Thermodynamic Cycles for CI engines

In early CI engines the fuel was injected when the piston reached
TC and thus combustion lasted well into the expansion stroke.

In modern engines the fuel is injected before TC (about 20
o
)
The combustion process in the early CI engines is best approximated
by a constant pressure heat addition process Diesel Cycle

The combustion process in the modern CI engines is best approximated
by a combination of constant volume & constant pressure Dual Cycle
Fuel injection starts
Fuel injection starts
Early CI engine Modern CI engine
Early CI Engine Cycle vs Diesel Cycle
A
I
R
Combustion
Products
Fuel injected
at TC
Intake
Stroke
FUEL
Fuel/Air
Mixture
Air
TC
BC
Compression
Stroke
Power
Stroke
Exhaust
Stroke
Q
in
Q
out
Compression
Process
Const pressure
heat addition
Process
Expansion
Process
Const volume
heat rejection
Process
Actual
Cycle
Diesel
Cycle
Process 1 2 Isentropic compression
Process 2 3 Constant pressure heat addition
Process 3 4 Isentropic expansion
Process 4 1 Constant volume heat rejection
Air-Standard Diesel Cycle
Q
in

Q
out


2
3
v
v
r
c
=
Cut-off ratio:
v
2

TC
v
1
BC


TC

BC

( )
m
V V P
m
Q
u u
in 2 3 2
2 3
) ( ) (

+ =
AIR
23 Constant Pressure Heat Addition


) ( ) (
2 2 2 3 3 3
v P u v P u
m
Q
in
+ + =

) (
2 3
h h
m
Q
in
=

c
r
v
v
T
T
v
RT
v
RT
P = = = =
2
3
2
3
3
3
2
2
Q
in
First Law Analysis of Diesel Cycle
Equations for processes 12, 41 are the
same as those presented for the Otto cycle
) ( ) (
3 4
m
W
m
Q
u u
out
+ =
AIR
3 4 Isentropic Expansion







) (
4 3
u u
m
W
out
=


3
4
3
4
v
v
v
v
r
r
=
note v
4
=v
1
so
c
r
r
v
v
v
v
v
v
v
v
v
v
= = =
3
2
2
1
3
2
2
4
3
4


c r
r
r
r
v
v
v
v
= =
3
4
3
4
c
r
r
T
T
P
P
T
v P
T
v P
= =
3
4
3
4
3
3 3
4
4 4

2 3
1 4
1 1
h h
u u
m Q
m Q
in
out
cycle
Diesel

= = q
( )
( )
(

=

1
1 1 1
1
1
c
k
c
k
const c
Diesel
r
r
k
r
V
q
For cold air-standard the above reduces to:
Thermal Efficiency
1
1
1

=
k
Otto
r
q
recall,
Note the term in the square bracket is always larger than one so
for the same compression ratio, r, the Diesel cycle has a lower
thermal efficiency than the Otto cycle

When r
c
(=v
3
/v
2
)1 the Diesel cycle efficiency approaches the
efficiency of the Otto cycle
Modern CI Engines
12 < r < 23
The cut-off ratio is not a natural choice for the independent variable
A more suitable parameter is the heat input, the two are related by:
1
1 1
1 1
1

|
|
.
|

\
|
=
k
in
c
r
V P
Q
k
k
r
as Q
in
0, r
c
1 and q q
Otto
Thermal Efficiency