TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

Combustion Engineering

Leader:
Labang, Jade Vincent S.
Member:
Ramos, Earvin John N.
Cabrera, Jeffrey
Magay, Rovin
Ledesma, Kevin
BSME-4C
MODERN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE

In the long run, the internal combustion engine (ICE) is on the way out and
electric motors are on the way in, but ICEs have been around for so loooong that we
should be careful about announcing their demise. They're going to stick around a while
longer, and so it's very important to make them as efficient and clean as possible.

Car and Driver looks at 5 fuel-saving technologies that are keeping the ICE
relevant (if far from ideal). As they say, they still work on basically the same principle as
they ever did, but old 4-cylinder engines produced about 20 horsepower while modern
ones can generate up to 250 hp while being cleaner and burning less gas. Read on for
more details on the 5 fuel-saving technologies: Clean diesel, direct injection, cylinder
deactivation, turbochargers, and variable valve timing and lift.Clean Diesel

Various advances such as the availability of ultra low sulfur diesel fuel, better
catalysts and particulate matter traps, better control over combustion are making diesel
engines cleaner, so you can expect a new wave of diesel passenger vehicles to come to
the US in the next few years.
Diesel engines are certainly far from perfect, but they have inherently better thermal
efficiency than gasoline engines, and they are usually more durable (if also more
expensive and heavier). Another benefit is that they can run on biodiesel, which if you
can find fuel made from waste cooking oil or (in the next few years) from algae can be

very green.

Fuel System

Direct Injection
Before direct injection, the fuel was mixed with air in the car's intake manifold.
Now, with direct injection, the fuel is mixed with air inside the cylinder, allowing for
better control over the amount of fuel used, and variations depending on demand
(acceleration vs. cruising). This makes the engine more fuel efficient.

Multi-Port Fuel Injection

The next logical progression of fuel injection was to move the injectors from a
single location above the intake to multiple locations on the intake itself. With multi-port
fuel injection, the injectors were positioned on the intake manifold at the point where the
intake meets each combustion chamber. On a six-cylinder engine, there would be six

injectors located at each intake port of the manifold. This allowed for more even
distribution of fuel to each cylinder. Instead of dumping the fuel in one place and having
it distributed by the intake through air flow into the cylinders, the fuel is delivered to the
intake just outside the combustion chamber. Multi-port fuel injection fires the injectors all
at the same time, and the fuel sits on the intake until needed; this is a split-second event,
even during engine idle. The more even distribution of fuel improves efficiency and
therefore improves economy; vehicle emissions are also decreased with a more thorough
burn of all the fuel introduced.

Late-Model Fuel Injection Design

As fuel injection design advanced, engineers concentrated on a more direct
method of introducing the fuel directly to the combustion chamber. The advancements
were aimed at making the vehicle more fuel efficient, while also improving performance.
Sequential Fuel Injection
Sequential fuel injection placed the injections at the same location as multi-port
fuel injection, but with advanced electronic engine controls, the sequence in which the
injectors fired was changed. Instead of dumping the fuel from all injectors at the same
time, sequential fuel injection pulses the fuel spray just before the intake valve opens for
that particular cylinder. By matching the timing of the camshaft, the injectors can provide
the fuel just as it is needed. While this might seem like a minute change, the design made
an incremental improvement in efficiency and performance.

Direct Fuel Injection

The design model for direct injection is to bypass the intake and intake valves
entirely, injecting the fuel directly into the combustion chamber. Direct injection is the
method of fuel delivery for diesel engines and most recently has been introduced into

gasoline-powered vehicles as a means to further improve engine performance. No fuel is

wasted in the form of carbon deposits on the intake or intake valve, and with high-tech
computer engine controls, the delivery of exact amounts of fuel is matched to the
vehicles demand. All the data gathered from sensors throughout the vehicle gives the
control module input to help determine the fuel requirements of the engine.
The following chart provides a summary of the different types of fuel injection
designs. The advantages and disadvantages of each type of system are compared, and a
comparison with carburetor fuel delivery is also provided.

