CARBURETION

In engines using petrol or any other liquid fuels, which readily vaporize, the fuel is to be charged into the
engine cylinder during suction operation with a proper ratio or air. Also, the mixture or fuel (petrol) and air
should be in vaporized and atomized condition. So, for atomizing and vaporizing the fuel and mixing it with
air in varying proportions to suit the changing operating conditions of motor-vehicle engines, the carburetor is
used. This process of atomization and vaporization and also mixing the fuel with air is called carburetion.
Where, atomization is a mechanical breaking of the fuel small particles so as to surround each minute
particle of the fuel with sufficient amount of air that supplies oxygen and vaporization is the change of state of
fuel from liquid to vapour phase.

Air-Fuel ratio:

Theoretically the ratio of air to fuel should be 15:1 by weight for a perfect mixture. If the uniform mixing can
be done of this mixture then there will be a complete burning of the mixture without leaving any contents of
fuel or air. But it is difficult to obtain the perfect mixture practically. The air gives the oxygen which is
necessary for combustion. When air will be less, then oxygen will not be supplied sufficiently and some of the
fuel will be wasted. When air will be more in the mixture then it will burn slowly and power 'will be lost.
There is a range of proportion of air to fuel within which combustion can be accomplished.

For this range, the lower limit is usually from 7 to 10 parts of air by weight to 1 part of fuel by weight. The
upper limit is usually about 20 parts of fuel by weight to 1 part of fuel by weight. These limits may vary with
characteristics of the fuel, the design of combustion space, temperature and pressure in combustion space. The
air fuel ratio should be different under different operating conditions; at the time of starting, rich mixture is
required, especially when cold; at the time of idling, a rich mixture usually 10:1 is required. At the time of
accelerating the engine, additional fuel is needed. So, it is clear from the above that the air fuel ratio 15:1 is
only suitable for normal of the vehicle. Otherwise, we have to change the ratio of mixture, so that it may have
more fuel and less air. Hence the carburetor should be such to fulfill all the above needs under all operating
conditions.
 Simple Carburetor

SIMPLE CARBURETOR:

It is necessary to understand first the construction and operation of a simple carburetor because it will help in
understanding the basic principle upon which all carburetors operate. In the figure above, simple carburetor is
shown. It is clear that the petrol comes from the petrol tank and it enters the float chamber of the carburetor
through needle valve. As, the petrol level rises, the float raises the lever at the end of pivoted at the end of float
chamber, and needle upward into its seat, shutting off the supply of fuel when its proper level is attained. When
the level of the petrol falls below the required level the outer end of the lever falls and the lip releases the needle
valve from its seat and it opens the passage for more petrol to flow into the chamber. The petrol level should be
at somewhat, lower level (about 1.6mm lower) in the float chamber than level of orifice at the outlet of
discharging jet. The petrol is fed to discharging jet through metering jet which regulates the supply of petrol.
As the engine starts, the air is drawn through the carburettor during suction stroke. The air thus drawn passes by
the discharging jet as it is on the way, as; shown in figure. The suction created by the rushing of the air past the
jet causes the petrol to be delivered to the mixing chamber below the jet in the form of fine spray, because this
suction is proportional to the velocity of the air passing by the jet, as a venturi tube is used to increase the
velocity. A Venturi tube is a tube or passage where the cross sectional area is decreased to increase the velocity
of the air near the opening of discharging jet, located just below the narrowest section of this venturi tube so
that the suction may be highest at this point. The spray of petrol from the jet and the air entering through the
venturi tube arc mixed together in the mixing chamber which is below the discharge jet. This mixture now
enters the cylinder through intake manifold. In this way most of the fuel is atomized in the mixing chamber and
a small portion of this is vaporized by the carburettor. Vaporization of the mixture is completed at the end of the
compression stroke in the cylinder itself. A throttle valve in the form of a disc is placed below the jet. It is
mounted on a spindle and controls the flow of charge by varying the passage of intake pipe.

