Spark plugs are used in the petrol engines to ignite the air fuel mixture whereas in

diesel engines the presence of spark plugs is not necessary. Technically petrol
engines are called as spark ignition engines ( SI ) and diesel engines are called as
compression ignition engines (CI ) . In SI engines air and fuel (petrol) get mixed in
the carburettor and then it is supplied to the engine through inlet manifold, then the
air fuel mixture is compressed inside the cylinder.
At the end of compression the spark is ignited and then combustion takes place
from where the power stroke is obtained. Normally the compression ratio of SI
engines will in the range 6 8 .This proves that in petrol engines the compression
alone doesnt makes the fuel to burn.
Technically speaking this process is governed by constant volume process or Otto
cycle. But in case of diesel engines spark plugs are not needed. The air from the
atmosphere is sucked into the cylinder of the engine and then the air is compressed
to high pressure which eventually leads to the increase of temperature, so when the
diesel is supplied at end of compression stroke, the temperature developed is more
enough to ignite the diesel, this makes the fuel to burn and then expansion of gases
takes place from where the power stroke is obtained.
This eliminates the usage of spark plug as the temperature required to ignite the
fuel is obtained on compression itself, so always the compression of diesel engines
will be in the range 12 -14.This type of process is governed by constant pressure
process. This makes one identify the engines. In petrol engines spark plugs will be
present but in the case of diesel engines fuel pump will be present.

The problem solved by the glow plug occurs when starting a diesel engine from cold, especially in cold
ambient temperatures, when the thermal mass of the metal comprising the combustion chambers
(cylinder block, cylinder head, piston) more readily absorbs the heat energy created by the compression
of the incoming air such that the combustion chamber temperature is insufficient to support selfcombustion. In these conditions, the glowplug is temporarily activated to add a hotspot within the
combustion chamber until the residual temperature of the combustion chamber achieves the level
required to support self-combustion.
For that reason indirect injected diesel engines are manufactured with glow-plugs in each prechamber,
and direct injected diesel engines are manufactured with glow-plugs in each combustion chamber.

COMPRESSION
When working on his calculations, Rudolf Diesel theorized that higher compression leads to higher efficiency and
more power. This happens because when the piston squeezes air with the cylinder, the air becomes concentrated.
Diesel fuel has a high energy content, so the likelihood of diesel reacting with the concentrated air is greater. Another
way to think of it is when air molecules are packed so close together, fuel has a better chance of reacting with as
many oxygen molecules as possible. Rudolf turned out to be right -- a gasoline engine compresses at a ratio of 8:1 to
12:1, while a diesel engine compresses at a ratio of 14:1 to as high as 25:1.

Diesel Engines vs. Gasoline Engines

In theory, diesel engines and gasoline engines are quite similar. They are both internal combustion
engines designed to convert the chemical energy available in fuel into mechanical energy. This
mechanical energy moves pistons up and down inside cylinders. The pistons are connected to a
crankshaft, and the up-and-down motion of the pistons, known as linear motion, creates the rotary motion
needed to turn the wheels of a car forward.
Both diesel engines and gasoline engines covert fuel into energy through a series of small explosions or
combustions. The major difference between diesel and gasoline is the way these explosions happen. In a
gasoline engine, fuel is mixed with air, compressed by pistons and ignited by sparks from spark plugs. In
a diesel engine, however, the air is compressed first, and then the fuel is injected. Because air heats up
when it's compressed, the fuel ignites.
The following animation shows the diesel cycle in action. You can compare it to the animation of
thegasoline engine to see the differences.
Image courtesy Baris Mengutay

The diesel engine uses a four-stroke combustion cycle just like a gasoline engine. The four strokes are:

Intake stroke -- The intake valve opens up, letting in air and moving the piston down.

Compression stroke -- The piston moves back up and compresses the air.

Combustion stroke -- As the piston reaches the top, fuel is injected at just the right moment and
ignited, forcing the piston back down.

Exhaust stroke -- The piston moves back to the top, pushing out the exhaust created from the
combustion out of the exhaust valve.
Remember that the diesel engine has no spark plug, that it intakes air and compresses it, and that it then
injects the fuel directly into the combustion chamber (direct injection). It is the heat of the compressed air
that lights the fuel in a diesel engine. In the next section, we'll examine the diesel injection process.

