IC Engines Testing

and Performance
Dr. Yehia Eldrainy

Mechanical Engineering Department

Faculty of Engineering
Alexandria University
IC Engines
Objectives of Testing
• Engine performance during development
• Engine performance after development/sample testing after production by manufacturers
• Engine performance testing by Govt Testing
• Agencies for certification

Objectives of Testing after sale

• Leakage in engine
• Engine performance after overhaul/repairs?
• Smooth running of engine
Engine Performance Parameters
• The performance of the engine depends on interrelationship
between power developed, speed and the specific fuel consumption
at each operating condition within the useful range of speed and
load.

• Internal combustion engine should generally operate within a useful

range of speed.

• Some engines are made to run at fixed speed by means of a speed

governor which is its rated speed

• At each speed within the useful range, the power output varies and
it has a maximum usable value.

• The specific fuel consumption varies with load and speed

Performance Parameters
1. Indicated Power (IP)
2. Brake Power (BP)
3. Frictional Power (FP)
4. Mechanical Efficiency
5. Air-Fuel Ratio
6. Brake Specific Fuel Consumption (bsfc)
7. Thermal Efficiency
8. Heat (Energy) Balance Sheet
Brake Power (BP)
• Power available at output shaft/ crank shaft
Mechanical Losses/Frictional Power (FP)
• Sum of frictional losses and pumping losses include power required to operate engine accessories like
water pump, dynamo etc.
Indicated Power (IP)/ Theoretical Power
• Power produced within engine cylinder
IP = BP + FP
Performance Parameters
Experimental Setup (Engine Test rig)
Experimental Setup (Engine Test rig)
Basic measurements:
• The basic measurements to be undertaken to evaluate the performance of an engine on
almost all tests are the following:
a) Speed
b) Fuel consumption
c) Air consumption
d) Brake horse-power
e) Indicated horse power and friction horse power
f) Heat balance sheet or performance of SI and CI engine
g) Exhaust gas analysis
h) Smoke density
 Measurement of Engine Speed
• A wide variety of speed measuring devices are available in the market. They range from a mechanical
tachometer to digital and triggered electrical tachometers.
• The best method of measuring speed is to count the number of revolutions in a given time.
• This gives an accurate measurement of speed. Many engines are fitted with such revolution counters.
• A mechanical tachometer or an electrical tachometer can also be used for measuring the speed.
• The electrical tachometer has a three-phase permanent-magnet alternator to which a voltmeter is attached.
The output of the alternator is a linear function of the speed and is directly indicated on the voltmeter dial.
• For accurate and continuous measurement of speed a
magnetic pick-up placed near a toothed wheel coupled to the
engine shaft can be used.
• The magnetic pick-up will produce a pulse for every
revolution and a pulse counter will accurately measure the
speed.
Measurement of Engine Speed
• Mechanical tachometers utilize the fact that the centrifugal
force on a rotating mass depends on the speed of rotation and
can be used to stretch or compress a mechanical spring.
 Measurement of Engine Speed
D.C. Tachogenerator
• In a D.C. generator the e.m.f generated depends upon the following two factors:
(i) Field excitation
(ii) Speed
• If for the field system permanent magnet pole
pieces are used, then the generated voltage
depends only on the speed. Hence the speed
can be computed by measuring the generated
e.m.f.
• The shaft whose speed is to be measured is
coupled to the armature.
• A moving coil voltmeter is connected across
the brushes to measure the generated
voltage. The variable resistance R is
incorporated to limit the current through the
voltmeter.
• Since voltage is proportional to speed, the voltmeter may be calibrated in terms of speed (r.p.m.).
 Measurement of Engine Speed
Photo-electric tachometer
• It consists of a opaque disc mounted on the shaft whose speed is to be measured. The disc has a number of
equivalent holes around the periphery.
• On one side of the disc there is a source of light (L) while on the other side there is a light sensor (may be a
photosensitive device or photo-tube) in line with it (light-source).

