Chapter 3 - Thermodynamics of IC Engine

Chapter Three
Thermodynamics of IC Engine
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Introduction
 The operating cycle of an internal combustion engine can be broken down
into a sequence of separate processes:
 Intake,
 Compression,
 Combustion,
 Expansion and
 Exhaust.
 The internal combustion engine does not operate on a thermodynamic
cycle as it involves an open system i.e., the working fluid enters the system
at one set of conditions and leaves at another.
 However, it is often possible to analyze the open cycle as though it were a
closed one by imagining one or more processes that would bring the
working fluid at the exit conditions back to the condition of the starting
point.
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Air standard Assumptions
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Cont’d
 Due to these assumptions, the analysis becomes over-

simplified and the results do not agree with those of
the actual engine.
 Work output, peak pressure, peak temperature and
thermal efficiency based on air-standard cycles will be
the maximum that can be attained and will differ
considerably from those of the actual engine. It is often
used, mainly because of the simplicity in getting
approximate answers to the complicated processes in
internal combustion engines. Various cycles, Carnot,
Otto, Dual, Diesel under different operating
conditions.
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The Carnot cycle
 Sadi Carnot, a French engineer, proposed a reversible

cycle in 1824, in which the working medium receives
heat at a higher temperature and rejects heat at a lower
temperature. The cycle will consist of two isothermal
and two reversible adiabatic processes as shown in
Fig.2.1.
 Carnot cycle is represented as a standard of perfection
and engines can be compared with it to judge the degree
of perfection. It gives the concept of maximizing work
output between two temperature limits.
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Cont’d
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Cont’d
 The working of an engine based on the Carnot cycle can be

explained referring to Fig.2.2 which shows a cylinder and piston
arrangement working without friction. The walls of cylinder are
assumed to be perfect insulators. The cylinder head is so arranged
that it can be a perfect heat conductor as well as a perfect heat
insulator.
 First the heat is transferred from a high temperature source, (T3),
to the working medium in the cylinder and as a result the working
medium expands. This is represented by the isothermal process
3→4 in Fig.2.1. Now the cylinder head is sealed and it acts as a
perfect insulator. The working medium in the cylinder is now
allowed to expand further from state 4 to
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Cont’d
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Cont’d
 state 1 and is represented by reversible adiabatic process 4→1 in p-

V and T –s diagrams in Fig.2.1. Now the system is brought into
contact with a constant low temperature sink, (T1), as the cylinder
head is now made to act as a perfect heat conductor. Some heat is
rejected to the sink without altering the temperature of sink and as
a result the working medium is compressed from state 1 to 2 which
is represented by isothermal line 1→2. Finally the cylinder head is
made again to act as a perfect insulator and the working medium is
compressed adiabatically from state 2 to 3 which is represented by
process 2→3. Thus the cycle is completed. Analyzing the cycle
thermodynamically the efficiency of the cycle can be written as
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Cont’d
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Cont’d
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Cont’d
 The lower temperature i.e., sink temperature, T1, is normally the

atmospheric temperature or the cooling water temperature and
hence fixed. So the increase in thermal efficiency can be achieved
only by increasing the source temperature.
 Mean effective pressure, is defined as that hypothetical
constant pressure acting on the piston during its expansion stroke
producing the same work output as that from the actual cycle.
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Sample problem
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The Stirling cycle
 The Carnot cycle has a low mean effective pressure

because of its very low work output. Hence, one of the
modified forms of the cycle to produce higher mean
effective pressure whilst theoretically achieving full
Carnot cycle efficiency is the Stirling cycle. It consists of
two isothermal and two constant volume
processes. The heat rejection and addition take place at
constant temperature.
 The p-V and T -s diagrams for the Stirling cycle are
shown in Figs.2.3(a) and 2.3(b) respectively. It is clear
from Fig.2.3(b) that the amount of heat addition and
rejection during constant volume processes is same.
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Cont’d
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Cont’d
 The Stirling cycle was used earlier for hot air engines and became
obsolete as Otto and Diesel cycles came into use. The design of
Stirling engine involves a major difficulty in the design and
construction of heat exchanger to operate continuously at very high
temperatures. However, with the development in metallurgy and
intensive research in this type of engine, the Stirling engine has
staged a comeback in practical appearance.
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Cont’d
 In practice, the heat exchanger efficiency cannot be

