THE INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE – VIDEO COMPREHENSION SCRIPT

Today the internal combustion engine is used in motorcycles, automobiles, boats, trucks,
aircrafts, ships, heavy duty machinery, and power generators.
A 4 strokes engine is an internal combustion engine in which the piston completes 4 strokes,
(intake, compression, power and exhaust) during 2 separate revolutions of the engine
crankshaft in one single thermodynamic cycle.

Let’s take a look at the basic internal parts of a four-stroke engine.

- Inside the engine block, there is a crankshaft: piston rods are attached to the
crankshaft
- Pistons are attached to the piston rods
- As the crankshaft turns, it causes the lifter to make each piston move up and down.
- At the top of the crankshaft, there’s a camshaft, which is connected to the crankshaft
by a timing belt.
- While the crankshaft is making the pistons move up and down, the camshaft is
turning, making the valves to open and close.

Let’s now take a look at how the combustion creates pistons motion.

- First, intake stroke: the inlet valve is opened and the fuel-air mixture is drawn in, as
the piston travels down.
- Second, compression stroke: the inlet valve is closed and the piston travels back up
the cylinder, compressing the fuel-air mixture. Just before the piston reaches the top
of its compression stroke, a spark plug emits a spark to combust the fuel-air mixture.
- Third, combustion stroke: the piston is now forced down by the pressure wave of the
combustion of the fuel-air mixture. The engine power is derived from the cycle.
- Fourth, exhaust stroke: the valve is opened and the piston travels back up, expelling
the exhaust gases through the exhaust valve. At the top of the stroke, the exhaust
valve is closed.
This process is repeated.

What has been presented is the cycle of operations of one cylinder of a four-stroke engine.
Generally, engines have one or two cylinders, acting in concert with each other to produce
engine power.
Describing processes – the passive voice
Fill in the gaps with the correct verb form.

Exercise 1: RECAP from the video

- First, intake stroke: the inlet valve 1……………………. (open/present) and the fuel-air
mixture 2……………………….. (draw/present) in, as the piston travels down.
- Second, compression stroke: the inlet valve 3…………………….(close/present) and the
piston travels back up the cylinder, compressing the fuel-air mixture. Just before the
piston reaches the top of its compression stroke, a spark plug emits a spark to
combust the fuel-air mixture.
- Third, combustion stroke: the piston 4……………………. (force down/present) by the
pressure wave of the combustion of the fuel-air mixture. The engine power
5
……………………….. (derive/present) from the cycle.
- Fourth, exhaust stroke: the valve is opened and the piston travels back up, expelling
the exhaust gases through the exhaust valve. At the top of the stroke, the exhaust
valve is closed.

(source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_internal_combustion_engine &

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_combustion_engine#4-stroke_engines /
http://www.ted.com/conversations/20067/what_is_the_future_of_the_inte.html)

Exercise 2: Historical process:

Although various forms of internal combustion engines 1 ………………………(develop/preterit)
before the 19th century, their use 2…………………………(slow down/preterit) until the
commercial drilling and production of petroleum 3………………………………… (expand /preterit)
in the mid-1850s. By the late 19th century, engineering advances led to their adoption in a
variety of applications.

For example, in the 5th century, several crankshaft-connecting rod machines used for
sawmills 4………………………… (describe/preterit) by Roman engineers.

Exercise 3: Scientific/technical process

The thermodynamic analysis of the actual four-stroke or two-stroke cycles is not a simple
task. However, the analysis 1……………………(simplify/can) significantly if air standard
assumptions 2………………………………..(use/present). The resulting cycle, which closely
resembles the actual operating conditions, 3…………………………….. (call/present) the Otto cycle.
During the normal operation of the engine as the fuel mixture 4……………………….(compress /
be+Ving), an electric arc 5…………………(create/present)to ignite the fuel. At low rpm this
occurs close to TDC (Top Dead Centre). As engine rpm rises the spark point 6…………………………
(move/present) earlier in the cycle so that the fuel charge 7…………………………(ignite/can)
while it 8……………….(compress/be +Ving). We can see this advantage reflected in the various
Otto engines designs.

Exercise 4: Changes
“September 6 2013:
Certainly Internal Combustion Engines 1 …………………….. (replace/will) completely by other
means like steam turbines or air compressors or gas turbines in 2 to 3 decades. One of the
best live examples for this is JAGUAR's CX-75 concept car in which ICE
2
…………………………………. (replace / HAVE + PP) by Micro Gas Turbine Engine.”

Grammar lesson:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6pHfjH0Efg for uses of the passive voice.
From 3’09”, for formulation of the passive voice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=pxbQ2U3Uuv0
Difficult exercise: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ye3-vJkO0A8