DIESEL ENGINE

Synopsis: -

The diesel engine is a type of internal combustion engine; more specifically, it is a

compression ignition engine. The fuel in a diesel engine is ignited by suddenly exposing it to the high temperature and pressure of a compressed gas containing oxygen (usually atmospheric air), rather than a separate source of ignition energy (such as a spark plug). This process is known as the diesel cycle after Rudolf Diesel, who invented it in 1892. While traditional diesel engine generators may not fit into our definition of 'alternative energy' sources, they are still a valuable addition to a remote power or grid back-up system

Types of Diesel Engine:- classes of diesel engines: two-stroke and four-stroke. Most diesel engines generThere are two
ally use the four-stroke cycle, with some larger engines operating on the two-stroke cle. Normally, banks of cylinders are used in multiples of two, though any number of cylinders can be used as long as the load on the crankshaft is counterbalanced to prevent excessive vibration. Generator sets produce either single or three phase power. Most homeowners require single phase whereas industrial or commercial applications usually require three phase power. Diesel engine generators are recommended due to their longevity and lower operating costs. Modern diesel engines are quiet and generally require much less maintenance than comparably sized gas (natural gas or propane) units.

Two vs. Four Stroke Engines: When it comes to engines, two stroke and four stroke are classifications given to the internal combustion engines of an automobile. The difference is that in a two stroke engine there is only one upward and one downward stroke, giving a total of two movements in one cycle of the engine. In a four stroke engine, there are two upward and downward strokes, giving a total of four movements to complete one cycle of the engine. The first stroke of a two stroke engine is the compression stroke, which is then followed by explosion of the fuel. In the second stroke, the new fuel mix is pushed into the cylinder. In a four stroke engine, the spark occurs inside the cylinder, and the cylinder already contains the burnt gases. The sparkplugs in a two stroke engine last longer than those in a four stroke engine. Although, since two stroke engines do not have a separate lubricating system, its spare parts could wear out a bit faster compared to four stroke engines. Therefore, four stroke engines generally last longer than two stroke engines. Two stroke engines are easier and less costly to manufacture because they have a simple construction and do not have any valves. Four stroke engines are much more complex in their design and construction, and therefore, their manufacture takes longer, and is more expensive.
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Four stroke engines are much more fuel efficient than two stroke engines, as the latter will run for only a few miles on one gallon. Something else to consider, is that two stroke engines are responsible for much more pollution due to the combustion of oil in their engines. Four stroke engines are more environmentally friendly.

When it comes to power, a two stroke engine can produce twice the amount of power than a four stroke engine, in the same size engine. This is because it fires only once every revolution of the engine. A four stroke engine produces less power because it has four strokes per cycle.

Introduction to two stroke diesel engine:A two-troke diesel engine shares the same operating principles as other internal combustion engines. It has all of the advantages that other diesel engines have over gasoline engines. A two-stroke diesel engine does not produce as much power as a four-stroke diesel engine; however, it runs smoother than the four-stroke diesel. This is because it generates a power stroke each time the piston moves downward; that is, once for each crankshaft revolution. The two-stroke diesel engine has a less complicated valve train because it does not use intake valves. Instead, it requires a supercharger to force air into the cylinder and force exhaust gases out, because the piston cannot do this naturally as in four-stroke engines. The two-stroke diesel takes in air and discharges exhaust through a system called scavenging. Scavenging begins with the piston at bottom dead center. At this point, the intake ports are uncovered in the cylinder wall and the exhaust valve is open. The supercharger forces air into the cylinder, and, as the air is forced in, the burned gases from the previous operating cycle are forced out.

Working principle of two stroke engine:-

Fig: Two stroke diesel engine 1st stroke (Upward stroke): 1st stroke: The piston is at the bottom of the cylinder. A pipe at the left side is opened and lets the fuel mixture, which is already compressed a bit, flow from the lower to the upper part of the cylinder. The fresh gases expulse now the exhaust through an ejection pipe, which is not closed by the piston at this moment 2nd stroke (Downward stroke): 2nd stroke: After being hurried upward, the piston now covers the pipe on the left side and the ejection pipe. Because there is no way out any more, the upper, fresh gas mixture gets compressed now. At the same time in the part below fresh gas is taken in by the piston driving up5

ward through the open suction pipe. At the upper dead-center, the compressed fuel mixture is ignited by the sparking plug, the piston is pressed downward while he compresses at the same time the fresh gas below. The process begins again as soon as the piston arrives at its lowest point.

Advantages of 2 Stroke Engines: Run forever with little maintenance Simple to troubleshoot

Very inexpensive

Disadvantages of 2 stroke engine: Run dirty and pollute the air Usually are loud Oil must be added to the gasoline in a specific ratio

Can bevery hard to start when cold

Introduction to four stroke engine:The four cycles refer to intake, compression, combustion (power), and exhaust cycles that occur during two crankshaft rotations per power cycle of the four-cycle engines. The cycle begins at Top Dead Centre (TDC), when the piston is farthest away from the axis of the crankshaft. A cycle refers to the full travel of the piston from Top Dead Centre (TDC) to Bottom Dead Centre (BDC). (See Dead centre .) A 4-stroke diesel engine has a cycle of four strokes. A stroke is the distance from top dead center to bottom dead center. The piston travels down for one stroke on intake, up for compression, down for power, and back up for exhaust. Working of four stroke diesel engine