• The number of pulses generated depends

upon the foliowing factors:
i. The number of holes in the disc;
ii. The shaft speed.
• Since the number of holes are fixed, therefore,
the number of pulses generated depends on
the speed of the shaft only. The electronic
counter may therefore be calibrated in terms
of speed (r.p.m.)
Measurement of BP
• The brake power measurement involves the determination of
the torque and the angular speed of the engine output shaft.
The torque measuring device is called a dynamometer (or
dyno).
• Engine is mounted on a test bed and the shaft is connected to
the dynamometer rotor.
• The rotor is coupled electromagnetically, hydraulically or by
mechanical friction to a stator, which is supported in low
friction bearings.
• Torque exerted on the stator with the rotor turning is measured
by balancing the stator with weights or springs.
1. Rope Brake Friction Dynamometer
• In rope brake dynamometer, a rope is wound round the
circumference of the brake wheel.
• To one end of the rope is attached a spring balance (S) and
the other end carries the load (W).
• The speed of the engine is noted from the tachometer.
Measurement of BP

1. Rope Brake Friction Dynamometer (cont.)

Let W=Dead Weight (mg) in Newton (N)

S =Spring Balance Reading (N)
Rb=Radius of Brake Drum (D+d)/2 (m)
D=Brake Drum diameter and ‘
d = rope diameter
N = Engine RPM
Hence, net Brake Load= (W – S)
Braking Torque = (W-S) x Rb

𝑊 − 𝑆 𝑥𝑅𝑏 𝑥2𝜋𝑁
Hence, Brake Power (BP) = (𝑘𝑊)
60,000
 Measurement of BP
2. Prony Brake Dynamometer
• A simplest form of an Absorption type Dynamometer is a
Prony Brake Dynamometer. It consists of two wooden
blocks(shoes) around a pulley fixed to the shaft of an
engine, whose power is required to be measured.
• The shoes are clamped by means of two bolts and nuts. A
helical spring is provided between the nut and the upper
block to adjust the pressure on the pulley to control its
speed.
• The upper block has a long lever attached to it and carries a weight W at its outer end . A counter weight is placed
at the other end of the lever which balances the brake when unloaded. Two stops are provided to limit the motion
of the Lever. When the brake is to be put in operation, the long end of the lever is loaded with suitable weights W
and the nuts are tightened until the engine shaft runs at a constant speed and the lever is in Horizontal Position .
• Under these conditions, the moment due to the weight W must balance the moment of the frictional resistance
between the blocks and pulleys.
2𝜋𝑁 𝑊𝑥𝐿 2𝜋𝑁
𝐵𝑃 = 𝑇𝑥 & = 𝐻𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒, 𝐵𝑃 = (𝑘𝑊)
60 60,000
 Measurement of BP
3. Hydraulic Dynamometer
• Hydraulic dynamometer works on the principle of dissipating
the power in fluid friction rather than in dry friction.
• It consists of an inner rotating member or impeller coupled to
the output shaft of the engine.
• This impeller rotates in a casing filled with fluid.
• This outer casing, due to the centrifugal force developed,
tends to revolve with the impeller, but is resisted by a torque
arm supporting the balance weight.
• The frictional forces between the impeller and the fluid are
measured by the spring-balance fitted on the casing.
• The heat developed due to dissipation of power is carried
away by a continuous supply of the working fluid, usually
water.
• The output can be controlled by regulating the channel gates
which can be moved in and out to partially or wholly obstruct
the flow of water between impeller, and the casing.
 Measurement of BP
4. Eddy current dynamometer
• It consists of a stator on which are fitted a number of
electromagnets and a rotor disc made of copper or steel and
coupled to the output shaft of the engine.
• When the rotor rotates eddy currents are produced in the
stator due to magnetic flux set up by the passage of field
current in the electromagnets.
• These eddy currents are dissipated in producing heat so that
this type of dynamometer also requires some cooling
arrangement.
• The torque is measured with the help of a moment arm.
• The load is IC Engine Testing controlled by regulating the
current in the electromagnets.
 Measurement of BP
5. Electric dynamometer
• The electric dynamometer operates as an electric generator.
• The output electric power from the generator is slightly less than the generator mechanical input power which
is equivalent to engine brake power.
• It means in order to produce more electric power, the generator has to absorb more engine brake power,
which means more load is applied on the engine.
• The generator output power (and hence engine load) is controlled by a variable resistance which controls the
produced electric voltage which is proportional to the generator electric power (electric power= volage x
current).
• The advantage of the electric dynamometer is that it can operate as a motor as well as a generator via a
switch in order to start the engine and measure the engine friction by the motoring test.
Note:
• The torque exerted on the rotor is transmitted to the stator depends on the dynamometer type.
• For example, in electric dynamometers, the torque is transmitted from the rotor to the stator
electromagnetically while in hydraulic dynamometers, the torque is transmitted hydraulically
• The force exerted on the stator can be measured by a load cell or by a torque arm supporting the balance
weight.
Frictional Power (FP)
Difference between IP and BP is called FP
FP includes:
• Pumping losses due to intake & exhaust processes
• Frictional losses (rubbing friction) in bearings, rotary/sliding parts
• Power required to drive auxiliaries and accessories like water, lubrication oil, fuel pumps,
alternator/dynamo,
• Valve operating mechanism etc.
FP increases as square of N but practically FP ∞ N1.6
Higher FP results in:
• Reduced power output
• Decreased mech efficiency
• Increased bsfc
• Increased requirement of cooling
Methods of Measurement of FP
• Willan’s Line Method • Motoring Test
• Morse Test • By measurement of IP and BP
FP by Willan’s Line Method
• A graph between fuel consumption rate (kg/h)
taken on y-axis and BP (kW) on x-axis is drawn,
while engine is made to run at some constant
speed, say 1500 RPM
• The graph is extrapolated back to zero fuel
consumption, which cuts on –ve X-axis at point ‘A’
• The –ve intercept on x-axis represents FP at that
speed of the engine.
• Although when BP=0, some fuel consumption is
there.
• This fuel is consumed to overcome engine friction.
• Only used for CI engine to be run at constant ( Fuel Rate Extrapolation Method )
speed as fuel consumption rate versus BP plot is
almost straight line in case of diesel engine, hence
can be extrapolated.
FP by Willan’s Line Method
This method is used only in case of unthrottled engines as discussed below:
• The Willan’s line is plotted for fuel consumption versus load at constant speed.
• The friction power (FP) is assumed constant from no load to full load at that constant speed.
• The FP includes not only the mechanical friction, but also the pumping power.
• For a throttled engine:
• If such a test is carried out, the throttle position has to be varied from almost closed at no
load to full open at maximum load, to keep the engine speed constant.
• Therefore the pumping load will be bigger at no load, and reduce gradually as the load is
increased.

