Combustion

Process in Internal
Combustion
Engines
 General Process:
The combustion process
generally takes place eithe
in a homogeneous or a
heterogeneous fuel vapor
air mixture.
 Homogeneous mixture:
In this case the mixture is formed
outside the engine cylinder and
combustion is initiated inside the
cylinder at a particular instant. The
flame front spreads over a stationary
combustible mixture or a mixture
moving with particular velocity.
 Heterogeneous mixture :
ts of gaseous fuel or atomized liquid fue
roplets are injected in air and they burn
he air in which the fuel is injected may b
stationary or moving. In both cases
combustion takes place in the gaseous
hase. Therefore when liquid droplet are
njected they must vaporize and form a
apor air mixture before combustion ma
The combustion process depen
on:
* the nature and velocity of the
chemical reaction
* heat and mass transfer in the fla
zone and heat transfer to the
surroundings
 In homogeneous gas
mixture the fuel molecules
and the air molecules are
uniformly distributed.
Therefore the rate of
chemical reaction is high
 In heterogeneous gas mixture the
combustion rate is determined by the
velocity of mutual diffusion of fuel
vapors and air. The rate of chemical
reaction comes in second. The diffusion
rate is usually higher than the
evaporation rate and therefore the
combustion rate is determined by the
rate of evaporation.
Homogeneous
combustion
 As soon as a homogeneous fuel vapor air
mixture is ignited, a flame appears and it
gradually spreads in the mixture. Flame
propagation is caused by heat transfer
and diffusion of burning fuel molecules
from the combustion zone to the adjacen
layer of fresh mixture. The adjacent layer
is thereby heated above the self ignition
temperature and consequently a flame
appears in the layer.
 The flame front is a narrow zone
separating the fresh mixture form
the combustion products. The
velocity with which the flame
front moves with respect to the
unburned mixture is in a direction
normal to its surface and is called
the normal flame velocity
The flame velocity is dependent
on the rate of chemical reaction
in the flame front, the rate of
heat transfer and diffusion of
burning gas mixture from the
flame front to the adjacent
layer.
 The maximum flame velocity is
obtained when the mixture is slightly
rich in fuel (φ=0.85 to 0.9)
The flame velocity at atmospheric
pressure and room temperature is
within 30 -50 cm/sec. when the
mixture is made comparatively leaner
or richer in fuel the flame velocity
decreases until reaching a minimum
value of 8 – 10 cm/sec
When the flame velocity reaches
these low values
e heat loss from the combustion zon
eat release amount due to combustio
The flame will extinguish at this
limiting condition. These mixture
strength give the flame blow out
conditions
 When the combustible mixture has
ufficiently strong turbulence or swirl, the
velocity or flame front is appreciably
ncreased. This is due to increase in heat
transfer and gas diffusion produced by
rbulent motion of the mixture. The flame
ont is also distorted causing an increase in
e surface area of combustion. This type of
flame is called the turbulent flame and
moves with a turbulent flame velocity
Heterogeneous
combustion
 The mechanism of combustion of
heterogeneous mixtures, such as jets
of gaseous fuel or droplets of
atomized fuel injected in stationary or
moving stream of air, is quite different
from that of homogeneous mixture.
The rate of combustion depends on
the rate of diffusive mixing of fuel
with air
 In case of liquid fuel droplet,
evaporation takes place from the
surface and the vapor formed
diffuse through the air. As soon as
the fuel vapor air concentration is
congenial, combustion takes
place with the appearance of a
flame.
Fuel vapor formed subsequently from the
same droplet takes part in combustion as
it passes through the flame zone.
Reaction rate have less influence because
combustion mainly depends on
evaporation rate. Self ignition or
spontaneous ignition of fuel air mixture,
at the high temperature produced due to
compression, is of primary importance in
determining combustion.
Combustion can take place with very
lean overall mixtures (air coefficient
φ>4.0) when the mixture is
heterogeneous. This type has local
zones where the air coefficient φ has
values between 0.85 and 0.9
corresponding to maximum rate of
chemical reactions
Ignition usually starts at this zone and
the flame produced helps to burn the
fuel in the adjoining leaner mixture. If
the overall mixture is not sufficiently
lean (φ<1.3 to 1.4) combustion will
start at zones whose fuel vapor air
mixture is suitable for combustion φ
between 0.85 and 0.9 but at some
other zones the gaseous mixture will
be too rich.
High temperature produced at
