Turbulence averaging within spark ignition engines

This paper examines velocity averaging within Spark-Ignition (SI) engines, a non-stationary system. Comparison is made between the mean and turbulence velocities found from (a) Ensemble, (b) Cyclic and (c) Wavelet-based averaging. The various methods of extracting turbulence within this flow system result in qualitatively similar average velocities; however, there are significant differences in the turbulence velocities and spectral content of the flow field based on the definition used. The differing interpretation of turbulence results in a subjectivity to the physical understanding of the flows. The experience in extracting coherent structures in stationary turbulence suggests that wavelet analysis offers a unique insight that has applicability for engine studies.