Automotive engine

Last updated
Internal combustion engines, like this 1.6 litre (98 cubic inch) Renault petrol engine from 2008 seen here, have been the dominant propulsion system for most of the history of automobiles Dacia Logan MCV Model 2009 05.JPG
Internal combustion engines, like this 1.6 litre (98 cubic inch) Renault petrol engine from 2008 seen here, have been the dominant propulsion system for most of the history of automobiles

There are a wide variety of propulsion systems available or potentially available for automobiles and other vehicles. Options included internal combustion engines fueled by petrol, diesel, propane, or natural gas; hybrid vehicles, plug-in hybrids, fuel cell vehicles fueled by hydrogen and all electric cars. Fueled vehicles seem to have the advantage due to the limited range and high cost of batteries. Some options required construction of a network of fueling or charging stations. [1] With no compelling advantage for any particular option, car makers pursued parallel development tracks using a variety of options. Reducing the weight of vehicles was one strategy being employed.

Contents

Recent developments

The use of high-technology (such as electronic engine control units) in advanced designs resulting from substantial investments in development research by European countries and Japan seemed to give an advantage to them over Chinese automakers and parts suppliers who, as of 2013, had low development budgets and lacked capacity to produce parts for high-tech engine and power train designs. [2]

Characteristics

The chief characteristic of an automotive engine (compared to a stationary engine or a marine engine) is a high power-to-weight ratio. This is achieved by using a high rotational speed. However, automotive engines are sometimes modified for marine use, forming a marine automobile engine.

History

In the early years, steam engines and electric motors were tried, but with limited success. In the 20th century, the internal combustion engine (ICE), became dominant. In 2015, the internal combustion engine remains the most widely used but a resurgence of electricity seems likely because of increasing concern about ic engine exhaust gas emissions.

As of 2017, the majority of the cars in the United States are gasoline powered. In the early 1900s, the internal combustion engines faced competition from steam engines and electric motors. The internal combustion engines of the time were powered by gasoline. Internal combustion engines function with the concept of a piston being pushed by the pressure of a certain explosion. [3] This explosion is burning the hydrocarbon within the cylinder of an engine. Out of all the cars manufactured during the time, only around one fourth are actually considered internal combustion. Within the next couple of years, the internal combustion engine came out to become the most popular automotive engine. [4] Sometime within the 19th century, Rudolf Diesel invented a new form of internal combustion power, using a concept of injecting liquid fuel into air heated solely by compression. [3] This is the predecessor to the modern diesel engine used in automobiles, but more specifically, heavy duty vehicles such as semi-trucks.

Engine types

Internal combustion engines

Petrol engines quickly became the choice of manufacturers and consumers alike. Despite the rough start, noisy and dirty engine, and the difficult gear shifting, new technologies such as the production line and the advancement of the engine allowed the standard production of the gas automobiles. This is the start, from the invention of the gas automobile in 1876, to the beginning of mass production in the 1890s. Henry Ford's Model T drove down the price of cars to a more affordable price. At the same time, Charles Kettering invented an electric starter, allowing the engine to be started without the need for a mechanical hand crank. [5] The abundance of fuel propelled gas automobiles to be highly capable and affordable. The demand of gasoline rose from 3 billion barrels in 1919 to around 15 billion in 1929. [6]

An internal combustion engine is powered by the expansion of gas which is created by the combustion of hydrocarbon gases fuels. [7] To elaborate, an internal combustion used the heat of a combustion created by the injected hydrocarbon fuel to create mechanical motion. At the time of the early 1900s, wood alcohol was a popular fuel for French and German automobiles, but as governments imposed large taxes on the production, the price of wood alcohol rose above that of gasoline. [7] Gasoline engines became popular as a result of this, as internal combustion engines were commonly known as gasoline engines. Although gasoline engines became popular, they were not particularly desirable due to the dangers of fuel leaks that may cause explosions. Therefore, many inventors attempted to create a kerosene burning engine as a result. This was not a successful venture applying it for automotive usage. There are many different types of fuels for internal combustion engines. These include diesel, gasoline, and ethanol.

