ENGINES – Concepts, Operations and Components

Heat engine is a machine for converting heat, developed by burning fuel into useful work. It
can be said that heat engine is equipment which generates thermal energy and transforms it
into mechanical energy.

CLASSIFICATION OF HEAT ENGINES

1. Based on combustion of fuel:

a. External combustion engine

Here, the working medium, the steam, is generated in a boiler, located outside the engine and
allowed in to the cylinder to operate the piston to do mechanical work.

b. Internal combustion engine

In internal combustion engine, the combustion of fuel takes place inside the engine cylinder
and heat is generated within the cylinder. This heat is added to the air inside the cylinder and
thus the pressure of the air is increased tremendously. This high pressure air moves the piston
which rotates the crank shaft and thus mechanical work is done

2. Based on fuel used

a. Diesel engine – Diesel is used as fuel

b. Petrol engine – Petrol is used as fuel
c. Gas engines – propane, butane or methane gases are used

3. Based ignition of fuel

1. Spark ignition engine (Carburetor type engines)
2. Compression ignition engine ( injector type engines)

Spark ignition engine – a mixture of air and fuel is drawn in to the engine cylinder. Ignition of
fuel is done by using a spark plug. The spark plug produces a spark and ignites the air- fuel
mixture. Such combustion is called constant volume combustion (C.V.C.).
Compression ignition engine – In compression ignition engines air is compressed in to the
engine cylinder,. Due to this the temperature of the compressed air rises to 700-900 C. At this
stage diesel is sprayed in to the cylinder in fine particles. Due to a very high temperature, the
fuel gets ignited. This type of combustion is called constant pressure combustion (CP.C.)
because the pressure inside the cylinder is almost constant when combustion is taking place.

4. Based on working cycle

1. Four stroke cycle engine - When the cycle is completed in two revolutions of the
crankshaft, it is called four stroke cycle engine.
2. Two stroke cycle engine. - When the cycle is completed in one revolution of the
crankshaft, it is called two stroke cycle engine

CONSTRUCTION OF AN IC ENGINE

I.C. engine converts the reciprocating motion of piston into rotary motion of the
crankshaft by means of a connecting rod. The piston which reciprocating in the cylinder is very
close fit in the cylinder. Rings are inserted in the circumferential grooves of the piston to
prevent leakage of gases from sides of the piston. Usually, a cylinder is bored in a cylinder
block and a gasket, made of copper sheet or asbestos is inserted between the cylinder and the
cylinder head to avoid ant leakage. The combustion space is provided at the top of the cylinder
head where combustion takes place. The connecting rod connects the piston and the
crankshaft.
The end of the connecting rod connecting the piston is called small end. A pin called
gudgeon pin or wristpin is provided for connecting the piston and the connecting rod at the
small end. . The other end of the connecting rod connecting the crank shaft is called big end.
When piston is moved up and down, the motion is transmitted to the crank shaft by the
connecting rod and the crank shaft makes rotary motion. The crankshaft rotates in main
bearings which are fitted the crankcase. A flywheel is provided at one end of the crankshaft for
smoothing the uneven torque produced by the engine. There is an oil sump at the bottom of
the engine which contains lubricating oil for lubricating different parts of the engine.

Working principle of IC Engine/ four stroke cycle engine / two stroke cycle engine

A mixture of fuel with correct amount of air is exploded in an engine cylinder which is closed
at one end. As a result of this explosion, heat is released and this heat causes the pressure of
the burning gases to increase. This pressure forces a close-fitting piston to move down the
cylinder. The movement of piston is transmitted to a crankshaft by a connecting rod so that the
crankshaft rotates and turns a flywheel connected to it. Power is taken from the rotating crank
shaft to do mechanical work. To obtain continuous rotation of the crankshaft the explosion has
to be repeated continuously. Before the explosion to take place, the used gases are expelled
from the cylinder, fresh charge of fuel and air are admitted in to the cylinder and the piston
moved back to its starting position. The sequences of events taking place in an engine is
called the working cycle of the engine. The sequence of events taking place inside the engine
are as follows:

