Internal combustion engine

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The internal combustion engine is an engine in which the combustion of a fuel (generally,
fossil fuel) occurs with an oxidizer (usually air) in a combustion chamber. In an internal
combustion engine the expansion of the high temperature and pressure gases, which are
produced by the combustion, directly applies force to a movable component of the engine, such
as the pistons or turbine blades and by moving it over a distance, generate useful mechanical
energy.[1][2][3][4]

The term internal combustion engine usually refers to an engine in which combustion is
intermittent, such as the more familiar four-stroke and two-stroke piston engines, along with
variants, such as the Wankel rotary engine. A second class of internal combustion engines use
continuous combustion: gas turbines, jet engines and most rocket engines, each of which are
internal combustion engines on the same principle as previously described.[1][2][3][4]

The internal combustion engine (or ICE) is quite different from external combustion engines,
such as steam or Stirling engines, in which the energy is delivered to a working fluid not
consisting of, mixed with, or contaminated by combustion products. Working fluids can be air,
hot water, pressurized water or even liquid sodium, heated in some kind of boiler.

A large number of different designs for ICEs have been developed and built, with a variety of
different strengths and weaknesses. Powered by an energy-dense fuel (which is very frequently
petrol, a liquid derived from fossil fuels), the ICE delivers an excellent power-to-weight ratio
with few disadvantages. While there have been and still are many stationary applications, the real
strength of internal combustion engines is in mobile applications and they dominate as a power
supply for cars, aircraft, and boats, from the smallest to the largest. Only for hand-held power
tools do they share part of the market with battery powered devices.

An automobile engine partly opened and colored to show components.

 1 Applications
 2 Classification
o 2.1 Principles of operation
 3 History
 4 Engine configurations
o 4.1 Four stroke configuration
 4.1.1 Operation
 4.1.2 Combustion
o 4.2 Two stroke configuration
o 4.3 Wankel
o 4.4 Gas turbines
o 4.5 Jet engine
 5 Engine cycle
o 5.1 Two-stroke
o 5.2 Four-stroke
o 5.3 Diesel cycle
o 5.4 Five-stroke
o 5.5 Six-stroke
o 5.6 Brayton cycle
o 5.7 Obsolete
 6 Fuels and oxidizers
o 6.1 Fuels
o 6.2 Hydrogen
o 6.3 Oxidizers
 7 Engine capacity
 8 Common components
o 8.1 Combustion chambers
o 8.2 Ignition system
 8.2.1 Spark
 8.2.2 Compression
 8.2.3 Ignition timing
o 8.3 Fuel systems
 8.3.1 Carburetor
 8.3.2 Fuel injection
 8.3.3 Fuel pump
 8.3.4 Other
o 8.4 Oxidiser-Air inlet system
 8.4.1 Natural aspirated engines
 8.4.2 Superchargers and turbochargers
 8.4.3 Liquids
 9 Parts
o 9.1 Valves
  9.1.1 Piston engine valves
 9.1.2 Control valves
o 9.2 Exhaust systems
o 9.3 Cooling systems
o 9.4 Piston
o 9.5 Propelling nozzle
o 9.6 Crankshaft
o 9.7 Flywheels
o 9.8 Starter systems
o 9.9 Heat Shielding Systems
o 9.10 Lubrication Systems
o 9.11 Control systems
o 9.12 Diagnostic systems
 10 Measures of engine performance
o 10.1 Energy efficiency
o 10.2 Measures of fuel/propellant efficiency
 11 Air and noise pollution
 12 See also
 13 References
 14 Further reading
 15 External links

[edit] Applications
A 1906 gasoline engine

Internal combustion engines are most commonly used for mobile propulsion in vehicles and
portable machinery. In mobile equipment, internal combustion is advantageous since it can
provide high power-to-weight ratios together with excellent fuel energy density. Generally using
fossil fuel (mainly petroleum), these engines have appeared in transport in almost all vehicles
(automobiles, trucks, motorcycles, boats, and in a wide variety of aircraft and locomotives).

Where very low power-to-weight ratios are not required, internal combustion engines appear in
the form of gas turbines. These applications include jet aircraft, helicopters, large ships and
electric generators.

[edit] Classification
At one time the word, "Engine" (from Latin, via Old French, ingenium, "ability") meant any
piece of machinery—a sense that persists in expressions such as siege engine. A "motor" (from
Latin motor, "mover") is any machine that produces mechanical power. Traditionally, electric
motors are not referred to as "Engines"; however, combustion engines are often referred to as
"motors." (An electric engine refers to a locomotive operated by electricity.)

Engines can be classified in many different ways: By the engine cycle used, the layout of the
engine, source of energy, the use of the engine, or by the cooling system employed.

[edit] Principles of operation

 Two-stroke cycle
 Four-stroke cycle
 Six-stroke engine
 Diesel engine

 Atkinson cycle

Rotary:

 Wankel engine

Continuous combustion:
Brayton cycle:

 Gas turbine
 Jet engine (including turbojet, turbofan, ramjet, Rocket etc..

[edit] History
Main article: History of the internal combustion engine

[edit] Engine configurations

[edit] Four stroke configuration

Operation

As their name implies, operation of four stroke internal combustion engines have four basic steps
that repeat with every two revolutions of the engine:

1. Intake
o Combustible mixtures are emplaced in the combustion chamber
2. Compression
o The mixtures are placed under pressure
3. Power
o The mixture is burnt, almost invariably a deflagration, although a few systems
involve detonation. The hot mixture is expanded, pressing on and moving parts of
the engine and performing useful work.
4. Exhaust
o The cooled combustion products are exhausted into the atmosphere
Many engines overlap these steps in time; jet engines do all steps simultaneously at different
parts of the engines.