ME2041 Advanced Internal Combustion Engines

Combustion in SI Engines

Combustion is the process of oxidation of fuel resulting into the

release of energy equivalent to calorific value of fuel. Energy released
in combustion is in the form of heat.

Combustion process in spark ignition engine has requirement of the

mixture of fuel and air in right proportion
mechanism for initiation of combustion process and
stabilization and propagation of flame for complete burning

For complete combustion of every fuel there is chemically correct fuelair ratio also called stoichiometric fuel-air ratio.
This fuel air ratio may be rich or lean depending upon the proportion of
fuel and air present in mixture. In SI engine this fuel air ratio generally
varies between 1 : 7 to 1 : 30 with lean mixture at 1 : 30 and rich mixture
at 1 : 7.
Stoichiometric fuel-air ratio is around 1 : 14 to 1 : 15 for hydrocarbon
fuel. The extreme values of fuel-air ratio permissible in SI engine on
both rich and lean ends put limits as lower ignition limit and upper
ignition limit.
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ME2041 Advanced Internal Combustion Engines

Combustion in SI Engines

Varying fuel-air ratio is required in SI engine due to varying loads on

engine between no load to full load on engine. The ratio of actual fuel-air
ratio to stoichiometic fuel-air ratio is given by equivalence ratio or
relative fuel-air ratio.
Appropriate fuel-air ratio is maintained in SI engines through
carburettor (the fuel metering system).

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ME2041 Advanced Internal Combustion Engines

Stages of Combustion in SI Engines

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Department of Mechanical Engineering, St. Josephs College of Engineering

ME2041 Advanced Internal Combustion Engines

Stages of Combustion in SI Engines

Combustion in SI engine may be described to be occurring in following
significant phase:
(i)preparation phase
After compression of fuel-air mixture in cylinder the high temperature spark
is delivered by spark plug in the compressed fuel-air mixture. Temperature at
the tip of spark plug electrode may go even more than 10,000C at the time
of release of spark.
Sparkles released have sufficiently high temperature to initiate the
combustion of fuel. For complete combustion of fuel mere initiation of
combustion does not serve the purpose instead a sustainable combustion
process is required.
After setting up of combustion a sustainable flame front or flame nuclei is
needed so that it proceeds across the combustion space to ensure complete
combustion. Thus, this phase in which spark is first released followed by
setting up of sustainable flame front is called preparation phase and may
consume around 10 of crank angle rotation.
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Department of Mechanical Engineering, St. Josephs College of Engineering

ME2041 Advanced Internal Combustion Engines

Stages of Combustion in SI Engines

Crank angle rotation consumed in preparation phase depends upon the

speed of engine, constructional feature of cylinder, piston, location of spark
plug, strength of spark, characteristics of fuel, fuel-air ratio etc.

Preparation phase is shown to occur from a to b with small or negligible

pressure rise as initially rate of burning is very small.

(ii) Flame Propagation Phase

After sustainable combustion flame is set up then the flame nuclei get
scattered due to excessive turbulence in combustion space causing
pressure to rise from b to c.
This phase of combustion depends upon the turbulence inside cylinder,
strength of compbustion nuclei, fuel-air ratio, strength of spark, cylinder
geometry, fuel properties etc.
This phase of combustion is called as flame propagation phase and is
accompanied by the excessive pressure rise. Flame propagation phase
should also be as small as possible.
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Department of Mechanical Engineering, St. Josephs College of Engineering

ME2041 Advanced Internal Combustion Engines

Stages of Combustion in SI Engines

(iii) After Burning Phase
After the maximum amount of fuel-air mixture is burnt, the residual gets
burnt after the piston has moved across the TDC.
This last phase is termed as after burning phase and occurs during the
expansion stroke.

Hence, it can be summarised that the complete combustion in SI engine

occurs in three distinct zones i.e. preparation phase, flame propagation
phase and after burning phase.
In order to complete combustion in smallest possible time the flame
propagation phase and preparation phase should be shortened.
Out of total distance travelled in combustion space in first phase i.e.
Preparation phase about 10% of combustion space length is covered in
about 2030% of total time for combustion.

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Department of Mechanical Engineering, St. Josephs College of Engineering

ME2041 Advanced Internal Combustion Engines

Stages of Combustion in SI Engines

Flame propagation phase is spread in about 80% of combustion space

length and is covered in 6070% of total time of combustion.
After burning occurs in less than 10% of combustion space in less than
10% of total combustion time.

Abnormal Combustion

Combustion may also sometimes occur abnormally. Abnormal combustion

is said to occur when combustion begins inside the cylinder on its own
before the stipulated time for it.
This abnormal combustion may be due to pre-ignition (i.e. ignition of fuel
even before spark plug ignites it) or auto-ignition (i.e. Ignition of fuel due to
hot spots in the combustion space like valve seats, spark plug) and results
in uncontrolled pressure rise.
Abnormal combustion is also termed as detonation or knocking and can be
felt by jerky operation of engine, excessive noise, reduced power output etc

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Department of Mechanical Engineering, St. Josephs College of Engineering

ME2041 Advanced Internal Combustion Engines

Factors affecting knock

Fuel
A low self ignition temperature fuel promotes knock.
Induction pressure
Increase of pressure decreases SIT and increases induction time; tendency of knock
increases. Eg. At full throttle knock tends to occur more.
Engine Speed
Low engine speed will give low turbulence and low flame velocity and hence knock
tendency is more.
Ignition Timing
Advancing ignition timing increases peak pressure and promotes knock.
Compression Ratio
High compression ratio increases cylinder pressures and increases the tendency for
knock.
Combustion Chamber Design
Poor design results in long flame path, low turbulence and insufficient cooling all of
which increase knock tendency.
Cylinder Cooling
Poor cylinder cooling increases the temperature and hence the chances of knock
temperature fuel promotes knock.

