Ideal models

of engine cycle
 Engine modeling purpose
Purpose of a Model. Models are representations that can aid in
defining, analyzing, and communicating a set of concepts.
System models are specifically developed to support analysis,
specification, design, verification, and validation of a system, as well
as to communicate certain information

• Understanding of engine processes

• Decrease of experimental work (cost of failure)

• Prediction of engine behavior prior to experiments

• Design optimization
 Classification of models
• Thermodynamics models (based on energy conservation)
– zero dimensional
Zero dimensional model predicts and analyses the characteristics of thermodynamic
properties of the engine solving energy equations whereas multi-dimensional momentum
conservation equations allow to visualize the gas flow and combustion products.
– Phenomenological
A phenomenological model is a scientific model that describes the empirical relationship of
phenomena to each other, in a way which is consistent with fundamental theory, but is not
directly derived from theory. In other words, a phenomenological model is not derived from
first principles. (e.g.. Roughness of a surface and its relation to velocity)
– quasi-dimensional
one in which all variables vary primarily along one direction
• Fluid dynamic models (energy conservation & equation of motion)
• Ideal models
– ideal gas standard cycle
– fuel-air cycle
 Closed or open system?
• Engine is not a closed
system, working fluid
does not execute a
thermodynamic cycle

• Cycles analyzed here are not thermodynamic cycles, they

are sequences of processes: intake, compression,
combustion, expansion, and exhaust
 Real engine cycle

Combustion
expansion

compression
<- exhaust
-> intake

Pressure-volume diagram of SI engine.

rc = 8.4, 3500 rpm, pi = 0.4 atm, pe = 1 atm, imep = 2.9 atm
 Assumptions
1. Gas mixture (charge or exhaust gases) has air properties.
2. Closed cycle instead of open. Exhaust gases are same as air so
air out is basically air into the system.
3. Combustion process – Qin = energy value of fuel.
4. Exhaust – enthalpy out – Qout
5. Po = intake and exhaust pressure ~ 1 atm
(Supercharger will have a greater value than 1 atm)
6. Compression and Expansion strokes are isentropic (reversible and
adiabatic) – friction between piston & and cylinder + fluid friction
neglected.
7. The combustion process is idealized by a constant-volume
process (SI cycle), a constant-pressure process (CI cycle), or a
combination of both (CI Dual cycle).
 Ideal models of engine processes
Process Assumptions
Compression (1-2) 1. Adiabatic and reversible (isentropic)
Combustion (2-3) 1. Adiabatic
2. Combustion occurs at
(a) Constant volume SI Engines
(b) Constant pressure CI Engines
(c) Part at constant volume and part at constant
pressure (limited pressure)
3. Combustion is complete
Expansion (3-4) 1. Adiabatic and reversible (isentropic)
Exhaust (4-5-6) 1. Adiabatic
Intake (6-7-1) 2. Valve events occur at top- and bottom center
3. No change in cylinder volume as pressure differences
across open valves drop to zero
4. Inlet and exhaust pressures constant
5. Velocity effects negligible
 Ideal cycles

(a) constant-volume combustion

(b) constant-pressure combustion back

(c) limited pressure combustion

Ideal cycles (throttled and supercharged)

Controlling an engine's power by

regulating the amount of fuel or
air entering the engine increases the pressure
or density of air
supplied to an internal
combustion engine

(d) Throttled constant-volume cycle, pi<pe

(e) Supercharged constant-volume cycle, pi>pe
 Thermodynamic relations for engine processes
Wc ,i
Indicated fuel conversion efficiency  f ,i 
m f QLHV

Wc ,i m f QLHV f ,i
Indicated mean effective pressure imep  
Vd Vd

Indicated work per cycle Wc ,i  WC  WE

 Ideal gas standard cycles

• Ideal engine processes (with all assumptions

taken above)