In other words, the pumping power and therefore the FP will not remain constant, as the
assumption in Willan’s line method.
FP by Morse Test
• Morse Test can be used for determining FP/IP of multi-cylinder IC engines, generally 3 cylinder and more
by cutting off each cylinder in turn
• In SI engines, each cylinder is rendered in-operative by short-circuiting the spark plug or cutting off fuel
supply in MPFI systems. In CI engines, fuel supply is cut off.
• Consider 4 stroke, 4 cylinder SI engine coupled with dynamometer
• Engine is run at constant speed N.
• It is assumed that pumping & mech losses are same whether a cylinder is working or not.
• Throttle position is kept fixed, however, to attain same speed N, load is decreased by dynamometer
• Let B = BP of engine when all cylinders are working
• B1 = BP of engine when Cylinder No. 1 is cut off
• Similarly, B2=BP of engine when Cylinder No. 2 is cut off and so on
• Let I1, I2, I3 & I4 be the IPs developed by Cylinder Nos 1, 2, 3 & 4
• Total B = (I1+I2+I3+I4) - (F1+F2+F3+F4)
• Hence, B1=(I2+I3+I4) – (F1+F2+F3+F4)
• On subtracting; B – B1 = I1 Similarly, B – B2 = I2 & B – B3 = I3 & B – B4 = I4
• On adding; IP = I1 + I2 + I3 + I4 = 4B – (B1+B2+B3+B4), Hence IP can be calculated
• Therefore, FP = IP - BP
FP by Motoring Test
• In the motoring test, the engine is first run up to the desired speed by its own power and allowed to
remain at the given speed and load conditions for some time so that oil, water, and engine component
temperatures reach stable operating conditions.
• The power of the engine during this period is absorbed by an electric dynamometer, which is most
suitable for this test.
• The fuel supply is then cut-off and by suitable electric-switching devices the dynamometer is converted
to run as a motor to drive for ‘motor’ the engine at the same speed at which it was previously running.
• The power supply to the motor is measured which is a measure of the FP of the engine.
• During the motoring test the water supply is also cut-off so that the actual operating temperatures are
maintained.
FP by Difference between IP and BP
• The method of finding the FP by computing the difference between IP, as obtained from an indicator
diagram, and BP, as obtained by a dynamometer, is the ideal method.
• However, due to difficulties. in obtaining accurate indicator diagrams, especially at high engine speeds,
this method is usually only used in research laboratories.
• Its use at commercial level is very limited.
• It consists of:
• Pressure Indicator (Pressure transducer)
• Crank angle encoder (crank angle gives cylinder volume)
• Tachometer (engine speed)
• Purpose – to obtain pressure inside cylinder
• Produces P-V diagram (Indicator diagram) of in-cylinder gas.
• Integration of Real P-V diagram of an engine cycle will give net indicated work output per cycle.
 P-V Diagrams of Naturally Aspirated Engine
• The work produced during the expansion and compression
strokes is called gross indicated work:

