Internal combustion engine

An internal combustion engine is an engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs in a combustion chamber inside and integral to the engine. In an internal combustion engine it is always the expansion of the high temperature and pressure gases that are produced which apply force to the movable component of the engine, such as the pistons or turbine blades.[1][2][ ][!] "he term internal combustion engine usually refers to an engine in which combustion is intermittent, such as the more familiar four#stro$e and two#stro$e piston engines, along with variants, such as the %an$el rotary engine. A second class of internal combustion engines use continuous combustion& 'et engines (including gas turbines) and most roc$ets, each of which are internal combustion engines on the same principle as previously described.[1][2][ ][!] "he internal combustion engine (or I*+) contrasts with the external combustion engine, such as a steam or ,tirling engine in which the energy is delivered within a wor$ing fluid heated in a boiler by fossil fuel, wood#burning, nuclear, solar etc. A large number of different designs for I*+s have been developed and built, with a variety of different strengths and wea$nesses. %hile there have been and still are many stationary applications, the real strength of internal combustion engines is in mobile applications and they completely dominate as a power supply for cars, aircraft, and boats, from the smallest to the biggest. -nly for hand#held power tools do they share part of the mar$et with battery powered devices. .owered by an energy#dense fuel (nearly always li/uid, derived from fossil fuels) the I*+ delivers an excellent power#to#weight ratio with very few safety or other disadvantages.

Principles of operation
0eciprocating& "wo#stro$e cycle 1our#stro$e cycle ,ix stro$e engine 2iesel engine At$inson cycle %an$el engine 4as turbine 5et engine (including turbo'et, turbofan, ram'et, 0oc$et etc.)

0otary& *ontinuous combustion& 3rayton cycle&

Engine configurations
Internal combustion engines can be classified by their configuration. 1our#stro$e cycle (or -tto cycle) 1. Inta$e 2. compression . power !. exhaust Basic process As their name implies, operation of a four stro$e internal combustion engines have ! basic steps that repeat with every two revolutions of the engine& Intake *ombustible mixtures are emplaced in the combustion chamber "he mixtures are placed under pressure "he mixture is burnt, almost invariably a deflagration, although a few systems involve detonation. "he hot mixture is expanded, pressing on and moving parts of the engine and performing useful wor$. "he cooled combustion products are exhausted into the atmosphere Compression Combustion6Expansion

Exhaust 7any engines overlap these steps in time, 'et engines do all steps simultaneously at different parts of the engines. Combustion All internal combustion engines depend on the exothermic chemical process of combustion& the reaction of a fuel, typically with oxygen from the air "he most common modern fuels are made up of hydrocarbons and are derived mostly from fossil fuels (petroleum). 1ossil fuels include dieselfuel, gasoline and petroleum gas, Gasoline Ignition Process 4asoline engine ignition systems generally rely on a combination of a lead#acid battery and an induction coil to provide a high#voltage electrical spar$ to ignite the air#fuel mix in the engine8s cylinders. "his battery is recharged during operation using an electricity# generating device such as an alternator or generator driven by the engine. 4asoline engines ta$e in a mixture of air and gasoline and compress it to not more than 12.9 bar, then use a spar$ plug to ignite the mixture when it is compressed by the piston head in each cylinder. Diesel Ignition Process 2iesel engines rely solely on heat and pressure created by the engine in its compression

