Automotive Vehicles

Combustion in C.I. Engines

Dr. Hemantha kumar

Assistant Professor
Mechanical Engineering Dept.
Combustion in CI engine
 Auto ignition
Heterogeneous mixture

 Compression ratio is in the range of 14 to 17,

may be up to 23
 A/F ratio is in the range of 18 and 25.
Engines are
 Intake air alone is compressed, fuel is injected at bigger and
heavier, when
high pressure in the form of fine droplets near the compared with
end of compression. SI engine

 Fuel is injected through one or more jets into

highly compressed air in the combustion chamber.
Combustion in CI engine
 Intake air Fuel jet disintegrates in to a core of fuel surrounded
by a spray envelop of air and fuel particles.
 this spray envelop is created by both atomisation and
vaporisation of the fuel.

 Turbulence of the air in

the combustion chamber
passing across the jet tears
the fuel particles from the
core.
Combustion in CI engine
 A mixture of air and fuel forms at some location in the spray
envelop and oxidation starts.
 The liquid fuel droplets evaporates by absorbing the latent heat
of vaporisation from the surrounding air which reduces the
temperature of thin layer of air surrounding the droplet.
 After some time, temperature of air raises by absorbing heat
from bulk of air.
 As temperature rise reaches “auto ignition” temperature,
ignition occurs.
Combustion in CI engine

 If air within the cylinder is

motionless, there will not be
enough oxygen in the burning
zone and burning of the fuel
either will be slow or totally fail.
 Hence controlled movement of
air and fuel will be imparted for
proper combustion.
Effect of A/F ratio on Power Output

 In CI engine, irrespective of
load, an approximately constant
supply of air enters the cylinder .
 With change in load, the
quantity of fuel injected will be
varied.

6
Stages of Combustion in CI Engine

4 Stages of combustion are

1. Ignition delay period

I. Physical delay

II. Chemical delay

2. Period of Rapid combustion

3. Period of controlled Combustion

4. Period of after burning

7
Stages of Combustion in CI Engine

8
Combustion in Diesel engine
Ignition Delay Period

 It is a preparatory phase, some

fuel is admitted but has not yet
ignited.
 Period of injection to point of
combustion (Point, motoring
curve separates out)

9
Combustion in Diesel engine
Physical Delay

 Physical delay is the time between the beginning of injection and

the attainment of chemical reaction conditions.
 During this phase, the fuel is atomized, vaporized, mixed with air
and raised to its self ignition temperature.
 Depends on type of fuel.

 This delay can be reduced by using high injection pressures,

higher combustion chamber temperatures and high turbulence.

10
Combustion in Diesel engine
Chemical Delay

 During chemical delay, reactions starts slowly and then accelerate

until inflammation or ignition takes place.
 Chemical delay is larger than physical delay.

 Chemical delay depends on temperature of the surrounding.

 Ignition lag in the SI engine, is equivalent to chemical delay for CI

engine.

11
Combustion in Diesel engine

Period of Rapid Combustion

 Also called, uncontrolled combustion, is the phase where

pressure rise is rapid.
 During this period, droplets were spread over a wide area
and fresh air is always available around the droplet.
 this is period counted from start of combustion to the point
of maximum pressure.

12
Combustion in Diesel engine

Period of Controlled Combustion

 At the end of second stage of combustion, the temperature

and pressure is so high that the fuel droplets injected in this
stage burn almost as they enter.
 The period of combustion assumes to be the end of
maximum cycle temperature.

13
Combustion in Diesel engine
Period of After burning

 The unburnt and partially burnt fuel particles left in the

combustion chamber start burning as soon as they come into
contact with the oxygen.
 This process continues for a certain duration called after
burning period.
 This period starts from the point of maximum cycle temperature
and continues over a part of expansion stroke.
Rate of after burning depends on the velocity of diffusion and
turbulent mixing of unburnt and partially burnt fuel with air. 14
 Combustion Process

15
Factors affecting the delay period
1. Compression ratio

2. Engine speed

3. Output

4. Atomization of fuel and duration of injection

5. Injection timing

6. Quality of fuel

7. Intake temperature

8. Intake pressure

16
Effect of Compression ratio on ignition delay

 Increase in compression
temperature of air with increase in
compression ratio evaluated at the end
of compression is shown in Fig.
 Maximum auto ignition temperature
of the fuel decreases due to increased
density of the compressed air.

