Internal Combustion Engines laboratory

Mechanical Engineering Department

Indian Institute of Technology Madras

PERFORMANCE AND EMISSION CHARACTERISTICS OF

A FOUR STROKE SPARK IGNITION ENGINE
Introduction

Automotive spark ignition (SI) engines operate under widely varying torque and speed
conditions. The operating condition also varies rapidly with time. These variations can
be reproduced in transient engine test beds with sophisticated instrumentation. Such
measurements are only done when engines are tested for certification or when engines
are improved to meet emission standards. However, engines are usually tested under
constant speed or constant torque conditions when it is desired to establish their
performance and emission characteristics. Such experiments can indicate the influence
of engine modifications, type of fuel used, operating conditions and effect of after
treatment devices on performance and emissions fairly well.

The main performance parameters of an engine are torque and power. Their variation
with respect to engine speed is important when it comes to the operation of an
automobile and thus this is one of the main objectives of any experiment on engines.
Performance under constant speed variable torque conditions is evaluated when the
influence of throttle position on performance is to be understood. The main pollutants
from a SI engine are HC, CO and NOx. The formation of unburned emissions viz. HC
and CO primarily depends upon the fuel-air mixture conditions while the NOx emissions
are highly sensitive to the cylinder gas temperatures. Though lean mixtures in SI
engines can lead to complete combustion and low emissions, the emission levels are
still much higher than what can be tolerated. Further, the lean mixture operation pose
problems in reducing NOx emissions using exhaust after-treatment devices and it also
reduces the maximum engine torque. In general, richer than stoichiometric mixture
reduces NOx emissions while the lean mixtures reduce HC and CO emissions through
better oxidation.

The performance and emissions of an engine can be tested at different throttle

positions. The external load will determine the operating speed. The external load is
applied by a dynamometer in the laboratory. Often the dynamometer is equipped with a
closed loop control system that can maintain a constant speed by changing the torque
applied on the engine suitably. The dynamometer also indicates the operating speed
and the applied torque. A change in throttle position, in such a constant speed mode
results in change in torque applied on the engine by the dynamometer. The present
experiment will introduce the student to instrumentation used to determine the
performance and emission characteristics of SI engines. The student will also get hands
on experience on operating an engine along with the dynamometer and other
instrumentation. The trends of torque, speed and emissions under constant speed
conditions will also be determined and interpreted by the student.

1
Objectives of the experiment
Conduct a constant speed variable throttle test on the given carbureted automotive SI
engine and determine the variations of performance and emission parameters with
respect to changes in engine load in terms of brake mean effective pressure (BMEP).

Engine Specifications

Type 4 Stroke, SI, air cooled

No. of Cylinders Single Cylinder
Bore x Stroke 62 mm x 66 mm
Swept volume 200cc
Compression ratio 9.4:1
Fuel system Carburetion
6.5kW @ 5000 rpm with
Rated Power
gasoline

Test Procedure
The engine is to be operated at a constant speed of 3000 rev/min. The dynamometer is
set to maintain this speed. Then the torque of the engine is varied in steps by adjusting
the throttle. The torque is increased gradually in steps from low load conditions to up to
80% of full load. Automotive engines normally are not expected to operate at full load
continuously. At each of the operating conditions performance and emission parameters
are noted as shown in Table 1. The engine has to be stabilized before readings are
noted. Stability can be observed by observing the exhaust gas temperature. Fuel flow
rate will be measured on the mass basis while the air flow rate is measured on volume
basis. It will be advisable to obtain the time taken for a mass of fuel / volume of air that
is about 100 times the least count of the weighing balance (at least 50 times). Also,
setting up a larger time limit for flow rate measurement will minimize the errors in
measurement.
CO and HC emissions will be obtained on the volume basis and then converted to
specific emissions. HC is measured on the hexane or propane basis. NO emission is
also measured on the volume basis. All these have to be converted to specific mass
emission values.

2
Calculation and Graphs
The following graphs have to be plotted against BMEP.
a) Brake thermal efficiency
b) Brake specific fuel consumption
c) Exhaust gas temperature
d) Equivalence ratio
e) HC (g/kW.h)
f) CO (g/kW.h)
g) NO (g/kW.h)

Discussion
1. Discuss the nature of variation of brake thermal efficiency and exhaust gas
temperature with BMEP.
2. How does the equivalence ratio vary with BMEP and why?
3. What is the influence of BMEP on HC, CO and NO emissions?
4. Compare the measured HC, CO and NO concentration values with the
corresponding specific mass emissions at different BMEPs and explain.
5. Indicate the assumptions made in converting the volume concentrations of
emissions to specific mass values.

Report
The report must contain:
1. Objectives of the Study
2. A sketch of the experimental setup indicating all instruments and their principles (no
write up is needed)
3. Table of observations
4. Table of results
5. Sample Calculations
6. Graphs
7. Discussion

The report must be submitted at the end of the experiment to the TAs.
Attendance will be given only after submission of the report (on the same day).
No submissions will be accepted later.

3
TABULAR COLUMN

LCV of Gasoline: 44 MJ/kg A/Fstoic = 14.7

ρair = 1.17 kg/m3 MW: Exahust = 28; HC = 86; CO = 28; NO = 30.
Ambient temperature = ____ oC, Ambient pressure = ______ (mm of hg)

Time of CO
Sl. Speed Torque Fuel flow HC NO EGT
air for 0.3
No. (rpm) (Nm) rate (kg/h) (ppm) (% vol) (ppm) (oC)
m3 (s)

RESULTS

Sl. BP BTE BSFC HC CO NO EGT

φ ηvol
No. (kW) (%) (g/kW h) (g/kW h) (g/kW h) (g/kW h) (oC)