• Working fluid is an ideal gas

• Cv and Cp are constant (independent of

temperature)
 OTTO CYCLE
• This is the cycle of most automobile engines and
other four-stroke SI engines
• This ideal air-standard cycle is called an Otto
cycle, named after one of the early
developers of this type of engine
• The intake stroke of the Otto cycle starts with
the piston at TDC and is a
constant-pressure process at an inlet pressure
of one atmosphere (process 6-1). The
temperature at point 1 will generally be on the
order of 25° to 35°C hotter than the
surrounding air temperature.
• The second stroke of the cycle is the
compression stroke, which is an isentropic
compression from BDC to TDC (pros 1-2).
Pressure and temperature during the
compression stroke within the cylinder is Four stroke SI engine Otto cycle
increased substantially due to compressive
heating.
• The compression stroke is followed by a constant-volume heat input process 2-3 at TDC.
This replaces the combustion process of the real engine cycle, which occurs at close
to constant-volume conditions. In a real engine combustion is started slightly
bTDC, reaches its maximum speed near TDC.
• High pressure and enthalpy values within the system at TDC generate the power
stroke (or expansion stroke) which follows combustion (process 3-4). High pressure
on the piston face forces the piston back towards BDC and produces the work and
power output of the engine. The power stroke of the real engine cycle is
approximated with an isentropic process in the Otto cycle
• During the power stroke, values of both the temperature and pressure within the
cylinder decrease as volume increases from TDC to BDC
• Near the end of the power stroke of a real engine cycle, the exhaust valve is
opened and the cylinder experiences exhaust blowdown. A large amount of exhaust
gas is expelled from the cylinder, reducing the pressure to that of the exhaust
manifold.
• The Otto cycle replaces the exhaust blowdown open-system process of the real
cycle with a constant-volume pressure reduction, closed-system process 4-5.
Enthalpy loss during this process is replaced with heat rejection in the
engine analysis
• The last stroke of the four-stroke cycle now occurs as the piston travels from
BDC to TDC. Process 5-6 is the exhaust stroke that occurs at a constant pressure of
one atmosphere due to the open exhaust valve.
Thermodynamics Analysis of Air Standard Otto
Cycle
Eqns. Ideal
Gas
Use air property values during all
engine analysis
 Comparison to Real AIR-FUEL Engine Cycles
• Real engines operate on an open cycle with changing composition.
Not only does the inlet gas composition differ from what exits, but
often the mass flow rate is not the same. Loss of mass during the
cycle due to crevice flow and blowby past the pistons.
• Some error would be introduced by assuming it to be an ideal gas
with constant specific heats in air-standard analysis.
• At the higher pressures during combustion, air will deviate from
ideal gas behavior.
• Specific heats of a gas have a strong dependency on temperature.
• There are heat losses during the cycle of a real engine which are
neglected in air-standard analysis.
• Combustion requires a short but finite time to occur, and heat
addition is not instantaneous at TDC, as approximated in an Otto
cycle.
 Comparison to Real AIR-FUEL Engine Cycles
(Continued)
• The blowdown process requires a finite real time and a finite cycle
time and does not occur at constant volume as in air-standard
analysis.
• Engine valves require a finite time to actuate. Ideally, valves would
open and close instantaneously, but this is not possible when using
a camshaft.
Problem
 Diesel Cycle
• Early CI engines injected fuel into the combustion chamber very late in the
compression stroke.
• Due to ignition delay Combustion lasted into the expansion stroke.
• The combustion process is approximated as a constant-pressure heat input
in an air-standard cycle.
• Rest of the cycle is like Otto cycle
• It is also constant pressure cycle.

Indicator diagram of CI engine an early four-stroke cycle

Thermodynamics Analysis of Air Standard Diesel Cycle
Cutoff ratio: The change in volume that occurs during combustion
 Dual Cycle
• Process 1-2: Isentropic compression
• Process 2-3: Addition of heat at constant volume (Spark Plug)
• Process 3-4: Addition of heat at constant pressure (Compression Ignition)
• Process 4-5: Isentropic expansion.
• Process 5-1: Rejection of heat at constant volume.
 Thermodynamic Analysis of Air-Standard Dual Cycle
The analysis of an air-standard Dual cycle is the same as that of the Diesel cycle except for
the heat input process (combustion) 2-x-3
 Fuel Air Cycle Analysis
• A more accurate representation of the properties of the working fluid inside the
engine cylinder is to treat the unburned mixture as frozen in composition and
the burned gas mixture as in equilibrium.

• When the working fluid models are combined with the ideal engine
process, the resulting cycles are called fuel-air cycles.

• 1-2 Reversible adiabatic compression of a mixture of air, fuel vapor, and residual
gas without change in chemical composition.

• 2-3 Complete combustion (at constant volume or limited pressure or constant

pressure), without heat loss, to burned gases in chemical equilibrium.
• 3-4 Reversible adiabatic expansion of the burned gases which remain in chemical
equilibrium

• 4-5-6 Ideal adiabatic exhaust blow down and displacement processes within the
burned gases fixed in chemical composition.

• 6-7-1 Ideal intake process with adiabatic mixing between residual gas* and fresh
mixture, both of which are fixed in chemical composition

*The hot burned gas trapped in the clearance volume at the end of the exhaust
stroke of the previous engine cycle is referred to as the residual gas

NOTE: Process equations will be the same as before.