INTRODUCTION

The diesel engine (also known as a compression-ignition engine)

is

an internal

combustion

engine that

uses

the heat

of

compression to initiate ignition and burn the fuel that has been
injected into the combustion chamber. This contrasts with sparkignition engines such as a petrol engine (gasoline engine) or gas
engine (using a gaseous fuel as opposed to gasoline), which use
a spark plug to ignite an air-fuel mixture.
The diesel engine has the highest thermal efficiency of any
standard internal or external combustion engine due to its very
high compression ratio and inherent lean burn which enables heat
dissipation by the excess air. A small efficiency loss is also
avoided compared to two-stroke non-direct-injection gasoline
engines since unburnt fuel is not present at valve overlap and
therefore no fuel goes directly from the intake/injection to the
exhaust. Low-speed diesel engines (as used in ships and other
applications

where

overall

engine

weight

is

relatively

unimportant) can have a thermal efficiency that exceeds 50%. [1][2]

Diesel

engines

are

manufactured

in two-stroke and four-

stroke versions. They were originally used as a more efficient

replacement for stationary steam engines. Since the 1910s they
have been used in submarines and ships. Use in locomotives,
trucks, heavy equipmentand electricity generation plants followed
later. In the 1930s, they slowly began to be used in a
few automobiles. Since the 1970s, the use of diesel engines in
larger

on-road

and off-road

vehicles in

the

USA

increased.

According to the British Society of Motor Manufacturing and

Traders, the EU average for diesel cars account for 50% of the
total sold, including 70% in France and 38% in the UK. [3]
The world's largest diesel engine is currently a Wrtsil-Sulzer
RTA96-C Common

Rail

marine

diesel

of

about

84.42 MW

(113,210 hp) at 102 rpm[4] output.

WHAT IS A DIESEL ENGINE?

Like a gasoline engine, a diesel engine is a type of internal
combustion engine. Combustion is another word for burning,
and internal means inside, so an internal combustion engine is
simply one where the fuel is burned inside the main part of the
engine (the cylinders) where power is produced. That's very
different from an external combustion engine such as those used
by old-fashioned steam locomotives. In a steam engine, there's a
big fire at one end of a boiler that heats water to make steam.
The steam flows down long tubes to a cylinder at the opposite
end of the boiler where it pushes a piston back and forth to move
the wheels.

This

is

external

combustion

because

the

fire

is outside the cylinder (indeed, typically 6-7 meters or 20-30ft

away). In a gasoline or diesel engine, the fuel burns inside the
cylinders

themselves.

Internal

combustion

wastes

much

less energy because the heat doesn't have to flow from where it's
produced into the cylinder: everything happens in the same place.
That's why internal combustion engines are more efficient than

external combustion engines (they produce more energy from the

same volume of fuel).
HOW IS A DIESEL ENGINE DIFFERENT FROM A GASOLINE ENGINE?

Gasoline engines and diesel engines both work by internal

combustion, but in slightly different ways. In a gasoline engine,
fuel and air is injected into small metal cylinders. A piston
compresses (squeezes) the mixture, making it explosive, and a
small electric spark from a sparking plug sets fire to it. That
makes the mixture explode, generating power that pushes the
piston down the cylinder and (through the crankshaft and gears)
turns the wheels. You can read more about this and watch a
simple animation of how it works in our article on car engines.
Diesel engines are similar, but simpler. First, air is allowed into the
cylinder and the piston compresses itbut much more than in a
gasoline engine. In a gasoline engine, the fuel-air mixture is
compressed to about a tenth of its original volume. But in a diesel
engine, the air is compressed by anything from 14 to 25 times. If
you've ever pumped up a bicycle tire, you'll have felt the pump
getting hotter in your hands the longer you used it. That's
because compressing a gas generates heat. Imagine, then, how
much heat is generated by forcing air into 14-25 times less space
than it normally takes up. So much heat, as it happens, that the
air gets really hotusually at least 500C (1000F) and
sometimes very much hotter. Once the air is compressed, a mist
of fuel is sprayed into the cylinder typically (in a modern engine)
by an electronic fuel-injection system, which works a bit like a
sophisticated aerosol can. (The amount of fuel injected varies,

