IC Engines

Introduction

• “The heat engine, in which the combustion takes place inside the cylinder or the product of combustion (flue
gas) directly goes to the cylinder and the heat energy of the flue gas is converted into mechanical energy, is
known as Internal Combustion Engine (I.C. Engine)”.

• The combustion may take place either inside or outside the cylinder, but heat energy of the combustion is
directly utilized by the engine to produce mechanical power.

• However, in external combustion engines, the heat of the combustion is transferred to the intermediate
medium like water or air and then the heat energy of that intermediate medium (steam produced from the
water or the hot air) is converted into the mechanical energy.

• The steam engine/turbine and closed cycle gas turbine work on the principle of the external combustion
engine as the heat of combustion is transferred to water and air respectively.

• The steam produced from water in case of steam engine/turbine and hot compressed air in case of closed
cycle gas turbine produce mechanical power.

• While the automobile and open cycle gas turbine work on the principle of internal combustion engine as the
flue gas produced during the combustion process produces mechanical power without transferring the heat
energy to any intermediate medium.
 Classification

• There are several bases for classification of I.C. Engines, some of the important bases can be explained as:

➢ Number of strokes per cycle

➢ Nature of thermodynamic cycle

➢ Ignition systems

➢ Fuel used

➢ Arrangement of cylinders

➢ Cooling systems

➢ Fuel supply systems

 Classification

• Number of Strokes Per Cycle: I.C. Engines can be classified as four-stroke engines (4S) and two-stroke
engines (2s).

• In four-stroke engines, the thermodynamic cycle is completed in four strokes of the piston or two revolutions
of the crankshaft whereas, in two-stroke engines, the thermodynamic cycle is completed in two strokes of the
piston or one revolution of the crankshaft.

• Nature of Thermodynamic Cycle: I.C. Engines can be classified as Otto cycle, Diesel cycle, and Dual cycle
engine.

• In an Otto cycle engine, heat addition and heat rejection occur at constant volume; therefore, this is also
known as constant volume engine, whereas, in the Diesel cycle engine, heat addition occurs at constant
pressure and heat rejection occurs at constant volume.

• In Dual cycle, heat addition occurs partly at constant volume and partly at constant pressure, but heat rejection
occurs fully at constant volume.
 Classification

• Ignition Systems: There are two modes of ignition of fuel inside the cylinder—spark ignition and self or
compressed ignition.

• In spark ignition, sparking starts at the end of compression stroke from spark plug while in compressed
ignition the temperature of the fuel increased to the self-ignition point by compressing the air alone and at the
end of compression, fuel is injected into the cylinder.

• Fuel Used: On the basis of fuel used, I.C. Engines can be classified as (a) gas engines like CNG, natural gas,
etc. (b) Petrol engine, (c) Diesel Engine, and (d) Bi-fuel engine. In a bi-fuel engine, two types of fuel are used
like gaseous fuel and liquid fuel.

• Arrangement of Cylinders: According to the arrangement of cylinders I.C. Engines can be classified as (a)
In-line engines, (b) V-engines, (c) Opposed cylinder engines, (d) Opposed piston engines, (e) X-type engines,
and (f) Radial engines.
 Classification

• Cooling Systems: there are two types of cooling systems in I.C. Engines—water cooling and air cooling.
• In water cooling, coolant and radiators are provided to cool the cylinder.
• In air cooling, fins are provided on the surface of the cylinder to radiate the heat into the atmosphere.
• Low power engines like motorbikes are equipped with air cooling systems, whereas large power producing
engines like a car, bus, truck, etc. are equipped with water cooling systems.

