farm power 5_1
farm power 5_1
INTRODUCTION
Farm Power is an essential input in agriculture for timely field operations for increasing
production and productivity of land. Farm power is used for operating different types of
machinery like tillage, planting, plant protection, harvesting and threshing machinery and other
stationary jobs like operating irrigation equipment, threshers/ shellers / cleaners/ graders, etc.
A farm power for various agricultural operations can be broadly classified as:
1.) Tractive Work such as seed bed preparation, cultivation, harvesting and transportation
2.) Stationary Work like silage cutting, feed grinding, threshing, winnowing and lifting of
irrigation water
1. Human power
2. Animal power
3. Mechanical power (Tractors+ Power tillers+ Oil engines)
4. Electrical power
5. Renewable energy (Biogas + Solar energy+ Wind energy)
HUMAN POWER
Human beings are the main source of power for operating small tools and implements. They are
also employed for doing stationary work like threshing, winnowing, chaff cutting and lifting
irrigation water. It is generally believed that there is surplus human power available for
agricultural operations. On the average a man develops nearly 0.1 hp.
ANIMAL POWER
The most important source of power on the farm all over the world is animal. It is estimated that
estimated that nearly 80 percent of the total draft used in agriculture throughout the world is still
provided by animals, although the number of agricultural tractors has become double after every
ten tears since 1930.
The average force an animal can exert is nearly equal to one tenth of its body weight. Generally
an animal can develop between 0.50 to 1 hp. Animals can be a very cheap source of farm
power if raised by the farmer himself.
MECHANICAL POWER
Broadly speaking, mechanical power includes stationary oil engines, tractors, power tillers and
self propelled combines. Internal combustion engine is a good device for converting liquid fuel
into useful work (mechanical work).
Types of Engines
In the spark ignition engine, the fuel is metered and introduced into the engine by
either a carburetor or an injection system. When a carburetor is used, the fuel is
metered by jets and orifices in the carburetor and added to the air as it flows
through the venturi of the carburetor. Mixing occurs as the fuel air mixture moves
through the intake system and into the cylinder. A spark plug ignites the fuel air
mixture at the proper time.
In a compression ignition engine (Diesel) the fuel is injected directly into the
combustion chamber. The injection is timed to occur just before TDC on the
compression stroke. Combustion occurs almost instantaneously because
compression causes the air temperature within the combustion chamber to rise
to 1,000 0F and above. Thus, there is no need for a spark plug to ignite the fuel.
The injector pump controls the amount of fuel delivered to each cylinder.
Theory of Operation
The function of all internal combustion engines is to convert fuel (chemical energy) to
power. This is accomplished by burning a fuel in a closed chamber and using the
increase in temperature within the closed chamber to cause a rise in pressure. The
pressure produces a force on the head of the piston causing it to move. The linear
movement of the piston is converted to rotary motion (at the crankshaft). Rotary motion
is more useful than linear movement.
6.) The burning of the fuel air mixture causes a rapid pressure increase in the cylinder,
which acts against the piston, producing a force on the piston.
7.) The use of a connecting rod and a crankshaft converts the linear movement of the
piston to rotary motion. The force on the piston is converted to torque on the crankshaft.
1.) Four-Stroke Cycle. The four-stroke cycle engine, commonly called 4 cycle engine, is
one of the two common types of engine cycles used for both spark and compression
ignition engines. In 4 cycle engines, the eight events occur during four strokes of the piston
or two revolutions of the crankshaft. The four strokes are called:
• Intake. With the intake valve open, the piston moves downward in the cylinder
(towards the crankshaft) causing a partial vacuum which draws a mixture of fuel and
air into the cylinder (in diesel engine only the air taken).
• Compression. As the piston nears BDC, and begins to move upward (towards the
cylinder head), both valves are closed and the piston compresses the mixture
between the piston and the cylinder head (only air is compresses in the diesel
engine).
• Power. As the piston nears TDC, an electric spark ignites the compressed mixture,
pushing the piston downward with great force (in diesel engine, fuel is injected into a
highly compressed air, causing self-ignition.