depending on how much power the driver wants the engine to

produce.) The air is so hot that the fuel instantly ignites and
explodes without any need for a spark plug. This controlled
explosion makes the piston push back out of the cylinder,
producing the power that drives the vehicle or machine in which
the engine is mounted. When the piston goes back into the
cylinder, the exhaust gases are pushed out through an exhaust
valve and, the process repeats itselfhundreds or thousands of
times a minute!
Animation: Like a gasoline engine, a diesel engine usually
operates by repeating a cycle of four stages or strokes.
1. Intake: Air (light blue) is drawn into the cylinder through the
open green air inlet valve on the right as the piston moves
down.
2. Compression: The inlet valve closes, the piston moves up,
and compresses the air mixture, heating it up. Fuel (dark
blue) is injected into the hot gas through the central fuel
injection valve and spontaneously ignites. Unlike with a gas
engine, no sparking plug is needed to make this happen.
3. Power: As the air fuel mixture ignites and burns, it pushes
the piston down, driving the crankshaft (red wheel at
bottom) that sends power to the wheels.
4. Exhaust: The green outlet valve on the left opens to let out
the exhaust gases, pushed out by the returning piston.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF DIESEL ENGINES

Diesels are the most versatile fuel-burning engines in common

use today, found in everything from trains and cranes to
bulldozers

and submarines.

Compared

to

gasoline

engines,

they're simpler, more efficient, and more economical. They're also

safer, because diesel fuel is less volatile and its vapor less
explosive

than

gasoline.

Unlike

gasoline

engines,

they're

particularly good for moving large loads at low speeds, so they're

ideal

for

use

in

freight-hauling ships,

trucks,

buses,

and

locomotives. Higher compression means the parts of a diesel

engine have to withstand far greater stresses and strains than
those in a gasoline engine. That's why diesel engines need to be
stronger and heavier and why, for a long time, they were used
only to power large vehicles and machines. While this may seem
a drawback, it means diesel engines are typically more robust and
last a lot longer than gasoline engines. Pollution is one of the
biggest drawbacks of diesel engines: they're noisy and they
produce a lot of unburned soot particles, which are dirty and
hazardous to health. But since diesels are more efficient, they
typically use less fuel, produce fewer carbon dioxide emissions,
and contribute less to global warming. Diesel engines tend to cost
more initially than gasoline engines, though their lower running
costs and longer operating life generally offsets that.

WHO INVENTED THE DIESEL ENGINE?

Not surprisingly, it was German engineer Rudolf Diesel (1858
1913)! Here, briefly, is the story:
1876: German engineer Nikolaus Otto (18321891) builds his
first successful internal combustion engine.

 1880:

Aged

22,

Rudolf

Diesel

goes

to

work

for refrigerator engineer Carl von Linde (18421934), where

he

learns

about

thermodynamics

(the

science

of

how heatmoves) and how engines work.

1890: Diesel figures out how to make an improved internal
combustion engine without a sparking plug.
1892: Diesel patents his ideas to prevent others from
profiting by them.
1893: Diesel builds a huge, stationary engine that works
under its own power for the first time.
1898: With Diesel's help, the first commercial engine is built
in a factory in St Louis, Missouri, United States by Adolphus
Busch (18391913), brewer of Budweiser beer.
1899: Manufacture of diesel engines begins at Diesel's plant
in Augsburg. Diesel begins licensing his ideas to other firms
and soon becomes very wealthy.
1913: Diesel dies in mysterious circumstances, apparently
falling overboard from the ship Dresden while traveling from
London, England to Germany. Rumors circulate that he has
been murdered or committed suicide, but nothing is ever
proved.
1922: First automobile diesel engine is built in Germany.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE

