Experiment No.

15
To determine specific fuel consumption of IC engine and its
thermal efficiency. (Slow speed diesel engine).

15.1 Objective:

 Calculations for finding specific fuel consumption and thermal efficiency of an IC Engine.

15.2 Introduction:
The term slow refers to diesel engines that operate within the approximate speed range 100 to 120
revolutions per minute. The slow speed two stroke cycle diesel is used for main propulsion units
since it can be directly coupled to the propeller and shafting. It provides high power, can burn low
grade fuel and has high thermal efficiency. Two- stroke engines have a limited rotational
frequency and their charge exchange is more difficult, which means that they are usually bigger
than four-stroke engines. Low-speed diesel engines (as used in ships and other applications where
overall engine weight is relatively unimportant) often have an effective efficiency of up to 55%. Like
medium- speed engines, low-speed engines are started with compressed air, and they use heavy oil as
their primary fuel. The cylinders and crankcase are isolated, which reduces contamination and
permits the use of specialized lubricating oil in cylinders and bearings. The use of two stroke cycle
usually means there are no inlet and exhaust valves. This reduces maintenance and simplifies
engine construction.

15.2.1 Slow Speed Diesel Engine: (lab Type of Workstation)

Manufactured by PECO
Manufacturing Year 1978
Model 3793
Stroke Cycle Two stroke
RPM 120 maximum
Cylinder Bore 260-900mm
BMEP 190-300 psi

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 Figure 1 Slow Speed Diesel Engine (One sided View)

Figure 2 Slow Speed Diesel Engine (Front View)

15.2.2 PECO Company History:

Pakistan Engineering Company Limited (PECO), previously known as Batala Engineering

Company (BECO), is a Pakistani engineering company based in Lahore, Pakistan. It formerly
manufactured diesel engines, aircraft parts, and other materials which they exported abroad before
nationalization.

15.2.3 Engine Design:

The principal design parameters for a low-speed diesel engine are:
1) High power weight ratio
2) Simple, strong, compact and space saving.
3) High reliability
4) Able to maintain the fact that components are smaller and lighter than those for slow speed
diesels makes for easier handling.
5) Easily capable of adoption to un-manned operation
6) Low fuel and lubricating oil consumption
7) High thermal efficiency
8) Low cast and simple to install

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15.3 Types of Diesel Engine on the basis of Stroke Cycle:
Either 2 or 4 stroke cycle single acting turbo charged with inline or V cylinder configuration. The
main choice is certainly at present, for the four stroke engine due to the following reasons.
1. They are capable of operating satisfactory on same heavy oils which are used for slow speed two
stroke engines.
2. Effective scavenging.
3. Higher mean piston speed which will give greater power.
4. Engine can operate effectively with turbocharger out of commission, this would present a
considerable problem with some two-stroke engine of the medium speed type.
5. Turbocharger power and size can be reduced.
6. It is also claimed that the fuel consumption would be reduced.
7. To reduce inertia forces use is made of aluminum alloy skirted piston or complete aluminum alloy
pistons. Inertia forces must be taken into account for bearing loads. Important in trunk piston
engines (which are the majority of medium and high-speed diesels) where the guide surfaces is
the cylinder liner, the smaller the side thrust the less the friction and wear.

15.4 Slow Speed Diesel Engine Parts:

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1) Flywheel
2) Load Tension Belt
3) Starter Handle
4) Exhaust Manifold
5) Engine Coolant (Fresh water)
6) Oil Level Gauge
7) Weights
8) Starter knob

a. Flywheel:
A flywheel is a mechanical device specifically designed to efficiently store rotational
energy, which is proportional to the square of its rotational speed and its mass. Flywheels
resist changes in rotational speed by their moment of inertia and in order to change a
flywheel's stored energy (without changing its mass) its rotational speed must be increased
or decreased. Since flywheels act as mechanical energy storage devices, they are the kinetic-
energy-storage. In the following slow speed diesel engine model, the flywheel is to carry
load which is attached through the tension belt and belt is further carrying load on a hanger.
The purpose is to find efficiency and brake power of the diesel engine while continuously
applying different conditions like increasing load or decreasing load.

Common uses of a flywheel include:

 Smoothing the power output of an energy source. For example, flywheels are used in
reciprocating
 engines because the active torque from the individual pistons is intermittent.
 Energy storage systems.
 Delivering energy at rates beyond the ability of an energy source. This is achieved by
collecting energy in a flywheel over time and then releasing it quickly, at rates that exceed
the abilities of the energy source.
 Controlling the orientation of a mechanical system, gyroscope and reaction wheel.

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 Figure 3 Flywheel

b. Starter Handle:

A starter handle is a device used to rotate (crank) an internal-combustion engine so as to

initiate the engine's operation under its own power. Starters can be electric, pneumatic, or
hydraulic. In the case of very large engines, the starter can even be another internal-
combustion engine.

Internal combustion engines are feedback systems, which, once started, rely on the inertia
from each cycle to initiate the next cycle. In a four-stroke engine, the third stroke releases
energy from the fuel, powering the fourth (exhaust) stroke and also the first two (intake,
compression) strokes of the next cycle, as well as powering the engine's external load. To
start the first cycle at the beginning of any particular session, the first two strokes must be
powered in some other way than from the engine itself. The starter motor is used for this
purpose and it is not required once the engine starts running and its feedback loop becomes
self- sustaining.

Figure -4 Starter Handle

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Does RPM Affect Fuel Consumption?

