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.

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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.

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●​ 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 of combustion are exhausted
on the fourth stroke.
FOUR-STROKE DIESEL ENGINE

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❖​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.

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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).

Advantages of multiple cylinder engines

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❖​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.

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3)​Jet - produce a fine spray of petrol, allowing air to

mix with petrol.
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
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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.
❖​ 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

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❖​ 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).
▪​ 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

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❖​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.

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
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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

Social and economic considerations / implications of

using fuels

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❖​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.

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