process for ignition. "he compression level that occurs is usually twice or more than a gasoline engine. 2iesel engines will ta$e in air only, and shortly before pea$ compression, a small /uantity of diesel fuel is sprayed into the cylinder via a fuel in'ector that allows the fuel to instantly ignite :ight duty diesel engines with indirect in'ection in automobiles and light truc$s employ glowplugs that pre#heat the combustion chamber 'ust before starting to reduce no#start conditions in cold weather. 7ost diesels also have a battery and charging system; nevertheless, this system is secondary and is added by manufacturers as a luxury for the ease of starting, turning fuel on and off, and for running auxiliary electrical components and accessories. 7ost new engines rely on electrical and electronic control system that also control the combustion process to increase efficiency and reduce emissions. Two stroke configuration +ngines based on the two#stro$e cycle use two stro$es (one up, one down) for every power stro$e. ,ince there are no dedicated inta$e or exhaust stro$es, alternative methods must be used to scavenge the cylinders. "he most common method in spar$#ignition two# stro$es is to use the downward motion of the piston to pressuri<e fresh charge in the cran$case, which is then blown through the cylinder through ports in the cylinder walls. ,par$#ignition two#stro$es are small and light for their power output and mechanically very simple; however, they are also generally less efficient and more polluting than their four#stro$e counterparts. In terms of power per cubic centimetre, a single#cylinder small motor application li$e a two#stro$e engine produces much more power than an e/uivalent four#stro$e engine due to the enormous advantage of having one power stro$e for every => degrees of cran$shaft rotation (compared to ?2> degrees in a ! stro$e motor). ,mall displacement, cran$case#scavenged two#stro$e engines have been less fuel# efficient than other types of engines when the fuel is mixed with the air prior to scavenging allowing some of it to escape out of the exhaust port.1uel in'ection is essential for a modern two#stro$e engine in order to meet ever more stringent emission standards. 0esearch continues into improving many aspects of two#stro$e motors including direct fuel in'ection, amongst other things. "he initial results have produced motors that are much cleaner burning than their traditional counterparts. "wo#stro$e engines are widely used in snowmobiles, lawnmowers, weed#whac$ers, chain saws, 'et s$is, mopeds, outboard motors, and many motorcycles. "wo#stro$e engines have the advantage of an increased specific power ratio (i.e. power to volume ratio), typically around 1.@ times that of a typical four#stro$e engine. "he largest compression#ignition engines are two#stro$es and are used in some locomotives and large ships. "hese particular engines use forced induction to scavenge the cylinders

Engine cycle
Two-stroke "his cycle has one power stro$e for every two stro$es of the piston (up#down) and

exhaust of the exhaust gases and charging of the cylinder happens at much the same time. "he steps involved here are& 1 Inta$e and exhaust at bottom dead center & +xhaust is released and air and vapori<ed fuel is blown in. 2 *ompression stro$e& 1uel vapor and air are compressed and ignited. power stro$e& piston is pushed downwards by the hot exhaust gases. our-stroke +ngines based on the four#stro$e (A-tto cycleA) have one power stro$e for every four stro$es (up#down#up#down) and employ spar$ plug ignition. *ombustion occurs rapidly, and during combustion the volume varies little (Aconstant volumeA).[=] "hey are used in cars, larger boats, some motorcycles, and many light aircraft. "hey are generally /uieter, more efficient, and larger than their two#stro$e counterparts. "he steps involved here are& 1 Inta$e stro$e& Air and vapori<ed fuel are drawn in. 2 *ompression stro$e& 1uel vapor and air are compressed and ignited. *ombustion stro$e& 1uel combusts and piston is pushed downwards. ! +xhaust stro$e& +xhaust is driven out. 2uring the 1st, 2nd, and !th stro$e the piston is relying on power and the momentum generated by the other pistons. In that case, a four cylinder engine would be less powerful than a six or eight cylinder engine. Diesel cycle 7ost truc$ and automotive diesel engines use a cycle reminiscent of a four#stro$e cycle, but with a compression heating ignition system, rather than needing a separate ignition system. "his variation is called the diesel cycle. In the diesel cycle, diesel fuel is in'ected directly into the cylinder so that combustion occurs at constant pressure, as the piston moves, rather than with the four stro$e with the piston essentially stationary. i!e-stroke +ngines based on the five#stro$e cycle are a variant of the four#stro$e cycle. Bormally, the four cycles are inta$e, compression, combustion, and exhaust. "he fifth cycle, which was added by 2elautour,[?] is refrigeration. +ngines running on a five#stro$e cycle are claimed to be up to >C more efficient than e/uivalent four#stro$e engines. "ix-stroke "he six stro$e engine captures the wasted heat from the four#stro$e -tto cycle and creates steam, which simultaneously cools the engine while providing a free power stro$e. "his removes the need for a cooling system ma$ing the engine lighter while giving !>C increased efficiency over the -tto *ycle.