1. Admission of air or air-fuel mixture inside the engine cylinder ( intake )

2. Compression of the air or air fuel mixture inside the engine (compression)
3. Injection of fuel in compressed air for ignition of the fuel or ignition of air-fuel mixture by an
electric spark using a spark plug to produce thermal power inside the cylinder (power )
4. Removal of all the burnt gases from the cylinder to receive fresh charge ( exhaust)

Note: Charge means admitting fresh air in to the cylinder in the case of compression ignition
engines (diesel engines ) or admitting a mixture of air and fuel in to the cylinder in the case of
spark ignition engines.
FOUR STROKE CYCLE ENGINE ( DIESEL/ PETROL ENGINE)

In four stroke cycle engines the four events namely suction, compression, power and
exhaust take place inside the engine cylinder. The four events are completed in four strokes of
the piston (two revolutions of the crank shaft). This engine has got valves for controlling the
inlet of charge and outlet of exhaust gases. The opening and closing of the valve is controlled
by cams, fitted on camshaft. The camshaft is driven by crankshaft with the help of suitable
gears or chains. The camshaft runs at half the speed of the crankshaft. The events taking
place in I.C. engine are as follows:

1. Intake stroke
2. Compression stroke
3. Power stroke (combustion)
4. Exhaust stroke

Intake/Suction stroke
During suction stroke inlet valve opens and the piston moves downward. Only air or a
mixture of air and fuel are drawn inside the cylinder. The exhaust valve remains in closed
position during this stroke. The pressure in the engine cylinder is less than atmospheric
pressure during this stroke

Compression stroke
During this stroke the piston moves upward. Both valves are in closed position. The charge
taken in the cylinder is compressed by the upward movement of piston. If only air is
compressed, as in case of diesel engine, diesel is injected at the end of the compression
stroke and ignition of fuel takes place due to high pressure and temperature of the compressed
air. If a mixture of air and fuel is compressed in the cylinder, as in case of petrol engine, the
mixture is ignited by a spark plug.

Power stroke
After ignition of fuel, tremendous amount of heat is generated, causing very high pressure in
the cylinder which pushes the piston downward. The downward movement of the
piston at this instant is called power stroke. The connecting rod transmits the power from
piston to the crank shaft and crank shaft rotates. Mechanical work can be taped at the rotating
crank shaft. Both valves remain closed during power stroke.

Exhaust stroke
During this stroke piston moves upward. Exhaust valve opens and exhaust gases go out
through exhaust valves opening. All the burnt gases go out of the engine and the cylinder
becomes ready to receive the fresh charge. During this stroke inlet valve remains closed
Thus it is found that out of four strokes, there is only one power stroke and three idle strokes
in four stroke cycle engines. The power stroke supplies necessary momentum for useful work.

TWO STROKE CYCLE ENGINE (PETROL ENGINE)

In two stroke cycle engines, the whole sequence of events i.e., suction, compression, power
and exhaust are completed in two strokes of the piston i.e. one revolution of the crankshaft.
There is no valve in this type of engine. Gas movement takes place through holes called ports
in the cylinder. The crankcase of the engine is air tight in which the crankshaft rotates.

Upward stroke of the piston (Suction + Compression)

When the piston moves upward it covers two of the ports, the exhaust port and transfer port,
which are normally almost opposite to each other. This traps the charge of air- fuel mixture
drawn already in to the cylinder. Further upward movement of the piston compresses the
charge and also uncovers the suction port. Now fresh mixture is drawn through this port into
the crankcase. Just before the end of this stroke, the mixture in the cylinder is ignited by a
spark plug. Thus, during this stroke both suction and compression events are completed.