The internal

combustion

engine is

an engine in

which

the combustion of a fuel(normally a fossil fuel) occurs with an

oxidizer (usually air) in a combustion chamber. In an internal
combustion engine the expansion of the high-temperature and
-pressure gases produced by combustion applies direct force to
some component of the engine, such as pistons, turbine blades,
or a nozzle. This force moves the component over a distance,
generating useful mechanical energy.[1][2][3][4]
The term internal combustion engine usually refers to an engine
in

which

combustion

is

intermittent,

familiar four-stroke and two-strokepiston

such

as

engines,

the

more

along

with

variants, such as the Wankel rotary engine. A second class of

internal combustion engines use continuous combustion: gas
turbines, jet engines and most rocket engines, each of which are
internal combustion engines on the same principle as previously
described.[1][2][3][4]
The internal combustion engine (or ICE) is quite different
from external

combustion

engines,

such

as steam or Stirling

engines, in which the energy is delivered to a working fluid not

consisting of, mixed with, or contaminated by combustion

products. Working fluids can be air, hot water, pressurized
water or even liquid sodium, heated in some kind of boiler.
A large number of different designs for ICEs have been developed
and built, with a variety of different strengths and weaknesses.
Powered by an energy-dense fuel (which is very frequently petrol,
a

liquid

derived

from fossil

fuels),

the

ICE

delivers

an

excellent power-to-weight ratio with few disadvantages. While

there have been and still are many stationary applications, the
real

strength

of

internal

combustion

engines

is

in mobile

applications and they dominate as a power supply for cars,

aircraft, and boats, from the smallest to the largest. Only for
hand-held power tools do they share part of the market with
battery powered devices.

EXTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE

Steam Engine is an external combustion engine, because steam is
produced outside the cylinder. In an external combustion engine,
coal is burn to produce heat. This heat is used to boil water in a
boiler to produce steam. The stream occupies larger volume as
compared to the volume occupied by the same amount of water.
Therefore, steam can cause greater pressure on the walls of the
container.

When the hot and compressed steam is introduced into a cylinder

with movable pistons, it expands and exerts a push on the
pistons. As a result, the piston moves forward.
When the steam condenses to water due to loss of heat energy, it
causes the piston to fall back to its original position. Therefore,
the pistons can be made to move forward and backward
repeatedly by introducing fresh stream and taking out the cooked
steam. The motion of the piston can be used to turn the wheels of
an engine.
When the piston moves out then the piston rod pushes the
crankshaft. The crankshaft then rotates the wheel. In this way
heat energy is converted into mechanical energy.

The main reason for low efficiency of steam engines/external

combustion engine are:
(1) There is a loss of heat in steam engine because of large
exposed surface.
(2) It is not possible to maintain steams at a very high
temperature.

MAIN

LIMITATIONS

COMBUSTION ENGINE:

OF

EXTERNAL

-Very heavy and bulky: Due to its big boiler and furnace it cannot
be used for running small vehicles like cars etc.
-Does not start at once: Production of heat through coal fires
takes a long time.
-Unsafe: Steam has to be maintained at very pressure to increase
the efficiency of the engine. Due to excessive pressure boiler can
burst.
-Low efficiency: The thermal efficiency is only about 20% which
means that it can convert only 20% of heat into mechanical work.
Steam Engine for the generation of Electricity:

Figure 1 shows the principle behind the production of electrical

energy in a power station. Most of our power stations use coal as
their source of energy. When coal is burnt its stored chemical
energy is released as heat energy. This heat energy boils water at
high pressure to make superheated steam at temperatures of
about 7000C. The kinetic energy in the superheated steam is

used to drive turbines. These are connected to the electricity

generator by large coils rotating inside a strong magnetic field.
You can see in Figure 2 a chart showing how energy is used in this
process. There is a lot heat lost in the power sta. The electrical
energy itself is also converted to heat energy in factories and
houses.

There are two problems that arise from the production of

electricity that worry a lot of people.
Pollution. Burning coal makes the gases carbon dioxide and
sulphur dioxide. These pollute the atmosphere.

When

sulphur dioxide dissolves in water an acidic solution is

formed containing sulphurous acid.
Water + sulphur dioxide + sulphorous acid

So when sulphur dioxide gets into rain, the rain becomes acidic.
We call this acid rain. Acid rain damages stonework in buildings.
It is thought that acid rains kills trees also.

The large industries that we rely on to make our lives easier and
more comfortable often cause large amounts of pollution and use
a great deal of energy. Huge power stations are needed to provide
electricity to power them, and these use up valuable deposits of
coal and oil. Pollution is the price that we have to pay.

