Air-fuel ratio

MTCS5012, Advanced vehicle and engine management systems

What is air-fuel
ratio
 Air fuel Ratio is the mass ratio of Air/fuel in the
combustion chamber of internal combustion engine.
 For complete burning adequate air and fuel is provided
called stoichiometric ratio.
 For gasoline engines(SI engine), the stoichiometric, A/F
ratio is 14.7:1, which means 14.7 parts of air to one part of
fuel.
 For CI engines, the stoichiometric, A/F ratio is 18 ∶ 1 to
80 ∶ 1. For normal operation condition, the air-fuel
ratios used in a compression ignition engine lie in the
range of 18 to 25.
Four Strokes of an Engine
Lean mixture and Rich mixture

 Lean fuel mixture is a type of air-fuel

mixture that has more air than the required
quantity of air for the complete combustion
of the fuel.

 Rich fuel mixture, on the other hand, is a

type of air-fuel mixture that has less air than
the required quantity of air for the complete
combustion of the fuel.
Air-fuel mixture requirements
Causes of rich mixture
Causes of lean mixture
Difference between lean, rich and optimal mixtures in an
IC engines
Difference between lean, rich and optimal mixtures in an
IC engines
Combustion process.
What is combustion?
Stages of Combustion process in IC engines.
Stages of Combustion process in IC engines.
Ignition delay.
1. The time interval between the injection of the fuel and the start of the self-ignition of the fuel is
known as ignition lag or Ignition delay. It is also referred to as the preparation phase.
2. The fuel does not ignite immediately upon the injection of fuel into the combustion chamber. There
will be a definitely a certain amount of period will be delayed between the first droplet of the fuel
injected into the combustion chamber and the time at which it starts the burning phase.

Rapid Combustion
1. The period of rapid combustion also known as the uncontrolled combustion. This rapid
combustion will starts right After the ignition delay period ends. During this period the heat
release is maximum.
2. The pressure released during this period depends on the ignition delay period. If the
ignition delay period is more, then the pressure rise is more due to the more fuel will be
accumulated during the delay period.
Controlled Combustion
1. The rapid combustion followed by the third stage called the controlled combustion. During the
rapid combustion, the cycle reaches its maximum pressure and the temperature. Which means the
fuel droplets injected into the combustion chamber during the rapid combustion stage will burn
faster with reduced ignition delay as soon as they find the necessary oxygen and any further
pressure rise is controlled by the injection.

After Burning
1. The combustion process will not stop right after the completion of the injection process.
The unburnt particles left in the combustion particles will start burning as soon as they get
in contact with the oxygen.
Ignition timing advance and retardation
Variable valve timing (VVT)
The engine valves are just like
the human nose. An automotive
engine uses valves for its
‘breathing’ (inhale/exhale)
process.
 The inlet valve usually opens few degrees before the
piston reaches TDC in its exhaust stroke.
 It closes after quite a few degrees of piston reaching the 
BDC, i.e. when the piston starts to move up the cylinder in
the compression stroke.
 In suction stroke, the air-fuel mixture or charge gets
sucked into the cylinder very rapidly. This is because the
downward movement of the piston creates the vacuum (or
negative pressure) in the cylinder and the air-fuel mixture
gets filled in the empty space.
Variable valve timing (VVT)
How these valve timings
improve engine breathing
relative to valve opening and
closing? .
 To optimise the breathing, engine requires different
valve timing at different speed.
 When the revolution increases, the duration of intake
and exhaust stroke decreases so that fresh air becomes
not fast enough to enter the combustion chamber,
while the exhaust becomes not fast enough to leave
the combustion chamber.
 Therefore, the best solution is to open the inlet valves
earlier and close the exhaust valves later. In other
words, the Overlapping between intake period and
exhaust period should be increased as revolution
increases.