Fuel Delivery Method

Carburetor

Throttle body injection

Multi-port injection

Advantages

Disadvantages

Hot rod tuners can easily

Very inefficient; hard to tune

adjust

economically

Computer-controlled fuel

Inefficient; dumps fuel into

delivery

intake similarly to carburetor

Delivers fuel to intake port;

improves fuel distribution
Times fuel delivery with

Sequential injection

intake valve opening;

improves efficiency and
economy

Fuel must still be drawn from

intake into combustion
chamber
Still some incomplete fuel
burn in intake and around
valves

Fuel injection directly into

Direct injection

combustion chamber;

More expensive to repair when

bypasses intake and valves;

component failures occur

most efficient

Cylinder Deactivation
The name says it all. ICEs with this feature can simply deactivate some cylinders
when less power is required, temporarily reducing the total volume of the engine
cylinders and so burning less fuel. This feature is found on V6 and V8 engines.

Turbochargers
Turbochargers increase the pressure inside cylinders, cramming more air and
allowing combustion to generate more power. This doesn't make the engine more
economical in itself, but since a smaller displacement engine can generate more peak
power, you can more easily downsize and save there.

Turbochargers Vs Superchargers

When designing an engine to pull in more than atmospheric pressure, tuners often

turn to forced induction. Its one of the fastest ways to add significant power to almost
any engine, and there are two prevalent ways it can be done: supercharging and
turbocharging.

Whats the difference? A supercharger is an air compressor driven by the

crankshaft of an engine, usually connected with a belt. Alternatively, a turbocharger is
simply an air compressor driven by an exhaust gas turbine. Thats the one key difference;
a supercharger requires engine power to run, while a turbocharger runs off waste energy
created by the engine. You might assume that because the turbo is run off waste gases that
its more efficient, and youd be correct!

Turbocharger advantages and disadvantages:

Pros:

Significant increase in horsepower.

Power vs size: allows for smaller engine displacements to produce much more
power relative to their size.

Better fuel economy: smaller engines use less fuel to idle, and have less rotational
and reciprocating mass, which improves fuel economy.

Higher efficiency: turbochargers run off energy that is typically lost in naturallyaspirated and supercharged engines (exhaust gases), thus the recovery of this
energy improves the overall efficiency of the engine.

Cons:

Turbo lag: turbochargers, especially large turbochargers, take time to spool up and
provide useful boost.

Boost threshold: for traditional turbochargers, they are often sized for a certain
RPM range where the exhaust gas flow is adequate to provide additional boost for
the engine. They typically do not operate across as wide an RPM range as
superchargers.

Power surge: in some turbocharger applications, especially with larger turbos,

reaching the boost threshold can provide an almost instantaneous surge in power,
which could compromise tyre traction or cause some instability of the car.

Oil requirement: turbochargers get very hot and often tap into the engines oil
supply. This calls for additional plumbing, and is more demanding on the engine
oil. Superchargers typically do not require engine oil lubrication.

2. Supercharger advantages and disadvantages:

Pros:

Increased horsepower: adding a supercharger to any engine is a quick solution to

boosting power.

No lag: the superchargers biggest advantage over a turbocharger is that it does

not have any lag. Power delivery is immediate because the supercharger is driven
by the engines crankshaft.

Low RPM boost: good power at low RPM in comparison with turbochargers.

Price: cost effective way of increasing horsepower.

Cons:

Less efficient: the biggest disadvantage of superchargers is that they suck engine
power simply to produce engine power. Theyre run off an engine belt connected
to the crankshaft, so youre essentially powering an air pump with another air
pump. Because of this, superchargers are significantly less efficient than
turbochargers.

Reliability: with all forced induction systems (including turbochargers), the

engine internals will be exposed to higher pressures and temperatures, which will
of course affect the longevity of the engine. Its best to build the engine from the
bottom up to handle these pressures, rather than relying on stock internals.

Superchargers often go hand in hand with big V8s, and theyre certainly capable of
producing big power. Heres a video on how they work:

Variable Valve Timing and Lift

Valves open and close to allow air and fuel to enter cylinders and for the products of
combustion to exit. Different valve timings produce different results (more power, better
fuel economy). Traditionally, you couldn't vary that timing, so the choice had to be made
once when the engine was designed. But many modern engines can vary valve timing,
allowing for example the default low RPM range of the engine to have more economical
timing, and the higher RPM range to go for max power. This allows a smaller
displacement engine to produce more peak power, so it allows for downsizing and fuel
savings.

