It is not an exaggeration to say that most self-propelled devices today are equipped with various types of internal combustion engines using various operating concepts. In any case, if we talk about road transport. In this article we will consider in more detail ICE. What is it, how does this unit work, what are its pros and cons, you will learn by reading it.
The principle of operation of internal combustion engines
The main principle of ICE operation is based on the fact that fuel (solid, liquid or gaseous) burns out in a specially allocated working volume inside the unit itself, converting thermal energy into mechanical energy.
The working mixture entering the cylinders of such an engine is compressed. After its ignition by means of special devices, an excess pressure of gases arises, causing the pistons of the cylinders to return to their original position. This creates a constant duty cycle that converts kinetic energy into torque using special mechanisms.
To date, the ICE device can have three main types:
- two-stroke engine, often called light;
- four-stroke power unit, allowing to achieve higher power indicators and efficiency values;
- gas turbine plants with high power characteristics.
In addition to this, there are other modifications of the basic schemes that can improve certain properties of power plants of this type.
The advantages of internal combustion engines
In contrast to the power units, providing for the presence of external cameras, the internal combustion engine has significant advantages. The main ones are:
- much more compact sizes;
- higher power rates;
- optimal values of efficiency.
It should be noted, speaking about ICE, that this is such a device that in the vast majority of cases allows the use of various types of fuel. It can be gasoline, diesel fuel, natural or liquefied gas, kerosene and even ordinary wood.
Such universalism brought this engine concept a well-deserved popularity, widespread distribution and truly global leadership.
A brief historical excursion
It is generally accepted that the internal combustion engine traces its history from the moment the Frenchman de Rivas created the piston unit in 1807, which used hydrogen as a fuel in a gaseous state of aggregation. And although the ICE device has undergone significant changes and modifications since then, the basic ideas of this invention continue to be used today.
The first four-stroke internal combustion engine was released in 1876 in Germany. In the mid-80s of the XIX century, a carburetor was developed in Russia, which made it possible to dose the supply of gasoline to the engine cylinders.
And at the very end of the year before last, the famous German engineer
Rudolf Diesel proposed the idea of ignition of a combustible mixture under pressure, which significantly increased the power characteristics of ICE and the efficiency indicators of units of this kind, which until then left much to be desired. Since then, the development of internal combustion engines has gone mainly along the path of improvement, modernization and the introduction of various improvements.
The main types and types of internal combustion engines
Nevertheless, the more than 100-year history of units of this type has allowed the development of several main types of power plants with internal combustion of fuel. They differ among themselves not only in the composition of the working mixture used, but also in design features.
Petrol engines
As the name implies, units of this group use various types of gasoline as fuel.
In turn, such power plants are usually divided into two large groups:
- Carburetor. In such devices, the fuel mixture is enriched with air masses in a special device (carburetor) before entering the cylinders. Then it ignites with an electric spark. Among the most prominent representatives of this type can be called a VAZ model, the internal combustion engine of which for a very long time was exclusively a carburetor type.
- Injection. This is a more complex system in which fuel is injected into the cylinders through a special manifold and nozzles. It can occur both mechanically and through a special electronic device. The most productive are considered direct direct injection systems "Common Rail". Installed on almost all modern cars.
Injection gasoline engines are considered to be more economical and provide higher efficiency. However, the cost of such units is much higher, and maintenance and operation is much more complicated.
Diesel engines
At the dawn of the existence of units of this type, one could often hear a joke about ICE, that it is such a device that eats gasoline, like a horse, and moves much more slowly. With the invention of the diesel engine, this joke partially lost its relevance. Mainly because diesel is able to run on fuel of much lower quality. This means that it is also much cheaper than gasoline.
The main fundamental difference between a diesel internal combustion engine is the absence of forced ignition of the fuel mixture. Diesel fuel is injected into the cylinders with special nozzles, and individual drops of fuel are ignited due to the pressure force of the piston. Along with the advantages, a diesel engine has a number of disadvantages. Among them are the following:
- much less power compared to gasoline power plants;
- large dimensions and weight characteristics;
- difficulties with launching in extreme weather and climatic conditions;
- insufficient pulling power and a tendency to unjustified power losses, especially at relatively high revs.
In addition, repair of a diesel engine of an internal combustion engine, as a rule, is much more complicated and costly than adjusting or restoring a gasoline unit.
Gas engines
Despite the cheapness of natural gas used as fuel, the design of gas-fired ICEs is incomparably more complicated, which leads to a significant increase in the cost of the unit as a whole, its installation and operation in particular.
On power plants of this type, liquefied or natural gas enters the cylinders through a system of special gearboxes, manifolds and nozzles. The ignition of the fuel mixture occurs in the same way as in carburetor gasoline units - with the help of an electric spark coming from the spark plug.
Combined types of internal combustion engines
Few people know about combined ICE systems. What is it and where is it used?
This is, of course, not about modern hybrid cars that can operate both on fuel and on an electric motor. Combined internal combustion engines are called such units that combine elements of various principles of fuel systems. The most striking representative of the family of such engines are gas-diesel plants. In them, the fuel mixture enters the engine block in almost the same way as in gas units. But ignition of the fuel is carried out not with the help of an electric discharge from a candle, but with a fired portion of diesel fuel, as is the case in a conventional diesel engine.
Maintenance and repair of internal combustion engines
Despite a fairly wide variety of modifications, all internal combustion engines have similar circuit designs. Nevertheless, in order to carry out high-quality maintenance and repair of the internal combustion engine, it is necessary to thoroughly know its structure, understand the principles of work and be able to identify problems. For this, of course, it is necessary to carefully study the design of various types of internal combustion engines, to understand the purpose of certain parts, assemblies, mechanisms and systems. The case is not simple, but very exciting! And most importantly, the right one.
Especially for inquisitive minds who want to independently understand all the mysteries and secrets of almost any vehicle, an approximate circuit diagram of the internal combustion engine is presented in the photo above.
So, we found out what this power unit is.