Small Gasoline

Engines
Engine

“A machine for converting energy

into mechanical force and motion.”
Heat Engine

An engine which uses heat to convert

the chemical energy of a fuel into
mechanical force and motion
Two general categories based on design.

External combustion engine

Internal combustion engine

 Largest: Engine Size
The Wartsila-Sulzer RTA96-C
turbocharged two-stroke diesel engine is
the most powerful and most efficient
prime-mover in the world today.

The cylinder bore is just under

38" and the stroke is just over
98".
Each cylinder displaces
111,143 cubic inches (1,820
Total displacement comes out to 1,556,002 cubic liters) and produces 7,780
inches (25,480 liters) for the fourteen cylinder horsepower.
version.
 Engine Size--cont.
Smallest:
• Not much bigger than a stack of
pennies, the "mini engine" is the
first engine of its size to deliver
power on a continuous basis.
• Currently will produce 2.5 watts
of electricity (0.00335 hp).
• Uses 1/2 fluid ounce of fuel per
hour
 Small Engine

Industry definition: “A small engine is

an internal combustion engine
generally rated up to 25 horsepower.”
 Small engines are further classified by
ignition, number of strokes, cylinder design,
shaft orientation and cooling system.
(pg. 2 & 3)
Ignition
Spark ignition

Compression ignition
Number of Strokes
Four stroke

Two stroke
 Cylinder Design
Small engines usually have one or two cylinders,
but may have as many as four.

Three Common Cylinder Orientations For

Single Cylinder Engines
Vertical
Horizontal

Slanted
 Cylinder Design-cont.
Three common cylinder configuration in multiple cylinder
engines:

V
Horizontally opposed

In-line
 Cylinder Design-cont.
Small gas engines use three crankshaft orientations:

Multi-position
Horizontal

Vertical
When fuel is oxidized (burned) heat is
produced.

Only approximately 30% of the energy

released is converted into useful work.

The remaining (70%) must be removed from

the engine to prevent the parts from
melting.
Excess heat is removed by:

Cooling system

Exhaust system

Lubrication system

Radiation
Additional heat is also generated by
friction between the moving parts.
This heat must
also be
removed.
 Small Engine Development
(pg 5)
Year Engine Designer/developer
1680 Gunpowder Christian Huygens
1698 Savery Pump Thomas Saverly
1712 Newcomen Steam Thomas Newcomen
1763 Watt Double-acting steam James Watt
1801 Coal gas/electric ignition Eugene Lebon
1802 High pressure steam Richard Trevithick
1859 Pre-mixed fuel and air Etienne Lenoir
1862 Gasoline Nikolaus Otto
1876 Four cycle gasoline Nikolaus Otto
1892 Diesel Rudolf Diesel
1953 Die-cast aluminum B&S
 Energy Conversion Principle

“All internal combustion engines exhibit and convert

different forms of energy.”

“Energy is the resource that provides the capacity to do

work”.

The two forms of energy used in engines are potential and

kinetic.
 Potential Energy
“Stored energy a body has due to its
position, chemical state, or condition.”
 Examples of Potential Energy
A compressed spring
has potential energy due
to its mechanical
condition.
Fuels have potential energy
based on their chemical state.
Water behind a dam has
potential energy due to
difference in elevation.
Kinetic Energy
 A speeding automobile

Water falling over a dam.

Flywheel
 Internal combustion engines operate utilizing
the principles of nine (9) physical phenomena.

Heat Pressure
Chemistry Lever
Temperature
Torque
Force
Horsepower
Power
 Heat
“Kinetic energy caused
by atoms and
molecules in motion
within a substance.”
 Engines use heat in two ways
In a small engine, as the air-fuel
charge is compressed, internal energy
increases, producing heat.

When the charge is ignited and the burning

gases expand, internal energy decreases and
heat is given up.
 Heat Transfer
Heat is always transferred from an object of
higher heat to one with lower heat.

Transfer is by conduction, convection,

and radiation
 Temperature
Temperature (oF) is the
intensity of heat”.

The amount of heat is

measured in BTU’s.
 British Thermal Unit
(BTU)

The amount of
heat required to
raise the
temperature of 1
pound of water
1 oF.
 Force
“Anything that changes or tends to change
the state of rest or motion of a body.”

A force can result in

pressure, torque or work,
depending on how it is
applied.
 PRESSURE

“A force acting on a unit of area.”

The cylinder pressure is not

constant. It is highest right after
combustion, as much as 2,000 psi,
and decreases as the piston moves
away from the cylinder head.

Time
 Force

In engines the amount of

force exerted on the top of a P re s s u r e
piston is determined by the
cylinder pressure during the
combustion process.
A re a
 Torque
“A force acting on the
perpendicular radial
distance from a point
of rotation.”

To (lb-ft) = Force x Radius

 Lever
“A lever is a simple machine that consists
of a rigid bar”, which pivots on a
fulcrum with both resistance and effort
applied.
Applied force
Resultant force
Power is the rate of doing work

P = WT

FxD
P=
T
 Horsepower
A unit of power developed by James Watt to
provide a basis for comparing the amount of
power produced by horses and other engines.

1 Hp = 33,000 ft-lb/min
 All internal combustion
Chemistry engines utilize some
form of fossil fuel.
A fossil fuel is composed of carbon and hydrogen.

When the hydrocarbon is ignited in the

presence of air, the oxygen causes an
exchange of elements which release heat
energy.
 PERFECT COMBUSTION
EQUATION

1
C 8 H 18 + 12 O 2 + 47N 2
= 8CO 2
+ 9H 2
O + 47N 2
+ HEAT
2

Unfortunately, combustion is not perfect---the result is

many unwanted gasses and compounds.
The End