Aim: To study Construction and Working of Carburetor.

Definition of carburetion:

The process of formation of a combustible fuel-air mixture by mixing the proper amount
of fuel with air before admission to engine cylinder is called carburetion and the device which is
used for this job is called a carburetor.

Factors affecting carburetion:

 Engine speed-
In order to have high quality carburetion, the air velocity of the air stream at the
point where the fuel is injected has to be increased. This is achieved by introducing a
venture section in the path of the air.
 Vaporizing characteristics of the fuel-
Presence of highly volatile hydrocarbons in the fuel, suitable evaporation
characteristics of the fuel are necessary for efficient carburetion especially at high engine
speeds
 The temperature of the incoming air-
The temperature and pressure of the surrounding air has a large influence on
efficient carburetion. Higher atmospheric temperature of the air increases the
vaporization of the fuel and produces more homogeneous mixture. An increase in
atmospheric temperature leads to a decrease in power output of the engine and reduced
volumetric efficiency.
 The design of the carburetor-
Proper design of the elements alone ensures the supply of desired composition of
the mixture under different operating conditions of the engine.

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 Working of Carburetor

The function of the carburetor is to supply the proper fuel-air ratio to the engine cylinder
during suction created by the downward movement of the piston. As the piston moves downward
a pressure difference is created between the atmosphere and the cylinder which leads to the
suction of air in the cylinder. This sucked air will also carry with it some droplets of fuel
discharged from a tube. The tube has an orifice called carburetor jet which is open to the path of
sucked air. The rate at which fuel is discharged into the air will depend upon the pressure
difference created. To ensure the atomization of fuel the suction effect must be strong and the
fuel outlet should be small.

To increase the suction effect the passage of air is made narrow. It is made in the form of
venturi. The opening of the fuel jet is placed at the venturi where the suction is greatest because
the velocity of air will be maximum at that point.

The fig. shows a simple carburetor consists of float chamber, nozzle, a venturi, a choke
valve and a throttle valve. The narrow passage is called venturi. The opening of the fuel is
normally placed a little below the venturi section. The atomized fuel and air is mixed at this
place and then supplied to the intake manifold of the cylinder. The fuel is supplied to the fuel jet
from the float chamber and the supply of the fuel to the float chamber is regulated by the float
pivot and supply valve. As the fuel level in the chamber decreases the float pivot will open the
supply of the fuel from fuel tank.
As the air velocity of air passes through the venturi section will be maximum
correspondingly the pressure will be minimum. Due to the pressure difference between the float
chamber and the throat of the venturi, fuel is discharged from the jet to the air. To prevent the
overflow of fuel from the jet, the level of fuel in the chamber is kept at a level slightly below the
tip. The quantity of the fuel supplied is governed by the opening of the butterfly valve situated
after the venturi tube. As the opening of the valve is small, a less quantity of fuel-air mixture is
supplied to the cylinder which results in reduced power output. If the opening of the valve is
more than an increased quantity of fuel is supplied to the cylinder which results in greater output.

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Float chamber: The float chamber holds a quantity of fuel at atmospheric pressure ready for
use. Its supply is refilled by a float driven valve; as the level drops the float drops too and opens
an inlet which allows the fuel pump to deliver more fuel to the float chamber. The float rises
with the replenished fuel level, closing off the inlet.

Diaphragm chamber: With some carbureted engines – such as those that drive power tools like
brush cutters or chainsaws – a float chamber is unsuitable, as the engine needs to work even if it
is upside down. In that case, a chamber with a flexible diaphragm on one side is used.
Atmospheric pressure pushes the diaphragm inwards as the fuel is used. A needle valve
connected to the diaphragm opens to allow the fuel to be replenished as the diaphragm moves
inwards, pushing the diaphragm out again and maintaining consistent fuel pressure.

Venturi and throttle: In a carburetor, air passes through a pipe – in the form of a venturi – into
the inlet manifold of the engine. A butterfly valve called the throttle, which is connected to the
accelerator or gas pedal, rotates to restrict the airflow almost completely, or turns end-on to the
airflow to allow free flow of air. This valve controls the amount of air/fuel mixture delivered to
the engine through the venturi, and therefore also controls the engine's speed and power.

Idle and off-idle circuits: When the throttle valve is closed or nearly closed, the manifold
vacuum created behind the throttle is sufficient to pull a small amount of fuel and air through
small openings located after the butterfly valve. This is called the idle circuit and it enables the
engine to keep running when there is no pressure on the accelerator. As the rotating valve moves
forward to a slightly open throttle position, the vacuum is reduced, so additional small openings
are revealed to compensate for this. This is the 'off-idle' circuit.

