Internal Combustion Engines

Engine Operating Characteristics

Lecture 1

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Overview
• In this lecture we will learn about basic
engine operation characteristics and
parameters:
– Engine Displacement
– Compression Ratio
– Bore/Stroke Ratio
– Work
– MEP
– Power
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Swept Volume
• Volume displaced by
the cylinder travelling
between the BDC and
the TDC.
Vd = VBDC – VTDC

Vd = S  B2/4
Where,
– S: Stroke
– B: Bore
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Engine Displacement
• For a multi-cylinder engine:
Vd = N S  B2/4
Where,
– N: Number of Cylinders

• Swept Volume for an engine is also known as

the engine displacement
• Engine displacement is usually expressed in cm3
or litres.
• Most passenger cars have a displacement within
the range of 1.0-3.0 litres.

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Clearance Volume
• Minimum Cylinder
volume when the
piston is at the TDC.

Vc = VTDC

VBDC = Vc + Vd

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Compression Ratio
• The ratio between the cylinder volume at the
BDC and at the TDC.
rc = VBDC/VTDC

rc = (Vc+Vd)/Vc
• The higher the compression ratio, the higher the
thermal efficiency.
• Compression ratios are in the range of:
– 12-24 for C.I. Engines.
– 8-11 for S.I. Engines. (limited by fuel properties)
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Bore/Stroke Ratio
• The Bore/Stroke (B/S) ratio is the ratio between
the diameter of the piston and the length of its
stroke.
• B/S classifications:
– B/S = 1 (square engine)
– B/S < 1 (under square engine)
– B/S > 1 (over square engine)
• For a given displacement:
longer stroke → less surface area →
less heat losses→ better thermal efficiency
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Bore/Stroke Ratio
• However, increasing the stroke results in
higher piston speed:
U=2*S*N
Since the piston travels a distance of twice the stroke per revolution
Where:
–U : Average piston speed (m/s)
–S : Stroke (m)
–N : Engine speed (revolution/s)
• In most automotive applications, the
average piston speed is around 10-15 m/s

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Bore/Stroke Ratio
• The average piston speed is a limiting
design factor:
– Strength of the material (to avoid material
failure)
– Size of the Valves (to allow for sufficient gas
flow through the valves)
• Therefore, as a compromise in most
automotive applications B/S ratios are
generally around 1.0
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Work
• Work can be represented
by the area under the
curve in the Indicator (P-
V) diagram of the engine.
W = ∫ F dx
W = ∫ P A dx
W = ∫ P dV

• This is known as the

indicated work.

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Work
• The curve consists of
two loops:
– A: representing the
compression and
power strokes
(Gross indicated
work)
– B: representing the
exhaust and
intake strokes
(Pumping work)

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Work
• The Net indicated work is the algebraic
sum of the two:
Wnet = Wgross + Wpump

• This P-V diagram can be plotted for any

engine using a pressure transducer
measuring the pressure in the cylinder and
a position sensor on the piston or the
crankshaft.
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Mechanical Efficiency
• The net indicated work is not fully utilised by the
crankshaft.
• A percentage of the work is lost due to friction.
• Another percentage is consumed by parasitic
loads (Supercharger, air conditioning
compressor, oil pump, alternator…etc)
• The actual work available from the crankshaft is
called the brake power.
Wb = Wi - Wf

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Mechanical Efficiency
• The mechanical efficiency for an engine is
defined as the ratio of the brake work to
the indicated work:
mech = Wb/Wi * 100 %

• mech ranges from 75-95 % at high speeds

to zero at idling.

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Mean Effective Pressure (MEP)
• A constant average
pressure assumed
to be present in
the cylinder over
the power cycle.

mep = W / Vd

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Mean Effective Pressure
• The mep is a good indication of the engine
performance since it is independent of the
engine size or speed.
• As the mep is dependant on the work,
different versions of it are used
accordingly (bmep, fmep, pmep, gmep,
nmep).
• Typical values for bmep are in the range of
8 – 12 bar (turbocharged are higher than
naturally aspirated engines).
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Power
• Power is the rate of the engine work:
P=(W*N)/n
– N: Engine speed
– n: Number of revolutions / power cycle
• It can also be expressed in terms of the
mep:
P = ( bmep* Vd* N ) / n
n=1 for 2 strokes engine
n=2 for 4 strokes engine

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Power
• It can be seen that power can be
increased by increasing the speed, bmep
or the engine displacement.
• Engine displacement is usually a design
limitation and should not be compromised.
• Power is usually measured in kW or hp
(0.7457 kW).
• Typical values of power for modern vehicle
engines are in the range of 60 – 220 kW.

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Power
• As in the mep, the definition of power
depends on the definition of work (brake,
indicated, gross, pumping…etc).

• Power can also be expressed in terms of

the speed of the piston and its cross
sectional area:
P = (bmep * U * Ap) / 2 n
n=1 for 2 strokes engine
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Power
• Power can be linked to the engine size or weight
through a number of parameters:
• Specific power:
SP = P /  Ap
• Output per displacement:
OPD = P / Vd
• Specific Volume:
SV = Vd / P
• Specific Weight:
SW = Wt / P
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