LIMITATIONS OF THE SIMPLE CARBUAETIOR

In case of simple carburettor when the speed of engine is increased by reducing the load or by opening the
throttle valve wider, the quantity of air passing the jet will increase but quantity of fuel will increase at a greater
rate. The result of this will be to enrich the mixture as the speed of engine increases and to weaken the mixture
when the speed falls for example if the velocity of air is doubled, the quantity of air will also be doubled but the
quantity of fuel will be increased by 2.5 times. So it is clear from this example that simple carburettor gives the
proper mixture at one speed and load conditions only. At very low speed the mixture will be weak, that it will
not ignite properly. As a result starting the engine will be impossible with simple carburettor. So to avoid this
some provision has to be made for enrichment of the mixture sufficiently at low speed.

The simple carburettor has also the drawback of weakening the mixture when the throttle is suddenly opened
due to the inertia effect of fuel which prevents they proper quantity from flowing immediately. The simple
carburettor is set to work correctly at a given speed in the winter season, then it will be found to give too rich
mixture in the summer season. The effect is due to the fact that the density of the air decreases with the rise of
temperature to a greater extent. In case of fuels such as petrol with the result a relatively smaller weight of air is
drawn into the engine which makes the mixture weaker in air and richer in fuel.

The simple carburettor is affected by changes of atmospheric pressure. If the altitude at which the carburettor is
used increases, the atmospheric pressure and air density decreases. As a result of this the weight of air in the
mixture will be less and there will be unnecessary richness of the mixture which will result to the wastage of
fuel. So air carburetors arc provided with an altitude controls. The simple carburettor only works ideally at one
engine speed and load. If there is a sudden increase in the load on the engine as in the case of climbing of
vehicle on a hill, the throttle valve will be nearly fully opened, but the engine speed will be much lower than
that speed which normally corresponds to this throttle position. The air speed passing the jet will be much lower
and relatively less petrol will flow. On the other hand if the engine load is suddenly reduced for a given throttle
position the engine will tend to race away and more air at a higher velocity will flow, thus causing an
enrichment of mixture. So, that under different loads and speeds and at each throttle opening, it should provide
correct mixture.

ESSENTIAL QUALITIES OF AN IDEAL CARBURETTOR

The ideal carburettor should have the following qualities:

1. It should supply correct mixture and properly atomized at each speed. And load condition.

3. At the time of start also it should provide rich mixture for easy starting.

4. At the time of idling the engine should run without hunting and missing and without any undue wastage of
fuel.

5. When throttle valve is suddenly opened it should provide extra rich mixture for maximum acceleration.

6. It should function correctly under different climatic conditions and at high altitudes.

7. It should be so designed that at the time of fully opened throttle valve it should give maximum quantity of
correct mixture.

SOLEX CARBURTOR

It is a very popular type of carburettor. In India, it is used in Fiat cars and Willy jeeps and top European
automobile manufacturers like Mercedes, Porsche, and Rolls-Royce. There are different models of the
carburettor, which have same basic principle but differ in design.

A Solex carburettor essentially possesses following circuits:

1. Starting circuit

2. Running circuit

3. Accelerating circuit

4. Idling and slow running circuit.

In addition, constant petrol level arrangement is provided by the usual float and needle valve arrangement. The
petrol inlet to the float chamber is provided with a gauge filter.

Fig. illustrates schematically the arrangement of various circuits.

