Unit -1

Spark Ignition Engines

 Introduction About Engines

Definition of Engine

Definition of heat Engine

Types of Heat Engine

Two stroke engine and Four stroke Engine

 Air / fuel Mixture
An engine is generally operated at different load and
speed. For this proper air fuel mixture should be
supplied to the engine cylinder. Fuel and air are mixed
to form three different type of mixtures.

Chemically corrected mixture(15:1)

Rich mixture (12:1 to 10:1)

Lean mixture (17:1 to 20:1)

Mixture Requirement At Different Load And Speed
 Automotive air fuel Mixture Requirement
Idling ( mixture must be enrich)
Cruising ( mixture must be lean)
High power ( mixture must be enrich)
 CARBURETOR
The process of formation of a combustible fuel-air
mixture by mixing the proper amount of fuel with air
before admission to engine cylinder is called carburetion
and the device which does this job is called a carburetor.

Factor affecting the carburetor:

Engine speed
Vaporization characteristics
Temperature of in coming air
Design of carburetor
Simple Carburetor

The components of the carburetor

consist of:

Float chamber
Float valve
Jet nozzle
Venturi
Throttle valve
Accelerator pedal
Choke
Fuel tank
Fuel pump
Fuel Filter
 Simple Carburetor
The carburetor has a FLOAT CHAMBER that is supplied with fuel from the FUEL
TANK..
The fuel is forced through a FUEL FILTER under pressure from the FUEL PUMP.
The float chamber contains a FLOAT VALVE that regulates the flow of fuel into the
chamber. When the float chamber is full of fuel, the float valve stops the flow of
fuel until needed again.
The JET NOZZLE is situated within an air chamber that is narrow at one point. The
narrowing in the chamber is called a VENTURI.
When the engine is running, the motion of the pistons creates a vacuum, drawing
air into the air chamber, where it is accelerated by the venturi.
This high velocity air creates a low pressure region that the jet nozzle (which
extends into the air chamber) draws a fine spray of fuel drawn from the float
chamber into the venturi. Here it mixes with the air.
The mixture of fuel and air is then fed into the cylinders where it is ignited.
The THROTTLE VALVE, which is activated by the ACCELERATOR PEDAL, regulates
engine speed by regulating the amount of fuel/air mixture that enters the engine.
 CARBURETOR PERFORMANCE

The air/fuel ratio delivered by this carburetor is the

stoichiometric air /fuel ratio.
The performance of the elementary carburetor. Once fuel
starts to flow, a consequence of these variations the flue flow
rate increases more rapidly than the air flow rate.
The carburetor delivers a mixture of fuel/air equivalence ratio
as the flow rate increases.
Suppose the venturi and orifice is sized to given a
stoichiometric mixture at an air flow rate corresponding to
1KN/m2 veturi pressure drop.
 Modern Carburetor Design
The changes required in the elementary carburetor so that is provide the
equivalence ratio values air flow distribution.
The main metering system must be compensated to provide essentially
constant lean or stiochiometric mixtures over the 20% to 80 % air flow range
An idle system must to be added to meter the fuel flow at idle and light loads.
An enrichment system must be added so the engine can provides its
maximum power wide-open throttle is approached.
An accelerator pump which injects additional fuel when the throttle is
opened rapidly is required to maintain constant the equivalence ratio
delivered to engine cylinder.
A chock must be added enrich the mixture during engine starting and warm-
up to ensure the combustible mixture within each cylinder at the time of
ignition.
Altitude compensation is required to adjust the fuel flow to changes in air
density.
 Injection system
Mechanical injection system(CI)
1. Air injection system
2. Solid injection system
(a). Individual pump
(b). Unit Injection system
(c). Common rail system
(d). Distributor system
Electronic injection system(SI)
1. Gasoline direct injection in to cylinder
2. Port injection system
3. Manifold injection system
EFI SYSTEM
MPFI SYSTEM
SINGLE POINT or THROTTLE BODY INJECTION
DIESEL INJECTION SYSTEM
INJECTOR
Complete View
COMMON RAIL
Electronic Fuel Injection System
 Mono point injection

Single point fuel injection systems, where one or

two electronically controlled injectors meter the fuel
into the air flow directly above the throttle body, are
also used.
They provide straightforward electronic control of fuel
metering at lower cost than multipoint port injection
systems.
However, as with carburetor systems, the problems
associated with slower transport of fuel than the air
from upstream of the throttle plate to the cylinder
must now be overcome.
 Multipoint Fuel injection System

