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Heat Engines

Heat engines can be classified in several different ways. The criterion is based on the location of the combustion, and the type of internal motion. Internal combustion engines (ICEs) are so named because the combustion occurs internally inside the engine (intuitive). For example, gasoline engines of the Otto cycle design used in motorcycles, lawnmowers, and automobiles. Another characteristic of internal combustion is the action of expanding gases contacting the internal engine parts directly to produce mechanical action from the chemical energy of the fuel. A sub category of heat engine could be described as intermittent combustion. Certainly the majority of land based transportation engines fall into the classification of intermittent combustion. Two cycle engines with twice as many power strokes are still intermittent in combustion. Diesel engines are another form of intermittent combustion engine. Intermittent combustion engines power most commercial vehicles on the road today. External combustion engines use indirect heat transfer to produce mechanical power. A common example is a steam turbine. In this case, an external heat source of thermal energy acts on a fluid (water) to produce a gas (steam) that expands against a rotor or turbine blade to produce mechanical motion. Stirling engines use external combustion to heat a gas, in this case air, to push against a piston to produce mechanical motion. External combustion occurs indirectly on the parts that must be moved to produce torque.

WEC 04/06 IET 210

Continuous combustion engines have a combustion process that produces a heat reaction in fuel without stopping. Stirling engines as do most external combustion engines can be classified as continuous combustion. Another common heat source of continuous combustion is the common propane torch. Turbine engines, jets, rocket engines and the mentioned Stirling engine are all examples of continuous combustion heat engines.

Rotary engines have a continuous rotation of the torque producing parts. Felix Wankels engine is the most prominent example available to consumers in the market place. The rotors rotate in an elliptical shaped cylinder block cavity using planetary gearing to transmit smooth rotational torque to the crankshaft and drive train. The upper port is called the intake port. The lower port is called the exhaust port. There are no valves. The position of the center rotor opens and closes the ports much like the piston does on a two-cycle engine. The rotor moves inside the shape of an elongated circle. Because of the shape of the housing, certain areas are enlarged or compressed during rotation. As the rotor is turned, an internal gear causes the center shaft to rotate.

A reciprocating engine is one in which the motion produced from the energy within the fuel moves parts up and down. The motion reciprocates or moves back and forth. Gasoline and diesel engines are considered reciprocating engines. In these the operations, the power from the air and fuel starts the internal parts (piston) moving from expanding gas pressure. The piston starts, then stops (completely), then starts, then stops, over and over again. In this type

WEC 04/06 IET 210

of engine, the reciprocating motion must then be changed into rotary motion. A crankshaft is designed to change this motion. Reciprocating engines can be related to a systems model of technology. For example: The input in this system is the change in chemical energy to mechanical energy.

The process is the engine and its parts. The engine processes chemical energy into mechanical energy. It requires parts, materials, tools, knowledge, energy and finance and other factors. The output is the mechanical energy produced at the crankshaft. The feedback is the carburetor, fuel injection, throttle on/off switch, governor, and other controls required to operate the engine. The impact is the pollution produced from burning fossil fuels, the depletion of natural resources, and the social impacts of using cars that have engines among others.

BMEP stands for brake mean effective pressure. This is an engineering term used to indicate the average pressure applied to the top of any piston from TDC to BDC. It is measured in pounds per square in (psi). The term becomes very useful when analyzing the results of different fuels used in heat engines. For example, if diesel fuel is used in an engine, more BMEP is produced. This then produces more output power than if gasoline fuel were used. Also different injection systems, combustion chamber designs, and new ignition systems that are developed can be compared using BMEP as a standard for improvement measurement. Diesel engines share much of the same design as a gasoline engine in many of its principles. It is considered a four cycle engine with some notable exceptions. The diesel engine is an internal combustion engine but does not use a spark for ignition. Large trucks and equipment are the most common applications of diesel engines in the United States. It is becoming more common for passenger cars to be sold with diesel as of late because of its inherently better fuel economy. In Western Europe almost 70% of the passenger vehicles are diesel powered. One major difference between a diesel engine and gasoline engine is that the diesel engine has a very high compression ratio. Compression ratios of 20:1 up to 25:1 are very common. This high compression ratio means that any Fuel that is in the cylinder during compression will auto ignite from the heat of gas pressure. Therefore only air is brought into the cylinder during the intake stroke. A carburetor is not needed to mix the air and fuel; fuel is injected in a diesel engine. With high compression ratios, temperature inside the combustion

WEC 04/06 IET 210

chamber may be as high as 1000F before ignition. This would be enough to ignite most fuels. This method of operation is the reason the diesel is called a compression ignition engine. Gasoline and Diesel Engines Compared The intake on the gasoline engine is and air fuel mixture. The diesel engine has air only during the intake stroke.

The compression pressures on the gasoline engine are lower. This is because compression ratios are also lower. The air fuel mixing point on the gasoline engine is at the carburetor or at the fuel injectors. The mixing point on the diesel engine is near top dead center or slightly BTDC by the fuel injector. Combustion is cause by the spark plug on the gasoline engine. The diesel engine uses the heat of compression for ignition. The power stroke on gasoline engine produces around 460 psi; the diesel engine produces nearly 1200 psi. This is because there is more energy content (Btus) in a pound of diesel fuel than a pound of gasoline.

The exhaust temperature of the gasoline engine is much higher. Exhaust on a gasoline engine is still combusting as it exits the engine into the exhaust conduit. Diesels have a much cooler exhaust temperature.

Efficiency of a diesel engine is at least 10% higher than a gasoline engine. This is the result of higher compression ratios and the higher energy content in a pound of diesel fuel.

Compression

Injection

Ignition

WEC 04/06 IET 210

Summary of Heat Engines Types of heat engines include internal and external, intermittent, and continuous combustion, reciprocating and rotary engines.

All engines have several systems that enable the engine to operate efficiently. These include the cooling, fuel, lubrication, ignition, starting, charging, air/exhaust, computer and pollution controls. Any combustion engine requires air fuel and ignition mixed together at the right time for correct operation. The best air fuel mixture is 14.7:1 by weight (stoichiometric). The bore and stroke are used to calculate the displacement of a heat engine. Compression ratio is the ratio of the volume above the piston at TDC, compared to the volume at BDC. Diesel engine compression ratios are much higher than they are for gasoline engines. The rotary engine uses a triangular rotor placed in a special housing to create intake, compression, power and exhaust. Continuous combustion engines commonly used include the gas turbine, steam turbine, and jet (reaction) engine.

WEC 04/06 IET 210

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