Diesel Fuel Injection

One big difference between a diesel engine and a gas engine is in the injection process. Most car engines
use port injection or a carburetor. A port injection system injects fuel just prior to the intake stroke (outside
the cylinder). A carburetor mixes air and fuel long before the air enters the cylinder. In a car engine,
therefore, all of the fuel is loaded into the cylinder during the intake stroke and then compressed. The
compression of the fuel/air mixture limits the compression ratio of the engine -- if it compresses the air too
much, the fuel/air mixture spontaneously ignites and causesknocking. Because it causes excessive heat,
knocking can damage the engine.
Diesel engines use direct fuel injection -- the diesel fuel is injected directly into the cylinder.
The injector on a diesel engine is its most complex component and has been the subject of a great deal of
experimentation -- in any particular engine, it may be located in a variety of places. The injector has to be
able to withstand the temperature and pressure inside the cylinder and still deliver the fuel in a fine mist.
Getting the mist circulated in the cylinder so that it is evenly distributed is also a problem, so some diesel
engines employ special induction valves, pre-combustion chambers or other devices to swirl the air in the
combustion chamber or otherwise improve the ignition and combustion process.
Some diesel engines contain a glow plug. When a diesel engine is cold, the compression process may
not raise the air to a high enough temperature to ignite the fuel. The glow plug is an electrically heated

wire (think of the hot wires you see in a toaster) that heats the combustion chambers and raises the air
temperature when the engine is cold so that the engine can start. According to Cley Brotherton, a
Journeyman heavy equipment technician:
All functions in a modern engine are controlled by the ECM communicating with an elaborate set of
sensors measuring everything from R.P.M. to engine coolant and oil temperatures and even engine
position (i.e. T.D.C.). Glow plugs are rarely used today on larger engines. The ECM senses ambient air
temperature and retards the timing of the engine in cold weather so the injector sprays the fuel at a later
time. The air in the cylinder is compressed more, creating more heat, which aids in starting.
Smaller engines and engines that do not have such advanced computer control use glow plugs to solve
the cold-starting problem.

Diesel Fuel
Petroleum fuel starts off as crudeoil that's naturally found in theEarth. When crude oil is processed at
refineries, it can be separated into several different kinds of fuels, including gasoline, jet fuel, kerosene
and, of course, diesel.
If you have ever compared diesel fuel and gasoline, you know that they are different. They certainly smell
different. Diesel fuel is heavier and oilier. It evaporates much more slowly than gasoline -- its boiling point
is actually higher than the boiling point of water. You will often hear diesel fuel referred to as "diesel oil"
because it's so oily.
Diesel fuel evaporates more slowly because it is heavier. It contains more carbon atoms in longer chains
than gasoline does (gasoline is typically C9H20, while diesel fuel is typically C14H30). It takes
less refiningto create diesel fuel, which is why it used to be cheaper than gasoline. Since 2004, however,
demand for diesel has risen for several reasons, including increased industrialization and construction in
China and the U.S. [source: Energy Information Administration].

Diesel fuel has a higher energy density than gasoline. On average, 1 gallon (3.8 L) of diesel fuel
contains approximately 155x106 joules (147,000 BTU), while 1 gallon of gasoline contains 132x10 6 joules
(125,000 BTU). This, combined with the improved efficiency of diesel engines, explains why diesel
engines get better mileage than equivalent gasoline engines.
Diesel fuel is used to power a wide variety of vehicles and operations. It of course fuels the diesel trucks
you see lumbering down the highway, but it also helps move boats, school buses, city buses, trains,
cranes, farming equipment and various emergency response vehicles and power generators. Think about
how important diesel is to the economy -- without its high efficiency, both the construction industry and
farming businesses would suffer immensely from investments in fuels with low power and efficiency.
About 94 percent of freight -- whether it's shipped in trucks, trains or boats -- relies on diesel.
In terms of the environment, diesel has some pros and cons. The pros -- diesel emits very small amounts
of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and carbon dioxide, emissions that lead to global warming. The cons
-- high amounts of nitrogen compounds and particulate matter (soot) are released from burning diesel
fuel, which lead to acid rain, smog and poor health conditions. On the next page we'll look at some recent
improvements made in these areas.