FOUR-STROKE ENGINE
A four-stroke engine (also known as four-cycle) is an internal
combustion engine in which the piston completes four separate
strokes which constitute a single thermodynamic cycle. A stroke
refers to the full travel of the piston along the cylinder, in either
direction. The four separate strokes are termed:
1. Intake: this stroke of the piston begins at top dead center.
The piston descends from the top of the cylinder to the
bottom of the cylinder, increasing the volume of the

cylinder. A mixture of fuel and air is forced by atmospheric

(or greater by some form of air pump) pressure into the
cylinder through the intake port.
2. Compression: with both intake and exhaust valves closed,
the piston returns to the top of the cylinder compressing the
air or fuel-air mixture into the cylinder head.
3. Power: this is the start of the second revolution of the cycle.
While

the

piston

is

close

to

Top

Dead

Centre,

the

compressed airfuel mixture in a gasoline engine is ignited,

by a spark plug in gasoline engines, or which ignites due to
the heat generated by compression in a diesel engine. The
resulting pressure from the combustion of the compressed
fuel-air mixture forces the piston back down toward bottom
dead centre.
4. Exhaust: during the exhaust stroke, the piston once again
returns to top dead centre while the exhaust valve is open.
This action expels the spent fuel-air mixture through the
exhaust valve(s).

INDUCTION:
The crankshaft is rotating clockwise and the piston is moving
down the cylinder. The inlet valve is open and a fresh charge of
air is being drawn or pushed into the cylinder by the turbocharger.

COMPRESSION:
The inlet valve has closed and the charge of air is being
compressed by the piston as it moves up the cylinder. Because
energy is being transferred into the air, its pressure and
temperature increase. By the time the piston is approaching the
top of the cylinder (known as Top Dead Centre or TDC) the
pressure is over 100 bar and the temperature over 500C.

POWER:

Just before TDC fuel is injected into the cylinder by the fuel
injector. The fuel is "atomised" into tiny droplets. Because they
are very small these droplets heat up very quickly and start to
burn as the piston passes over TDC. The expanding gas from the
fuel burning in the oxygen forces the piston down the cylinder,
turning the crankshaft. It is during this stroke that work energy is
being put into the engine; during the other 3 strokes of the piston,
the engine is having to do the work.

EXHAUST:
As the piston approaches the bottom of the cylinder (known as
Bottom Dead Centre or BDC) the exhaust valve starts to open.
As the piston now moves up the cylinder, the hot gases
(consisting mostly of nitrogen, carbon dioxide, water vapour and
unused oxygen) are expelled from the cylinder.
As the Piston approaches TDC again the inlet valve starts to
open and the cycle repeats itself.

TURBO SUPER CHARGER

A turbocharger,
("wake"),

[1]

(also

or turbo (colloquialism),
from

Latin

"turbo"

from

Greek

("spinning

""

top"), [2])

is

aturbine-driven forced induction device that increases an engine's

efficiency and power by forcing extra air into the combustion
chamber.[3][4] This

improvement

over

a naturally

aspirated

engine's output results because the turbine can force more air,
and proportionately more fuel, into the combustion chamber than
atmospheric pressure alone.
Turbochargers

were

originally

known

as turbo

super

chargers when all forced induction devices were classified as

superchargers. Nowadays the term "supercharger" is usually

applied to only mechanically driven forced induction devices.[5]The

key

difference

between

turbocharger

and

conventional supercharger is that the latter is mechanically driven

by the engine, often through a belt connected to the crankshaft,
whereas a turbocharger is powered by a turbine driven by the
engine's exhaust

gas.

Compared

to

mechanically

driven

supercharger, turbochargers tend to be more efficient, but less

responsive. Twincharger refers

to

an

engine

with

both

supercharger and a turbocharger.

Turbochargers are commonly used on truck, car, train, aircraft,
and construction equipment engines. They are most often used
with Otto cycle and Diesel cycle internal combustion engines.
They have also been found useful in automotive fuel cells.

