FUEL ENGINES

ENGINES
An engine is a machine which converts Chemical energy in fuel to Heat and Kinetic
energy.
There are two types of car engines:
1. Petrol Engine (a.k.a. spark Ignition Engine).
2. Diesel Engine (a.k.a. compression Ignition Engine).

FOUR-STROKE PETROL ENGINE

In a four stroke petrol engine the cycle of operation is completed in four strokes of
the piston or two revolution of crankshaft. It involves the following 4 steps:
 Intake stroke, Compression stroke, Power stroke and Exhaust stroke.
A petrol engine is also known as a Spark Ignition Engine because it uses a spark
plug to ignite fuel.

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1. Intake stroke

 The piston moves down.

 The inlet valve opens
 The exhaust valve is closed.
 Suction pressure created by the downward motion of the piston draws
petrol- air mixture into the cylinder.
 When the piston reaches the bottom the intake stroke ends and the inlet
valve closes instantaneously.

2. Compression stroke

 Both valves (inlet and exhaust valves) are closed

 The piston moves up.
 The petrol-air mixture is compressed.

3. Power stroke

 Both valves (inlet and exhaust valves) are closed

 Spark plug ignites petrol-air mixture.
 The exploding petrol-air mixture expands.
 This moves the piston down.

4. Exhaust stroke

 The inlet valve remains closed.

 The exhaust valves opens.
 The piston moves up.
 This pushes out the burnt gases through the exhaust valve.
 Cycle repeats (back to intake stroke).

SUMMARY
A four stroke petrol engine is an internal-combustion engine in which a petrol-air
mixture is drawn into the cylinder on the first stroke and is compressed and ignited
on the second stroke; work is done on the third stroke and the products of
combustion are exhausted on the fourth stroke.

FOUR-STROKE DIESEL ENGINE

 The cycle of operation of a diesel engine is similar to that of the petrol

engine.
 However, a petrol engine uses a spark plug to ignite fuel but a diesel engine
uses hot compressed air for ignition. That is why a diesel engine is also
known as a Compression Ignition Engine.
 The compression ratio of a diesel engine is about 2 times higher as
compared to a petrol engine.
 Due to the high compression ratio of the diesel engine the temperature
inside the cylinder after the compression stroke is high enough to self-ignite
the fuel injected into the combustion chamber.

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1. Intake stroke

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 The piston moves down.

 The inlet valve opens
 The exhaust valve is closed.
 Suction pressure created by the downward motion of the piston draws air
mixture into the cylinder.

2. Compression stroke

 Both valves (inlet and exhaust valves) are closed

 The piston moves up.
 The air is compressed and gets very hot.
 Diesel is forced in under pressure by the fuel injector.
3. Power stroke

 Both valves (inlet and exhaust valves) are closed

 High temperature of compressed air ignites diesel.
 The ignited/exploding diesel expands.
 This moves the piston down.

4. Exhaust stroke

 The inlet valve remains closed.

 The exhaust valves opens.
 The piston moves up.
 This pushes out the burnt gases through the exhaust valve.
 Cycle repeats (back to intake stroke).

Advantages of multiple cylinder engines

 Less vibration
 Smooth running of engine
 More power
Disadvantages of single cylinder engines
 More vibration
 Engine runs in jerks
 Less power

The carburettor

 A carburettor is a device that mixes petrol and air in the correct ratio for
combustion in an engine.

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Functions of parts

1) Air filter – removes dirt from air.

2) Choke – controls air entering the carburettor.
3) Jet - produce a fine spray of petrol, allowing air to mix with petrol.
4) Petrol filter – removes dirt from petrol preventing the jet getting blocked.
5) Float – controls amount of petrol entering the carburettor.
6) Throttle – controls petrol air-mixture entering the engine.
 Opening the throttle by pressing the accelerator pedal allows more
petrol-air mixture to enter and speeds up the engine.

