Lec:19

28th Nov.,2018

Internal Combustion Engines

ME 4142
Dr. Saif ur Rahman
Department of Mechanical Engineering
 Chapter 6

Combustion in SI Engine
 Ignition Lag
• As we Know: The time between spark
initiation and flame development is called
ignition lag
• It is in milliseconds and in terms of crank
angle between 10 to 20 degrees
• There are several Factor which Affect this
phenomena
 Factors Affecting Ignition Lag
• Effect of Nature of Fuel:
– Higher self-ignition temperature longer ignition lag
– Shortest ignition lag for the mixture slightly richer than stoichiometric
– Longer for lean mixtures
– Also longer for too rich mixtures
 Factors Affecting Ignition Lag
• Other Major factors, those affect the
ignition lag are;
–Initial P and T
–Compression Ratio
–Spark Timing
–Turbulence
–Spark Plug Gap
 Factors Affecting Ignition Lag
• Initial P and T:
– As the chemical reaction depend on Temperature and to some
extent on Pressure an in crease in either will reduce the
ignition lag
• Compression Ratio:
– As the Higher CR will increase the Temperature and hence
reaction rate so it will reduce the ignition lag
– Also Higher CR will reduce the residual gases concentration
and will further reduce the ignition lag
• Spark Timing:
– Retarding the spark time will produce the spark closed to
TDC; increasing the compression and increasing the P and T
and thus reducing the Ignition Lag
 Factors Affecting Ignition Lag
• Turbulence and Engine Speed
– Turbulence is directly proportional to speed
– And does not effect ignition lag much directly
– So time in milliseconds remain constant but the crank angle increase with
speed
– Hence spark timing has to be advanced at higher speeds using the ignition
advance mechanisms
• Negative effects of Turbulence
– Excessive turbulence in vicinity of spark plug causes flame quenching and also
these other effects can negatively effect the ignition lag;
• Heat transfer rate from combustion chamber increases
• Destabilizing the development of the flame nucleus
• To prevent it the spark plugs are located in small recesses of the
combustion chamber
 Factors Affecting Ignition Lag
• Electrode Gap of Spark Plug:
– Spark plug gap has to be optimum;
– Small gap can quench the flame nucleus
– Larger gap may reduce the spark intensity
– Fuel/air ratio is reduced for adjustment
• Electrode Gap versus equivalence ratio
– The range of eq. ratio increases with CR increase for a given
Gap
– Higher Gap is needed for an engine with lower CR
– For CR of 9 the Gap should range from 0.8 to 0.9 mm
Factors Affecting Combustion in SI
• Composition of mixture
• Load
• Compression Ratio
• Speed
• Turbulence and shape of combustion chamber
• Spark plug position
Factors Affecting Combustion in SI
• Composition of mixture affects
– Rate of combustion
– Heat evolved
– Change the pressure and temperature
– Effect of mixture strength on indicator diagram
Factors Affecting Combustion in SI
• Load:
– Power of engine is reduced by throttling
– The pressure (initial and at the point of ignition) decrease
– Residual gases increase
– The combustion phase is prolonged and the process might
lose stability and can not be reestablished when needed
– To overcome this a rich mixture has to be used
– So at part load combustion of SI engine is poor
– Products of incomplete combustion like carbon monoxide,
oxides of nitrogen, and unburned hydrocarbons are
introduced into atmosphere
– Introduction of rich mixture can even exasperate the
problem as well as wasteful on fuel
Factors Affecting Combustion in SI
• Compression Ratio
– A higher compression ratio gives;
• Higher P
• Higher T
• And Lower residual gases
• These are favorable conditions for ignition and reduction
of ignition lag
• High CR increase surface to volume ratio of combustion
chamber
Factors Affecting Combustion in SI
• Speed Effects:
– The speed does not effect the time required for
flame development and crank angle
– The flame speed in the main phase of combustion
increases with the increase in speed
– Where as the crank angle during this phase
remains same
– In the first phase the crank angle increases
Factors Affecting Combustion in SI
• For Same angle of Ignition;
• With increasing Speed the duration for Flame development will increase Fig 6.12 (a)