In some of the literature MPFI system are classified in to two types

D-MPFI

L-MPFI
 D-MPFI Injection System

Air

Gasoline

Mixture of air Injection

and gasoline into intake
manifold
Injector volume control

RPM sensor
 L-MPFI injection System

Air

Gasoline

Mixture of fuel Injection

and air near port
Injector volume control

RPM sensor
 LAMBDA OXYGEN SENSOR
One part of the sensors ceramic surface is positioned in the exhaust stream while
the other part remains in contact with the surrounding air.
The ceramic surfaces (zirconium dioxide) are coated with a thin gas-permeable
layer of platinum.
Above about 300oC, the sensors ceramic material conducts oxygen ions.
Due to the ceramic materials special characteristics, the sensor responds to
variations in the oxygen concentration between the two surfaces by generating a
voltage.
This voltage provides an index for the difference in oxygen content at the two
surfaces of the sensor.
The exhaust gas from the engine always contains residual oxygen, even when the
engine is run on excess fuel.
The proportion of residual oxygen is essentially a function of the composition of
the air-fuel mixture drawn in by the engine for combustion.
This relationship makes it possible to use the oxygen content of the exhaust gas as
an index for the excess-air factor.
The use of an internal heating element to heat the sensor substantially improves
operation at low exhaust temperatures; it also maintains emissions stable at a low
level while contributing to increased service life. It is for these reasons that heated
lambda sensors (HEGOS) are generally used today.
STAGES OF COMBUSTION PROCESS OF
SPARK IGNITION ENGINE
In spark ignition engines a sufficiently homogeneous mixture of
vaporized liquid fuel, air and residual gases is ignited by an
electric spark. The charge near the spark gap burns soon after
the spark is applied. A flame develops and it spreads
progressively over the entire mixture.

From the flame trace, it can be observed that flame travel can be
divided into three periods. Each of these periods constitutes one
phase of the combustion process.
The First Phase

This is the initial phase of low but rapidly increasing flame

velocity. A small volume of mixture in the very high temperature
zone between the spark plug electrodes ignite soon after the
spark is applied.
The burning gases gradually transform into a developed flame
front. At the beginning the volume of mixture taking part in
combustion is small.
The flame velocity is also low since the decreased due to heat
transfer to the adjacent cylinder walls. As a result the rate of
energy release during this phase is low. Therefore, the pressure
rise inside the cylinder due to combustion is not appreciable.
Second Phase

This is the period of practically constant flame velocity. During this phase
the flame front rapidly spreads over the major part of the mixture.
The rate of combustion is high due to the influence of large scale
turbulence. Heat transfer to the cylinder wall is low because only a small
part of the burning mixture comes in contact with the cylinder wall during
this period.
The rate of heat of release during this phase depends largely on the
turbulence intensity and to a lesser extent on reaction rate dependent on
mixture combustion.
The rate of pressure rise is proportional to the rate of heat release
because during this phase the combustion chamber volume remains
practically constant.
The beginning of this phase of combustion in spark ignition engine is
taken at the point where the curve of combustion separates from the
curve of compression in the pressure crank angle diagram.
1 Spark point,
1-2 Firs phase,
2-3 Second Phase,
3-4 Third phase,
5Curve with no combustion.
Third Phase

During this phase of combustion the flame velocity decreases.

The flame front here approaches the wall of the combustion
chamber where the turbulence intensity is low.
The temperatures of the mixture layers are comparatively low
due to increased heat transfer through the walls.
All these factors decrease the flame velocity.
The combustion rate becomes low due to low flame velocity
and reduced surface of flame front.
There is practically no pressure rise during this phase due to
expansion of the gas.
The starting point of this phase is usually taken as the instant
at which the maximum pressure is reached on the indicator
diagram.
INFLUENCE OF SOME IMPORTANT FACTORS ON COMBUSTION