 Increase in compression temperature and decrease in minimum

ignition temperature decreases the delay period.
17
Effect of engine speed on ignition delay

 Fig. shows the decrease in

delay period with increase in
engine speed.

 Increase in engine speed, results in decrease of heat loss during

compression stroke. Thus increase in temperature and pressure of
compressed air, thus reduces delay period.

18
Effect of engine speed on ignition delay

Atomization and duration of injection

 Higher fuel injection pressures increase the degree of

atomization.
 The fineness of atomization reduces the ignition delay, due to
higher surface volume ratio.
 Smaller droplet size will have low depth of penetration due to
less momentum of the droplet and less velocity relative to air
from where it has to find oxygen after vaporization.

19
Effect of injection timing on ignition delay

 Effect of injection advance on the

pressure variation is shown in Fig. for
3 injection advance timings of 00, 180
and 270 before TDC.
 As pressure and temperature at
the beginning of the injection are
lower for higher ignition advance,
delay period increases with increase
in injection advance.
20
Effect of injection timing on
ignition delay
Knocking

 In CI engines, ignition takes place over a definite interval of time.

 As first few droplets, injected were passing through the ignition
delay period, additional droplets are being injected.
 If ignition delay is short - first few droplets starts actual burning
phase,  relatively small amount of fuel will be accumulated when
actual burning commences.
 As a result, mass rate of mixture burned will be such as to
produce rate of pressure rise that will exert a smooth force on
piston.
22
Knocking

 If ignition delay is short, the first few droplets “burning process”.

 Small amount of fuel is accumulated in the cylinder
 Smooth force on piston 23
Knocking

If ignition delay is long - greater quantity of fuel will be

accumulated when actual burning commences.
 As combustion begins, the additional fuel can cause too rapid rate
of pressure rise.
Resulting in jamming of forces against the piston and rough
engine operation.

24
Knocking

 If ignition delay is longer, the first few droplets are delayed.

 Greater quantities of fuel is available in the chamber
 High forces on piston, rough engine operations
Knocking

If ignition delay is quite long  so much fuel can accumulate

when actual burning commences, that the rate of pressure rise is
almost instantaneous.
 Such a situation produces the extreme pressure differentials
and violent gas vibrations known as knocking .

26
Knocking

 If ignition delay is quite long, causes instantaneous pressure rise.

 extreme pressure differentials and violate gas vibrations known as
knocking
Knocking : Difference between SI and CI engine

 SI engine knocking occurs

near the end of the combustion,
whereas in the CI engine,
knocking occurs near the
beginning of the combustion.

 In SI engine, the charge that auto ignites is homogeneous and

therefore intensity of knocking is high compared to CI engines.
Combustion chambers in CI engines

 Most important function of the CI engine combustion

chamber is to provide proper mixing of fuel and air in short time.
 Air swirl is used to produce this.

 Fuel is injected into the combustion chamber by an injector

having a single or multi hole orifices.

 Increase in number of jets reduces the intensity of air swirl

needed.
Combustion chambers in CI engines

 When fuel is introduced into the combustion chamber, the

spray cone gets disturbed due to air motion and turbulence
inside.

 Onset of combustion will cause an added turbulence inside,

that can be guided by the shape of the combustion chamber.

 Turbulence can be controlled by the shape of the combustion

chamber.
Combustion chambers in CI engines
1. Direct injection type:- Entire volume of the combustion
chamber is located in the main cylinder and fuel is injected in to
this volume.

2. Indirect injection type:- Combustion space is divided in to 2

parts, one part is main cylinder and other part is cylinder head.

a) Swirl chamber

b) Pre-combustion chamber

c) Air cell chamber in which both compression and

combustion swirl is induced
 Combustion chambers in CI engines

Direct Injection

32
 Combustion chambers in CI engines

Indirect Injection Ricardo Swirl Chamber

33
 Combustion chambers in CI engines

Indirect Injection
Pre combustion Chamber

34