1. INTAKE stroke: on the intake or induction stroke of the piston, the piston descends from the top of the cylinder to the bottom of the cylinder, reducing the pressure inside the cylinder. A mixture of fuel and air, or just air in a diesel engine, is forced by atmospheric (or greater) pressure into the cylinder through the intake port. The intake valve( s) then close. The volume of air/fuel mixture that is drawn into the cylinder, relative to the volume of the cylinder is called, the volumetric efficiency of the engine. 2. COMPRESSION stroke: with both intake and exhaust valves closed, the piston returns to the top of the cylinder compressing the air, or fuel-air mixture into the combustion chamber of the cylinder head. 3. POWER stroke: this is the start of the second revolution of the engine. While the piston is close to Top Dead Center, the compressed airfuel mixture in a gasoline engine
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is ignited, usually by a spark plug , or fuel is injected into the diesel engine, which ignites due to the heat generated in the air during the compression stroke. The resulting massive pressure from the combustion of the compressed fuel-air mixture forces the piston back down toward bottom dead centre. 4. EXHAUST stroke: during the exhaust stroke, the piston once again returns to top dead center while the exhaust valve is open. This action evacuates the burnt products of combustion from the cylinder by expelling the spent fuel-air mixture out through the exhaust valve(s).

Advantages of 4 stroke diesel engines: Very dependable Run much cleaner than 2 strokes Can be made to run very quietly Can produce far more power than 2 strokes because they can be made much larger

Disadvantages of 4 stroke diesel engine: More complex and harder to troubleshoot Require oil to be changed regularly More expensive than 2 stroke

Applications of diesel engine:Diesel Engine Generators - Commercial/Industrial Applications Diesel generators are designed to meet the needs of small and medium-sized businesses apart from heavy usage in industries. A generator is a revolutionary product that brings clean and affordable standby power within the reach of millions of enterprises, homes and small businesses. Reducing the cost of backup power and making generators easy to install is becoming the norm these days.

Businesses lose money when they shut down during a blackout. Considering the impact of significant revenue loss, the economics of investing in standby power is compelling. To illustrate the point: If a retail business averages $1000 an hour at the cash register, the loss of revenue during an extended outage will be very high, not to mention the cost of having employees idle during that time. However, diesel powered generators eliminate the risk of a blackout. Add the advantages of being open while competitors without backup power are shut down and the cost / benefit analysis looks even better. Investing in generators is a simple way to safeguard revenue, maintain security, avoid losses, and protect the bottom line. Most modern generators are engineered to meet emergency power needs. These units continuously monitor the electrical current and automatically start up if power is interrupted and shut off when utility service is returned. In industries, during critical processes, generators can supply emergency power to all vital and selected loads as desired. This quality leads to widespread use of diesel-powered generators across recreational, residential, commercial, communication, and industrial applications. Today, most state-of-the-art- hospitals, five star hotels, business process outsourcing centers, manufacturing plants, telecommunications organizations, commercial buildings, data centers, emergency facilities, large industries, and mining companies require uninterrupted power and have backup diesel engine generators. On the Road: The vast majority of modern heavy road vehicles like trucks and buses, ships, long-distance trains, large-scale portable power generators, and most farm and mining vehicles have diesel engines. However, in some countries they are not nearly as popular in passenger vehicles as they are heavier, noisier, have performance characteristics that make them slower to accelerate. In general, they are also more expensive than petrol vehicles. Modern diesel engines have come a long way and with Turbo Direct Injection systems now in vehicles, one would be hardpressed to notice a difference between diesel and gasoline engines. In some countries, where tax rates make diesel fuel much cheaper than petrol, diesel vehicles are very popular. Newer designs have significantly narrowed differences between petrol and diesel vehicles in these areas. The BMW diesel lab in Austria is considered to be the worldwide leader in the development of automotive diesel engines. After a long spell with relatively few diesel cars in its lineup, Mercedes Benz has returned to diesel-powered cars in the 21st century with an emphasis on high performance.
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In the agricultural field, tractors, irrigation pumps and threshing machines and other equipment are predominantly diesel powered. Construction is another sector that relies heavily on diesel power. All concrete pavers, scrapers, rollers, trenchers and excavators run on diesel. In the Air: A few airplanes have been using diesel engines since the late 1930s. The newer automotive diesel engines have power-weight ratios comparable to the ancient spark-ignition designs and have far superior fuel efficiency. Their use of electronic ignition, fuel injection, and sophisticated engine management systems also makes them far easier to operate than mass-produced sparkignition aircraft engines. The cost of diesel fuel compared to petrol has led to considerable interest in diesel-powered small general aviation planes, and several manufacturers have recently begun selling diesel engines for this purpose. On the Waters: High-speed engines are used to power tractors, trucks, yachts, buses, cars, compressors, generators and pumps. The largest diesel engines are used to power ships and liners along the high seas. These huge engines have power outputs up to 90,000 kW, turn at about 60 to 100 rpm, and are 15 meters tall. Under the Ground: The mining and mineral extraction sector worldwide relies heavily on diesel power to harness natural resources such as aggregates, precious metals, iron ore, oil, gas, and coal. Dieselpowered shovels and drills excavate these products and load them into enormous mining trucks or onto conveyer belts that also operate on the same fuel. Overall, diesel accounts for 72 percent of the energy used by the mining sector. Both surface and underground mining operations rely on diesel-powered equipment to extract materials and load trucks. The largest rubber-tired, diesel-powered equipment used in mining are enormous off-road trucks with engines of over 2,500 horsepower, capable of hauling over 300 tons per load. These giant trucks trundling across the land are a sight to behold. In the Hospitals Emergency backup generators are a must have for any major medical healthcare facilities. Due to the critical nature of the work these facilities do and the position their patients are in, power failures are simply not an option. For many years, both military and public hospitals have relied
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