Wigross= the red area + the yellow area

• The work produced during the intake and exhaust strokes is
called pumping friction work:

Wpf = the grey area + the yellow area

• The net indicated work is the work produced during the four
strokes.
• Engine indicated power can be calculated from the indicated
work as follows:

• Engine indicated power can be calculated from the indicated

work as follows:

• Where z is the number of cylinders, N is engine rpm, i=1 for 2

stroke cycle engine and i=2 for 4 stroke cycle engine
 P-V Diagrams of Naturally Aspirated Engine
• Engine brake power (BP) can be calculated as follows:

• Where RFP is the rubbing friction power, AP is the accessory (such as water pump and generator) power, and
TFP is the total frictional power or losses:

• The exhaust pressure must be always greater than the atmospheric pressure so that the exhaust gas can flow
from inside the cylinder to the atmosphere.
• The value of inlet pressure depends on the throttle position (engine load) in spark-ignition engines
• When the throttle valve is closed during engine idling, the inlet pressure is very low, therefore, the pumping
friction work is the highest when the throttle valve is fully open during engine full load operation, the inlet
pressure is slightly lower than the atmospheric pressure, therefore, the pumping friction work is the lowest.
• Diesel engines have no throttle and the air flow is unrestricted, therefore, the pumping friction work in diesel
engines is lower compared to spark ignition engines.
• In addition, the inlet pressure depends on whether the engine is naturally aspirated or turbocharged when
the engine is naturally aspirated, the inlet pressure is always lower than the atmospheric pressure so that the
air can flow from the atmosphere to inside the cylinder. Therefore, the net indicated work is lower than the
gross indicated work.
• When the engine is turbocharged, the compressor increases the inlet pressure above the exhaust pressure.
That results in the net indicated work to be higher than the gross indicated work.
 P-V Diagrams of Naturally Aspirated Engine

• At wide-open-throttle (WOT) the pressure at the intake valve is just below atmospheric pressure, however at part throttle
the pressure is much lower than atmospheric.
• Therefore at part throttle the pump work (area B+C) can be significant compared to gross indicated work (area A+C)
Indicated Work with Supercharging

• Engines with superchargers or

turbochargers can have intake pressures
greater than the exhaust pressure, giving a
positive pump work.
• Supercharges increase the net indicated
work but is a parasitic load since they are
driven by the crankshaft
Volumetric Fuel Flow Meter(Burette Type)
• Time required to supply given volume of
fuel is noted
• Mass Flow Rate of Fuel Supply:
𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒
𝑚𝑓 = 𝑥𝐷𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑦𝑜𝑓𝐹𝑢𝑒𝑙
𝑇𝑖𝑚𝑒

• Density of Fuel = Sp Gravity of fuel x

Density of water

𝐷𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑦𝑜𝑓𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑙
𝑆𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑐𝐺𝑟𝑎𝑣𝑖𝑡𝑦 =
𝐷𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑦𝑜𝑓𝑊𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟

• This method does not give very accurate

mass flow rate due to variation in density
with temperature.
Gravimetric Fuel Flow Meter

