MECH512 Internal Combustion Engines Spring 2008

Alan Shihadeh, as20@aub.edu.lb, RGB 414

Course Content
This course emphasizes the thermodynamics of internal combustion engines, including
coverage of the properties of gas mixtures, chemical equilibrium, and combustion calculations.
We will also cover fundamentals of how the design and operation of internal combustion
engines affect their performance and fuel requirements, as well as techniques for making
preliminary engine designs.
Course Outline:
Basics of engine operation, geometry, and performance parameters
Ideal cycle analysis (Otto, Diesel, limited pressure cycles)
Properties of gas mixtures
Combustion stoichiometry, enthalpy, equilibrium, and reaction rate
Fuel-Air cycle
Spark ignition and Diesel engine performance
Pollutant formation and control, environmental and health impacts of air pollution
We will also consider Asphalt and Asprin implications of the motorization of society. Do you
think Beirut needs more cars? What would happen if high quality automobiles could be
produced at a cost of $1 each? What happens when a road runs through a neighborhood?
How do substances we put in our automobile fuel tanks end up in our blood veins? Who put
lead in gasoline, and why?

Texts

Ferguson, C. and Kirkpatrick, A. Internal Combustion Engines, 2nd Edition. Wiley, 2001.

References
Heywood, J.B. Internal Combustion Engine Fundamentals, McGraw Hill, 1988.
Cengels & Boles, Thermodynamics: An Engineering Approach, McGraw Hill, 1998.
Flagan & Seinfeld, Fundamentals of Air Pollution Engineering, Prentice Hall, 1988.
Illich, I. Tools for Conviviality
Illich, I. Energy and Equity
Galeano, E. Upside Down
Boyle & Harper Radical Technology
Smil, V. Energies: An Illustrated Guide to the Biosphere and Civilization
Kitman, J., The Secret History of Lead, Special Report, The Nation Magazine, 12/2000

Grading
Homework assignments will be corrected and graded, and they will count for 25% of your
grade. There will be 2 quizzes (20% each) and a final exam (35%). Homework problems
should be worked and submitted in teams of up to two persons (each assignment should have
the names of both team members), of your own choosing. Teams cannot be changed after the
first homework assignment has been submitted. Please do not copy other teams solutions; this
will result in zero credit for all parties involved.
Quiz 1 Tuesday, April 1
Quiz 2 Tuesday, May 13