VTEC
VTEC, on the other hand, works in a stair-step fashion, shuttling between two or more
distinct cam profiles to change three variables: valve timing, duration, and lift. As revs
climb, the computer directs oil flow (A) through the rocker shaft.
VTEC regulates the opening of air-fuel intake valves and exhaust valves in accordance
with engine speeds
By regulating valve opening to match engine speed, the agile i-VTEC engine adjusts
its characteristics to realize both superior power and low fuel consumption.

One Big Problem With All of This

The problem is that most of the gains from these technological breakthroughs have
been used to increase power instead of reducing fuel consumption. At best, fuel economy
stayed the same while power increased.
Now that environmental awareness
is increasing, that global warming is on everybody's mind and that oil is very expensive,
we can hope that carmakers will end the horsepower arms race and finally use these
technologies to truly make more efficient cars.

Hybrid

Hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs) combine the benefits of gasoline engines and

electric motors and can be configured to obtain different objectives, such as improved
fuel economy, increased power, or additional auxiliary power for electronic devices and
power tools.
Some of the advanced technologies typically used by hybrids include

Regenerative Braking. The electric motor applies resistance to the drivetrain

causing the wheels to slow down. In return, the energy from the wheels turns the
motor, which functions as a generator, converting energy normally wasted during
coasting and braking into electricity, which is stored in a battery until needed by
the electric motor.

Electric Motor Drive/Assist. The electric motor provides additional power to

assist the engine in accelerating, passing, or hill climbing. This allows a smaller,
more efficient engine to be used. In some vehicles, the motor alone provides
power for low-speed driving conditions where internal combustion engines are
least efficient.

Automatic Start/Shutoff. Automatically shuts off the engine when the vehicle
comes to a stop and restarts it when the accelerator is pressed. This prevents
wasted energy from idling.
For fuel economy information on these vehicles, please visit the Compare Side-bySide section.

LOW-TEMPERATURE COMBUSTION
Low temperature combustion (LTC) is a flameless, staged burning of the fuel
(gasoline, diesel, or biofuel) in an engine's combustion chamber at temperatures that are
lower than what occurs during conventional engine combustion. Research suggests that
LTC has the potential for a 20% efficiency improvement over current diesel engines. The
lower temperature, flameless combustion results from compression of a fuel-air mixture
that has been diluted with either excess air or recirculated exhaust gas. This process raises
the density and temperature of the dilute mixture, and causes it to autoginite (a process
known as compression ignition).
With the LTC process, the engine compresses a dilute fuel-air mixture, raising its
density and temperature. This process, known as compression ignition, causes the fuel-air
mixture to autoignite. To dilute the fuel-air mixture so that it has a lower proportion of
fuel in it than conventional combustion would, the engine uses either excess intake air or
recirculated exhaust gas.
Staged burning the other key element of LTC is achieved by controlling the
timing of the autoignition and rate of heat release. This process works to eliminate
excessive combustion rates that can cause engine noise and structural damage, especially
at higher loads.
VTO is researching a number of forms of LTC, including homogeneous-charge
compression ignition (HCCI), premixed-charge compression ignition (PCCI), and
reactivity controlled compression ignition (RCCI).
LTC offers a number of advantages over today's engines:

The fuel/air mixture and combustion product properties enable the engine to be
more efficient than conventional combustion engines.
Because of the lower combustion temperature, the engine loses less energy
through the cylinder walls to the environment. Some of this reduced energy loss
allows the cylinder to maintain higher pressure for a longer period of time,

enabling the engine to do more work. Some of the energy appears in the form of
higher exhaust energy that turbocharging can partly capture.
Gasoline-based LTC does not need to throttle intake air to control load, which is a
major cause of inefficiency in today's gasoline spark-ignition engines.
LTC is not restricted by "knock" (explosive, uncontrolled combustion) in the same
way gasoline spark-ignition engines are. As a result, LTC allows gasoline engines
to have high compression ratios similar to diesels, increasing their fuel economy.
LTC may be able to achieve ultra-low exhaust emissions, which could greatly
reduce aftertreatment requirements, cost, and fuel economy penalties.