CARBURETTOR PROBLEMS
 When a carburettor is clean and is working properly, the engine should start
easily (hot or cold), idle smoothly, and accelerate without stumbling.
 The following are some of the carburettor problems and their effects:
1) Worn jets
 Jets wear out with age.
 Too much fuel is delivered and the mixture becomes too rich in petrol
(i.e. too much fuel and less air in the mixture).
 The result is incomplete combustion of fuel, reduced engine efficiency,
poor fuel economy, sluggish acceleration, sooty/black spark plugs, uneven
firing and strong smell of petrol when engine is at idle.
2) Blocked jets
 Become blocked by small dirt particles and chemical residues from fuel.
 Less fuel is delivered and the mixture becomes too rich in air (i.e. less
fuel and too much air in the mixture).
 The result is lurching (jerking/shaking) acceleration and excessive
amounts of choke to run/start.
3) Blocked air filter
 Becomes blocked by dirty, dust and debris in air.

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 Less air is delivered and the mixture becomes too rich in petrol.
 The result is incomplete combustion of fuel, poor fuel economy, sluggish
acceleration, sooty/black spark plugs, uneven firing and strong smell of
petrol when engine is at idle.
4) Blocked petrol filter
 Becomes blocked by dirty and gummy substances in petrol
 Less fuel is delivered and the mixture becomes too rich in air (i.e. less
fuel and too much air in the mixture).
 The result is lurching acceleration and excessive amounts of choke to
run/start.
5) Very low fuel level in float chamber
 If the fuel level in the float chamber is set too low, insufficient fuel will
be drawn through the main jet (i.e. less fuel and too much air in the
mixture).
 The result is excessive amounts of choke to run/start the engine and
lurching acceleration.
6) Sticking choke
 A fairly common problem is when the choke sticks i.e. when it does not
open and close properly or promptly.
 The result is less air and flooding of the cylinders with petrol. This
will then cause the engine to stall or fail to start.
 A stuck choke can also prevent you from closing it fully to allow the
engine to start properly.
7) Sticking throttle
 Petrol-air mixture is not introduced into engine when the
accelerator/throttle pedal is pressed.
 So the car does not accelerate as expected.

ENGINE EFFICIENCY

No engine is 100% efficient. Energy is wasted:

 as sound/noise,
 through smoke and carbon monoxide caused by incomplete combustion,
 in carrying the machine,
 As vibration of engine,
 through friction between pistons and cylinder walls,
 As heat.
A diesel engine is 40% efficient, which means only 40% of the chemical energy
supplied by the diesel becomes kinetic energy. The rest is lost as heat, as sound,
by incomplete combustion, as vibration, in overcoming friction and in overcoming
the weight of the engine. A petrol engine is 25% efficient.
Too much extra heat is produced by car engines so all motor car engines have a
cooling system of water, air or coolant. The coolant or water is pumped around the
cylinder/engine block then into a copper radiator. The fan then blows the heat
away from the radiator. The radiator and engine block are painted black because

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black surfaces are good emitters/radiators of heat. The radiator is made of copper
which is a very good conductor of heat. Some small cars and motorcycles are
cooled by air only.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PETROL AND DIESEL ENGINES

Diesel engine Petrol engine

Heavier Lighter
Expensive Cheaper
Has a fuel injector Has a carburettor
No spark plug Has a spark plug
Compression ignition (Fuel is ignited Spark ignition (Fuel is ignited
by hot compressed air) by a spark)
40% efficient 25% Efficient
Less polluting (less carbon monoxide More polluting (more carbon
and soot produced) monoxide and soot produced)

Social and economic considerations / implications of using fuels

 Depletion of oil and coal reserves. These resources are non-renewable.

 Pollution of land, sea and atmosphere – destroys habitat, hence ecosystems
and balance of nature. Oil spills cause water pollution and destroy aquatic
habitats.
 Global warming – accumulation of carbon dioxide leads to the Earth
retaining heat
 Deforestation – people cutting down trees for firewood.
 Acid rain – accumulation of oxides of non-metals e.g. sulphur dioxide,
nitrogen dioxide, carbon dioxide, phosphorus oxide. These oxides react with
rain water to form acid rain. The acid rain destroys vegetation, aquatic
animals and affects crop production negatively.

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