COMBUSTION IN

COMPRESSION-
IGNITION
ENGINES

R. Adhitya Gugan (08M130)

Rohan Bayan (08M133)

 BASIC DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SI AND CI ENGINES

Description SI Engine CI Engine

Otto cycle (heat addition at Diesel cycle (heat addition at
constant volume) constant pressure)
Basic Cycle

Gasoline, a high volatile fuel. Diesel oil, a non-volatile fuel.

Fuel Self-ignition temperature is Self-ignition temperature is

high. comparatively low

Fuel introduced during suction Fuel introduced at end of

stroke. A carburetor and an compression stroke. A fuel
Introduction of ignition system are necessary. pump and an injector are
fuel Modern engines have gasoline necessary.
injection.

Load Control Throttle controls the quantity The quantity of fuel is

of fuel-air mixed introduced. regulated. Air quantity is not
controlled.

Requires an ignition system Self-ignition occurs due to high

with spark plug in the temperature of air because of
Ignition combustion chamber. Primary the high compression. Ignition
voltage is provided by either a system and spark plug are not
battery or a magneto. necessary.

Compression Ratio 6 to 10 (Upper limit is 16 to 20 (Upper limit is limited

constrained by antiknocking by weight increase of the
property of the fuel). engine).

Speed High speed due to Low speed due to

homogeneous combustion. heterogeneous combustion.

Thermal Efficiency Maximum value of efficiency Maximum value of thermal

that can be obtained is lower. efficiency that can be obtained
is higher.

Weight Lighter due to lower peak Heavier due to higher peak

pressures. pressures.

Remains close to Irrespective of load, at any

stoichiometric value from no given speed, an approximately
Air Fuel Ratio load to full load. constant supply of air enters
the cylinder.

The overall air-fuel ratio varies

from about 18:1 at full load to
about 80:1 at no load.

The air-fuel ratio should be as

close to stoichiometric as
possible while operating at full
load.

Always designed to operate

with excess air of 15% to 40%
depending upon the
application.
FUEL JET AND COMBUSTION PRODUCTS
CHARRACTERISTICS
 Shadow graph

Backlit Photo

PRINCIPLE OF COMBUSTION

➢ Only air is compressed through a high compression ratio raising its

temperature and pressure to a high value.

➢ Fuel is injected through one or more jets into this highly compressed air in
the combustion chamber.

➢ Here, the fuel jet disintegrates into a core of fuel surrounded by a spray
envelope of air and fuel particle.

➢ This spray envelope is created both by the atomization and vaporization of

the fuel.

➢ The turbulence of the air in the combustion chamber passing across the jet
tears the fuel particles from the core.

➢ A mixture of air and fuel forms at some location in the spray envelope and
oxidation starts

➢ In CI engine fuel-air mixture is heterogeneous, so if the air within the cylinder

were motionless under these conditions, there will not be enough oxygen in
 the burning zone and burning of the fuel would be either slow or would totally
fail as it would be surrounded by its own products of combustion.

➢ Hence an orderly and controlled movement must be imparted to the air and
the fuels so that a continuous flow of fresh air is brought to each burning
droplet and the products of combustion are swept away.

➢ This air motion is called the air swirl.

➢ Due to this swirl intermixing of the burned and unburned portions of the
mixture also takes place.

➢ A glow plug may be used to aid cold starting.

WORKING OF A CI ENGINE

The diesel internal combustion engine differs from the gasoline powered Otto cycle by using
highly compressed, hot air to ignite the fuel rather than using a spark plug (compression ignition
rather than spark ignition).
In the true diesel engine, only air is initially introduced into the combustion chamber. The air is
then compressed with a compression ratio typically between 15:1 and 22:1 resulting in 40-bar
(4.0 MPa; 580 psi) pressure compared to 8 to 14 bars (0.80 to 1.4 MPa) (about 200 psi) in the
petrol engine. This high compression heats the air to 550 °C (1,022 °F).
At about the top of the compression stroke, fuel is injected directly into the compressed air in the
combustion chamber. This may be into a (typically toroidal) void in the top of the piston or a
pre-chamber depending upon the design of the engine. The fuel injector ensures that the fuel is
broken down into small droplets, and that the fuel is distributed evenly. The heat of the
compressed air vaporizes fuel from the surface of the droplets. The vapor is then ignited by the
heat from the compressed air in the combustion chamber, the droplets continue to vaporize from
their surfaces and burn, getting smaller, until all the fuel in the droplets has been burnt. The start
of vaporization causes a delay period during ignition, and the characteristic diesel knocking
sound as the vapor reaches ignition temperature and causes an abrupt increase in pressure above
the piston. The rapid expansion of combustion gases then drives the piston downward, supplying
power to the crankshaft.
Model aeroplane engines use a variant of the Diesel principle but premix fuel and air via a
carburation system external to the combustion chambers.
As well as the high level of compression allowing combustion to take place without a separate
ignition system, a high compression ratio greatly increases the engine's efficiency. Increasing the
compression ratio in a spark-ignition engine where fuel and air are mixed before entry to the
cylinder is limited by the need to prevent damaging pre-ignition. Since only air is compressed in
a diesel engine, and fuel is not introduced into the cylinder until shortly before top dead centre
(TDC), premature detonation is not an issue and compression ratios are much higher.