FUEL OIL SYSTEM

The fuel oil service system is designed to deliver fuel oil to the
boilers at temperatures and pressures suitable for satisfactory
combustion. The system basically consists of settling tanks,
suction and discharge strainers, pumps, heating coils, seven
valves to properly meter fuel and other assorted hardware.
The four settling tanks are located in the after portion of the
engine room. These tanks are filled and replenished via the fuel
filling and transfer system. Each tank is provided with low and
high suction valves, the latter of which can be pneumatically
controlled from the bridge deck if necessary. Also, sounding tubes
on each tank and remote level indicators are provided for oil level
detection within each tank. Heating coils are located in each tank
to heat the fuel oil to 110 F.

The two fuel oil service pumps are arranged to take suction
from the low and high suction valves as well as an emergency
suction from the transfer system which permits the pumps to take
suction on any storage tank if necessary. Suction strainers
between the tank and the pumps serve to strain foreign particles,
which if allowed to pass, could clog the pumps or the burner
nozzles. The accepted practice on this ship is to use the high
suction on the settlers.
After passing through the pumps, the oil passes through any
one or more of four fuel oil heaters each of which is capable of
heating 4250 lbs/hr. of Bunker "C" oil from 100 F. to 230 F. when
supplied with steam at 50 psig. Steam to the heaters is supplied
from

the

65

psig

system.

The

heaters

are

fitted

with

thermostatically operated steam supply valves which receive an

impulse from the fuel oil heater outlet thermostatic element in
order to maintain a constant temperature at the burners. Relief
valves are provided on each shell which are set at 375 psig to
relieve fuel oil back to the settlers.
Fine mesh discharge strainers are located after the heaters in
front of the starboard boiler to strain particles which might clog
the burner tips. A fuel meter at the discharge side of the strainers
measures the flow of oil to the burners. This meter may be
isolated by means of a valved by-pass and gate valves on each
side of the meter. This is normally used when recirculating the oil
on start up.
Since it is not possible to control the capacity of the fuel oil
service pumps, except by means of two speed motor drive, an
automatic by-pass relief valve is provided to permit the unloading
of excess oil at varying boiler loads and thus maintain a constant

pressure in the line to the oil control valve. An actuating line for
this regulator senses the pressure just prior to the combustion
control valves. This valve is installed at the discharge of the fuel
oil pumps, and automatically recirculates excess oil back to the
suction of the pump.
Two fuel oil control valves are operated through impulses from
the combustion control system and regulate the header oil
pressure in relation to boiler load. Manual by-pass valves are
provided in case the automatic valve malfunctions, and an
equalizing line is provided to equalize the header pressure
between the two boilers if the two valves happen to have different
settings which otherwise might cause unequal steaming rates.
Solenoid trip valves, in the line between each fuel oil control
valve and its burner header, are latched open manually and will
automatically shut when:

the associated forced draft blower fails.

low-low water is detected in the associated boiler.

carbon dioxide is released by the C02 system

the valve is manually tripped.

In order to latch open the valve, the solenoid must first be

energized.

The

solenoid

con

only

be

energized

when

its

associated forced draft blower is in operation.

At the fuel oil header, oil is piped to individual burners. Piping
is provided at the fuel oil header to recirculate oil to the suction
side of the service pumps to allow heating fuel oil during start
ups. Also, a diesel hose connection from the diesel tank can be
piped through the fuel oil service system to one burner for coldplant start ups since diesel fuel need not be preheated. Further, a

piping arrangement is provided to send fuel oil back to the

transfer system. Lastly, pressure within each fuel oil branch acts
as the activator of the steam atomizing regulating valves to
ensure proper atomizing steam pressure at each burner.

VALVE TIMING OF MARK DIESEL ENGINE

A timing mark is an indicator used for setting the timing of

the ignition

system of

an engine,

typically

found

on

the crankshaftpulley (as pictured) or the flywheel, being the

largest radius rotating at crankshaft speed and therefore the
place where marks at one degree intervals will be farthest apart.
On older engines it is common to set the ignition timing using
a timing light, which flashes in time with the ignition system (and
hence engine rotation), so when shone on the timing marks
makes them appear stationary due to the stroboscopic effect. The
ignition timing can then be adjusted to fire at the correct point in
the engine's rotation, typically a few degrees before top dead
centre and advancing with increasing engine speed. The timing

can

be

adjusted

by

loosening

and

slightly

rotating

thedistributor in its seat.