There is a direct relationship with RPM and fuel consumption. RPM (revolutions per minute)
is a measure of how many times the engine turns over in a minute. For every two revolutions
a cylinder undergoes the combustion phase: where a mixture of air and fuel is injected into
the cylinder, and then combusted to produce energy that drives the wheels. So in terms of
fuel consumption let’s say each combustion phase uses 1mL of fuel. If you have a four
cylinder car at 1000RPM is going through 2000 combustion phases per minute. (4 cylinders x
500 combustion phases per cylinder). That’s 2000mL of fuel per minute. That same car at
4000RPM is going through 8000 combustion phases per minute. (4 cylinders x 2000
combustion phases per cylinder.) That’s 8000mL of fuel per minute. So we can see that the
higher the RPMs the higher the fuel consumption.

15.5 Brake Horse Power:

Brake horsepower (bhp) is the power measured using a brake type (load) dynamometer at a specified
location, such as the crankshaft, output shaft of the transmission, rear axle or rear wheels. Bhp is
Brake dyno derived and is often incorrectly confused with up factored power figures as produced
using an inertia type (not a load dyno).
The measurement of an engine’s bhp involves the measurement of a quantity known as torque or
twisting moment. Torque is the product of a force and the distance of the force from the axis about
which it acts, or
Torque= force × distance (at right angles to the force)

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Torque is a measure of load and is properly expressed in pound-inches (lb-in) or pound-feet (lb-ft).
Torque should not be confused with work, which is expressed in inch-pounds (in-lb) or foot-pounds
(ft-lb).

Once the torque is known, the work done per revolution of the propeller shaft can be computed
without difficulty by the equation:

Work per revolution = 2π × torque

If work per revolution is multiplied by the rpm, the result is work per minute, or power. If the work
is expressed in ft-lb per minute, this quantity is divided by 33,000. The result is the brake
horsepower of the shaft.

15.6 Fuel Consumption:

Fuel consumption is the inverse of fuel economy. Fuel efficiency is a form of thermal efficiency,
meaning the ratio of effort to result of a process that converts chemical potential energy
contained in a carrier (fuel) into kinetic
energy or work. Overall fuel efficiency may vary per device, which in turn may vary per
application, and this
spectrum of variance is often illustrated as a continuous energy profile. Non-transportation
applications, such as industry, benefit from increased fuel efficiency, especially fossil fuel power
plants or industries dealing with combustion, such as ammonia production during the Haber
process.
The following formulas are based on producing peak horsepower.
Total HP / .06 (For Diesel Engines)

15.7 Thermal Efficiency of Diesel Engine:

The thermal efficiency, ηth, represents the fraction of heat, QH, that is converted to work. Since
energy is conserved according to the first law of thermodynamics and energy cannot be be converted
to work completely, the heat input, QH, must equal the work done, W, plus the heat that must be
dissipated as waste heat QC into the environment. Therefore we can rewrite the formula for thermal

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 efficiency as:

Thermal Efficiency for Slow speed diesel engine is:

BTE= BP/mf*C.V

15.8 Experimental Procedure

15.8.1. Equipment:

 IC Engine
 Brake belt and weight
 Spring balance, stand and Stop watch
 Engine Data book
 Fuel measurement equipment
 Safety Dress

15.8.2 Pre operational Safety steps

1) Locate and ensure you are familiar with all machine operations and controls.
2) Check the flywheel.
3) Overall area check.
4) Ensure the water input 5 LPM.
5) Check the lubrication level with oil level gauge that must be at satisfactory level.
6) Change oil if it is at low level.
7) Plug the starting handle properly.

15.8.3 Procedure:
 Fill the fuel gauge to known level.
 Start the engine by using Starter handle.
 Maintain a desired speed and measure the speed with help of Tachometer.
 From a specific graduation note start time.

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  Measure speed after the specific graduation.
 At another prominent graduation note run time.
 Go to step 3.
 Take at least five reading.
 Set the brake apparatus on the engine fly wheel and the stand.
 Start the engine like before.
 Maintain a speed and measure it.
 Hang weights W1 and W2 on the both sides of belt.
 Take spring scale reading.
 Perform calculations.
 Take at least 8 readings.
 Fine specific fuel consumption.
 Take at least 8 readings.
 Draw curve between BP and SFC.
 Using calorific valve of diesel.
 Calculate thermal efficiency BTE=BP/mf*C.V.
 Draw curve between BP and BTE.

15.8.4 Precautions:

 Loose clothing not allowed.

 Also maintain the safe distance when device is in operation.
 Put off the emergency lever when any mishap occurs.
 Ensure the water flow after the starting of engine.
 For operating engine training is necessary.
 Free of electrical Shock.
 Do not stand before flywheel direction.
 Do not touch the moving parts of the engine.
 Do not put the hard tools near the moving part of the engine.

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15.9 Observations and Calculations:

Sr No. Speed W1 W2 F T BP Fuel Time Mf SF

C
Consumed

Sr No. Speed W1 W2 SKG F T BP Fuel Time Mf BTE

Consumed

15.9.1 Graphs:
 Fuel consumption vs. RPM
 Fuel consumption vs. SFC

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15.9.2 Observations:

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 LAB REPORT
Prepare the Lab Report as below:

15.1 TITLE:

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15.2 OBJECTIVE:
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15.3 APPARATUS

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15.4 PROCDURE

(Note: Use all steps you studied in LAB SESSION of this tab to write
procedure and to complete the experiment)

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 15.5 DISCUSSION:

Q1: what is the preventive maintenance of slow speed diesel engine?

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Q2 what is the function of flywheel in slow speed diesel engine ?

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15.6 Conclusion /Summary

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