DIESEL CYCLE

The limition of compression ratio in S.I engine can be overcome by compressing air alone, instead of the
fuel-air mixture, and then injection the fuel into the cyclinder in spray form when combustion is desired.
The C.I engine is very similar to the S.I engine, differing mainly in the method of initiating combustion.
In S.I engines, a mixture of air and fuel is compressed during compression stroke and the compression
ratios are limited by the onset of autoignition or engine knock.
In CI engine only air is compressed during the compression stroke. Therefore, diesel engine can operates
at much higher compression ratios typically b/w 12 and 24.
The spark plug and carburetor (for fuel air mixture) are replaced by a fuel injector in diesel engines.
The temperature of air after compression must be high enough so that the fuel sprayed into the hot air
burns spontaneously. The rate of burning can be controlled by the rate of injection of fuel.
An engine working in this way is called a compression ignition (C.I) engine.

Ideal cycle

Process 1 – 2 – reversible adiabatic compression

Process 2 – 3 – constant pressure heat addition
Process 3 – 4 – reversible adiabatic expansion
Process 4 – 1 – constant volume heat rejection
Detonation or knocking in SI engine always occur near the end of combustion
Where as in disel engine it occur at beginning of combustion.
Heat supply (Q1) = mcp(T3 – T2)
Heat rejected (Q2) = mcv(T4 – T1)
Q mc v (T4  T1 )
  1 2  1
Q1 mc V (T3  T2 )
Efficiency
T  T1
  1 4
(T3  T2 )
The efficiency can be expressed in terms of any of the following three ratios.

(rk )  1
2
Compression ratio

(re )  4
3
Expansion ratio

(rc )  3
2
Cutoff ratio
   
rk  1  3  4  3  re  rc
3  2 3 2
rk = re × rc
process 3-4
 1
T4  3  r r  1
    T4  T3  1  T3  c 1
T3   4  re rk
Process 2-3
T2  2 1 1
   T2  T3 
T3 3 rc rc
Process 1-2
 1
T1   2  1 1
    T1  T2  1
T2  1  rk  1 rk
1
T1  T3 
rc rk  1
Putting valve T1, T2, T4 in term
r  1 1
T3  c  1  T3   1
rk rc rk
  1
 1
 T3  T3  
 rc 

rc  1 1

rk  1 rc rk  1
  1
 1
 1  
 rc 
1 1
 1

r rc rk  1
 1 k
 1
 1  
 rc 
1 rc  1
 1
rk  1 (rc  1)
 1
r
Diesel  1  c
 1
rk (rc  1)
1 r   1
rc  1,  c 
  rc  1 
As is also greater than unity. Therefore, the efficiency of the diesel cycle is less than that of
otto cycle for the same compression ratio.
Thermal efficiency decreases as the cut off ratio increases.