Steam engines

The steam engine was invented in the late 1700s, and the primary method of powering engines and soon, locomotives. One of the most popular steam automobiles was the “Stanley Steamer,” offering low pollution, power, and speed. The downside of these steam automobiles is the unreliability, complexity, and the frequent accidents that occurred with them. The startup time for a steam car may take up to 45 minutes, defeating the purpose of faster transportation. By the time the steam automobile was improved, the complexity of manufacturing relative to the gas automobiles made steam automobiles unprofitable. [5]

A steam engine is a device which transforms heat into mechanical motion. This is provided with the usage of boilers, which create steam by boiling water. In the early 1900s, Abner Doble introduced a steam-powered car in the United States which had capabilities that could potentially overpower Ford's Model T in efficiency. [8] Steam has been known to have very efficient fuel economy with a high power source. That is why half the world was powered by steam for almost the entirety of the 19th century and almost half the 20th century. The main drawback of the steam engine in automobiles was that operators were required to have full knowledge of boilers and steam engines before operating, as it was detrimental to the engine itself if the operator neglected it. [7]

Electric motors

Electric vehicles seemed to be the most viable option, similar to the steam automobiles. They were first invented in the early 1800s, and became a viable option of transportation around 1890, when William Morrison created the first electric car that traveled 14 miles per hour. The electric cars offered low pollution and a soundless ride, unlike their gasoline counterparts. The greatest downside of electric cars was the range. The typical electric car could reach around 20 miles before requiring a recharge. Manufacturers could not increase the number of batteries, due to the bulkiness of the batteries at the time. Without an incentive to purchase the electric automobiles, gas automobiles were the most viable option at the time. [5]

Electric cars use batteries to store electricity which is used to power electric motors. The battery delivers the power to the motor, which is either Alternating Current (AC) or Direct Current (DC). The difference between AC and DC motors is the sort of system that is required to run it in an electric vehicle. An AC motor is generally cheaper but the components required to run it in an electric vehicle such as the controller and inverter makes it more expensive than the DC motor. A unique feature of electric vehicles compared to its gasoline counterparts, the electric vehicle is more simple than the gasoline vehicle. [9] The electric vehicle bypasses the gasoline car components such as the crankshaft which allows it to generate power much faster than gasoline. Because of the faster transfer of power, the electric vehicle is able to accelerate faster than gasoline cars. [10]

In the 1970s, the electric vehicle made its reappearance because of the 1973 OPEC Oil Embargo. Previously, the abundant gasoline had become the prime source of fuel for vehicles. But after the shortage, manufacturers began looking towards electric vehicles again. Despite the improved technology from the 1800s, the electric vehicles faced similar technological flaws such as limited mileage and speed. They could only travel up to 45 miles per hour and had a range of approximately 40 miles. [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Engine</span> Machine that converts one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy (of motion)

An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Locomotive</span> Self-propelled railway vehicle

A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, motor coach, railcar or power car; the use of these self-propelled vehicles is increasingly common for passenger trains, but rare for freight trains.

Timeline of motor and engine technology

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hybrid vehicle</span> Vehicle using two or more power sources

A hybrid vehicle is one that uses two or more distinct types of power, such as submarines that use diesel when surfaced and batteries when submerged. Other means to store energy include pressurized fluid in hydraulic hybrids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electric vehicle</span> Vehicle propelled by one or more electric motors

An electric vehicle (EV) is a vehicle that uses one or more electric motors for propulsion. It can be powered by a collector system, with electricity from extravehicular sources, or it can be powered autonomously by a battery or by converting fuel to electricity using a generator or fuel cells. EVs include road and rail vehicles, electric boats and underwater vessels, electric aircraft and electric spacecraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fuel efficiency</span> Form of thermal efficiency

Fuel efficiency is a form of thermal efficiency, meaning the ratio of effort to result of a process that converts chemical potential energy contained in a carrier (fuel) into kinetic energy or work. Overall fuel efficiency may vary per device, which in turn may vary per application, and this spectrum of variance is often illustrated as a continuous energy profile. Non-transportation applications, such as industry, benefit from increased fuel efficiency, especially fossil fuel power plants or industries dealing with combustion, such as ammonia production during the Haber process.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diesel–electric powertrain</span> Propulsion system for vehicles