• Another method is to measure the

time required for consumption of a
given mass of fuel.
• If the mass of the fuel consumed is
directly measured a great improvement
in accuracy and cost can be obtained.
Air Flow Meter
Measurement of air consumption by Air-box method:
• It consists of air-tight chamber fitted with an orifice meter of known coefficient of discharge.
• The orifice is located away from the suction connection to the engine.
• Due to the suction of engine, there is a pressure of depression in the air box or chamber which causes
the flow through orifice.
• For obtaining a steady flow, the volume of chamber should be sufficiently large compared with the
swept volume of the cylinder.
• It is assumed that the intermittent suction of the engine will not affect the air pressure in the air box
as volume of the box is sufficiently large, and pressure in the box remains same.
• A water manometer is used to measure the pressure difference causing the flow through the orifice.
The depression across the orifice should not exceed 100 to 500mm of water.
Air Flow Meter
• Measurement of Air Consumption by Air
Flowmeter
• Surge tank is connected to intake side of
the engine
• Manometer measures the pressure
difference
• Vol Flow Rate

= 𝐶𝑑 𝑥𝐴𝑥 2𝑔. Δ𝐻𝑤

• Cd is Coefficient of discharge for given

orifice
• A is Orifice cross sectional area
• ΔHw is the head of water in the manometer
Air Flow Meter
Measurement of air consumption by laminar flow meter.
• In this air flow meter, the Matrix Meter Element is a
honeycomb of long narrow round, triangular or square
passages.
• Within the working range, the flow through these passages
is viscous and the resistance of the element is, therefore,
directly proportional to the velocity.
• laminar flow results in a linear relationship. Under laminar
flow conditions, the pressure difference between two
points along a tube is directly proportional to the
volumetric flow rate.
Heat Balance
• The performance of an engine is usually studied by heat balance-sheet.

The main components of the heat balance are :

• Heat equivalent to the effective (brake) work of the engine,
• Heat rejected to the cooling medium,
• Heat carried away from the engine with the exhaust gases, and
• Unaccounted losses.

• The unaccounted losses include:

• the radiation losses from the various parts of the engine
• heat lost due to incomplete combustion.

• The friction loss is not shown as a separate item to the heat balance-sheet as the friction loss
ultimately reappears as heat in cooling water, exhaust and radiation.
Heat Balance Sheet
Heat Expenditure/Utilization:
1) Heat Equivalent to BP (kW)
2) Heat Rejected to Cooling Water:
• Heat carried away by water =mw Cpw (Two –
Twi) KW
• Where mw=cooling water circulation kg/s &
Cpw=4.187 kJ/kg.K
3) Heat carried away by Exhaust gases
• Heat carried by exhaust gases=mg Cpg (Te –
Ta) kW
• Where mg=(ma + mf) =flue gases flow rate
(kg/s)
4) Unaccounted Heat:
• By difference
Heat Balance Sheet
Power, Torque and mep

• Engine power alone is not a satisfactory criterion to compare engine performances.

• A better indication of engine performance may obtained from the mep because the mep correlates
engine power with its size.
• As engine power increases and its size decreases, the mean effective pressure increases.
• The bmep is an indication for engine torque and can be correlated with engine torque as follows:

• For the same engine geometry (Vd=constant), the higher the torque, the higher the bmep, and vice
versa.
Power and Torque versus Engine Speed
• There is a maximum in the brake power
versus engine speed called the rated brake
power.

• At higher speeds brake power decreases as

friction power becomes significant
compared to the indicated power.

• There is a maximum in the torque versus

speed called maximum brake torque (MBT).

• Brake torque drops off:

• at lower speeds due to heat losses
• at higher speeds it becomes more
difficult to ingest a full charge of air.
Power and Torque versus Engine Speed

GM V6 engine

Compression ratio = 9.2

Brake Specific Fuel Consumption vs Speed
• There is a minimum in the bsfc versus
engine speed curve.

• At high speeds the bsfc increases due to

increased friction.

• At lower speeds the bsfc increases due to

increased time for heat losses from the gas
to the cylinder and piston wall.

• bsfc increases with compression ratio due

to higher thermal efficiency.
 Fuel/Air Equivalent Ratio

Proper fuel/air (or air/fuel) ratio in the fuel/air mixture is a crucial

factor that affects the performance, efficiency, and emission
characteristics of an engine.