1. Starting Circuit: When starting, the throttle valve is in the closed position, the engine sucks the air-petrol
mixture through the starter circuit. For this purpose, the carburettor is provided with a starting jet. Fuel from
the float chamber, metered by a metering orifice fills the well around the starting jet. When starter lever is
pulled, it brings two drilled holes in starter disc valve in line with the petrol intake and charge outlet. The
petrol comes from the starter petrol jet and air from the starter air jet. After mixing, the mixture passes
through the other hole (charge outlet) of the disc valve into the passage, the end of which opens in the main
passage below the throttle valve. Due to heavy suction in the inlet manifold, at the start, the petrol which is
 sucked from starting-jet-well and the air drawn through starter air jet, give a rich mixture during the first
few revolutions. This mixture is rich enough to start the engine. But as more petrol will flow out from the
staring-jet-well than it is supplied through the metering orifice, the well wall go empty. From, that instant
onwards the petrol supply is restricted to the amount supplied through its metering orifice. The mixture
strength during the initial revolutions of the engine may be about I:I but soon will be reduced to about 8: 1.
By this time the throttle valve has opened and the mixture starting from the main jet also reducing mixture
strength to 10: 1 or 11: l. After one or two minutes, the starting circuit is completely closed by turning its
starter lever to off position.
2. Running Circuit: When engine is in its normal running condition, the throttle valve is open sufficiently.
The carburettor works on the main jet only with air-fuel mixture ratio between 13: 1 to 16 : 1. The air fuel
ratio is governed only by the throttle valve. During a suction of the engine the air passes through the venturi
tube around the main jet tube. Low pressure is created in the venturi in which draws petrol from the main
spray outlet holes into the main passage. The air correction jet (working as compensating system) is at the
top of the main jet tube. The correction air, therefore, comes down the central emulsion tube, out through
the six side holes where it meets the petrol coming up and the resulting emulsion passes out through the
main spray outlets into the main passage.
3. Accelerating Circuit: During the period of acceleration, extra rich mixture is required by the engine. The
acceleration pump is used for this purpose, which is actuated by a lever connected with the accelerator
pedal. When accelerator pedal is suddenly operated, the throttle valve opens widely. The, flow of air
increases, faster than the flow of petrol through the main jet, resulting in a lean mixture. But at the same
time, when accelerator pedal is suddenly operated, then pump lever depresses the diaphragm of the
accelerating pump . It pumps extra petrol under pressure into the main air stream in the venturi through
injector tube. A non-return ball valve regulates flow of petrol from float chamber to the pump during its
operation.
4. Idling and Slow Running Circuit: During idling operation, the throttle valve remains closed. The idle port
is provided below the throttle valve which is connected to a pilot jet through an idle passage. Fuel is drawn
through a pilot air jet which mixes with the petrol from pilot petrol jet drawing petrol from the main jet
circuit. The quality of mixture is adjusted with the help of idle adjusting screw. During slow running of the
engine, throttle valve is opened slightly. Then, the engine is able to draw air-petrol mixture from idle
passage and through the slow-running-port situated just above the throttle valve.
AMAL CARBURETTOR

This well designed carburettor is suitable for small petrol engines, e.g., scooter and motor cycle engines. Fig.
Illustrates, diagrammatically, the constructional details of the carburettor, along with an air cleaner. The main
body of the carburettor possesses throttle valve of sliding piston type: which is also fitted with a tapered Jet
needle valve. This needle projects into the main jet, regulates the area of the passage in the main jet and its up
and down motion control the quantity of petrol supplied by the main jet during normal operating condition of
the engine. To set the correct air-fuel ratio for a particular operating condition, the position of this tapered
needle can be adjusted with respect to the throttle valve. Passing through the throttle piston is the air valve
which is operated independently through a separate cable, for the purpose of obstructing air passage during
starting of engine, making it richer in fuel for easy start ability. The idling system consists of pilot jet and by-
pass. An adjusting screw is provided on the wall of carburettor body, by which the position of the throttle valve
can be present independent of operating cable adjustment for idling purpose. The float chamber is supplied
petrol with either bottom or top feed, controlled by usual float mechanism. So, the main parts of Amal
Carburetor are:

01) Carburettor Body

02) Throttle Valve

03) Tapered Needle

04) Throttle Valve Operating Cable

05) Main Jet

06) Pilot Jet

07) Chamber for Pilot Outlet and By-pass

08) Auxiliary Air Intake

09) Pilot Outlet

10) By-pass Outlet

11) Float Chamber

12) Jet Block

13) Float

14) Needle Valve

15) Air Valve

16) Air Valve Operating Cable

Working: The working of the carburettor, possesses following circuits:

