT @ 230k
Excellent :D
I'm a mech eng now doing systems engineering. I'm always itching to do more hands on engineering. You're right that some mech engs will use some electrical 'styles' too
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'03 325i 6MT Individual - Estoril Blue
I'm doing a job rotation to SE. I feel like it has nothing to do engineering and more to do with project management. It'll be nice on the resume though.
Glad I could paint a picture!
So a minor update, I have purchased an engine simulation software called Pipemax. Apparently it's supposed to be really good. There's a few parameters I'm not too sure about, but I'll make sure to get screenshots and post them here when I get it up and running.
2. There is a complete engine in Charlotte that just needs a headgasket. I may pick that up, freshen it up and throw it in the car. Then I can really take my time and even experiment a bit more with my old engine...
-Corey
2003 Blue ZHP Sedan @ 210k
Dead due to damaged valve. Parts are being transferred to a wagon:
2003 325iT Japanrot 6MT @ 230k
Bump. I actually did get that engine. My RX7 is eating up my time now but I hope to get back to this soon.
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-Corey
2003 Blue ZHP Sedan @ 210k
Dead due to damaged valve. Parts are being transferred to a wagon:
2003 325iT Japanrot 6MT @ 230k