Brake specific fuel consumption as a function of fuel equivalence

ratio. Consumption is minimum at a slightly lean condition,
increasing with both richer and leaner mixtures.
 bsfc vs. Vd
Brake specific fuel consumption as a
function of engine displacement.
Generally, average fuel consumption is
less with larger engines.
• One reason for this is less heat loss
due to the higher volume to surface
area ratio of the combustion
chamber in a large engine.
• Also, larger engines operate at
lower speeds which reduces friction
losses.

Ratio of cylinder surface to volume decrease with bore diameter

cylinder surface area 4bL

cylinder volume =  b2 L
Volumetric efficiency

At lower engine speeds

• The air flow rate is slower and the
air remains in the intake system for
a longer time. It thus gets heated to
higher temperatures at low speeds,
which lowers the volumetric
efficiency.

At higher engine speeds

• The viscous flow friction that affects
the air as it passes through the air
filter, carburetor, throttle plate,
intake manifold, and intake valve
reduces the volumetric efficiency of
the engine intake system. Volumetric efficiency as a function of engine speed for
• Viscous drag, which causes the a typical Si engine.
pressure loss, increases with the
square of flow velocity. This results
in decreasing the efficiency.
Volumetric efficiency

Diesel engines vs. SI engines

• The volumetric efficiency of spark-ignition engines is
usually lower than the volumetric efficiency in diesel
engines due to:
• Flow losses at the throttle valve and carburetor
• The presence of higher residual gas fraction due to
lower compression ratio

Part load vs. full load

• In spark-ignition engines, the volumetric efficiency
at part load is lower than the volumetric efficiency at
full load:
• When the throttle valve is fully open (full load),
the pressure in the intake manifold is close to
the atmospheric pressure and ηv is high
• As the throttle valve closes, the intake manifold
pressure and the inlet density decrease causing
a decrease in ηv.
Volumetric efficiency
Modern engines use variable valve timing technology for the following reasons:
• At high engine speeds, the inertia of the gas in the intake system as the intake valve is closing increases
the pressure in the inlet port and continues the charging process as the piston slows down around the
BDC and starts the compression stroke. This is called the ram effect.

• The ram effect becomes greater as engine speed increases. Therefore, the inlet valve closes 40 to 60
after BDC in order to increase the inlet flow at high engine speeds.

• At low engine speeds, because the ram effect is weak, a reverse flow of fresh charge from the cylinder
back to the intake manifold can occur at the start of compression stroke.

• When variable valve timing technology is used, the inlet valve can be closed earlier when engine speed
is low and later when engine speed is high leading to an improvement in ηv.

Other techniques used to improve ηv include:

• The use of large and multiple inlet valves in order to increase the flow.
• Larger valves increase flow but weigh more.
• Multi-valve engines combine two or more smaller valves with areas greater than a single, large valve
while having less weight.
• Proper manifold and port design is needed to decrease the flow losses and increase flow capability.
 Brake Specific Fuel Consumption vs Speed
• One common way to present the operating characteristics of an
engine over its load and speed range is to plot bsfc contours on
a graph of bmep (or torque) versus engine speed such a graph
is called performance map.
• If both engine speed and bmep (or torque) are known, then the
operating point can be located on the performance map and the
bsfc can be determined
• Operation of the engine coupled to a dynamometer on a test
stand over its load and speed range generates the torque and
fuel flow data from which a performance map is plotted.
• For example, in spark-ignition engines, the throttle valve
opening will be kept fixed while the dynamometer will be used
to vary the engine speed over the full speed range.

• Both engine torque and fuel flow are measured for each engine speed condition.
• The above two steps are repeated for different throttle valve opening conditions ranging from closed
throttle to the fully open throttle.
SI Engine Characteristic Curves
• IP increases when imep or speed or both
increase.
• IP initially increases faster with speed, if inlet
conditions are kept constant.
• However, after certain limit, rate of increase
of IP reduces with speed due to reduction
in volumetric efficiency as air/charge
velocity increase results in inlet pressure
drop.
• Mech losses increase with increase in speed