Diesel engines have several advantages over other internal combustion engines:
➢ They burn less fuel than a petrol engine performing the same work, due to the
engine's higher temperature of combustion and greater expansion ratio. Gasoline
engines are typically 25 percent efficient while diesel engines can convert over 30
percent of the fuel energy into mechanical energy.
➢ They have no high-tension electrical ignition system to attend to, resulting in high
reliability and easy adaptation to damp environments. The absence of coils, spark
plug wires, etc., also eliminates a source of radio frequency emissions which can
interfere with navigation and communication equipment, which is especially
important in marine and aircraft applications.
➢ They can deliver much more of their rated power on a continuous basis than a petrol
engine.
➢ The life of a diesel engine is generally about twice as long as that of a petrol engine
due to the increased strength of parts used. Diesel fuel has better lubrication
properties than petrol as well.
➢ Diesel fuel is considered safer than petrol in many applications. Although diesel fuel
will burn in open air using a wick, it will not explode and does not release a large
amount of flammable vapor. The low vapor pressure of diesel is especially
advantageous in marine applications, where the accumulation of explosive fuel-air
mixtures is a particular hazard. For the same reason, diesel engines are immune to
vapor lock.
➢ For any given partial load the fuel efficiency (mass burned per energy produced) of a
diesel engine remains nearly constant, as opposed to petrol and turbine engines which
use proportionally more fuel with partial power outputs.
➢ They generate less waste heat in cooling and exhaust.
 ➢ With a diesel, boost pressure is limited only by the strength of the engine
components, not predetonation of the fuel charge as in petrol engines.
➢ The carbon monoxide content of the exhaust is minimal; therefore diesel engines are
used in underground mines.[29]
➢ Biodiesel is an easily synthesized, non-petroleum-based fuel (through
transesterification) which can run directly in many diesel engines, while gasoline
engines either need adaptation to run synthetic fuels or else use them as an additive to
gasoline (e.g., ethanol added to gasohol), making diesel engines the clearly preferred
choice for sustainability.

COMBUSTION DEVELOPMENT

FUEL SPRAY FUEL VAPOUR

REVERSE SQUISH

SPRAY ON BOWL LIP

SOOT
SWIRL FUEL FILM ON WALL
DIRECTION

LOW TEMPERATURE COMBUSTION

HC/CO
6
1000 1400 1800 2200 2600 3000
0
5

4
1 Equivalence
2 3Ratio
Temperature, K 4 5 6
3

1
Conventional
0
Combustion
Low NOx/Soot
Toward LTC Region
1000 1400 1800 2200 2600 3000
 TYPES OF DIESEL COMBUSTION SYSTEMS

Direct Ignition System

➢ Engine cylinder has a single open combustion chamber into which fuel is directly
injected

➢ Used for the largest sized engines, where mixing rate requirements are least
stringent

➢ Momentum and energy of the inlet fuel are sufficient to achieve adequate fuel
distribution and rates of mixing with the air

➢ Additional organized air motion is not required

➢ As engine size reduces, increasing amounts of air swirl are used to achieve
faster air-fuel mixing rates
Indirect Ignition System

➢ Cylinder chamber is divided into two regions and the fuel is injected into the
“pre-chamber” which is connected to the main chamber (located above the
piston crown) via a nozzle, or one or more orifices.

➢ Used in the smallest sized engines such as automobile engines, where fuel-air
mixing rates have to be high.

➢ The vigorous charge motion required during fuel injection is generated during
compression stroke.

➢ During compression, air is forced from the main chamber into the auxiliary
through the nozzle or orifice(s). Thus, a vigorous flow in the auxiliary chamber is
set up toward the end of compression stroke.
➢ Fuel is injected into the auxiliary chamber at lower injection-system pressure
than in DI systems through a pintle nozzle as a single spray.

➢ Combustion starts in the auxiliary chamber: the pressure rise associated with
combustion forces the fluid back into the main chamber where the jet issuing
from the nozzle entrains and mixes with the main chamber air.
 Direct Injection Direct Injection Direct Injection Indirect injection
quiescent chamber multi-hole nozzle single-hole nozzle swirl pre-chamber
swirl in chamber swirl in chamber

COMBUSTION PROCESS
 0.4 ms after ignition 2.5 ms after ignition

3.2 ms after ignition Late in combustion process

CHARACTERISTICS OF A CI PROCESS

Graph showing the fuel injection flow rate, net heat release rate and cylinder
pressure for a direct injection CI engine.
Shaded area represents the objectionable smoke area at approximate region
of A/F ratios
 COMPARISON OF FUEL CONSUMPTION
DIESEL & GASOLINE @ 2500 r/min
BSFC vs BMEP
600

550

500
Gasoline
450
BSFC, g/kWh

400 DI-Diesel

350

300

250

200

150
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16
BMEP, bar

MAXIMUM SPECIFIC POWER & BMEP

COMPARISON
50 GASOLINE vs DIESEL
45

40

35
POWER, kW/L &

30
BMEP, bar

BMEP-GAS
25 POWER-GAS
POWER-DIESEL
20
BMEP-DIESEL
15

10

0
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000
SPEED, r/min