• Fuel Supply Systems: Based on fuel supply systems, I.C. Engines can be classified as:
• Carburetor engine: In a carburetor engine, air and fuel are properly mixed into the carburetor and then fed into
the cylinder.
• Air injection engine: In air injection engines, fuel is supplied to the cylinder with the help of compressed air.
• Airless or solid or Mechanical injection engines: In mechanical injection engines, the fuel is injected into the
cylinder with the help of mechanical pump and nozzle
 Basic Structure
• Cylinder: It is a hollow cylindrical structure closed at one end with the cylinder
head.
• The combustion of the fuel takes place inside the cylinder.
• This is known as the heart of the engine.
• It is made of hard and high thermal conductivity materials by casting.
• A piston reciprocates inside the cylinder and produces power.

• Cylinder Head: It covers one end of the cylinder and consists of valves/ports and
spark plug/injector.

• Cylinder Liner: The internal surface of the cinder is equipped with a replaceable
liner, which can be easily replaced after wear and tear.
• The liner is used to protect the wear of the cylinder so that replacement of complete
cylinder can be avoided.

• Piston: It is a cylindrical component which is fitted perfectly inside the cylinder

providing a gas-tight space with the piston rings and the lubricant.
• The piston is connected to connecting rod by hardened gudgeon pin.
• The main function of the piston is to transfer the power produced by combustion of
the fuel to the crankshaft.
 Basic Structure

• Piston Rings: The outer periphery of the piston is provided with

several grooves into which piston rings are fitted. The piston is fitted
with these rings. The upper ring is known as compression ring and the
lower rings are known as oil rings. The function of the compression
ring is to compress the air or air-fuel mixture and the function of the
oil rings is to collect the surplus lubricating oil on the liner surface.

• Water Jacket: Water jacket is an integral part of the cylinder through

which cooling water is circulated to prevent the overheating the
engine.

• Connecting Rod: It connects the piston and the crankshaft. One end,
called the small end, is connected to the gudgeon pin located in the
piston and the other end, called big end, is connected to crank pin. The
function of the connecting rod is to transfer the reciprocating motion
of the piston into rotary motion of the crankshaft.
 Basic Structure

• Crankshaft: It is principal rotating part of the engine which controls

the sequence of reciprocating motion of the pistons. It consists of
several bearings and crank pins.

• Valves: Normally, the two valves are used for each cylinder, which
may be of mushroom shaped poppet type. They are provided either on
the cylinder head or on the side of the cylinder for regulating the
charge coming into the cylinder and for discharging the products of
combustion from the cylinder. The valve mechanism consists of cams,
cam follower, push rod, rocker arms, and spring.

• Inlet Manifold: This is the pipe which connects the intake system to
the inlet valve of the engine and through which air or air-fuel mixture
is drawn into the cylinder.

• Exhaust Manifold: This is the pipe which connects the exhaust

system to the exhaust valve of the engine and through which products
of combustion escapes into the atmosphere.
 Basic Structure

• Cams and Camshaft: Cam is mounted on a shaft which is known as

the camshaft. The function of the cam is to facilitate the control of the
timing of opening and closing of the inlet and exhaust valve. It
provides to and fro motion to the valve rods to open and close the
valves.

• Spark Plug: In an S.I engine, a spark plug is located near the top of
the cylinder and initiates the combustion of the fuel.

• Carburetor: Carburetor is a device which is used to control the fuel

qualitatively in an S.I engine. It atomizes the fuel, mixes with air and
vaporizes it and finally sends the air-fuel mixture inside the cylinder
through the inlet valve.
 Basic Structure

• Fuel Pump and Injector Unit: This unit is used in C.I. engines
(nowadays injection system is also used in S.I. engine as multi-point
fuel injection, MPFI). Its function is to supply the fuel to injector
under pressure which consists of one or more orifices through which
the fuel is sprayed into the cylinder.

• Crankcase: It consists of a cylinder, piston, and crankshaft. It helps in

lubrication of different parts of the engine.

