4 stroke cycle diesel engine

FOUR STROKE CYCLE COMPRESSION IGNITION (DIESEL) ENGINE.

Compression-ignition (C.I) engines burn fuel oil which is injected into the combustion chamber when the air charge is fully compressed. Burning occurs when the compression temperature of the air is high enough to spontaneously ignite the finely atomized liquid fuel. In other words, burning is initiated by the self-generated heat of compression (Fig. 1.1-8). Compression-ignition (C.I) engines are also referred to as 'oil engines', due to the class of fuel burnt, or as 'diesel engines' after Rudolf Diesel, one of the many inventors and pioneers of the early C.I. engine. Note: in the United Kingdom fuel oil is known as 'DERV', which is the abbreviation of 'diesel-engine road vehicle'.

Just like the four-stroke-cycle petrol engine, the Compression-ignition (C.I.) engine completes one cycle of events in two crankshaft revolutions or four piston strokes. The four phases of these strokes are (i) induction of fresh air, (ii) compression and heating of this air, (iii) injection of fuel and its burning and expansion, and (iv) expulsion of the products of combustion.

Induction stroke.

 With the inlet valve open and the exhaust valve closed, the piston moves away from the cylinder head.The outward movement of the piston will establish a depression in the cylinder, its magnitude depending on the ratio of the cross-sectional areas of the cylinder and the inlet port and on the speed at which the piston is moving. The pressure difference established between the inside and outside of the cylinder will induce air at atmospheric pressure to enter and fill up the cylinder. Unlike the petrol engine, which requires a charge of air-and-petrol mixture to be drawn past a throttle valve, in the diesel-engine inlet system no restriction is necessary and only pure air is induced into the cylinder. A maximum depression of maybe 0.15 bar below atmospheric pressure will occur at about one-third of the distance along the piston's outward stroke, while the overall average pressure in the cylinder might be 0.1 bar or even less.

Compression stroke.

 With both the inlet and the exhaust valves closed, the piston moves towards the cylinder head.

The air enclosed in the cylinder will be compressed into a much smaller space of anything from 1/12 to 1/24 of its original volume. A typical ratio of maximum to minimum air-charge volume in the cylinder would be 16:1, but this largely depends on engine size and designed speed range.

During the compression stroke, the air charge initially at atmospheric pressure and temperature is reduced in volume until the cylinder pressure is raised to between 30 and 50 bar. This compression of the air generates heat which will increase the charge temperature to at least 600 °C under normal running conditions.

Power stroke.

  With both the inlet and the exhaust valves closed and the piston almost at the end of the compression stroke (Fig. 1.1 -8(c)), diesel fuel oil is injected into the dense and heated air as a high-pressure spray of fine particles. Provided that they are properly atomized and distributed throughout the air charge, the heat of compression will then quickly vaporize and ignite the tiny droplets of liquid fuel. Within a very short time, the piston will have reached its innermost position and extensive burning then releases heat energy which is rapidly converted into pressure energy. Expansion then follows, pushing the piston away from the cylinder head, and the linear thrust acting on the piston end of the connecting-rod will then be changed to rotary movement of the crankshaft.

Exhaust stroke.

  When the burning of the charge is near completion and the piston has reached the outermost position, the exhaust valve is opened. The piston then reverses its direction of motion and moves towards the cylinder head.

The sudden opening of the exhaust valve towards the end of the power stroke will release the still burning products of combustion to the atmosphere. The pressure energy of the gases at this point will accelerate their expulsion from the cylinder, and only towards the end of the piston's return stroke will the piston actually catch up with the tail-end of the outgoing gases.