• By advancing the angle of ignition at higher speed;

• The pressure rise in the main combustion phase can be made coincidental Fig 6.12
(b)
• The afterburning phase increases with speed
Factors Affecting Combustion in SI
• Turbulence and shape of combustion chamber
– Turbulence starts at the entry and can be
intensified by a properly shaped combustion
chamber
– The recesses are arranged such a way to create
swirling motion which helps in after burning phase
and cause rapid after burning
Factors Affecting Combustion in SI
• Spark plug position
• Mounting SP in center
– Reduces the flame front travel distance
– Maximize Flame front surface
– Heat release and pressure rise is best
• Mounting closer to the hotter exhaust valve
– Will increase the combustion period
– May require an ignition advance to obtain optimum results
• Mounting two spark plugs;
– Will reduce the flame travel path
– Will produce higher rate of pressure rise
– May require ignition advance reduction
– A standard procedure for aircraft engine to ensure reliable and improved
performance
– Increase thermal efficiency and reduce fuel consumption
– Also useful for larger cylinder diameters
Normal and Abnormal Combustion
 Normal Combustion
• Under normal conditions
flame travels with a
uniform speed across the
combustion chamber
• The gas ahead of the flame
front is called “END-GAS”
and is the last part of the
flame to burn
• The end-gas receives heat
from;
– Compression of expanding
burned gases and
– Radiation of advancing
flame front
 Normal Combustion
• At pressure and
temperature below a
certain level the normal
progression of the flame
continues
• And complete burning is
achieved
• The pressure crank
angle diagram is a
smooth as shown in 6.15
(b)
 Abnormal Combustion or Auto-ignition

• In case of higher than normal pressure and

temperature conditions; the end gas will ignite
before the flame front reaches it
• The phenomenon is called auto-ignition
• This happens in about the last 25 % of the
flame travel
• It happens when the charge remains in above
critical condition for certain length of time
 Abnormal Combustion or Auto-ignition
• In auto-ignition the rate of
reaction is very high and energy
release is instantaneous
• This causes pressure fluctuation
as shown in 6.15 c and d
• There is a large pressure
fluctuation of 3 to 4 times in the
end gas region
• These severe pressure
fluctuation cause vibration and a
characteristic high pitched
sound
• The phenomenon is called
Knocking
 Chapter 7