• As FP ∞ N2, mech efficiency reduces due to steep increase in FP

• bsfc reduces with speed since volumetric efficiency increases and mech efficiency also increases.
• After certain speed, bsfc increases due to reduction in volumetric efficiency and increase in mech
losses.
• Point x represents economical speed of engine for min fuel consumption
CI Engine Characteristic Curves
• IP and BP increase with speed but due to
steep increase in FP, IP and BP start
coming down
• For bsfc curve, same reasons as in SI engine
How can engine power be increased?
• Increasing Engine speed (BP= T x 2πN)
• (FP ∞ N2 & Volumetric η ↓ )
• Higher CR (Peak Pr increases; Thermal Load increases; Weight to Power ratio increases)
• (CR limited due to knocking/detonation in SI engines and heat load in CI engines)
• Utilization of exhaust energy in gas turbine, thus ↑ BP
• Use of 2-stroke cycle; but cooling, emission
• problems, lower volumetric & thermal efficiency
• Increasing charge density by
• Lowering charge temp (Cooling) and / or Increasing induction pressure
Objectives of Supercharging
• To increase power output
• To reduce bulk size of engine
• To increase power to weight ratio
• To compensate loss of power at high altitude

Supercharging
• Supplying air /Air-Fuel mixture at higher pressure than the pressure, at which the engine naturally
• aspirates, by a boosting device is called supercharging
• The device which boosts the pressure is called supercharger.
• Purpose of supercharging to have small displacement engines but developing more power and to
meet emission legislation on fuel consumption for emission control
• More power is achieved by raising density of charge, thus more mass of air making available more
oxygen for combustion
Supercharging & Turbo Charging Systems
• Exhaust gases carry about 1/3 of the total energy generated in the eng cylinder
• In order to utilize this energy, hot gases can be allowed to expand further in a gas turbine and its work
output can be utilized to drive a supercharger.
• This system of supercharger coupled to Turbine is called Turbocharger
• Due to cyclic fluctuations of the pressure in exhaust pipe, turbo charging is not employed in single
cylinder eng, however, system is suitable for engines having 4 or more cylinders
Effects of Supercharging
• Increased Engine Output (p-V diagrams)
• Turbulence Effect (Higher BP)
• Mech Efficiency increases
• bsfc ↑ for SI (due to reduced delay) but ↓ for CI engines due to better combustion & higher mechanical
efficiency
• Better scavenging; Increase in power output
• SI Engines→ Knocking tendency as ign delay ↓
• For CI Engines→ Smoother running, low F/A ratio, ↑ durability & reliability and lower bsfc
• Better atomization
• Better mixing of air and fuel
• Reduced exhaust smoke
• Better torque characteristic over whole speed range
• Better and smoother combustion
• Increased thermal stresses
• Increased gas load
• Increased cooling requirements of piston and valves
P-V Diagrams of Naturally Aspirated & Supercharged Engines
Limitations of Supercharging
• Power o/p limited by knock, thermal & mech loads
• For SI engines, knocking reached earlier
• In CI Engines, thermal & mech loads reached earlier
• Increase in intake pr increases peak pr leading to increase in weight of cylinder (limitation on peak pr)
• Increase in peak pr→ ↑ tendency to detonate (SI)
• Increase in peak pr increases friction losses
• Increase in peak pr, increases bearing loads
• ↑ peak pr → ↑ peak T →Reqmt of better cooling sys
• ↑T → ↑ exh gas temp →overheating of exh valves
• Due to the above reasons, supercharging generally limited to 2.5 bar
Limitations of Supercharging In CI Engs.
• Increased induction pr helps in suppressing
• knocking tendency, improve combustion,
• higher power output & thermal efficiency and hence can use lower Cetane fuels
• Supercharging is limited by:
• - peak pressure →mechanical loading
• - peak temp →thermal loading
• - thermal stresses developed
• - mean temp of cylinder walls
• - loads on bearings
Reviewing Engine Performance
There are several can influence engine performance:
• Piston displacements determine the volume of air or air-fuel mixture that will be enters the in
induction stroke.
• Greater the displacement, more mixture can enter, and the more powerful the power strokes
• Volumetric efficiency determines how much air-fuel mixture enter the cylinder at any speed.
• Amount of mixture helps determine the pressure applied to the piston during the power stroke.
• More mixture, the higher the pressure, and the more powerful the power stroke
• The pressure applied to the pistons determines engine torque
• Torque and engine speed determine engine power