Internal Combustion Engine

Car engines are impressive feats of engineering, chemistry and physics, with more than 250 million highway transportation vehicles utilizing them in the US. The internal combustion engine process includes both the ignition and combustion of the fuel within it, typically gasoline or diesel. The mechanism consists of a fixed cylinder and a moving piston, which is pushed by the expanding combustion gasses and drives the movement of the car wheels. 

There are two kinds of internal combustion engines, one that involves spark ignition for gasoline and one that involves compression ignition for diesel. In the spark ignition, the fuel is mixed with air and ignited by a spark, causing the combustion. However in a diesel engine, only air is compressed in the engine, which then ignites once fuel is added. 

Drawbacks

However, there are various drawbacks to this design. One is its inefficiencies due to energy being lost as heat instead of powering the car, operating at a max 50% thermal efficiency at max. Complete combustion is also difficult to achieve with the right balance of fuel and air, with too much of either component making it wasteful.

Incomplete combustion also results in waste gas, a series of hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides, which cause acid rain and air pollution. The International Energy Agency estimates that this waste accounts for about a quarter of global CO2 emissions, with three-quarters coming from road traffic. 

Improvement

Over the last 30 years, various research and development has helped to reduce these engine emissions to comply with EPA standards. They’ve also become more efficient and higher-performing. Other alternatives have been developed too, in the form of electric battery-powered vehicles. Hopefully with these developments and further improvements, transportation can become more energy efficient and eco friendly.

Citations

Admin. “Four Stroke Engine – Parts, Operation & Comparison.” BYJUS, BYJU’S, 9 Dec. 2022, byjus.com/physics/four-stroke-engine/.

Chapman, Kit. “How Car Engines Work.” RSC Education, RSC Education, 29 July 2024, edu.rsc.org/everyday-chemistry/how-car-engines-work/4015995.article.

Internal Combustion Engine Basics | Department of Energy, www.energy.gov/eere/vehicles/articles/internal-combustion-engine-basics. Accessed 21 Aug. 2024.