Composition of mixture
The composition of the mixture specified by the air coefficient influences the rate
of reaction and the amount of heat release. This also affects the pressure and
temperature of the gases in an engine cylinder.
Compression ratio
The pressure and temperature of the mixture at the beginning of combustion are
increased by increasing the compression ratio. The concentration of residual gases
in the mixture is also reduced at high compression ratio. Both these factors
increase the rate of combustion in the main phase and reduce the duration of the
initial phase. However, high compression ratio increases the last phase of
combustion resulting in comparatively hot exhaust.
Load
When an engine operates on part load the inlet pressure is reduced by partially
closing the throttle valve. This results in reduced compression pressure and larger
concentration of residual gases. Both these factors reduce the flame velocity and
prolong the initial phase of combustion. Combustion process also becomes
unstable due to low concentration of fuel in the mixture. The difficulty can be
overcome by enrich the mixture at very low loads. Rich mixture at low loads
enhances the presence of unburnt products in the exhaust gas.
Speed
With increase in speed the turbulence intensity in the mixture increases.
The velocity of the flame front increases due to increased turbulence
intensity and therefore, the duration of combustion process become
shorter. With optimum ignition of advance in each speed the effect of
increased speed on the last phase of combustion is compensated by
reduced heat transfer. The efficiency of combustion process practically
remains the same when speed is changed.
Shape of combustion chamber
A centrally located spark plug in a hemispherical combustion chamber will
reduce the path traveled by the flame front. The surface area of the flame
front is also increased. As a result the rate of heat release is higher than
other types of combustion chambers. The turbulence intensity in the
mixture can be increased by properly shaped combustion chamber with a
narrow passage between the piston crown and the bottom of cylinder
head through which the charge flows to the combustion chamber. With
suitable design of combustion chamber the heat release rate can be
increased.
NORMAL AND ABNORMAL COMBUSTION IN SPARK IGNITION
ENGINES
Detonation or knock
In spark ignition engine a small focus of combustion is formed between spark plug
electrode and its spreads over the combustible mixture with a rather definite
flame front which separates the fresh mixture from the products of combustion.
Heat release due to combustion increases the temperature and consequently the
pressure of the burned part of the mixture above those of the unburned mixture.
In order to affect pressure equalization the burned part of the mixture will expand
and compress the unburned mixture adiabatically there by increasing its pressure
and temperature.
This process will continue as flame front propagates through the mixture and the
temperature and pressure of the unburned mixture goes on increasing. At a
certain instant when the flame front has reached the unburned charge reaches its
self ignition .
Temperature depending on its pressure and composition. The temperature and
the pressure of this charge go on increasing as the flame front proceeds. This
charge, commonly known as end gas will undergo the pre-ignition reactions over a
period.
 FLAME PROPAGATION IN NORMAL AND
DETONATING COMBUSTION

(a) Normal combustion. (b) Detonating combustion.

PRESSURE CRANK ANGLE DIAGRAM OF NORMAL AND
DETONATING COMBUSTION

(a) Normal combustion. (b) Detonating combustion.

Pressure effects
(i) A higher compression ratio, which increases the pressure and
temperature of the last portion of the change to burn
(ii) An increase in inlet manifold pressure due to more throttle opening or
due to supercharging.

Temperature effects
(i) A higher mixture temperature due to manifold heating higher
atmospheric temperature, super charging or increased compression ratio.
(ii) A higher temperature of cooling water in the jacket which reduces
cooling of the last portion of the charge to burn.
Time effects
(i) A lower value of ignition delay due to use of lower octane number fuel

(ii) A lower value of flame velocity due to lower r.p.m of the engine or due
to lower intensity of turbulence caused by combustion chamber design.
 FACTORS AFFECTING KNOCK

Decreasing the compression ratio or reducing the inlet

pressure
Decreasing the inlet air temperature
Decreasing coolant inlet air temperature
Retarding spark timing
Decreasing the load
Increasing octane rating of the fuel
supplying rich or lean mixtures
Increasing the humidity of the entering air
Stratifying the mixture so that the end gas is less reactive
Increasing the turbulence of the mixture and thus increasing
the flame speed.
 COMBUSTION CHAMBERS FOR SI ENGINES

The design of the combustion chamber for an SI engine has an important

influence on the engine performance and its knocking tendencies.
The design involves the shape of the combustion chamber, the location of
spark plug and the location of inlet and exhaust valves. Because of this
importance, the combustion chamber design has been a subject of
considerable amount of research and development in the last fifty years.
It has resulted in the raising of the compression ratio of the engine from 4
before the First World War period to 11 in the present times with special
combustion chamber designs and suitable antiknock fuels.
The important requirements of an SI engine combustion chamber are to
provide high power output with minimum octane requirement, high
thermal efficiency and smooth engine operation.