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Department of Mechanical Engineering, St. Josephs College of Engineering

ME2041 Advanced Internal Combustion Engines

Combustion Chambers

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Department of Mechanical Engineering, St. Josephs College of Engineering

ME2041 Advanced Internal Combustion Engines

Combustion Chambers

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Department of Mechanical Engineering, St. Josephs College of Engineering

ME2041 Advanced Internal Combustion Engines

Combustion Chambers

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Department of Mechanical Engineering, St. Josephs College of Engineering

ME2041 Advanced Internal Combustion Engines

Combustion Chambers

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Department of Mechanical Engineering, St. Josephs College of Engineering

ME2041 Advanced Internal Combustion Engines

Combustion Chambers

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Department of Mechanical Engineering, St. Josephs College of Engineering

ME2041 Advanced Internal Combustion Engines

Combustion Chambers

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Department of Mechanical Engineering, St. Josephs College of Engineering

ME2041 Advanced Internal Combustion Engines

Combustion Chambers

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Department of Mechanical Engineering, St. Josephs College of Engineering

ME2041 Advanced Internal Combustion Engines

Combustion Chambers

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Department of Mechanical Engineering, St. Josephs College of Engineering

ME2041 Advanced Internal Combustion Engines

Combustion Chambers

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Department of Mechanical Engineering, St. Josephs College of Engineering

ME2041 Advanced Internal Combustion Engines

THERMODYNAMIC ANALYSIS OF SI ENGINE
COMBUSTION
Burned and Unburned Mixture States
Because combustion occurs through a flame propagation
process, the changes in
state and the motion of the unburned and burned gas are much
more complex
than the ideal cycle analysis.
The gas pressure, temperature,and density change as a result of
changes in volume due to piston motion.
During combustion, the cylinder pressure increases due to the
release of the fuel's
chemical energy.
As each element of fuel-air mixture bums, its density decreases
by about a factor of four.
This combustion-produced gas expansion compresses the
unburned mixture ahead of the flame and displaces it toward
the combustion chamber walls.
The
combustion-produced
gas expansion also compresses those
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Department of Mechanical Engineering, St. Josephs College of Engineering
parts of the charge which have already burned, and displaces

ME2041 Advanced Internal Combustion Engines

THERMODYNAMIC ANALYSIS OF SI ENGINE
COMBUSTION
Burned and Unburned Mixture States
During the combustion process, the unburned gas elements
move away from the spark plug; following combustion,
individual gas elements move back toward the spark plug.
Further, elements of the unburned mixture which burn at
different times have different pressures and temperatures just
prior to combustion, and therefore end up at different states
after combustion.
The thermodynamic state and composition of the burned gas is,
therefore, non-uniform.
A first law analysis of the spark-ignition engine combustion
process enables us to
quantify these gas states.
Work transfer occurs between the cylinder gases and the piston
(to the gas before TC; to the piston after TC).
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Department of Mechanical Engineering, St. Josephs College of Engineering

ME2041 Advanced Internal Combustion Engines

THERMODYNAMIC ANALYSIS OF SI ENGINE
COMBUSTION
Burned and Unburned Mixture States
Heat transfer occurs to the chamber walls, primarily from the
burned gases.
At the temperatures and pressures typical of spark-ignition
engines it is a reasonable approximation to assume that the
volume of the reaction zone where combustion is actually
occurring is a negligible fraction of the chamber volume even
though the thickness of-the turbulent flame may not be
negligible compared with the chamber dimensions.
With normal engine operation, at any point in time or crank
angle, the pressure throughout the cylinder is close to uniform.
The conditions in the burned and unburned gas are then
determined by conservation of mass :

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Department of Mechanical Engineering, St. Josephs College of Engineering

ME2041 Advanced Internal Combustion Engines

THERMODYNAMIC ANALYSIS OF SI ENGINE
COMBUSTION
Burned and Unburned Mixture States
The conservation of energy:
where V is the cylinder volume, m is the mass of the cylinder
contents, v is the specific volume, xb is the mass fraction
burned, Uo is the internal energy of the cylinder contents
at some reference point 0, u is the specific internal energy,
W is the work done on the piston, and Q is the heat transfer to
the walls. The subscripts u and b denote unburned and
burned gas properties, respectively.
The work and heat transfers are:
Where
walls.
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is the instantaneous heat-transfer rate to the chamber

Department of Mechanical Engineering, St. Josephs College of Engineering

ME2041 Advanced Internal Combustion Engines

THERMODYNAMIC ANALYSIS OF SI ENGINE
COMBUSTION
Burned and Unburned Mixture States
Useful results can be obtained by assuming that the burned and
unburned gases are different ideal gases, each with constant
specific heats. i.e.

Combining these eqns.

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Department of Mechanical Engineering, St. Josephs College of Engineering

ME2041 Advanced Internal Combustion Engines

THERMODYNAMIC ANALYSIS OF SI ENGINE
COMBUSTION
Burned and Unburned Mixture States
The above equations may be solved to obtain

If we now assume the unburned gas is initially uniform and

undergoes isentropic compression, then

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Department of Mechanical Engineering, St. Josephs College of Engineering