Ignition system
"he ignition system of an internal combustion engines depends on the type of engine and the fuel used. .etrol engines are typically ignited by a precisely timed spar$, and diesel engines by compression heating. Distorically, outside flame and hot#tube systems were used, see hot bulb engine. "park "he mixture is ignited by an electrical spar$ from a spar$ plugEthe timing of which is very precisely controlled. Almost all gasoline engines are of this type. 2iesel engines timing is precisely controlled by the pressure pump and in'ector. Compression Ignition comes from the heat derived from oxidation and the mechanical compression of the air or mixture. "he vast ma'ority of compression ignition engines are diesels in which the fuel is mixed with the air after the air has reached ignition temperature. In this case, the timing comes from the fuel in'ection system. Fery small model engines for which simplicity is more important than fuel costs, use special fuels to control ignition timing. 1uels burn faster and more efficiently when they present a large surface area to the oxygen in air. :i/uid fuels must be atomi<ed to create a fuel#air mixture, traditionally this was done with a carburetor in petrol engines and with fuel in'ection in diesel engines. 7ost modern petrol engines now use fuel in'ection too # though the technology is /uite different. %hile diesel must be in'ected at an exact point in that engine cycle, no such precision is needed in a petrol engine. Dowever, the lac$ of lubricity in petrol means that the in'ectors themselves must be more sophisticated. Carburetor ,impler reciprocating engines continue to use a carburetor to supply fuel into the cylinder. Although carburetor technology in automobiles reached a very high degree of sophistication and precision, from the mid#1G9>s it lost out on cost and flexibility to fuel in'ection. ,imple forms of carburetor remain in widespread use in small engines such as lawn mowers and more sophisticated forms are still used in small motorcycles. uel in#ection :arger gasoline engines used in automobiles have mostly moved to fuel in'ection systems (see 4asoline 2irect In'ection). 2iesel engines have always used fuel in'ection because the timing of the in'ection initiates and controls the combustion. Autogas (:.4) engines use either fuel in'ection systems or open# or closed#loop carburetors. uel pump 7ost internal combustion engines now re/uire a fuel pump. 2iesel engines use an all# mechanical precision pump system that delivers a timed in'ection direct into the

combustion chamber, hence re/uiring a high delivery pressure to overcome the pressure of the combustion chamber. .etrol fuel in'ection delivers into the inlet tract at atmospheric pressure (or below) and timing is not involved, these pumps are normally driven electrically. 4as turbine and roc$et engines use electrical systems.

$xi%iser-&ir inlet system

,ome engines such as solid roc$ets have oxidisers already within the combustion chamber but in most cases for combustion to occur, a continuous supply of oxidiser must be supplied to the combustion chamber. 'atural aspirate% engines %hen air is used with piston engines it can simply suc$ it in as the piston increases the volume of the chamber. Dowever, this gives a maximum of 1 atmosphere of pressure difference across the inlet valves, and at high engine speeds the resulting airflow can limit potential power output. "uperchargers A supercharger is a Aforced inductionA system which uses a compressor powered by the shaft of the engine which forces air through the valves of the engine to achieve higher flow. %hen these systems are employed the maximum absolute pressure at the inlet valve is typically around 2 times atmospheric pressure or more. Turbochargers(gas turbine powere% compressors "urbochargers are another type of forced induction system which has its compressor powered by a gas turbine running off the exhaust gases from the engine. 2uct 'et engines use the same basic system, but eschew the piston engine, and replace it with a burner instead.

Parts
1or a four#stro$e engine, $ey parts of the engine include the cran$shaft (purple), connecting rod (orange), one or more camshafts (red and blue), and valves. 1or a two# stro$e engine, there may simply be an exhaust outlet and fuel inlet instead of a valve system. In both types of engines there are one or more cylinders (grey and green), and for each cylinder there is a spar$ plug (dar$er#grey, gasoline engines only), a piston (yellow), and a cran$pin (purple). A single sweep of the cylinder by the piston in an upward or downward motion is $nown as a stro$e. "he downward stro$e that occurs directly after the air#fuel mix passes from the carburetor or fuel in'ector to the cylinder, where it is ignited. "his is also $nown as a power stro$e. A %an$el engine has a triangular rotor that orbits in an epitrochoidal (figure 9 shape) chamber around an eccentric shaft. "he four phases of operation (inta$e, compression, power, and exhaust) ta$e place in what is effectively a moving, variable#volume

chamber.

)al!es
All four#stro$e internal combustion engines employ valves to control the admittance of fuel and air into the combustion chamber. "wo#stro$e engines use ports in the cylinder bore, covered and uncovered by the piston, though there have been variations such as exhaust valves. Piston engine !al!es In piston engines, the valves are grouped into 8inlet valves8 which admit the entrance of fuel and air and 8outlet valves8 which allow the exhaust gases to escape. +ach valve opens once per cycle and the ones that are sub'ect to extreme accelerations are held closed by springs that are typically opened by rods running on a camshaft rotating with the engines8 cran$shaft. Control !al!es *ontinuous combustion enginesEas well as piston enginesEusually have valves that open and close to admit the fuel and6or air at the startup and shutdown. ,ome valves feather to ad'ust the flow to control power or engine speed as well.

