MCL345 Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engines

Homework Assignment - 4 (11.09.22)

Submission deadline: Monday 19th Sep 2022, Submit on Moodle by 10 pm

Total Marks: 10

1. A historic single cylinder engine works on the Lenoir cycle with 30 cm bore and 90 cm stroke and
no clearance volume. The combustion process starts half-way through the intake-power stroke, which
can be assumed as a constant volume heat addition of 1800 KJ/kg of air. Chamber is sealed only
during the combustion-expansion process and open to atmosphere for rest of cycle. Assuming an air-
standard working cycle with inlet at 1-atm, 300 K, working fluid cv = 0.717 kJ/kg K and γ =1.3,
calculate: a) mass of working fluid, b) cycle work, c) thermal efficiency, d) mean-effective-pressure.

2. Consider an air-standard constant volume (Otto) cycle with same engine dimensions as above and
clearance volume such that the compression ratio (r) = 7. It has same heat addition of 1800 kJ/kg of
air, and a pressure and temperature at the beginning of the compression process of 1-atm, 300 K.
Assuming constant specific heat cv = 0.717 kJ/kg K, γ =1.3, determine the maximum pressure and
temperature of the cycle, the thermal efficiency of the cycle and the mean-effective-pressure.

3. Derive the expressions for the pressure ratio (rp = P3/P2) due to heat addition for the constant volume
cycle as: 1- Beginning of compression, 2-End of compression, 3-Beginning of expansion, 4-end of
expansion and derive
𝑝4 𝑄∗
= (1 + )
𝑝1 𝑐𝑣 𝑇1 𝑟 𝛾−1
given compression ratio = r, heat addition per unit mass of working fluid = Q* and cv is specific heat
of working fluid at constant volume.

4. It is desired to increase the output of a spark-ignition engine by either (i) raising the compression
ratio from 8 to 10 or (ii) increasing the inlet pressure from 1 bar to 1.5 bar. Using the constant volume
air-standard cycle as a model for engine operation, which procedure will give:
a. highest pressure in the cycle?
b. highest thermal efficiency?
c. highest temperature in the cycle?
d. highest mean effective pressure?
Assume that fuel-air mixture strength remains constant and hence heat release per unit mass of
working fluid Q* = 9.3* cvT1, T1 = 300 K, γ =1.3, cv = 0.717 kJ/kg K.

5. A diesel engine has a compression ratio of 20:1 with an inlet of 95 kPa, 290 K, state 1. The maximum
cycle temperature is 1800 K. Find the maximum pressure, the net specific work and the thermal
efficiency.

6. Derive the expressions for net-work output (Wnet), thermal efficiency (η), mean-effective-pressure
(mep) for the air-standard dual cycle with constant properties. Expressions in terms of inlet pressure
(P1), cp, cv, γ, volumetric compression ratio (r), cut-off ratio (rc = V3/V2) due to constant pressure heat
addition.
7. In a spark-ignited engine load is controlled by throttling (reducing the inlet pressure) while keeping
the fuel-air ratio essentially constant. If the exhaust pressure is same as atmospheric (pa) and inlet
pressure is throttled to pi, derive an expression for the decrease in net indicated fuel conversion
efficiency due to the throttling for ideal otto cyle, and show that it is proportional to (pa/ pi -1). Assume
mass of fuel << mass of air.

8. An SI engine efficiency is low due to the limits on the compression ratio because of knocking
considerations. One concept to increase SI engine efficiency is to have the compression stroke smaller
than the expansion stroke. This can be accomplished by an early intake valve closing (EIVC) where
the intake valve closes much before the piston reaches BDC. In this manner, the compression ratio
(rc) is made smaller as compared to the expansion ratio (re) as shown below. This avoids the knocking
issue, while providing extra work due to a larger expansion stroke.
An EIVC concept is depicted in the diagram below, with Option 1 being a conventional constant-
volume cycle with compression ratio of 9, intake valve closing at BDC with Vd = 8*Vc. The Option
2 is with a larger displaced volume Vd = 11*Vc, while the intake valve closes earlier than BDC (at
point 8*Vc) such that mass of fluid inducted is reduced and effective compression ratio (rc) is same
9 as Option-1. However, the expansion stroke of Option-2 is larger (re = 12) due to higher displaced
volume and exhaust valve opening at BDC.

a) For the unthrottled cycles shown above, calculate the net-work, mean-effective pressure and
indicated efficiency of the two options, and comment on results.
Take (same for both options) T1 = 300 K, P1 = 1 atm., engine clearance volume (Vc) = 0.1
litres, fuel-to-air ratio (FAR) = 1:15, fuel heating value (QHV) = 45 MJ/kg, and the working
fluid having ratio of specific heats (γ) = 1.3 and gas constant (R) = 290 J/kg.K.
b) Another advantage of the EIVC concept is to reduce the pumping work at throttled conditions
in SI engines, and hence increasing the part-load efficiency. On same graph, draw throttled
engine cycles for both the options and shade the area that corresponds to the difference
between the pumping work of an EIVC cycle and normal cycle.
c) For a given inlet pressure (Pi), what volume at early intake valve closing (VEIVC) will give
the maximum reduction in the pumping work?