I. Starting Circuit: When engine is started, the throttle valve is closed. The engine suction makes the air
to come through primary air passage and petrol from pilot jet and after mixing to reach the manifold
through pilot outlet. This mixture carries excess of fuel that is useful in starting the engine. The function
of the air valve is to obstruct the main air passage at the time of start which results in enriching the
mixture by increasing, depression on pilot outlet and pilot jet.
II. Accelerating Circuit: The mixture supplied by the pilot outlet is not sufficient for normal running of
the engine. Therefore, the throttle valve is to be raised for admitting supply of air from the main air
passage. The more the throttle valve is opened, the less will be depression on the pilot outlet, but higher
depression is created on the by-pass and then, the mixture flows from this by-pass as well as pilot outlet
to compensate for the accelerating period.
III. Normal Running Circuit: The mixture provided by the pilot outlet and by-pass system is supplemented
by the main jet at approximately one-eighth of throttle valve opening. After the 75% of the opening of
the throttle, the main jet only provides the fuel regulation.
IV. Idling Circuit: At the time of idling, the throttle stop screw (not shown in the fig.) provides definite
throttle opening for idling purpose. The mixture is mainly supplied by the pilot jet outlet and by-pass.
FUEL FEED SYSTEM IN CASE OF PETROL ENGINES

The function of fuel feed system is to store the fuel for engine and to supply it the carburettor in required
amounts and in proper condition. All fuel feed system consists of a storage tank, a fuel pump delivering the fuel
from the supply tank to the carburettor, a strainer for filtering the fuel, and the necessary piping connections.
A fuel feed system having a mechanical diaphragm type fuel pump, driven by the engine cam-shaft to force the
fuel from fuel tank to the carburettor is mostly used in all most all spark ignition, engines. Sometimes, electrical
S U pump is also used in some vehicles.
Mechanical Fuel Pump: This type of fuel pump is bolted to engine crank case so that lever of the pump is
operated by the cam of the cam shaft. This type of pump has been shown in fig. giving the names of various
parts.
Working: As the cam turns, it causes the rocker arm to move back and forth about a hinged pin. The motion is
transmitted to the rocker arm link through the rocker arm break joint to pull the link down when the rocker arm
is on the highest point of the cam. The downward motion of the link causes the pulling rod to draw the
diaphragm, which is held between metal discs, downward against the vacuum is created in the pump chamber,
due to which petrol is sucked in through the inlet valve from the sediment bowl. The fuel from the storage tank
enters into the sediment bowl. There, it is made to pass through a strainer screen. As the fuel leaves the bowl on
its way to the inlet valve, the bowl collects any foreign material which cannot pass through the fine screen.
With the further rotation of the Cam, the diaphragm is lifted up by the diaphragm spring, which was compressed
during the downward movement of the diaphragm. Pressure is developed in the pump chamber, which is
sufficient to close the inlet valve and at the same time to open the outlet valve. The fuel under pressure is forced
out of the outlet valve, from where it is fed to the carburettor through the fuel filters etc.
S .U. FUEL PUMP: The S.U. fuel pump is a electrically operated fuel pump is used in heavy engines. The
diaphragm is attached to armature as shown in the figure. A Bronze rod is attached to the armature which pases
through the centre of a magnetic core. The rod operates the breaker point with its upward and downward
movement.

To start with, let the contact points are in touch with each other. When the starter switch is operated, the current
starts flowing through the solenoid winding, which magnetizes, the iron core. The magnet attracts the armature
in the upward direction against the force of the spring. The diaphragm which is attached to the armature is also
lifted up causing vacu um under it. The vacuum caused will suck the petrol from the fuel tank.
The upward movement of the rod breaks the contact points, which breaks the electrical circuit. That is how the
iron core is de-magnetized. So the armature along with the diaphragm is pulled back in the downward direction
with the help of the spring. The downward movement of the diaphragm pushes the fuel, through the discharge
valve, to the float chamber of the carburettor.
The downward movement of the rod, again closes the contact points. The electric circuit is maintained again.
The operation is repeated again and again so that supply is maintained as required by the carburetor.
When no fuel is required by the carburettor, the pressure of the fuel under the diaphragm will keep the
diaphragm and rod in the lifted position. In this position, The contact points are broken.
A condenser is, sometimes, employed-across the contact points so as to reduce sparking at contact points.
Fuel Filter: In the fuel supply system, there are three fuel filters. One fuel filter is mounted at the inlet of the
fuel storage tank. The second fuel filter is incorporated in the fuel pump. T he third fuel filter is placed in
between the fuel pump and the carburettor which is shown in figure. This fuel filter serves to retain any water or
foreign particles those were not filtered out in the first and the second filter. The fuel from the fuel pump enters
into the fuel filter bowl and surrounds the strainer. The impurities etc. are retained at the surface of the filter
element and clear fuel passes on.