Internal Combustion
The principle behind any reciprocating internal combustion engine: If you put a tiny amount of high-energy
fuel (like gasoline) in a small, enclosed space and ignite it, an incredible amount of energy is released in
the form of expanding gas. You can use that energy to propel a potato 500 feet. In this case, the energy is
translated into potato motion. You can also use it for more interesting purposes. For example, if you can
create a cycle that allows you to set off explosions like this hundreds of times per minute, and if you can
harness that energy in a useful way, what you have is the core of a car engine!

Almost all cars currently use what is called a fourstroke combustion cycle to convert gasoline into
motion. The four-stroke approach is also known as
the Otto cycle, in honor of Nikolaus Otto, who invented
it in 1867. The four strokes are illustrated in Figure 1.
They are:

Intake stroke

Compression stroke

Combustion stroke

Exhaust stroke
You can see in the figure that a device called
a piston replaces the potato in the potato cannon. The
piston is connected to the crankshaft by a connecting
rod. As the crankshaft revolves, it has the effect of
"resetting the cannon." Here's what happens as the
engine goes through its cycle:

1.

The piston starts at the top, the intake valve opens, and
the piston moves down to let the engine take in a
cylinder-full of air and gasoline. This is the intake
stroke. Only the tiniest drop of gasoline needs to be
mixed into the air for this to work. (Part 1 of the figure)

2.

Then the piston moves back up to compress this fuel/air mixture. Compression makes the
explosion more powerful. (Part 2 of the figure)

3.

When the piston reaches the top of its stroke, the spark plug emits a spark to ignite the gasoline.
The gasoline charge in the cylinder explodes, driving the piston down. (Part 3 of the figure)

4.

Once the piston hits the bottom of its stroke, the exhaust valve opens and the exhaust leaves the
cylinder to go out the tailpipe. (Part 4 of the figure)
Now the engine is ready for the next cycle, so it intakes another charge of air and gas.
Notice that the motion that comes out of an internal combustion engine is rotational, while the motion
produced by a potato cannon is linear (straight line). In an engine the linear motion of the pistons is
converted into rotational motion by the crankshaft. The rotational motion is nice because we plan to turn
(rotate) the car's wheels with it anyway.

Basic Engine Parts

The core of the engine is the cylinder, with the piston moving up and down inside the cylinder. The engine
described above has one cylinder. That is typical of most lawn mowers, but mostcars have more than one
cylinder (four, six and eight cylinders are common). In a multi-cylinder engine, the cylinders usually are
arranged in one of three ways: inline, V or flat (also known as horizontally opposed or boxer), as shown
in the following figures.

Different configurations have different advantages and disadvantages in terms of smoothness,

manufacturing cost and shape characteristics. These advantages and disadvantages make them more
suitable for certain vehicles.

Figure 3. V - The cylinders are arranged in two banks set at an angle to one another.

Figure 4. Flat - The cylinders are arranged in two banks on opposite sides of the engine.

Let's look at some key engine parts in more detail.

Spark plug
The spark plug supplies the spark that ignites the air/fuel mixture so that combustion can occur. The spark
must happen at just the right moment for things to work properly.

Valves
The intake and exhaust valves open at the proper time to let in air and fuel and to let out exhaust. Note
that both valves are closed during compression and combustion so that the combustion chamber is
sealed.
Piston
A piston is a cylindrical piece of metal that moves up and down inside the cylinder.
Piston rings
Piston rings provide a sliding seal between the outer edge of the piston and the inner edge of the cylinder.
The rings serve two purposes:

They prevent the fuel/air mixture and exhaust in the combustion chamber from leaking into the
sump during compression and combustion.

They keep oil in the sump from leaking into the combustion area, where it would be burned and
lost.
Most cars that "burn oil" and have to have a quart added every 1,000 miles are burning it because the
engine is old and the rings no longer seal things properly.
Connecting rod
The connecting rod connects the piston to the crankshaft. It can rotate at both ends so that its angle can
change as the piston moves and the crankshaft rotates.
Crankshaft
The crankshaft turns the piston's up and down motion into circular motion just like a crank on a jack-inthe-box does.
Sump
The sump surrounds the crankshaft. It contains some amount of oil, which collects in the bottom of the
sump (the oil pan).