Modern engines usually use a crank sensor directly connected to
the engine management system.
The term can also be used to describe the tick marks along the
length of an optical mark recognition sheet, used to confirm the
location of the sheet as it passes through the reader. See, for
example, U.S. Patent 3,218,439 (filed 1964, granted 1965), which
refers to a timing track down the left side of the form, and U.S.
Patent 3,267,258 (filed 1963, granted 1966), which refers to a
column of timing marks on the right side of the form.

EXHAUSTERS & VACUUM SYSTEMS

We are the authorized industrial and engineered vacuum sales

representative

for

Gardner

Denver's

centrifugal

blowers,

exhausters and vacuum products in Wisconsin, which includes the

Hoffman, Lamson and Invincible product lines.
Gardner

Denver

offers

the

single

wheel,

regenerative

blower/exhauster called the Turbotron. It's a quiet unit great for

tight applications and offers 100-900 scfm at up to 13 psig output
or 14"Hg. Its trademark is smooth, pulse free air flow.
Gardner Denver has the most complete range of multistage
blower/exhauster units in the world. Units that produce from 100
to 40,000 cfm at 2 to 22 psig output or 2" to 18" Hg.
Applications abound from aeration basins, air drying, air knife,
combustion air, gas boosting, printing machines, soil remediation,
landfill gas extraction, dust collection and central vacuum
systems to name a few.
Only Gardner Denver has over 100 years of experience in central
vacuum and portable vacuum applications. No other company has
the capabilities and knowledge to deliver the most advanced,
efficient

and

dependable

products

for

your

housekeeping

applications. We can offer the complete package, pulse jet

separators, electronic controls and protection, hoses and tools,
piping and fittings for standard to explosion proof applications. We
offer everything you need from a simple portable unit to a large
central vacuum system.
The Lubricating Oil System
Lubricating oil for a marine diesel engine achieves two
objectives; it must cool and lubricate.

The oil is taken from the drain tank usually underneath the
engine by a screw type pump. It is cooled, filtered and supplied
to the engine via the oil inlet pipe or inlet rail at a pressure of
about 4 bar. On a medium speed 4 stroke engine the oil is
supplied to the main bearings through drillings in the engine

frame to the crankshaft main bearings. Drillings in the

crankshaft then take the oil to the crankpin or bottom end
bearings. The oil is then led up the connecting rod to the piston
or gudgeon pin and from there to the piston cooling before
returning to the crankcase.
Oil is also supplied to lubricate the rocker gear operating the
inlet and exhaust valves, and to the camshaft and camshaft
drive.

The oil then drains from the crankcase into the drain tank or
sump.

The oil in the drain tank is being constantly circulated through a

centrifugal purifier. This is to remove any water and products of
combustion plus any foreign particles which may be in the oil.

The cylinder liner must be lubricated as well. This is so there will

be a film of oil between the piston rings and the liner and also so
that any acid produced by combustion of the fuel is neutralised
by the oil and does not cause corrosion. Some of this lubrication
will be supplied by so called "splash lubrication" which is the oil
splashed up into the liner by the rotating crankshaft. However
larger medium speed marine diesel engines also use separate
pumps to supply oil under pressure to the cylinder liner. The oil
is led through drillings onto the liner surface where grooves

distribute it circumferentially around the liner, and the piston

rings spread it up and down the surface of the liner.

BRAKE OPERATION DIESEL ENGINE

Engine braking occurs when the retarding forces within an

engine are used to slow a vehicle down, as opposed to using an

additional

external

braking

mechanisms

such

asfriction

brakes or magnetic brakes.

The term is often confused with several other types of braking,
most notably compression-release braking or "jake braking" which
uses a different mechanism entirely. Correct use of the term only
applies to petrol engines and other engines that throttle air intake
(as opposed to, e.g. diesel engines or electric engines). [citation needed]
Additionally traffic regulations in a large number of countries
require lorries to always drive with an engaged gear, which in turn
provides a certain amount of engine braking (at least from
viscous losses of air pumped through the engine) when no
accelerator pedal is applied.