Definition

Airfuel ratio (AFR) is the mass ratio of air to fuel present in an internal combustion engine. If exactly enough air is provided to completely burn all of the fuel, the ratio is known as the stoichiometric mixture, often abbreviated to stoich. AFR is an important measure for anti-pollution and performance-tuning reasons. The lower the excess air, the "richer" the flame.

Air-fuel Ratio in IC Engines

In internal combustion engine, atmospheric air is essentially required to burn the fuel. The Oxygen in air helps for proper burning of fuel. To obtain excellent combustion result from fuel, the air and the fuel must be mixed in proper ratio. For complete combustion, the air-fuel ratio is approximately 15: 1 by weight. This ratio is known as chemically correct air-fuel ratio. However, the air-fuel ratio can be range from 20: 1 to 8: 1; in this range also combustion of fuel can occur. Any ratio outside of this range is either too rich or too lean to sustain flame propagation. As per requirement of engine, the carburetor provides an air-fuel ratio, which must be within combustion range. Engine is cold at the time of starting so, very rich mixture is required. Rich mixture is also required at time of idling and producing maximum power. During the normal running, a comparatively lean mixture can be used. For petrol engine, different air-fuel ratios are required under various conditions of load. These are discussed under: Air-Fuel Ratio for Starting: Very rich mixture (10: 1) is required at starting of engine. During starting very small amount of fuel is vaporises and rest of it stay in the liquid state so as to give an ignitable mixture. Air-Fuel Ratio for Idling: An idling, engine demands a rich mixture, which can be made leaner as the throttle is gradually opened. During idling, the pressure in the inlet manifold is about 20 to 25% of atmospheric pressure. At suction stroke, inlet valve opens and the product of combustion trapped in the clearance volume, expands in the inlet manifold. Latter when the piston moves downwards, the gases along with the fresh charges go into the cylinder. A rich mixture must be supplied during idling, to counteract the tendency of dilution and to get an ignitable mixture. Air-Fuel Ratio for Medium Load: Most of the time, engine is running in medium load condition, therefore, it is desirable that the running should be most economical in this condition. So a lean mixture can be supplied, as engine has low fuel consumption at medium load .For multi cylinder engine, slightly more fuel is required due to misdistribution of fuel. Air-Fuel Ratio for Maximum Power Range: When maximum power is required, the engine must be supplied with rich mixture as the economy is of no consideration. As the engine enters in the power range, the spark must be retarded otherwise knocking would occur. A lean mixture burns at latter part of working stroke. As the exhaust valve expose to high temperature gases and have very less time to cool down. Moreover, the excess air in the lean mixture may cause an oxidising action on the hot exhaust valve and leads to failure.

Air-Fuel Ratio for Acceleration: Even during normal running, sometimes more power is required for a short period such as to accelerate the vehicle for overtaking etc. During this period rich mixture is required.

Note
The efficiency of the fuel is maximised in diesel engines which use 14:1 to 25:1 air to fuel ratio as compared to 8:1 to 12:1 ratio in petrol engines.

Importance of Air-fuel Ratio

During the formation of each of the three main pollutant gases, there is a common element: the air/fuel ratio. Improper air/fuel ratio causes excessive pollution. It is as a result of this that we have taken great pains in tightly controlling the amount of fuel metered into the engine. Ultimately, this has resulted in todays computer controlled fuel injection systems. A lean mixture is one where there is an excess of oxygen mixed with the gasoline. A lean mixture is a ratio greater than 14.7:1. A lean mixture can result in high Hydrocarbons (HC) and high oxides of nitrogen (NOx). An excessively lean mixture can cause what is known as a lean misfire, where a given volume of air/fuel mixture simply doesnt have enough fuel to ignite. Whatever fuel there is simply passes through the exhaust and into the atmosphere, resulting in high HC emissions. (This will also cause a feedback loop problem in oxygen sensor controlled cars- discussed later) When the fuel mixture is lean, but it still has enough fuel to burn, the excess oxygen causes an intensely hot flame. (This is what happens in an oxy/acetylene torch, and it gets hot enough to melt and burn metal!) These high temperatures cause Nitrogen (75% of our air) to combine with oxygen and form harmful NOx. If temperatures get hot enough and stay hot enough for extended periods of time, the engine will suffer physical damage. (Holes in the piston, melting/burning metal) A lean mixture will result in low to zero levels of carbon monoxide. (CO) This is because there is plenty of oxygen available to burn all of the fuel. (CO is a product of partially burned fuel) A rich mixture can lead to increased levels of hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide, but NOx levels will generally be low. Emission control is a balancing act. Often, lowering one gas will raise another; therefore we strive for the optimum balance which is the stoichiometric ratio (14.7:1, air/fuel) HC emissions can be caused by both excessive rich and lean mixtures. In the case of excessively lean mixtures, there is not enough fuel to ignite, so it passes right through the tailpipe untouched. In

an excessively rich mixture, there is not enough oxygen present to support combustion. The end result is the same; HC exit the tailpipe unburned. High CO levels are a pretty sure sign of a rich fuel mixture, especially if high HC levels are also present. In fact high CO levels are the diagnostic hint that the high HC levels are a result of a rich mixture, not lean misfire. In a rich mixture there is not enough oxygen to combine with the carbon atoms to form harmless (CO2); instead each carbon atom combines with only one oxygen atom to form poisonous carbon monoxide. (CO) NOx levels will be low during a rich mixture because the shortage of oxygen results in a cooler flame. (NO x is a result of nitrogen forming with oxygen at high temperatures and pressures) The abundance of fuel will also have a quenching effect on the metal inside the combustion chamber.