Downward stroke (Power + Exhaust)

Burning of the fuel rises the temperature and pressure of the gases which forces the piston to
move down the cylinder. When the piston moves down, it closes the suction port, trapping the
fresh charge drawn into the crankcase during the previous upward stroke. Further downward
movement of the piston uncovers first the exhaust port and then the transfer port. Now fresh
charge in the crankcase moves in to the cylinder through the transfer port driving out the burnt
gases through the exhaust port. Special shaped piston crown deflects the incoming mixture up
around the cylinder so that it can help in driving out the exhaust gases. During the downward
stroke of the piston power and exhaust events are completed.
COMPARISON BETWEEN TWO STROKE AND FOUR STROKE ENGINES

4 Stroke 2 Stroke

One power stroke for every two One power stroke for each revolution of the
revolutions of the crankshaft crankshaft
There are inlet and exhaust valves in the There are inlet and exhaust ports instead of
engine valves
Crankcase is not fully closed and air tight Crankcase is fully closed and air tight
Top of the piston compresses the charge Both sides of the piston compress the charge
Size of the flywheel is comparatively larger Size of the fly wheel is comparatively smaller

Fuel is fully consumed. Fuel is not fully consumed.

Weight of engine per hp is high Weight of engine per hp is comparatively low

Thermal efficiency is high Thermal efficiency is comparatively low

Removal of exhaust gases comparatively
Removal or exhaust gases easy
difficult
Torque produced is even Torque produced is less even
It generates high torque Less torque
For a given weight, engine would give only half For same weight, two stroke engine gives twice
the power of two stroke engine. the power that of four stroke engines
All types of speed are possible (high and low) Mostly high-speed engines are there
It can be operated in both direction
It can be operated in one direction only.
(clockwise and counter clockwise).

WORKING PRINCIPLE OF DIESEL ENGINE

The basic components of diesel engine are cylinder, piston, injector, valves, connecting rod
and crankshaft. In diesel engines only air is drawn into the cylinder. The engine has high
compression ratio hence the air in the cylinder attains very high temperature and pressure at
the end of the compression stroke. At the end of the compression stroke, the fuel is sprayed
into the cylinder in atomized form using injectors. Due to high temperature, the fuel gets
ignited, begins to burn and produce lot of heat. Due to the heat the gases expand, move the
piston downward and rotate the crank shaft. The torque available at the rotating crank shaft is
used to do any mechanical work
Special features of diesel engine

1. Engine has high compression ratio ranging from 14:1 to 22:1.

2. During compression stroke, the engine attains high pressure ranging from 30 to 45
kg/cm2 and high temperature of about 500°C.
3. At the end of the compression stroke, fuel is injected into the cylinder through injectors
(atomizers) at a very high pressure ranging from 120 to 200 kg/cm2.
4. Ignition takes place due to heat of compression only.
5. There is no external spark in diesel engine.
6. Diesel engine has better slogging or lugging ability (i.e. it maintains higher torque for a
longer duration of time at a lower speed)

COMPARISON OF DIESEL ENGINE WITH PETROL ENGINE

Diesel engine Petrol engine

It has got no carburetor, ignition coil and It has got carburetor, ignition coil & spark
spark plug plug
Its compression ratio varies from 14:1 to 22:1 Its compression ratio varies from 5:1 to 8:1
It uses petrol (gasoline) or power kerosine as
It uses diesel oil as fuel
fuel
Only air is sucked in cylinder in suction Mixture of fuel and air is sucked in the
stroke cylinder in suction stroke
It has got no fuel injection pump and injector,
It has got „fuel injection pump‟ and injector
instead it has got carburetor and ignition coil
Fuel is injected in combustion chamber Air fuel mixture is compressed in the
where burning of fuel takes places due to combustion chamber when it is ignited by an
heat of compression. electric spark
Thermal efficiency varies from 32 to 38% Thermal efficiency varies from 25 to 32%
Engine weight per horsepower is
Engine weight per horse-power is high
comparatively low
Operating cost is low Operating cost is high
Compression pressure inside the cylinder Compression pressure varies from 6 to 10
varies from 35 to 45 kg/cm2 and temperature kg/cm2 and temperature is above 260°C
is about 500°C
Engine Components