• Flywheel: It is a heavy wheel mounted on the crankshaft to minimize

the cyclic variations in speed. It absorbs the energy during the power
stroke and releases it during the non-power stroke. By employing a
flywheel, the turning moment becomes uniform at the crankshaft.
 Nomenclature

• Cylinder Bore (d): The nominal inner diameter of a cylinder is called

a cylinder bore which is designated by an English letter ‘d’ and
expressed in millimeter (mm).
• Piston Area (A): The area of the inner diameter of a cylinder is
known as piston area. It is measured in terms of a square centimeter
(cm2) or square millimeter (mm2).
• Stroke (L): The axial distance for which a piston moves inside a
cylinder in one stroke is known as stroke or stroke length which is
designated by an English letter ‘L’ and measured in terms of a
millimeter (mm).
• Dead Centers: The positions of the piston, at the moments when the
direction of the piston motion is reversed are known as dead centers.
There are two dead centers—Top dead center (TDC) and Bottom dead
center (BDC). The farthest position of the piston head from the
crankshaft is known as TDC and nearest position of the piston head
from the crankshaft is known as BDC.
 Nomenclature

• Displacement/Stroke/Swept Volume (Vs): The nominal volume

swept by the working piston when traveling from one dead center to
the other is called the displacement volume. It is expressed in terms of
a cubic centimeter (cc) and is given by:

• Clearance Volume (Vc): The nominal volume of the combustion

chamber above the piston when it is at the at the TDC is known as
clearance volume (Vc) and is expressed in cc.

• Compression Ratio (rv): It is the ratio of the total cylinder volume

when the piston is at BDC to the clearance volume.
 Working Principle

• Four-stroke Spark Ignition Engine

• In this engine, the cycle of operations is completed in 4-strokes of the

piston or two revolutions of the crankshaft.

• During the 4-strokes, there are five processes to be completed, viz.,

suction, compression, combustion, expansion, and exhaust. Each
stroke consists of 180° rotation of the crankshaft and hence a 4-strokes
cycle is completed in two revolutions of the crankshaft.

• Suction Stroke (0-1): It starts when the piston is at TDC and about to
move downward, the inlet valve is open, and the exhaust valve is
closed. Due to suction created by the piston movement towards BDC,
air-fuel mixture enters into the cylinder, and the suction ends when the
piston reaches the BDC.
 Working Principle

• Four-stroke Spark Ignition Engine

• Compression Stroke (1-2): At the end of the suction stroke, the inlet
valve is closed and the piston moves towards TDC. In this stroke, both
the valves, inlet and exhaust are closed; compression of the air-fuel
mixture filled in the cylinder starts from BDC and ends at TDC. At the
end of compression and at constant volume (2-3), sparking starts at the
spark plug and instantaneously burning takes place in the compressed
air-fuel mixture. Pressure and temperature are increased to the
maximum limit.

• Power Stroke (3-4): The high pressure developed due to combustion of

fuel forces the piston towards BDC. The power is transferred to the
crankshaft. Pressure and temperature decrease during the stroke. In
this stroke, both the valves are closed.
 Working Principle

• Four-stroke Spark Ignition Engine

• Exhaust Stroke (4-1): At the end of expansion or power stroke, the

exhaust valve opens and the inlet valve remains closed. Piston moves
towards TDC and exhaust gas is forced to escape into the atmosphere
through the exhaust valve.

P-V Diagram for Otto Cycle

 Working Principle

• Four-stroke Compression Ignition Engine

• The four-stroke compression ignition (C.I. Engine) is very similar to the four-stroke spark ignition engine
but it operates at a much higher compression ratio.

• The compression ratio of S.I. Engine varies from 6 to 10 whereas in C.I. Engines it ranges from 16 to 20.

• During the suction stroke, air is sucked alone inside the cylinder and then compressed sufficiently to
increase the temperature equal to the self-ignition temperature of the fuel injected at the end of compression
at constant pressure.

• In this engine, a fuel pump and injector are used to inject the fuel at high pressure.

• The ignition system of the C.I. Engine is completely different from S.I. engine as no spark plug and
carburetor are required.
 Working Principle

• Four-stroke Compression Ignition Engine

• Suction Stroke: In this stroke, the piston moves from TDC to

BDC and air is sucked alone as the vacuum is created inside
the cylinder by the piston movement. During suction inlet
valve is open and exhaust valve remains closed.

