Combustion in Diesel Engine

COMBUSTION IN A DIESEL ENGINE

Combustion within a diesel engine takes place in the combustion chamber. This chamber is
formed above the piston when it is in top dead centre (TDC).For effective combustion to take
place, you require proper atomization and the spread of fuel in such a way that most of it is
burnt. Hence, the design of this chamber plays an important role in the combustion process.
Atomization is the process of breaking down fuel droplets to a fine mist or spray so that a
larger surface area is available for combustion. In diesel engines, the fuel injectors are
designed to atomise fuel. While testing injectors, you must ensure that the spray pattern is
correct; otherwise, it will affect combustion which reduces the power output of the engine.

Bad atomisation Good atomisation

The design of combustion chamber varies with the engine type but the basic requirement will
still be the same. In diesel engines, it is necessary to have a compression ratio of about 14:1
to ensure that the temperature at the end of compression is high enough to ignite the fuel.
With this compression ratio, the clearance space is very small. The fuel spray should travel in
all directions to fill up the clearance space. A long spray travel would be ideal to satisfy this
requirement. Therefore, the combustion space should not be contained within flat surfaces;
instead, it should be accommodated in a space
suitably formed between the crown of the piston and the cylinder cover. A design has evolved
over the years which give a shape as near to spherical as possible. A centrally located injector
is most desirable in so far as its ability to disperse the spray of oil is concerned. Other
important factors are an induced turbulence to incoming air in the form of a swirl movement
and a uniform distribution of heat.
It not only improves the air to fuel mixture but also protects the chamber wall from direct heat
impingement and differential thermal strain. However, it is difficult to achieve many of these
conditions in a 4-stroke engine. The diesel engine can burn any liquid fuel that can be injected
in the cylinder. The fuel must be sprayed, penetrated and dispersed in the space within a short
period. The combustion must be completed within the very short time during which the fuel
comes in contact with air.

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Combustion in Diesel Engine

Direct injection
combustion chamber
Injector

TDC

piston

In the direct injection engine, the fuel-air mixing is achieved by the energy in the fuel spray,
propelling the droplets into hot, dense air. Additional mixing may be achieved by the orderly
movement of the air in the combustion chamber, which is called ‘air swirl’. It has by far the
largest application amongst the slow and medium diesel engines. Large slow speed marine
engines invariably use this type of chamber.
The criterion is the diameter of a cylinder and power of the engine. In the open chamber, there
is an insignificant movement of air and therefore, it is also called ‘non-turbulent chamber”.The
injector, which should ideally be located at the centre, must be very precise in atomising and
dispersing oil throughout the combustion space.
The angle of spray should match the shape of the chamber, such that the spray pattern would
exactly fit in. A multi-orifice nozzle with high injection pressure can be used for this purpose.
The injector alone is not enough to ensure complete mixing of air and fuel within a short
period. A degree of air movement or swirl is an important factor in forming a correct mixture
of air with fuel to assist complete combustion.

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Combustion in Diesel Engine

Indirect injection system

Indirect
injection injector

Pre-combustio Chamber

TDC

Piston

In small engines, where the volumetric clearance space is small and is occupied within an
extremely small length of the stroke, a pre-combustion chamber is used. It is a chamber
located outside the main chamber and is connected to it by a passage. All the fuel injected in
the pre-combustion chamber where the combustion is first initiated. A single orifice nozzle can
inject the fuel employing low injection pressure. The expanding gases pass out through the
throat of an opening to the main chamber at a velocity. Turbulence thus caused breaks the oil
and mixes it with air. The combustion is completed in the main chamber. The injection
equipment associated with this type of chamber can be simpler. The thermal efficiency of this
engine is low. Hence, its use is confined to small power generation.

Factors affecting combustion:

1. Loss of compression arising out of ineffective sealing of the combustion space or increase in
clearance volume. The condition of liner surface, piston rings, tightness of mountings,
condition of bearings etc. are to be kept in constant surveillance.
Viscosity of Oil - Steady values of viscosity is to be maintained for proper atomisation.
Atomisation is breaking down of oil to droplets so that a large surface area of oil is exposed to
heat and oxidation. If the atomisation is too fine, drops will not penetrate deep enough. This
will cause burning close to the nozzle tip. On the other hand, if the drops are too large it will
have sufficient energy to strike the metallic surfaces. Both conditions are undesirable, as in
addition to poor combustion, the nozzle operation would be troublesome in the former case
and local overheating may result in the latter case.

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Combustion in Diesel Engine

Ignition Quality of fuel - The design of combustion chamber and rotational speed of the engine
specify the fuel quality that can be efficiently burnt in the engine cylinder. The appropriate
grade of fuel, as denoted by the cetane number, should be injected in the cylinder. The
injection timing can be adjusted, to suit different grades of fuel, to obtain better combustion
result. However, this can be done only to an extent. A fuel with poor ignition quality will burn
with smoke and forms lacquer in the engine.
Charge quality and temperature - Combustion in the cylinder will be affected if air density at
the engine intake falls. This may be due to defective scavenge valves, air suction choking,
pulsation in the ducting, defective cooling, etc.
Exhaust Choking or high back pressure - At the point of exhaust, the pressure is much higher
than the scavenge air pressure. The exhaust ports are uncovered first so that there is a drop in
pressure due to blow down of gases in exhaust pipe. If the exhaust passages are restricted
there will be a rise in exhaust back pressure which may interfere with proper scavenging of the
cylinder. This leads to imperfect combustion.

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