VTO is supporting work to address a number of critical challenges facing the

development of low-temperature combustion, such as:

Difficulty controlling the start of combustion, because of the lack of a spark or

fuel injection
Expanding the range of engine loads
Managing the heat release rate
Reducing the lack of control during transient events, such as changing loads and
acceleration
Reducing potentially higher hydrocarbon (HC) and carbon monoxide (CO)
emissions
Understanding if LTC can be more fully effective when combined with fuel that
has different specifications than gasoline and diesel
DILUTE (OR LEAN-BURN) GASOLINE COMBUSTION
In dilute gasoline combustion, a flame moves through either premixed or nonpremixed (i.e., stratified) mixtures of fuel and air. In this process, the engine dilutes the
fuel with either more air than is required to burn it (excess intake air) or recirculated
exhaust gases. The Vehicle Technologies Office's (VTO) research focuses on the nonpremixed (stratified) version because it offers the highest potential to improve efficiency.
These engines can operate on current gasoline and gasoline/ethanol blends and are
primarily for automotive and light truck applications. This combustion technology can
offer fuel economy improvements of up to 35% relative to a 2009 baseline gasoline
vehicle.
In the stratified version of the process, the vehicle injects fuel directly into the
cylinder. It times it so that a properly stratified combustible fuel-air mixture occurs near
the spark plug at the time of spark.
Dilute gasoline combustion results in fuel economy improvements because:

The engine uses the amount of fuel injected to control the load rather than
restricting the intake air flow (throttling) to control it. Most gasoline vehicles on

the road have port-fuel-injected (PFI) gasoline engines that use throttling, which
is far less efficient.
At part load, the combustion products allow the engine to carry out work more
efficiently compared to conventional engines.
The engine has a lower combustion product temperature at partial loads than a
conventional engine would and as a result, loses less heat.

VTO is supporting work to address critical challenges which include:

Determining the most efficient fuel-air mixing strategies, which involve issues
with port configurations, fuel-spray characteristics, and mixing characteristics
Initiating ignition and propagating a flame in stratified mixtures
Facing challenges with stochastic misfire and knock (explosive, uncontrolled
combustion)
Reducing emissions that are different from those that occur with conventional
(PFI) engines

CLEAN DIESEL COMBUSTION

In clean diesel combustion, the burning process takes place in a process fairly
similar to conventional diesel combustion. In conventional diesel combustion (also
known as diffusion combustion), the rate at which the fuel spray mixes with air inside the
cylinder before it reaches the flame determines the rate at which the fuel and air burn in
the flame. In clean diesel combustion, more fuel-air mixing occurs prior to the flame.
This enables cleaner combustion that produces less soot as well as retains or improves the
high efficiency of diesel engines. Adding recirculated exhaust gas to the intake air stream
dilutes the fuel-air mixture, resulting in lower combustion temperatures and reducing the
formation of NOx. Because fewer emissions form inside the cylinder, clean diesel
engines do not have to rely as heavily on aftertreatment technologies to further reduce
emissions.
The Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) is supporting research to further improve
clean diesel combustion and make it cost-competitive for all passenger and commercial
vehicles. This requires pushing the state-of-the-art of technologies such as computercontrol, multi-pulse fuel injection, high-pressure fuel injection, use of exhaust gas
recirculation, and manipulation of in-cylinder gas flows.
VTO's research on clean diesel combustion engines for passenger and commercial
vehicles addresses critical challenges which include:

Controlling the amount and temperature of the exhaust gas used for exhaust gas
recirculation to minimize emissions

Improving the fuel injectors, injection pressure, and control over the fuel spray
and spray types in high-pressure and multi-pulse injection
Improving lifted-flame combustion, which is when the flame that lifts off of the
fuel nozzle stabilizes downstream of the fuel jet. Clean diesel engines must
maintain auto-ignition of the fuel-lean mixture that is immediately upstream of
the flame base.
Improving post-combustion injections for reducing emissions both in-cylinder and
through aftertreatment