Exhaust systems
Internal combustion engines have to manage the exhaust of the cooled combustion gas from the engine. "he exhaust system fre/uently contains devices to control pollution, both chemical and noise pollution. In addition, for cyclic combustion engines the exhaust system is fre/uently tuned to improve emptying of the combustion chamber. 1or 'et propulsion internal combustion engines, the 8exhaust system8 ta$es the form of a high velocity no<<le, which generates thrust for the engine and forms a colimated 'et of gas that gives the engine its name.

Cooling systems
*ombustion generates a great deal of heat, and some of this transfers to the walls of the engine. 1ailure will occur if the body of the engine is allowed to reach too high a temperature, either the engine will physically fail, or any lubricants used will degrade to the point that they no longer protect the engine. *ooling systems usually employ air (air cooled) or li/uid (usually water) cooling while some very hot engines using radiative cooling (especially some 0oc$et engines). ,ome high altitude roc$et engines use ablative cooling where the walls gradually erode in a controlled fashion. 0oc$ets in particular can use regenerative cooling which uses the fuel to cool the solid parts of the engine.

Piston
A piston is a component of reciprocating engines. It is located in a cylinder and is made gas#tight by piston rings. Its purpose is to transfer force from expanding gas in the cylinder to the cran$shaft via a piston rod and6or connecting rod. In two#stro$e engines the piston also acts as a valve by covering and uncovering ports in the cylinder wall.

Crankshafts
Fery many reciprocating internal combustion engines end up turning a shaft. "his means that the linear motion of a piston must be turned into a rotation. "his is typically achieved by a cran$shaft.

lywheels
"he flywheel is a dis$ or wheel attached to the cran$, forming an inertial mass that stores rotational energy. In engines with only a single cylinder the flywheel is essential to carry energy over from the power stro$e into a subse/uent compression stro$e. 1lywheels are present in most reciprocating engines to smooth out the power delivery over each rotation of the cran$ and in most automotive engines also mount a gear ring for a starter. "he rotational inertia of the flywheel also allows a much slower minimum unloaded speed and also improves the smoothness at idle. "he flywheel may also form perform a part of the balancing of the system and so by itself be out of balance, although most engines will use a neutral balance for the flywheel, enabling it to be balanced in a separate operation. "he flywheel is also used as a mounting for the clutch or a tor/ue converter in most automotive applications.

"tarter systems
All internal combustion engines re/uire some form of system to get them into operation. 7ost piston engines use a starter motor powered by the same battery as runs the rest of the electrictric systems, 'et engines and gas turbines also need to be spun into life by similar means. ,mall I*+ engines are often started by pull cords. 7otorcycles of all si<es were traditionally $ic$#started, but all but the smallest are now electric#start. :arge stationary and marine engines may be started by the timed in'ection of compressed air into the cylinders to force rotation.

*ubrication "ystems
Internal combustions engines re/uire lubrication in operation to allow moving parts to slide smoothly over each other. Insufficient lubrication will sub'ect the engine to rapid wear and ultimately, it may even sei<e up entirely. ,everal different types of lubrication systems are used. ,imple two#stro$e engines are lubricated by oil mixed into the fuel or in'ected into the induction stream as a spray. +arly slow#speed stationary and marine engines were lubricated by gravity from small chambers similar to those used on steam engines at the timeEwith an engine tender refilling these as needed. As engines were adapted for automotive and aircraft use, the need for a high power#to#weight ratio led to increased speeds, higher temperatures, and greater pressure on bearings which in turn re/uired pressure#lubrication for cran$ bearings and connecting#rod 'ournals. "his was provided either by a direct lubrication from a pump, or indirectly by a 'et of oil directed at pic$up cups on the connecting rod ends which had the advantage of providing higher pressures as the engine speed increased.

Control systems
7ost engines re/uire one or more systems to start and shutdown the engine and to control parameters such as the power, speed, tor/ue, pollution, combustion temperature, efficiency and to stabilise the engine from modes of operation that may induce self# damage such as pre#ignition. ,uch systems may be referred to as engine control units. Fery many systems today are digital control systems, and are fre/uently termed 1A2+* (1ull Authority 2igital +lectronic *ontrol) systems.