The IC Engine: Why

By: Matthew King

Outline

A Short History Background Why How do we compare engines and their cycles?

History

The internal combustion engine was first conceived and developed in the late 1800s The man who is considered the inventor of the modern IC engine and the founder of the industry is pictured to the right.Nikolaus Otto (18321891). Otto developed a four-stroke engine in 1876, most often referred to as a Spark Ignition, since a spark is needed to ignite the fuel air mixture.

History

The impact on society is quite obvious, all most all travel and transportation is powered by the IC engine: trains, automobiles, airplanes are just a few. The IC engine largely replaced the steam engine at the turn of the century (1900s) Another important cycle is the Diesel cycle developed by Rudolph Diesel in 1897. This cycle is also known as a compression ignition engine.

Background on IC Engines

An internal combustion is defined as an engine in which the chemical energy of the fuel is released inside the engine and used directly for mechanical work, as opposed to an external combustion engine in which a separate combustor is used to burn the fuel.1 IC engines can deliver power in the range from 0.01 kW to 20x10^3 kW, depending on their displacement.2

Background on the Otto Cycle

The Otto Cycle has four basic steps or strokes:

1. An intake stroke that draws a combustible mixture of fuel and air into the cylinder 2. A compression stroke with the valves closed which raises the temperature of the mixture. A spark ignites the mixture towards the end of this stroke. 3. An expansion or power stroke. Resulting from combustion. 4. An Exhaust stroke the pushes the burned contents out of the cylinder.

To the right is an idealized representation of the Otto cycle on a PV diagram. http://www.rawbw.com/~xmwan g/javappl/ottoCyc.html

Why
The Otto cycle IC engine has remained fundamentally unchanged, besides slight improvements, for over 100 years. Its popularity has continually increased because Relatively low cost Favorable power to weight ratio High Efficiency Relative simple and robust operating characteristics Improvements are mainly lower emissions and higher fuel efficiency

Comparing Engines.

mep= work done per unit displacement volume

Or average pressure that results in the same amount of indicated or brake work produced by the engine Scales out effect of engine size Two useful types: imep and bmep

imep: indicated mean effective pressure

-the net work per unit displacement volume done by the gas during compression and expansion -the external shaft work per unit volume done by the engine

bmep: brake mean effective pressure

bmep

4 Vd

BMEP

Based on torque:

4 bmep Vd

(4 stroke)

2 bmep Vd

(2 stroke)

Compare

Brake specific fuel consumption (bsfc)

Measure of engine efficiency They are in fact inversely related, so a lower bsfc means a better engine Often used over thermal efficiency because an accepted universal definition of thermal efficiency does not exist

f f m m bsfc Wb 2 N

bsfc

f f m m b 2 N W

bsfc

bsfc is the fuel flow rate divided by the brake power

f f m m bsfc b 2 N W

We can also derive the brake thermal efficiency if we give an energy to the fuel called heat of combustion or, qc b W 1
f qc m bsfc qc

Compare

Volumetric Efficiency, ev

The mass of fuel and air inducted into the cylinder divided by the mass that would occupy the displaced volume at the density i in the intake manifold Note its a mass ratio and for a 4 stroke engine

a m f) 2( m ev iVdN

For a direct injection engine

f m

Other comparisons

First law analysis- energy conservation

For a system open to the transfer of enthalpy, mass, work, and heat, the net energy crossing the control surface is stored into or depleted from the control volume

Second Law Analysis entropy conservation

This approach takes into account the irreversibility that occurs in each process Another outcome of this analysis is the development of the usefulness of each type of energy (exergy)

References
1. Internal Combustion Engines, Colin R. Ferguson, John Wiley & Sons, 2001 2. Engines An Introduction, John L. Lumley, Cambridge University Press, 1999