• Compression Stroke: Both the valves are closed during the

stroke and air is compressed into the clearance volume by
the piston movement from BDC to TDC. At the end of
compression at constant pressure fuel is injected.
• Due to high pressure and temperature, fuel starts to ignite
automatically as temperature of the air is increased to the
flash point of the fuel.
 Working Principle

• Four-stroke Compression Ignition Engine

• Expansion or Power Stroke: Fuel injection starts nearly at

the end of the compression stroke. The rate of injection is
such that the combustion maintains the pressure constant in
spite of the piston movement on its expansion stroke
increasing the volume. Heat is assumed to have been added
at constant pressure. After the injection of the fuel is
completed (after cut-off) the combustion products expand.
Both valves remain closed during the expansion stroke.

• Exhaust Stroke: The exhaust valve is open and the inlet

valve is closed during the stroke. The movement of the
piston from BDC to TDC pushes the product of combustion
and disposed into the atmosphere through the exhaust valve.

rc = v3/v2
 Working Principle

• Two-stroke Spark Ignition Engine

• In a four-stroke S.I. engine, there is one power stroke in two revolutions of the crankshaft and two strokes, viz., suction and
exhausts are nonproductive.

• If these two nonproductive strokes could be served by an alternative arrangement, especially without movement of the
piston then there will be one power stroke for each revolution of the crankshaft.

• In such an engine, the power output can be doubled, theoretically, for the same speed compared to four-stroke engine.

• In this engine, the filling process is accomplished by the charge compression in the crankcase or by a blower. The
induction of the compressed charge pushes the burnt fuel products through the exhaust port. Therefore, no piston
movement is required for suction and exhaust process.

• Two strokes are sufficient to complete the cycle, one for compressing the fresh charge and other for expansion or power
stroke.
Working Principle
 Working Principle

• Two-stroke Spark Ignition Engine

• The charge is inducted into the crankcase through

the spring loaded inlet valve when the pressure in
the crankcase is reduced due to the upward
movement of the piston during the compression
stroke.
• After the compression and ignition, expansion
takes place in the usual way.
• During expansion stroke, the charge in the
crankcase is compressed.
• Near the end of the expansion stroke, piston
uncovers the exhaust port and cylinder pressure
drops to atmospheric pressure as combustion
products leave the cylinder.
• Further movement of piston uncovers the transfer
port, permitting the slightly compressed charge in
the crankcase to enter the engine cylinder.
 Working Principle

• Two-stroke Spark Ignition Engine

• The top of the piston has usually a projection to

deflect the fresh charge towards the top of the
cylinder before flowing to the exhaust port.

• This serves the double purpose—scavenging the

combustion product in the upper part of the
cylinder and preventing the fresh charge from
flowing directly to the exhaust port.

• The same objective can be achieved without piston

deflector by proper shaping of the transfer port.
During the upward motion of the piston from BDC
the transfer port is closed first and then the exhaust
port is closed when compression of charge begins
and the cycle is repeated in the same way.
 Working Principle

• Two-stroke Spark Ignition Engine

 Working Principle

• Two-stroke C.I. Engine

• The working of two-stroke C.I. engine is very
similar to two-stroke S.I. engine.
• The main difference is that in C.I. engine
supercharged air is used through the inlet port and
in place of exhaust port exhaust valves are used.
• Pressurized air is inducted through the inlet port,
which expels the combustion gases through the
exhaust valve during the expansion stroke.
• Inlet and exhaust valve is closed during the
compression stroke, the piston moves from BDC to
TDC.
• At the end of compression, fuel is injected into the
cylinder and ignites and the piston is forced to
move from TDC to BDC.
• The same process is repeated again and again.
Comparison of four stroke and two stroke engines
Comparison of SI and CI engines
Comparison of Otto and Diesel Cycle
Valve timing diagram