A diesel–electric transmission, or diesel–electric powertrain, is a transmission system for vehicles powered by diesel engines in road, rail, and marine transport. Diesel–electric transmission is based on petrol–electric transmission, a transmission system used for petrol engines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exhaust gas</span> Gases emitted as a result of fuel reactions in combustion engines

Exhaust gas or flue gas is emitted as a result of the combustion of fuels such as natural gas, gasoline (petrol), diesel fuel, fuel oil, biodiesel blends, or coal. According to the type of engine, it is discharged into the atmosphere through an exhaust pipe, flue gas stack, or propelling nozzle. It often disperses downwind in a pattern called an exhaust plume.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green vehicle</span> Environmentally friendly vehicles

A green vehicle, clean vehicle, eco-friendly vehicle or environmentally friendly vehicle is a road motor vehicle that produces less harmful impacts to the environment than comparable conventional internal combustion engine vehicles running on gasoline or diesel, or one that uses certain alternative fuels. Presently, in some countries the term is used for any vehicle complying or surpassing the more stringent European emission standards, or California's zero-emissions vehicle standards, or the low-carbon fuel standards enacted in several countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the automobile</span>

Development of the automobile started in 1672 with the invention of the first steam-powered vehicle, which led to the creation of the first steam-powered automobile capable of human transportation, built by Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot in 1769. Inventors began to branch out at the start of the 19th century, creating the de Rivaz engine, one of the first internal combustion engines, and an early electric motor. Samuel Brown later tested the first industrially applied internal combustion engine in 1826. Only two of these were made.

Mild hybrids (MHEV) are generally cars with an internal combustion engine (ICE) equipped with a negligibly bigger electric combined motor and generator in a parallel hybrid configuration allowing the engine to be turned off whenever the car is coasting, braking, or stopped, and then quickly restarted once power is again required. Mild hybrids may employ regenerative braking and some level of power assist to the internal combustion engine, but mild hybrids do not have an electric-only mode of propulsion.

Engine efficiency of thermal engines is the relationship between the total energy contained in the fuel, and the amount of energy used to perform useful work. There are two classifications of thermal engines-

  1. Internal combustion and
  2. External combustion engines.

Hybrid vehicle drivetrains transmit power to the driving wheels for hybrid vehicles. A hybrid vehicle has multiple forms of motive power.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alternative fuel vehicle</span> Type of vehicle

An alternative fuel vehicle is a motor vehicle that runs on alternative fuel rather than traditional petroleum fuels. The term also refers to any technology powering an engine that does not solely involve petroleum. Because of a combination of factors, such as environmental and health concerns including climate change and air pollution, high oil-prices and the potential for peak oil, development of cleaner alternative fuels and advanced power systems for vehicles has become a high priority for many governments and vehicle manufacturers around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Push start</span> Method of starting a motor vehicle

Push starting, also known as bump starting, roll starting, clutch starting, popping the clutch or crash starting, is a method of starting a motor vehicle with an internal combustion engine that has a manual transmission, a mechanical fuel pump, and a mechanically driven generator or alternator. By pushing or letting the vehicle roll downhill then engaging the clutch at the appropriate speed the engine will turn over and start. The technique is most commonly employed when other starting methods are unavailable.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Car</span> Motorized passenger road vehicle

A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people, not cargo.

