FUEL ENGINES
ENGINES
An engine is a machine which converts Chemical
energy in fuel to Heat and Kinetic energy.
There are two types of car engines:
1. Petrol Engine (a.k.a. spark Ignition Engine).
2. Diesel Engine (a.k.a. compression Ignition
Engine).
FOUR-STROKE PETROL ENGINE
In a four stroke petrol engine the cycle of
operation is completed in four strokes of the
piston or two revolution of crankshaft. It involves
the following 4 steps:
Intake stroke, Compression stroke, Power
stroke and Exhaust stroke.
A petrol engine is also known as a Spark Ignition
Engine because it uses a spark plug to ignite fuel.
SCIENCE MADE SIMPLE © MR TEE 2016 Page 1
FUEL ENGINES
1. Intake stroke
The piston moves down.
The inlet valve opens
The exhaust valve is closed.
Suction pressure created by the downward
motion of the piston draws petrol- air mixture
into the cylinder.
SCIENCE MADE SIMPLE © MR TEE 2016 Page 2
FUEL ENGINES
When the piston reaches the bottom the
intake stroke ends and the inlet valve closes
instantaneously.
2. Compression stroke
Both valves (inlet and exhaust valves) are
closed
The piston moves up.
The petrol-air mixture is compressed.
3. Power stroke
Both valves (inlet and exhaust valves) are
closed
Spark plug ignites petrol-air mixture.
The exploding petrol-air mixture expands.
This moves the piston down.
4. Exhaust stroke
The inlet valve remains closed.
The exhaust valves opens.
The piston moves up.
This pushes out the burnt gases through the
exhaust valve.
Cycle repeats (back to intake stroke).
SUMMARY
A four stroke petrol engine is an internal-
combustion engine in which a petrol-air mixture
is drawn into the cylinder on the first stroke and
is compressed and ignited on the second stroke;
work is done on the third stroke and the products
SCIENCE MADE SIMPLE © MR TEE 2016 Page 3
FUEL ENGINES
of combustion are exhausted on the fourth
stroke.
FOUR-STROKE DIESEL ENGINE
The cycle of operation of a diesel engine is
similar to that of the petrol engine.
However, a petrol engine uses a spark plug
to ignite fuel but a diesel engine uses hot
compressed air for ignition. That is why a
diesel engine is also known as a
Compression Ignition Engine.
The compression ratio of a diesel engine is
about 2 times higher as compared to a petrol
engine.
Due to the high compression ratio of the
diesel engine the temperature inside the
cylinder after the compression stroke is high
enough to self-ignite the fuel injected into the
combustion chamber.
SCIENCE MADE SIMPLE © MR TEE 2016 Page 4
FUEL ENGINES
SCIENCE MADE SIMPLE © MR TEE 2016 Page 5
FUEL ENGINES
1. Intake stroke
The piston moves down.
The inlet valve opens
The exhaust valve is closed.
Suction pressure created by the downward
motion of the piston draws air mixture into
the cylinder.
2. Compression stroke
Both valves (inlet and exhaust valves) are
closed
The piston moves up.
The air is compressed and gets very hot.
Diesel is forced in under pressure by the fuel
injector.
3. Power stroke
Both valves (inlet and exhaust valves) are
closed
High temperature of compressed air ignites
diesel.
The ignited/exploding diesel expands.
This moves the piston down.
4. Exhaust stroke
The inlet valve remains closed.
The exhaust valves opens.
The piston moves up.
This pushes out the burnt gases through the
exhaust valve.
Cycle repeats (back to intake stroke).
SCIENCE MADE SIMPLE © MR TEE 2016 Page 6
FUEL ENGINES
Advantages of multiple cylinder engines
Less vibration
Smooth running of engine
More power
Disadvantages of single cylinder engines
More vibration
Engine runs in jerks
Less power
The carburettor
A carburettor is a device that mixes petrol
and air in the correct ratio for combustion in
an engine.
Functions of parts
1) Air filter – removes dirt from air.
2) Choke – controls air entering the
carburettor.
3) Jet - produce a fine spray of petrol,
allowing air to mix with petrol.
SCIENCE MADE SIMPLE © MR TEE 2016 Page 7
FUEL ENGINES
4) Petrol filter – removes dirt from
petrol preventing the jet getting blocked.
5) Float – controls amount of petrol
entering the carburettor.
6) Throttle – controls petrol air-mixture
entering the engine.
Opening the throttle by pressing the
accelerator pedal allows more petrol-air
mixture to enter and speeds up the engine.