100%. Hence the Stirling cycle efficiency will be less than
Carnot efficiency and can be written as :
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Ericson cycle
 The Ericsson cycle consists of two isothermal and two constant

pressure processes. The heat addition and rejection take place at
constant pressure as well IC Engines as isothermal processes.
Since the process 2→3 and 3→4 are parallel to each other on the T -
s diagram, the net effect is that the heat need be added only at
constant temperature T3 = T4 and rejected at the constant
temperature T1 = T2.The cycle is shown on p-V and T -s diagrams in
Fig.2.4(a) and 2.4(b) respectively. The advantage of the Ericsson
cycle over the Carnot and Stirling cycles is its smaller pressure ratio
for a given ratio of maximum to minimum specific volume with
higher mean effective pressure. The Ericsson cycle does not find
practical application in piston engines but is approached by a gas
turbine employing a large number of stages with heat exchangers,
insulators and reheaters.
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Cont’d
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The otto cycle
 The main drawback of the Carnot cycle is its impracticability due

to high pressure and high volume ratios employed with
comparatively low mean effective pressure.
 Nicolaus Otto (1876), proposed a constant-volume heat addition
cycle which forms the basis for the working of today’s spark-ignition
engines.
 When the engine is working on full throttle, the processes 0→1 and
1→0 on the p-V diagram represents suction and exhaust processes
and their effect is nullified. The process 1→2 represents isentropic
compression of the air when the piston moves from bottom dead
center to top dead center. During the process 2→3 heat is supplied
reversibly at constant volume. The processes 3→4 and 4→1
represent isentropic expansion and constant volume heat rejection
respectively.
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Cont’d
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Thermal Efficiency
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Cont’d
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Cont’d
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Cont’d
 Note that the thermal efficiency of Otto cycle is a function of

compression ratio r and the ratio of specific heats, γ. As γ is
assumed to be a constant for any working fluid, the efficiency is
increased by increasing the compression ratio. Further, the
efficiency is independent of heat supplied and pressure ratio. The
use of gases with higher γ values would increase efficiency of Otto
cycle. Fig.2.6 shows the effect of γ and r on the efficiency.
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Work Output
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Mean Effective Pressure
 The mean effective pressure of the cycle is given by
 Thus, it can be seen that the work output is directly proportional to

pressure ratio, rp. The mean effective pressure which is an indication of the
internal work output increases with a pressure ratio at a fixed value of
compression ratio and ratio of specific heats. For an Otto cycle, an increase
in the compression ratio leads to an increase in the mean effective pressure
as well as the thermal efficiency.
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Sample problems
1.An engine working on Otto cycle has the following conditions : Pressure at
the beginning of compression is 1 bar and pressure at the end of compression
is 11 bar. Calculate the compression ratio and air-standard efficiency of the
engine. Assume γ = 1.4.
2. In an Otto cycle air at 17 ◦C and 1 bar is compressed adiabatically
until the pressure is 15 bar. Heat is added at constant volume until
the pressure rises to 40 bar. Calculate the air-standard efficiency, the
compression ratio and the mean effective pressure for the cycle.
Assume,Cv=0.717kJ/kgK and R=8.314kJ/kmolK.
3. Fuel supplied to an SI engine has a calorific value 42000 kJ/kg. The
pressure in the cylinder at 30% and 70% of the compression stroke are
1.3 bar and 2.6 bar respectively. Assuming that the compression follows
the law pV 1.3 = constant. Find the compression ratio. If the relative
efficiency of the engine compared with the air-standard efficiency is 50%.
Calculate the fuel consumption in kg/kW h.
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Chapter Three

 Due to these assumptions, the analysis becomes over-

 Sadi Carnot, a French engineer, proposed a reversible

 The working of an engine based on the Carnot cycle can be

 state 1 and is represented by reversible adiabatic process 4→1 in p-

 The lower temperature i.e., sink temperature, T1, is normally the

 The Carnot cycle has a low mean effective pressure

 In practice, the heat exchanger efficiency cannot be

 The Ericsson cycle consists of two isothermal and two constant

 The main drawback of the Carnot cycle is its impracticability due

 Note that the thermal efficiency of Otto cycle is a function of

 The mean effective pressure of the cycle is given by

 Thus, it can be seen that the work output is directly proportional to

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