Main circuit: When the throttle is progressively opened, more and more air is allowed to flow
through the pipe and into the engine. The idle and off-idle circuits cease to function because the
manifold vacuum is now lowered, but as the airflow through the venturi increases, the Bernoulli
Effect, which lowers the pressure in the pipe as the velocity increases, sucks fuel into the
airstream through a jet in the center of the throat.

Accelerator pump: If the throttle is opened wide very quickly, the idle circuit stops working
immediately, but the main circuit does not become effective until the airflow has had time to
build sufficiently. To bridge that gap in fuel flow, an accelerator pump delivers a squirt of fuel
under low pressure to smooth the transition from idle circuit to main circuit.

Choke: Fuel ignites less readily when cold, and if the engine is also cold, then some fuel vapor
can condense out of the air fuel mixture onto the intake manifold and cylinder walls. This makes
the mixture leaner, so to compensate for this, a valve known as the 'choke' restricts the flow of
air at the entrance to the carburetor, keeping the manifold pressure low even though the throttle
valve has been opened. In this way, fuel is sucked into the incoming air through all the fuel
circuits at once – idle, off-idle, and main. In some engines, instead of using a choke valve, an
additional fuel circuit behind the throttle valve can enrich the air fuel mixture.

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Compensating Devices: An automobile on road has to run on different loads and speeds. The
road conditions play a vital role. Especially on city roads, one may be able to operate the vehicle
between 25 to 60% of the throttle only. During such conditions the carburetor must be able to
supply nearly constant air-fuel ratio mixture that is economical (16:1).However, the tendency of
a simple carburetor is to progressively richen the mixture as the throttle starts opening. The main
metering system alone will not be sufficient to take care of the needs of the engine. Therefore,
certain compensating devices are usually added in the carburetor along with the main metering
system so as to supply a mixture with the required air-fuel ratio. The important ones are

 Air-bleed jet
 Compensating jet
 Emulsion tube
 Back suction control mechanism
 Auxiliary air valve

Air bleed jet Compensating jet

Emulsion Tube Back Suction Control Auxiliary air valve

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Types of Carburetors:

There are three general types of carburetors depending upon the direction of flow.

 Constant choke carburetor: Air and fuel flow areas are always maintained to be
constant. Ex. Solex and Zenith carburetor
 Constant vacuum carburetor: Air and fuel flow areas may vary but vacuum is always
remained constant. Ex. S.U. and Carter Carburetor.
 Multiple venturi carburetors: Used to maintain air fuel ratio at constant speed and to
reduce condensation of the fuel.

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Automobile carburetors:
 Solex Carburetor

The solex carburetor is famous for its ease of starting, good performance and
reliability. It is made in various models and is used in many automobile engines. The solex
carburetor as shown in Fig. (a) is a downdraught type of carburettor which has the
provision for the supply of richer mixture required for starting and weaker mixture for high
speed running of the engine. It consists of various fuel circuits such as starting, idling or low
speed operation, normal running, acceleration etc.

Fig. (a) Solex Carburettor

The starting circuit is shown in Fig.(b). The fuel from float chamber enters the
starting passage B through the starting jet. Then the fuel enters the starting passage
through starting valve. The starting valve is a disc having small hole which can be
brought opposite the fuel supply hole by means of a starter lever. When the throttle
valve is in closed position the engine suction is applied to starting passage A. The air
enters from the starting air jet and fuel from the small hole provided in the disc valve.
This mixture is sufficiently rich to start the engine. With the throttle valve opening the
engine suction is applied to the main jet and starting lever is turned to the off position
there by stopping the supply of the fuel through the disc valve.

Fig. (b) Starting Circuit of the Solex Carburettor

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 The idle circuit of Solex Carburettor is shown in Fig. (c). The fuel from main
jet circuit enters the idle passage through the pilot jet and air enters this passage
through the pilot air jet. At idling the throttle is almost closed and hence suction is
applied at the outlet of the idle jets thereby supplying the mixture to the engine
through the idle port provided immediately after the throttle on the downstream side.
The opening of the idle port is controlled by the idle adjusting screw thereby
obtaining the smooth running of the engine when the engine is on no load. When the
throttle is opened for further running of the engine, the supply of the fuel through the
idle circuit is restricted due to decrease in the suction at the idle passage.

Fig.7.19(c) Idle Circuit of the Solex Carburetor

To provide an extra quantity of fuel during acceleration, this carburettor is

provided with a diaphragm pump system as shown in Fig. (d). When accelerator
pedal is pressed for acceleration, the pump lever connected to it is also pressed. Due
to this movement of the pump lever, the diaphragm which is connected to it by
means of a push rod also moves towards left thereby compressing the fuel and forcing it
into the main jet. When force from the pump lever is removed then diaphragm is released to
its original position by means of a spring provided on the left side of the diaphragm. Due to
this movement of the diaphragm, suction is created on the left side of the diaphragm thus
opening the pump valve and admitting the fresh fuel into the pump circuit.