CARBURETTOR PROBLEMS
When a carburettor is clean and is working
properly, the engine should start easily (hot
or cold), idle smoothly, and accelerate
without stumbling.
The following are some of the carburettor
problems and their effects:
1) Worn jets
Jets wear out with age.
Too much fuel is delivered and the mixture
becomes too rich in petrol (i.e. too much
fuel and less air in the mixture).
The result is incomplete combustion of fuel,
poor fuel economy, sluggish acceleration,
sooty/black spark plugs, uneven firing and
strong smell of petrol when engine is at idle.
2) Blocked jets
Become blocked by small dirt
particles and chemical residues from fuel.
SCIENCE MADE SIMPLE © MR TEE 2016 Page 8
FUEL ENGINES
Less fuel is delivered and the mixture
becomes too rich in air (i.e. less fuel and too
much air in the mixture).
The result is lurching acceleration and
excessive amounts of choke to run/start.
3) Blocked air filter
Becomes blocked by dirty, dust and
debris in air.
Less air is delivered and the mixture
becomes too rich in petrol.
The result is incomplete combustion of fuel,
poor fuel economy, sluggish acceleration,
sooty/black spark plugs, uneven firing and
strong smell of petrol when engine is at idle.
4) Blocked petrol filter
Becomes blocked by dirty and
gummy substances in petrol
Less fuel is delivered and the mixture
becomes too rich in air (i.e. less fuel and too
much air in the mixture).
The result is lurching acceleration and
excessive amounts of choke to run/start.
5) Very low fuel level in float
chamber
If the fuel level in the float chamber is
set too low, insufficient fuel will be drawn
through the main jet (i.e. less fuel and too
much air in the mixture).
SCIENCE MADE SIMPLE © MR TEE 2016 Page 9
FUEL ENGINES
The result is excessive amounts of choke to
run/start the engine and lurching
acceleration.
6) Sticking choke
A fairly common problem is when the
choke sticks i.e. when it does not open and
close properly or promptly.
The result is less air and flooding of the
cylinders with petrol. This will then cause
the engine to stall or fail to start.
A stuck choke can also prevent you from
closing it fully to allow the engine to start
properly.
7) Sticking throttle
Petrol-air mixture is not introduced into
engine when the accelerator/throttle pedal is
pressed.
So the car does not accelerate as expected.
ENGINE EFFICIENCY
No engine is 100% efficient. Energy is wasted:
as sound/noise,
through smoke and carbon monoxide caused
by incomplete combustion,
in carrying the machine,
As vibration of engine,
through friction between pistons and cylinder
walls,
As heat.
SCIENCE MADE SIMPLE © MR TEE 2016 Page 10
FUEL ENGINES
A diesel engine is 40% efficient, which means
only 40% of the chemical energy supplied by the
diesel becomes kinetic energy. The rest is lost as
heat, as sound, by incomplete combustion, as
vibration, in overcoming friction and in
overcoming the weight of the engine. A petrol
engine is 25% efficient.
Too much extra heat is produced by car engines
so all motor car engines have a cooling system of
water, air or coolant. The coolant or water is
pumped around the cylinder/engine block then
into a copper radiator. The fan then blows the
heat away from the radiator. The radiator and
engine block are painted black because black
surfaces are good emitters/radiators of heat. The
radiator is made of copper which is a very good
conductor of heat. Some small cars and
motorcycles are cooled by air only.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PETROL AND
DIESEL ENGINES
Diesel engine Petrol engine
Heavier Lighter
Expensive Cheaper
Has a fuel injector Has a carburettor
No spark plug Has a spark plug
Fuel is ignited by hot Fuel is ignited by a
compressed air spark
40% efficient 25% Efficient
less carbon monoxide more carbon
and soot produced monoxide and soot
produced
SCIENCE MADE SIMPLE © MR TEE 2016 Page 11
FUEL ENGINES
Social and economic considerations /
implications of using fuels
Depletion of oil and coal reserves. These
resources are non-renewable.
Pollution of land, sea and atmosphere –
destroys habitat, hence ecosystems and
balance of nature
Global warming – accumulation of carbon
dioxide leads to the Earth retaining heat
Deforestation – people cutting down trees for
firewood.
Acid rain – accumulation of oxides of non-
metals e.g. sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide,
carbon dioxide, phosphorus oxide. These
oxides react with rain water to form acid rain.
The acid rain destroys vegetation, aquatic
animals and affects crop production
negatively.
SCIENCE MADE SIMPLE © MR TEE 2016 Page 12