Research Article

Louver Design for High-Efficiency Air Intake: Enhancing Diesel Generator Inlet Performance Using Sinusoidal Tubercle Model

Volume: 16 Number: 1 July 1, 2026
TR EN

Louver Design for High-Efficiency Air Intake: Enhancing Diesel Generator Inlet Performance Using Sinusoidal Tubercle Model

Abstract

This study aims to numerically investigate the effect of the Tubercle phenomenon, inspired by humpback whale flippers, on the aerodynamic performance of ventilation louvers located in the intake compartments of diesel generator enclosures. In industrial generator cabins, air inlet louvers used in high-flow applications often experience flow separation and excessive pressure drop issues in conventional designs. These problems naturally lead to challenges in cabin climate control and acoustics. Therefore, this study seeks to provide an innovative solution to the high-pressure loss and flow separation problems caused by traditional straight-edged louvers.
A sinusoidal design applied to the leading edges of the louvers was developed, where the amplitude and wavelength of the protrusions vary in a correlated manner. The aerodynamic performance, pressure drop, and flow uniformity of this biomimetic Tubercle-based model, which has been widely discussed in academic literature, were evaluated using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD).
Flow analyses were conducted under identical design and boundary conditions for each configuration, including velocity contours, turbulence intensity, and pressure loss distributions. The results demonstrated that the Tubercle geometry delays flow separation, enhances airflow uniformity in the diesel generator intake section, and reduces pressure drop compared to conventional straight louver designs. Among the three configurations, the M3 model exhibited the most balanced aerodynamic performance.
This study indicates potential power savings in the generator cooling fan and improvements in the acoustic performance of the cabin, offering a novel and innovative perspective for optimizing both internal cooling and flow organization in diesel generator enclosures.
 

Keywords

Supporting Institution

AKSA Generator Industry Inc.

Ethical Statement

We hereby declare that all ethical principles have been followed in the preparation of this study; that all sources used (works, ideas, data, findings, etc.) have been utilized with proper citation in accordance with academic norms; and that no scientific misconduct, such as plagiarism, falsification, distortion, data fabrication, or duplicate publication, has been committed. I affirm that the work is original, that the principles of research and publication ethics have been adhered to, and that there are no conflicts of interest. Alp Büyükbayraktar Özgür Karaer

Thanks

Bu bilimsel çalışmanın hazırlanması ve tamamlanması sürecinde sağladıkları değerli teknik destek, veri paylaşımı ve uzman katkılarından dolayı AKSA Jeneratör'e en derin şükranlarımızı sunarız. AKSA jeneratör sistemlerine ilişkin endüstriyel deneyimi ve sağladığı pratik bilgiler, araştırmamızın gerçek hayat senaryolarıyla uyumlu ve uygulanabilir sonuçlar üretmesini sağlamada hayati bir rol oynamıştır. AKSA Jeneratör ailesinin bu değerli çalışmaya yaptıkları anlamlı katkılar için tüm çalışma arkadaşlarına içtenlikle teşekkür ederiz

References

  1. [1] M. H. M. Noh, H. Rashid, A. H. A. Hamid, ve M. F. Iskandar, “Comparison of Numerical Investigation on Airfoil and Flat Louvers on the Air Duct Intake,” Procedia Eng., c. 41, ss. 1761–1768, 2012.W.-K. Chen, Linear Networks and Systems. Belmont, CA, USA: Wadsworth, 1993, pp. 123–135.
  2. [2] Sallem, Arslan; K, Man-Hoe. Airside thermal performance of louvered fin flat-tube heat exchangers with different redirection louvers. Energies, 2022, 15.16: 5904.
  3. [3] Parra, Jordi, et al. Thermal performance of ventilated double skin façades with venetian blinds. Energies, 2015, 8.6: 4882-4898.
  4. [4] Manideep, J. S. S., et al. Effects of Leading-edge Tubercles and Dimples on a Cambered Airfoil and its Performance. 2022.
  5. [5] Moreau.A, Antoine; G, Sébastien; S, Rainer. Optimization of Trailing-Edge Serrations to Reduce Open-Rotor Tonal Interaction Noise.
  6. [6] C.P., et al. Aerofoil broadband noise reductions through double-wavelength leading-edge serrations: A new control concept. Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 2018, 855: 131-151.
  7. [7] Xing, Yudi, et al. Effect of wavy leading edges on airfoil trailing-edge bluntness noise. Aerospace, 2023, 10.4: 353.
  8. [8] A, Yasir; C, Tze Pei; S, Oksana. Leading edge blowing to mimic and enhance the serration effects for aerofoil. Applied Sciences, 2021, 11.6: 2593.

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Mechanical Engineering (Other)

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

July 1, 2026

Submission Date

November 3, 2025

Acceptance Date

March 23, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 16 Number: 1

APA
Büyükbayraktar, A., & Karaer, Ö. (2026). Louver Design for High-Efficiency Air Intake: Enhancing Diesel Generator Inlet Performance Using Sinusoidal Tubercle Model. European Journal of Technique (EJT), 16(1), 98-108. https://doi.org/10.36222/ejt.1816253
AMA
1.Büyükbayraktar A, Karaer Ö. Louver Design for High-Efficiency Air Intake: Enhancing Diesel Generator Inlet Performance Using Sinusoidal Tubercle Model. EJT. 2026;16(1):98-108. doi:10.36222/ejt.1816253
Chicago
Büyükbayraktar, Alp, and Özgür Karaer. 2026. “Louver Design for High-Efficiency Air Intake: Enhancing Diesel Generator Inlet Performance Using Sinusoidal Tubercle Model”. European Journal of Technique (EJT) 16 (1): 98-108. https://doi.org/10.36222/ejt.1816253.
EndNote
Büyükbayraktar A, Karaer Ö (July 1, 2026) Louver Design for High-Efficiency Air Intake: Enhancing Diesel Generator Inlet Performance Using Sinusoidal Tubercle Model. European Journal of Technique (EJT) 16 1 98–108.
IEEE
[1]A. Büyükbayraktar and Ö. Karaer, “Louver Design for High-Efficiency Air Intake: Enhancing Diesel Generator Inlet Performance Using Sinusoidal Tubercle Model”, EJT, vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 98–108, July 2026, doi: 10.36222/ejt.1816253.
ISNAD
Büyükbayraktar, Alp - Karaer, Özgür. “Louver Design for High-Efficiency Air Intake: Enhancing Diesel Generator Inlet Performance Using Sinusoidal Tubercle Model”. European Journal of Technique (EJT) 16/1 (July 1, 2026): 98-108. https://doi.org/10.36222/ejt.1816253.
JAMA
1.Büyükbayraktar A, Karaer Ö. Louver Design for High-Efficiency Air Intake: Enhancing Diesel Generator Inlet Performance Using Sinusoidal Tubercle Model. EJT. 2026;16:98–108.
MLA
Büyükbayraktar, Alp, and Özgür Karaer. “Louver Design for High-Efficiency Air Intake: Enhancing Diesel Generator Inlet Performance Using Sinusoidal Tubercle Model”. European Journal of Technique (EJT), vol. 16, no. 1, July 2026, pp. 98-108, doi:10.36222/ejt.1816253.
Vancouver
1.Alp Büyükbayraktar, Özgür Karaer. Louver Design for High-Efficiency Air Intake: Enhancing Diesel Generator Inlet Performance Using Sinusoidal Tubercle Model. EJT. 2026 Jul. 1;16(1):98-108. doi:10.36222/ejt.1816253

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