DOE-HDBK-1018/1-93FUNDAMENTALS OF THE DIESEL CYCLEDiesel Engine FundamentalsThe above numbers are ideal and provide a good example of what is occurring in anengine during compression. In an actual engine, pressures reach only about 690 psia.This is due primarily to the heat loss to the surrounding engine parts.FuelInjectionFigure 18 Fuel InjectionFuel in a liquid state is injected into the cylinder ata precise time and rate to ensure that thecombustion pressure is forced on the piston neithertoo early nor too late, as shown in Figure 18. Thefuel enters the cylinder where the heatedcompressed air is present; however, it will onlyburn when it is in a vaporized state (attainedthrough the addition of heat to cause vaporization)and intimately mixed with a supply of oxygen.The first minute droplets of fuel enter thecombustion chamber and are quickly vaporized.The vaporization of the fuel causes the airsurrounding the fuel to cool and it requires timefor the air to reheat sufficiently to ignite thevaporized fuel. But once ignition has started, theadditional heat from combustion helps to furthervaporize the new fuel entering the chamber, as long as oxygen is present. Fuelinjection starts at 28 BTDC and ends at 3 ATDC; therefore, fuel is injected fora duration of 31.PowerBoth valves are closed, and the fresh air charge hasFigure 19 Powerbeen compressed. The fuel has been injected andis starting to burn. After the piston passes TDC,heat is rapidly released by the ignition of the fuel,causing a rise in cylinder pressure. Combustiontemperatures are around 2336F. This rise inpressure forces the piston downward and increasesthe force on the crankshaft for the power stroke asillustrated in Figure 19. The energy generated by the combustion process isnot all harnessed. In a two stroke diesel engine,only about 38% of the generated power isharnessed to do work, about 30% is wasted in theform of heat rejected to the cooling system, andabout 32% in the form of heat is rejected out theexhaust. In comparison, the four-stroke dieselengine has a thermal distribution of 42% convertedME-01Rev. 0Page 24
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