DIESEL ENGINE INTRODUCTION

Ever since the industrial revolution, energy have been one of the major requirements for
development. Man had to discover different ways to produce energy that is cheap, reliable,
convenient and environmentally friendly. Electricity has proven to be a form of energy that
meets the man’s energy requirement.

Electricity is a secondary energy source which means that electricity is obtained from the
conversion of other primary sources of energy such as coal, natural gases, nuclear, solar or
wind energy. Man invented several ways to harness Electrical energy from the primary sources
of energy, one of those ways is the Diesel engine power plant.

A power plant is an industrial facility used to generate electrical power with the help of one or
more generators which converts different energy sources into electrical power. A diesel engine
power plant is a type of power plant in which a diesel engine is used as a prime mover for
generating electrical energy. An example of a diesel engine power Source is Diesel Generator

AN OVERVIEW OF A DIESEL ENGINE

A diesel engine plant is a complex piece of machinery with many components that work
together to generate power through the combustion of diesel fuel.

A Diesel engine is also known as a compressional ignition engine. It was discovered by A

French Scientist called Rudolf Diesel in 1890. It is an internal combustion engine in which fuel
ignition which is injected into combustion chamber is caused by the elevated temperature of
air in the cylinder due to the mechanical compression.

The followings are over view arrangement of a typical diesel engine

(i) Fuel supply system.

It consists of storage tank, strainers, fuel transfer pump and all-day fuel

tank.
(ii) Air intake system.
This system supplies necessary air to the engine for fuel combustion. It
consists of pipes for the supply of fresh air to the engine manifold

(iii) Exhaust system.

This exhaust gas outside the engine and discharges it into atmosphere.
A silencer is used to reduce the noise level.
(iv) Cooling system.
The cooling system consists of a water source, pump and cooling towers.
(v) Lubricating system. This system minimises the wear of rubbing surfaces of the engine.
(vi) Engine starting system.

ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS OF A DIESEL ENGINE

Cylinder block.

This is the outermost part of a diesel engine. It houses the inner parts of the engine such a crank
shaft, the piston and the inner connecting rods. It also holds the outer parts of diesel engine
such as the air inlet valves, fuel injection valves, exhaust valves, the manifold and the handle.

The cylinder block is the engine’s main structural component, housing the cylinders where
combustion occurs. It is typically made of cast iron or aluminium and contains passages for
coolant and lubricating oil.

Cylinder is the main part of engine, fuel is burnt in it and develops the power. Inside of the
cylinder is formed by a liner or sleeve. The Inner diameter of termed as bore and is used for
movement of piston with rings
The valves.

They are located on the upper part of the cylinder block. They include the air intake valves,
exhaust valves and the fuel injection valves. The air intake valves allows clean air from the
atmosphere to the engine cylinder. The exhaust valves removes soot (air produced after
combustion). The fuel injection valves injects fuel into the diesel engine.

The manifold.

This is valves controlling unit. It performs the function of controlling which valves opens at
what time. It allows the fuel injection valves and air valves to open when fuel is needed in the
machine and it close the intake valves and open the exhaust valves during the exhaustion of
waste air. This unit might be mechanically or electrically controlled.
Pistons.

The pistons are parts located inside the cylinders of the engine block that alternately move from
top to bottom, compressing the air-fuel mixture and transmitting to the crankshaft the force
resulting from the pressure caused during the combustion process.

Piston closes the other end of the working space of the cylinder. It transmits the power
developed by burning of fuel to the crank shaft. In the distance travelled by it form one end of
cylinder to the other is termed as stroke. The piston rings lubricated with engine oil produced
gas-tight seal between the piston and the cylinder liner.

Piston closes the other end of the working space of the cylinder. It transmits the power
developed by burning of fuel to the crank shaft. In the distance travelled by it form one end of
cylinder to the other is termed as stroke.
Crankshaft.

The crankshaft is one of the most intricate parts of a diesel engine. This piece operates on a
rotary movement, almost like a bicycle. This sentiment is true for the camshaft, as well. The
crankshaft remains closed, holding down the air and fuel mixture needed for combustion until
sensors tell them it’s time to open, consequently making the automobile start It is an axis that
converts the reciprocating movement of a piston into a rotary movement.

Connecting rod.

This piece is in charge of connecting the piston with the crankshaft and transmitting the
movement. The connecting rods along with the pistons and crankshafts are the parts that make
the machine move.

The function of the connecting rod is to change and transmit the reciprocating motion of the
piston to the continuously rotating crank pin during the working stroke and vice-versa during
other strokes. The small end of it is attached to the wrist pin located in the piston and the other
end i.e. big end has a bearing for the crank pin.
These pieces connect to a piston at the bottom arm and carry the force of the combustion to the
crankshaft.

Sump.

It is anchored under the engine and is responsible for collecting the oil that lubricates ¹the
engine, which is falling from the top.
Oil pump.

This part is in charge of guaranteeing proper lubrication of the engine and all its parts. It sucks
oil from the crankcase to propel it and distribute it through the oil filter to all engine
components.

Combustion chamber.

Part of the engine where combustion occurs resulting from the mixture of air and fuel.

Bearing.

The motor bearings protect and allow the parts to rotate freely, avoiding friction and heating of
the motor.

Injection pump. It serves to increase the pressure of the fuel so that, when it is injected into the
engine in spray form through the nozzles, it causes spontaneous ignition inside the combustion
chamber. Fuel is delivered into the combustion space of the cylinder by an Injection system.
The Injector also called as fuel injection nozzle or spray nozzle delivers fuel in the form of fine
spray under pressure through small hole
Fuel injector.

The injectors are capable of spraying a certain amount of fuel into the combustion chamber,
where it mixes with air.

Camshaft.

This mechanism is responsible for opening and closing the valves by means of an axis or
rotation bar that incorporates blades or sails. It controls that the emission and exhaust valves
open and close in a coordinated manner and at the exact moment.

The camshaft is located near the top of the engine. This part allows fuel and air to come in and
releases other exhaust smoke outward. The camshaft opens and closes valves that allow for
combustion to occur.
The Crankcase

The crankcase surrounds the crankshaft, enclosing it while it rotates. The crankcase bears the
weight of the crankshaft since this part is incredibly heavy. This component also directs any
excess oil to the oil pan, which is exactly what it sounds like. Oil pans collect the additional
lubricant and oil that’s not needed for combustion. Some larger automobiles have several oil
pans, while smaller vehicles have just one.
Flywheel

The flywheel is located on the end of the crankshaft. This part does the following things:

i. Minimizes noise when the crankshaft rotates.

ii. Minimizes vibration.
iii. Some flywheels have teeth-like edges to aid in the rotation when needed.