COMBUSTION IN CI ENGINES
 Combustion in CI engines
• Ignition mode; Heated air because of COMPRESSION
sprayed with FUEL
• Typical compression ratio 14 to 22
• Diesel engines used where continuous heavy duty
operation is required
• Better thermal efficiency because of higher
compression ratio
• Better operational fuel/air ratio as fuel supply through
injectors can be controlled better in CI engines
• More noise and vibration than SI engine
Schematic of diesel fuel spray
Stages of Combustion
 Combustion in CI engines
• Combustion in CI engine is a complex process
• Why;
– Ignition at several locations in combustion chamber while
fuel might still be in liquid form on other locations
– Combustion may start when still some of the fuel might not
have been injected, i.e. injection process not complete
– The ratio of fuel present at start of combustion to the total
injected is significant in the combustion process
– Fuel distribution in the combustion chamber effect the
combustion mechanism and emissions. Depends on
• Air motion
• Injection process
 Air Motion in CI Engines
• Turbulence at the time
of fuel injection is
important
• Two factors of air
velocity play important
role
• Air swirl (Spiral Flow)
• Air radial flow (Squish)
 Spray Structure
• Fuel jet injected
radially into a swirling
flow
• Complex motion in
radial and tangential
direction
• Small droplets are
carried away and form
the leading edge of the
spray
• Equivalence ratio on
mass basis is also
ploted
 Lean Flame Region
• The concentration of fuel
between the core and leading
edge is heterogeneous
• Ignition nuclei will be formed
where the mixture is most
suitable for auto-ignition
• Ignition starts at leading edge
• Ignition develops into small
independent flame fronts
• The mixture is leaner than
stoichiometric and the region
is called “lean flame region”
 Combustion Process
• Injection starts at point A
• The droplets reach the ignition
temperature through AB (first
stage)
• Spontaneous ignition and
pressure rise from B onwards
and continues in BC (second
stage)
• The rest of the fuel injected in
CD (stage 3) burns as soon as
injected
• DE (fourth stage is after burning
 Combustion Process
• “AB” Ignition delay period
• “BC” Rapid or
uncontrolled Combustion
• “CD” Mixing-controlled
Combustion phase
• “DE” Late combustion
phase or After burning
Heat Release Rate
 Heat Release Rate
• Period a-b is ignition delay no
heat released
• Period b-c the rapid
combustion phase and peak
heat released
• Period c-d is controlled
combustion phase heat release
might see a second peak
• Period d-e late combustion
phase, lower rate heat release
 Air/Fuel Ratio in CI Engine
• For varying engine speed the amount of air per
cycle is constant
• The Amount of fuel changes with the load
• And hence Air/fuel ratio changes
• The air/fuel ratio might change from 100 for a
no load condition to 20 for a peak load
condition
• Air/fuel ratio in SI engines remain constant
 Air/Fuel Ratio in CI Engine
• With increase in fuel input
air/fuel ratio is reduced and
power output increases
• This increase is up to a limit
when objectionable quantity
of smoke is produced
• At high air/fuel ratio in CI
engine may result in
incomplete utilization of air
• Without producing any
harmful pollutants
• In SI engine there is always
complete utilization of air
Chapter 4
ASSUMPTIONS
2nd Law of Thermodynamics
 2nd LAW STATEMENTS
The Kelvin-Planck Statement: It is
impossible to construct a device which operates
on a cycle and produces no other effect than the
transfer of heat from a single body in order to
produce work

The Clausius Statement: It is impossible to

construct a device which operates on a cycle
and produces no other effect than the transfer
of heat from a cooler body to a hotter body.
 2nd LAW ANALYSIS OF COMBUSTION

• The working fluids are assumed to behave like ideal gases with
temperature dependent gas properties
 WHAT IS GOING ON INSIDE THE
ENGINE?!
• 2ND Law Analysis requires considering IC
Engine is OPEN System.
• The chemicals going in the combustion
Chamber are C-H product and O2
• The things coming out are CO2 and H2O
 Gibbs Free Energy
• In thermodynamics, the Gibbs free energy also known as free enthalpy is
a thermodynamic potential to be used for calculation of the maximum
reversible work that may be performed by a thermodynamic system at a
constant temperature and pressure (isothermal, isobaric)

• The change in the Gibbs free energy of the system that occurs during a
reaction is equal to the change in the enthalpy of the system minus the
change in the product of the temperature times the entropy of the system.
If the reaction is run at constant temperature, this equation can be written
as follows.

Air Slandered Assumptions

 Gibbs Free Energy
Gibbs Free Energy is a more advanced and accurate to
describe the force that causes a chemical reaction.
The sign of ∆G provides us with extremely valuable
information about the spontaneity of processes that
occur at constant temperature and pressure. If both T
and Pare constant, the relationship between the sign of
∆G and the spontaneity of a reaction is
 COMBUSTION MODES AND FLAME TYPES

• Combustion can occur in flame mode

– Premixed flames
– Diffusion (non-premixed) flames
• What is a flame?
– A flame is a self-sustaining propagation of a localized combustion zone at subsonic
velocities
• Flame must be localized: flame occupies only a small portion of combustible
mixture at any one time (in contrast to a reaction which occurs uniformly
throughout a vessel)
• A discrete combustion wave that travels subsonically is called a deflagration
– Preferred in IC Engines
• Combustion wave may be also travel at supersonic velocities, called
detonation
• Fundamental propagation mechanism is different in deflagrations and
detonations

