7

TOPIC

Spark Ignition Engines

What do we need from engines?

High power
Low fuel consumption
Low emissions
All these depend on COMBUSTION

 In turn, combustion process is a function of:

Air/fuel ratio
Ignition timing
Combustion chamber design
Engine speed
Engine load

Let us learn step-by-step starting from

Part I

Mixture
preparation
Sections 7.1 to 7.3

SI Engine mixture requirements

Power of SI Engine is controlled by amount of mixture
inducted
Mixture requirements are different for full-load (wide-open
throttle) and for part-load operation
At WOT we are interested in maximum power; all inducted
air must be utilized
At part-load operation fuel must be utilized efficiently
At very light load mixture must be fuel-rich for stable
combustion

Response of specific
fuel consumption
and power output to
changes in air/fuel
ratio at WOT and
constant speed

Specific fuel
consumption vs.
power output for
varying air/fuel ratio
at different throttle
settings
(fish-hook curves)

SI Engine mixture requirements

Air-fuel mixture must be:
slightly rich for maximum power output
slightly lean for best efficiency at partial loads
rich enough for idling operation
satisfy emissions required by regulations

Elementary carburetor, how does it work?

1. Inlet section
2. Venturi throat
3. Float chamber
4. Pressure equalizing passage
5. Calibrated orifice
6. Fuel discharge tube
7. Throttle plate

Does it meet engine requirements?

Performance of elementary carburetor

At low loads mixture becomes leaner; engine
requires enriched mixture
At partial loads equivalence ratio increases slightly
as air flow increases; engine requires almost
constant equivalence ratio
As air flow approaches the maximum WOT value,
equivalence ratio remains essentially constant.
Engine requires enriched mixture for
maximum power
Elementary carburetor cannot compensate for
transient phenomena in the intake manifold.
Nor can it enrich the mixture during engine
starting and warm-up

Performance of
elementary carburetor

Elementary carburetor cannot adjust to changes in

ambient air density due to changes in altitude

Changes required in elementary carburetor

1.

2.

The main metering system must be compensated to provide

essentially constant lean or stoichiometric mixtures over 20
to 80 percent air flow rate
Idle system must be added to meter fuel flow at idle and
light loads

3.

An enrichment system must be added so the engine can

provide its maximum power at WOT

4.

An accelerator pump which injects additional fuel when

throttle is opened rapidly is required

5.

A choke must be added to enrich mixture during engine

starting to ensure a combustible mixture

6.

Altitude compensation is required to adjust the fuel flow to

changes in air density

Modern carburetor
design

1. Main venturi
2. Boost venturi
3. Main metering spray tube or nozzle
4. Air-bleed orifice
5. Emulsion tube or well
6. Main fuel-metering orifice
7. Float chamber
8. Throttle plate
9. Idle air-bleed orifice
10. Idle fuel orifice
11. Idle mixture orifice
12. Transition orifice
13. Idle mixture adjusting screw
14. Idle throttle setting adjusting screw

Fuel injection systems

Fuel injection systems for conventional spark-ignition
engines inject fuel into intake system
With multipoint systems fuel is injected into intake port of
each cylinder
In single-point systems fuel is injected into air flow
directly above the throttle body
In modern SI engines with advanced combustion
systems fuel is injected directly into the cylinder

Multipoint vs. single-point

Increased power and torque through improved
volumetric efficiency and more uniform fuel distribution
More rapid engine response to changes in throttle
position
More precise control of the equivalence ratio during coldstart and engine warm-up

Multipoint port injection

Speed-density electronic multipoint port fuel-injection system: Bosch D-Jetronic

Multipoint port injection

Electronic multipoint port fuel-injection system with air-flow meter: Bosch L-Jetronic

Advantages of direct air-flow measurements

Automatic compensation for tolerances, combustion
chamber deposit buildup
Dependence of volumetric efficiency on speed and
exhaust backpressure is automatically accounted for
Less acceleration enrichment is required because the
air-flow signal precedes the filling of the cylinders
Improved idling stability
Lack of sensitivity of the system to EGR since only the
fresh air flow is measured

Multipoint port injection

Mechanical multipoint port fuel-injection system: Bosch K-Jetronic

Single-point
throttle-body
injection
ADVANTAGE
Low cost
DISADVANTAGE
Slower transport of the
fuel than the air from
upstream of the throttle
plate to the cylinder
Two-injector throttle-body electronic fuel-injection
system

Summary of Mixture preparation

Engine performance depend on air/fuel ratio. Mixture
must by
slightly rich for maximum power output
slightly lean for best efficiency at partial load
rich enough for idling operation
Elementary carburetor does not provide required air-fuel
ratio
Some supplementary systems are added to correct the
characteristics of an elementary carburetor
Fuel injection systems are used to substitute carburetors

Fuel injector

Exhaust oxygen sensor

Flow through the Venturi

Air mass flow rate through the carburetor Venturi
1

CDT AT po pT 2 p T
m&a
1

RTo po 1 po

1
2

or in terms of the pressure drop pa = po pT

m&a CDT AT 2 a0 pa

1
2

where

pT po pT po

1
1 pT po

1
2

Flow through the fuel orifice

Mass flow rate of the fuel

m&f CD0 A0 2 f p f
To prevent fuel spillage when the engine is inclined, the fuel level in the
float chamber is held below the fuel discharge nozzle. Thus

p f pa f gh
where h is typically of order 10 mm

Carburetor performance
Air/fuel ratio delivered by carburetor
1
2

m&a CDT AT ao
pa
A

F m& C

gh

f
D
o
f
a
f

1
2

and equivalence ratio

A Fs

CDo Ao

C
DT AT

1
2

f gh

p
a
ao

1
2

back

Carburetor double-venturi system

back

Main metering system with air-bleed compensation

back

Metering
characteristics of
system with air-bleed
compensation