How to improve engine efficiency?

Improving internal combustion engine efficiency is a prime concern today. Engineers have devised many methods like turbocharging, cam-less engines, direct fuel injection, VIT, regenerative braking, etc. In this article, we discuss the factors limiting the efficiency of ICE and ways to increase it.

VIT — Valve Inlet Timing.

ICE — Internal Combustion Engine.

Increasing Efficiency

● There is a lot of concern nowadays about the efficiency of the internal combustion engine (ICE), and a lot of research is being done to improve it. But what exactly is the efficiency of the internal combustion engine and how do we measure it? The efficiency of any engine is simply calculated from the energy of the fuel supplied per unit time to do work and the output at the shaft of the engine after subtracting all losses. The input power of the fuel can be obtained from the mass of the fuel and its calorific value. The shaft output can be measured from a brake dynamometer. Simply put efficiency is Output/Input. The average ICE has an efficiency between 20 to 30%, which is very low.

● If we see a heat balance sheet of the internal combustion engines for spark-ignition or gasoline engine we find that the brake load efficiency is between 21 to 28%, whereas loss to cooling water is between 12 to 27%, loss to exhaust is between 30 to 55 %, and loss due to incomplete combustion is between 0 to 45%.

● Similarly when we analyze the heat balance sheet of a compression-ignition or diesel engine we find that it has a brake load efficiency between 29 to 42 % and loss to cooling water is between 15 to 35 %, losses to exhaust is between 25 to 45 %, and losses due to incomplete combustion is 0 to 5 %.

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