• Exhaust. The fourth which is the last stroke of a cycle occurs when the piston
begins its upward movement. The exhaust valve opens, allowing the piston to
moves out the burned gasses, thus clearing the cylinder and a new mixture enters
for another cycle.
2.) Two-Stroke Cycle. In a two-stroke cycle engine (commonly called the 2 cycle engine)
the eight requirements for operation occur during two strokes of the piston and one
revolution of the crankshaft. In the 2 cycle, the carburettor is attached to the crankcase, and
there are no intake and exhaust valves. Instead gases flow into and out of the cylinder
through ports in the cylinder wall as they are exposed and covered by the movement of the
piston.
Displacement is the cylindrical volume that a piston displaces as it moves through one
stroke. It is equal to the area of the piston multiplied by the length of the stroke.
Displacement is one of the factors that determine the amount of horsepower an engine will
produce, the greater the displacement, the greater the volume of air and fuel that is burned
during combustion, which means more power. Expressed mathematically, piston
displacement is:
The bore and the stroke of an engine has been traditionally expressed as B × S with the
dimensions in inches. Thus, if B × S = 3.50 × 4.00, the piston displacement is:
Larger engines are constructed with more than one cylinder. For multicylinder engines, the
term engine displacement (ED) is used. Engine displacement is the product of the cylinder
displacement times the number of cylinders. Expressed in equation form:
ED = PD × n
If the engine in the previous example is a four-cylinder engine, then the engine displacement
is:
ED = PD × n = 38.5 × 4 = 154 in3
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COMPRESSION RATIO
The compression ratio is the ratio of the total volume in a cylinder to the clearance
volume. The clearance volume is the volume of the combustion chamber when the
piston is at TDC. The total volume is the clearance volume plus the displacement. The
compression ratio is an engine characteristic related to engine efficiency, that is, the
ability of the engine to convert energy in the fuel to useful mechanical energy. The
greater the compression ratio, the greater the potential efficiency of the engine. The
maximum compression ratio that can be obtained is a function of the type of fuel and
the physical strength of the engine components. A compression ratio of 7 to 8:1 is
common for gasoline engines and a ratio of 15 to 22:1 is common for diesel engines.
Expressed mathematically compression ratio is:
CR= PD+CV
CV
Sample Problem: What is the compression ratio for a single cylinder engine with a B ×
S of 3.25 in × 3.75 in and a clearance volume of 6.20 in3?
Notice that the answer has no units. To have a ratio the units in the numerator and the
denominator must be the same; thus the units cancel each other. A compression ratio of
6.0 would be expressed as 6.0:1.
THEORETICAL POWER
The indicated or theoretical power is the power produced in the engine by combustion
of the fuel. It does not account for the power lost to friction and other losses. The
equation for calculating indicated engine power in units of horsepower for 4 cycle
engines is:
Ehp = P × S × A × N × n
33,000 × 2
Ehp = P x S x A x N x n
33, 000
Note: The dimension for stroke in this equation is feet to cancel out the units of feet in
the 33,000 constant.
Sample Problem: Determine the indicated horsepower for a four cycle single cylinder
engine, that has a mean effective pressure of 152.0 psi. The bore is 2.75 in, the stroke
is 2.65 in, and the engine speed is 3,000 rpm.
Solution: The engine power for 4 cycle engines can be calculated using the following
equation:
EXERCISE 5
FARM POWER
1.) Suppose a 4-cylinder engine has a bore of 3.5 in. and a stroke of 4.0 in, what is
the piston displacement of the engine?
2.) Calculate the indicated horsepower of a two-stroke six-cylinder engine, 4" bore and 4"
stroke,1500 rpm, 80 psi mean effective pressure.
3.) Suppose that an engine has a piston displacement of 38.4 in3. If the clearance
volume of the cylinder in 2.5 in3, what is its compression ratio?
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4.) An engine was tested on a brake dynamometer at a speed of 2000 rpm. The brake
arm of the machine is 1.2 meters and it registered a load of 5 kg. What is the shaft
5.) The indicated power of an engine is 69 horsepower. The brake horsepower is 54.
What is the mechanical or engine efficiency?
6.) How much power can a horse deliver if it is continuously pulling 120 lb load for
several hours and walking at a rate of 2.5 mph?