Internal combustion engines date back to between the 10th and 13th centuries, when the first rocket engines were invented in China. Following the first commercial steam engine in 1698, various efforts were made during the 18th century to develop equivalent internal combustion engines. In 1791, the English inventor John Barber patented a gas turbine. In 1794, Thomas Mead patented a gas engine. Also in 1794, Robert Street patented an internal-combustion engine, which was also the first to use liquid fuel (petroleum) and built an engine around that time. In 1798, John Stevens designed the first American internal combustion engine. In 1807, French engineers Nicéphore and Claude Niépce ran a prototype internal combustion engine, using controlled dust explosions, the Pyréolophore. This engine powered a boat on the river in France. The same year, the Swiss engineer François Isaac de Rivaz built and patented a hydrogen and oxygen-powered internal-combustion engine. Fitted to a crude four-wheeled wagon, François Isaac de Rivaz first drove it 100 metres in 1813, thus making history as the first car-like vehicle known to have been powered by an internal-combustion engine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hydrogen internal combustion engine vehicle</span> Vehicle with hydrogen internal combustion engine

A hydrogen internal combustion engine vehicle (HICEV) is a type of hydrogen vehicle using an internal combustion engine. Hydrogen internal combustion engine vehicles are different from hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. Instead, the hydrogen internal combustion engine is simply a modified version of the traditional gasoline-powered internal combustion engine. The absence of carbon means that no CO2 is produced, which eliminates the main greenhouse gas emission of a conventional petroleum engine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Range extender</span> Fuel-based auxiliary power unit that extends the range of a battery electric vehicle

A range extender is a fuel-based auxiliary power unit (APU) that extends the range of a battery electric vehicle by driving an electric generator that charges the vehicle's battery. This arrangement is known as a series hybrid drivetrain. The most commonly used range extenders are internal combustion engines, but fuel-cells or other engine types can be used.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Internal combustion engine</span> Engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer in a combustion chamber

An internal combustion engine is a heat engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer in a combustion chamber that is an integral part of the working fluid flow circuit. In an internal combustion engine, the expansion of the high-temperature and high-pressure gases produced by combustion applies direct force to some component of the engine. The force is typically applied to pistons, turbine blades, a rotor, or a nozzle. This force moves the component over a distance, transforming chemical energy into kinetic energy which is used to propel, move or power whatever the engine is attached to.

References

  1. ↑ Cardwell, Diane; Krauss, Clifford (April 22, 2013). "Trucking Industry Is Set to Expand Its Use of Natural Gas". The New York Times . Retrieved April 23, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Propulsion systems The great powertrain race Carmakers are hedging their bets on powering cars". The Economist (print ed.). April 20, 2013. Retrieved April 19, 2013.
  3. 1 2 Cummins Jr., Lyle C. (1976) Early IC and Automotive Engines. SAE Technical Papers. Wilsonville: Carnot Press, 760604, 1976.
  4. ↑ L. Collier, James. (2006) Steam Engines. 1st ed. Tarrytown: Cavendish Square Publishing, 2006.
  5. 1 2 3 The History of the Electric Car. (2014). Energy.gov. Retrieved 28 March 2017, from https://energy.gov/articles/history-electric-car
  6. ↑ Melosi, M. (2004). Automobile and the Environment in American History: Energy Use and the Internal Combustion Engine. Autolife.umd.umich.edu. Retrieved 28 March 2017, from http://www.autolife.umd.umich.edu/Environment/E_Overview/E_Overview3.htm
  7. 1 2 3 Chambers, A. (1902). Lee's American Automobile Handbook (1st ed.). Chicago: Laird & Lee. Retrieved from https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Alfred_B_Chambers_Lee_s_American_Automobile_Manual?id=_lYF6H7Q0GYC.
  8. ↑ Geoghegan, J. (2017). Full Steam Ahead. American History, (1), 26-31.
  9. ↑ Schwitters, C. (2017). AC versus DC charging - what is the difference - Plug In America. Plug In America. Retrieved 11 April 2017, from https://pluginamerica.org/ac-versus-dc-charging-what-difference/
  10. ↑ How Do Battery Electric Cars Work?. (2017). Union of Concerned Scientists. Retrieved 11 April 2017, from http://www.ucsusa.org/clean-vehicles/electric-vehicles/how-do-battery-electric-cars-work#.WOqfj_ krK70
  11. ↑ Alternative Fuels Data Center: How Do All-Electric Cars Work?. (2017). Afdc.energy.gov. Retrieved 9 April 2017, from http://www.afdc.energy.gov/vehicles/how-do-all-electric-cars-work
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.