• Laminar vs. Turbulent Flames: both have same type of physical process and many
turbulent flame theories are based on an underlying laminar flame structure

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 Types of flame
• Premixed flame: for the premixed flame the fuel and the oxides are
mixed first and burned later. for example, the conventional spark
ignition engines, the fuel and air are mixed by the admission of the
carburetor. The spark ignites the small volume of the unburned
gases around the spark plug generating flame. The flame spreads
through the remaining unburned gases.

• Diffusion flame: for the diffusion flame, both air and fuel mixing
and the combustion process occur together. For example, the
compression ignition engines (diesel engines), the fuel is injected as
fine droplets into compressed air that is hot enough to vaporize the
injected fuel and start ignition. The ignition occurs where right
concentration, so a number of ignition regions can be found inside
the combustion chamber at the same time.

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 Types of Flame
• Both premixed flame and turbulent flame are
categorized based on whether the flow is
laminar or turbulent:
• Laminar premixed flame.
• Turbulent premixed flame.
• Laminar diffusion flame.
• Turbulent diffusion flame.
 Fuel Air Cycles
• Earlier studies performed with standard air cycle
• Heat addition from external source and heat
rejection to surroundings
• Compression and expansion frictionless and
adiabatic processes
• Simplifying assumptions make estimated
performance more efficient
• Actual indicated thermal efficiency of a
compression ratio of 8 engine is around 30%;
where as air-standard cycle efficiency will be
close to 57%
 Fuel Air Cycles
• Where is this discrepancy coming from?
• Here are some reasons;
• Non instantaneous combustion
• Incomplete combustion
• Dissociation of products at High Temp.
• Specific heat variation with temperature
• Heat transfer and friction
• Fuel and residual gases left in clearances
 Fuel Air Cycles
• Analysis of actual cycle is very complicated if
the real values of all these variables have to be
considered
• So the process followed is to start with air-
standard cycle and modifying step by step
• Theoretical Air-fuel cycle is considered as a
first step
 Factors Affecting Fuel-Air Cycle
• In Air-Fuel cycle we will be considering the
factors not considered in air-standard cycle
– Composition of Cylinder gases
– Variation of specific heats
– Effect of disassociation
– Effect of number of molecules

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 Composition of Cylinder Gases
• Composition varies
– With air-fuel ratio
– With changing operating conditions
• Operating conditions and speed may change
the amounts in the clearance volume
• Resulting in composition variations

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 Variation of Specific Heats
• Specific heats of gases increase with the
increasing Temperature
• The increase does not follow any specific law
• cv = cp - R

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Variation of Specific Heats

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 Variation of Specific Heats
• Polynomial equation for specific heat

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 Variation of Specific Heats
• Polynomial Coefficients for specific heat

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 Variation of Specific Heats
• Effect of variation of specific heat

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 Factors Affecting Fuel-Air Cycle
• In Air-Fuel cycle we will be considering the
factors not considered in air-standard cycle
– Composition of Cylinder gases
– Variation of specific heats
– Effect of disassociation
– Effect of number of molecules

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 Composition of Cylinder Gases
• Composition varies
– With air-fuel ratio
– With changing operating conditions
• Operating conditions and speed may change
the amounts in the clearance volume
• Resulting in composition variations

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 Variation of Specific Heats
• Specific heats of gases increase with the
increasing Temperature
• The increase does not follow any specific law
• cv = cp - R

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Variation of Specific Heats

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 Variation of Specific Heats
• Polynomial equation for specific heat

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 Variation of Specific Heats
• Polynomial Coefficients for specific heat

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 Variation of Specific Heats
• Effect of variation of specific heat

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