Fig (d) Diaphragm Pump System of the Solex Carburetor

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  Carter Carburetor

A diagrammatic view of the Carter downdraught type carburetor is shown in Fig.7.18. The
gasoline enters the float chamber which is of the conventional type. The air enters the carburetor
from the top, a choke valve in the passage remains open during running. The Carter carburetor
has a triple venturi diffusing type of choke it has three venturies, the smallest lies above the level
in the float chamber, other two below the fuel level, one below other. At very low speeds,
suction in the primary venturi is adequate to draw the fuel. The nozzle enters the primary venturi
at an angle delivering the fuel upwards against the air stream securing an even flow of finely
divided atomized fuel. The mixture from the primary venturi passes centrally through the second
venturi where it is surrounded by a blanket of air stream and finally this leads to the third (main)
venturi, where again the fresh air supply insulates the stream from the second venturi. The
mixture reaches the engine cylinders in atomized form. Multiple venturies result in better
formation of the mixture at very low speeds causing steady and smooth operation at very low as
well as at very high engine speeds.

In this carburetor a mechanical metering method is used. In the fuel circuit there is a
metering rod actuated by a mechanism connected with the main throttle. The metering rod has
two or more steps of diameter. The area of opening between the metering rod jet and metering
rod governs the amount of gasoline drawn into the engine. At high speed the metering rod is
lifted, such that the smallest section of the rod is in the jet and the maximum quantity of gasoline
flows out to mix with the maximum amount of air corresponding to full throttle opening.

Fig. Carter Downdraught Type Carburetor

For starting, a choke valve is provided in the air circuit. The choke valve is a butterfly
valve, one half of which is spring controlled. The valve is hinged at the centre. When
the engine is fully choked, the whole of the engine suction is applied at the main nozzle,
which then delivers fuel. The air flow rate is minimum and hence the mixture supplied is
very rich. Once the engine is started, the spring-controlled half of the choke valve is
sucked open to provide correct amount of air during warming up period.
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 The idling circuit is as shown in Figure. During idling a rich mixture is required in
small quantity. In idling condition throttle valve is nearly closed. The whole of the engine
suction is applied at the idle port. Consequently, the fuel is drawn through the idle feed jet
and air through the first bypass and a, rich idle mixture is supplied. During low speed operation
the throttle valve is opened further. The main nozzle also starts supplying the fuel. At this
stage the fuel is delivered both by the main venturi and low speed port through idle passage.

The acceleration pump is a pump and a plunger mechanism. The pump consists of a
plunger working inside a cylinder consisting of inlet check valve and outlet check valve. The
pump plunger is connected to accelerator pedal by throttle control rod. When the throttle is
suddenly opened by pressing the accelerator pedal, the pump is actuated and a small quantity
of petrol is delivered into the choke tube by a jet. When the accelerator pedal is released the
pump piston moves up thereby sucking fuel from the float chamber for the next operation.

 S. U. Carburetor
Carburetors in general are constant choke type. Zenith, Sol ex and Carter carburetors are
examples of this type. S.U. carburetor differs completely from them being constant vacuum or
constant depression type with automatic variable choke.

Fig. S.U. Carburetor

A simplified sketch of this carburetor is shown in Fig. lt consists of a sliding

piston. The lower end of the piston is provided with a taper needle which is inserted into
the main jet. When the piston is moved up and down the needle also moves up and down
with the main jet. The upper end of the piston is given a flat form which is known as
suction disc. The up and down movement of the piston and the suction disc is guided by
means of piston rod and piston rod guide as shown in Fig.

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 The piston always remains loaded by a helical spring. The movement of the piston
controls the air passage. The portion above the disc is called suction chamber which connects the
air passage by means of a slot provided in the piston. The main jet of the carburetor can be
moved up and down along the taper needle by operating a lever from the dash board. This
movement is required to adjust the mixture strength throughout the operating range of the
carburetor. The carburetor consists of an ordinary butterfly type throttle valve. The lower portion
of the suction disc is connected to the atmosphere by means of an air rectifier hole and the upper
portion to the throttle air passage. The system does not have any separate idling slow running
and accelerating system.

The weight of the piston is constant and always acts down. The vacuum in the suction
chamber always tends to move the piston upwards. Therefore, at a particular instant the position
of the piston is balanced by the weight and constant vacuum produced above the piston. In
starting, a rich mixture is needed by the engine which can be obtained by pulling the jet
downwards with the help of the lever attached to it. Therefore, as the throttle is opened more air
is allowed to pass through the inlet due to upward movement of the piston. The upward
movement of the taper needle also ensures more flow of fuel from the main jet. Thus the air and
fuel passage are varied with different engine speeds and velocities of the fuel and air remains
constant in this system.

Conclusion:
Constructions and Working of different types of carburetors are studied.

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