these zones due to combustion of
a part of fuel will cause fuel
molecules in these zones to crack
without oxidation and form
carbon particles. This is the
reason for smoky exhaust of
diesel engines at full load
 Self
Ignition
 Spontaneous ignition of gaseous fuel jet
or droplets of atomized liquid fuel
injected into stationary or moving heated
air, is called self ignition. Self ignition may
also take place in homogeneous fuel
vapor air mixture if its temperature is
raised to a high value. In both cases the
temperature of the fuel vapor air mixture
must reach a value where the mixture
burn spontaneously
This temperature is
called the self
ignition
temperature.
Gaseous or liquid fuels injected in
hot air whose temperature is equ
or higher than the self ignition
temperature, do not burn as soo
as they are injected. Similarly
combustion does not take place a
soon as a homogeneous mixture
heated to self ignition temperatur
 There is always a time lag
between the moment the fuel is
injected or the homogeneous
mixture is heated to self ignition
temperature and the moment the
flame appears. This time lag is
called the ignition lag or
ignition delay τig
 In case of liquid fuel the ignition lag
consists of:
1. the time taken in forming the droplets
evaporating the droplets and preparing th
combustible fuel vapor air mixture. This i
called the physical lag or physical delay.
2. the time taken by reacting gases before
actual combustion starts. This called the
chemical lag or chemical delay.
 In case of gaseous or
homogeneous gas
mixture the ignition lag
corresponds to the
chemical lag only.
gnition lag is greatly influenced by
the temperature of the mixture.
The chemical lag is reduced
appreciably if the temperature is
increased above the self ignition
temperature. Increase in
temperature has very little effect
on physical lag.
 Factors influencing ignition lag
Ignition lag of a fuel vapor air mixture
mainly depends on reaction rate and
rate of heat transfer from the
reacting mixture. Therefore, the
various factors which affect these
two will also influence the ignition
lag.
Pressure and temperature of the mixtur
nder the same conditions of heat transfer, the
ition lag is inversely proportional to the rate o
eaction. If the effects of P and T on a reaction
ate of a mixture is known then their effects on
gnition lag can be estimated. The ignition lag
ecreases with increase in pressure for all types
fuel though it is different for different fuels an
for different temperature zones.
 2. Mixture strength
When a combustible mixture is diluted with
cess air (α > 1), the rate of reaction diminish
ecause the concentration of molecules in th
mixture is reduced and some heat produced
uring combustion is spent in heating the exce
air; therefore the ignition lag increases.
Enrichment of the mixture (α < 1) results in
higher fuel concentration in the mixture and
therefore, decreases the ignition lag.
 The reaction rate is reduced
after certain degree of
enrichment (α < 1) due to non-
availability of sufficient oxygen
molecules. Therefore, the
ignition lag again increases
3. Additive compounds
Some compounds added
with fuel in small quantities,
influence the ignition lag of
the fuel vapor air mixture
COMBUSTION IN
SPARK IGNITION
ENGINES
 1. Phases of Combustion
In spark ignition engines a
homogeneous mixture of vaporized
liquid fuel (or gaseous fuel), air and
residual gases is ignited by an electric
spark. The charge near the spark gas
burns soon after the spark is applied. A
flame develops and spreads over the
entire mixture.
 3 4

1 2

1 –spark point
1-2 First phase
2-3 second phase
3-4 third phase
From a flame trace (done
by photography) it can be
observed that flame
travel can be divided into
three periods.
 The First Phase
The Second Phase
The Third Phase
 Influence of some
Important Factors on
Combustion
 1. Composition of mixture
2. Compression ratio
3. Load
4. Speed
5. Shape of combustion chamber
 Abnormal
Combustion in
Spark Ignition
Engines
*Detonation or knock
*Pressure effects
*Temperature effects
*Time effects
*Pre-ignition
*Surface Ignition
 Combustion
Chamber for Spark
Ignition Engines
Ignition
System
 Combustion in
Compression
Ignition Engines
Phases of Combustion
*Ignition lag phase or preparatory
phase of combustion
*Rapid combustion phase
*Controlled combustion phase
*After burning phase
 Factors affecting
combustion in compression
ignition engines
 *Fuel properties
*Injection advance
*Compression ratio
*Pressure and Temperature of air at inlet
*Speed of the engine
pray characteristics and duration of injecti
*Motion of air in the combustion space
Abnormal Combustion in
Compression Ignition
Engine
 * Knocking
*Reduction of diesel knock
Combustion Chamber for
Compression Ignition
Engines