"An internal combustion engine (ICE or IC engine) is a heat engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer (usually air) in a combustion chamber that is an integral part of the working fluid flow circuit."
The process of creating and developing the internal combustion engines that power vehicles.
Engine types: Understanding the various types of engines, such as petrol, diesel, hybrid, electric, and hydrogen-powered, and their differences in terms of combustion process, fuel efficiency, and emissions.
Engine components: Understanding the basic components of an engine including the crankshaft, piston, cylinder block, cylinder head, valves, fuel injection system, and exhaust system, and their roles in the combustion process.
Combustion process: Understanding the processes involved in the combustion of fuel and air in the engine, including compression, ignition, combustion, and exhaust.
Engine power calculation: Understanding how to calculate and measure engine power such as horsepower, torque, and specific power.
Engine performance characteristics: Understanding the performance characteristics of an engine, including power curve, torque curve, BSFC, volumetric efficiency, and thermal efficiency.
Engine emissions: Understanding the issues surrounding engine emissions and the various regulations and technologies employed to reduce harmful emissions.
Engine cooling: Understanding the various cooling systems of an engine, including air-cooled, liquid-cooled, and oil-cooled systems.
Lubrication system: Understanding the lubrication system of an engine including the different types of oil pumps, filters, and the role of engine oil and additives.
Engine testing and performance evaluation: Understanding the various tests and evaluation methods for engine performance, such as dynamometer testing, road testing, and simulation modeling.
Engine reliability and durability: Understanding the factors that affect the reliability and durability of an engine, such as materials, manufacturing processes, and maintenance practices.
Inline: This type of engine has its cylinders arranged in a row, with one common head. It is a common engine design for small and compact cars.
V: This type of engine has its cylinders arranged in two banks, angled to each other in a V-shape, with a single head on each bank. It is often used in high-performance cars.
Flat: This type of engine has its cylinders arranged in two or four banks, opposite to each other, with both ends sharing a common head. It is commonly used in Porsche sports cars and airplanes.
Radial: This type of engine has its cylinders arranged in a circular pattern around a central crankshaft, with a common head for all cylinders. It is popularly used in airplanes and helicopters.
Wankel: This type of engine has a rotary design, with triangular-shaped rotors that rotate around the crankshaft rather than having pistons moving up and down. It was used in Mazda's RX-7 and RX-8 cars.
Boxer: This type of engine has its cylinders arranged horizontally and opposite to each other, with a common head on each side. It is commonly used in Subaru cars.
Diesel: This type of engine is similar to the gasoline engine but uses diesel fuel instead. It has a high compression ratio and is more fuel-efficient than gasoline engines.
Hybrid: This type of engine uses both gasoline and electric power to drive the vehicle, combining the advantages of both technologies.
Electric: This type of engine uses electricity to drive the vehicle and is commonly used in electric cars.
Hydrogen Fuel Cell: This type of engine uses the chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity to power the vehicle.
"The force is typically applied to pistons (piston engine), turbine blades (gas turbine), a rotor (Wankel engine), or a nozzle (jet engine)."
"The first commercially successful internal combustion engine was created by Étienne Lenoir around 1860."
"The first modern internal combustion engine, known as the Otto engine, was created in 1876 by Nicolaus Otto."
"The term internal combustion engine usually refers to an engine in which combustion is intermittent, such as the more familiar two-stroke and four-stroke piston engines, along with variants, such as the six-stroke piston engine and the Wankel rotary engine."
"A second class of internal combustion engines use continuous combustion: gas turbines, jet engines and most rocket engines, each of which are internal combustion engines on the same principle as previously described."
"In contrast, in external combustion engines, such as steam or Stirling engines, energy is delivered to a working fluid not consisting of, mixed with, or contaminated by combustion products."
"ICEs are typically powered by hydrocarbon-based fuels like natural gas, gasoline, diesel fuel, or ethanol."
"As early as 1900 the inventor of the diesel engine, Rudolf Diesel, was using peanut oil to run his engines."
"Renewable fuels like biodiesel are used in compression ignition (CI) engines."
"Bioethanol or ETBE (ethyl tert-butyl ether) produced from bioethanol in spark ignition (SI) engines."
"While there are many stationary applications, most ICEs are used in mobile applications and are the primary power supply for vehicles such as cars, aircraft, and boats."
"Hydrogen, which is rarely used, can be obtained from either fossil fuels or renewable energy."
"Firearms are also a form of internal combustion engine, though of a type so specialized that they are commonly treated as a separate category, along with weaponry such as mortars and anti-aircraft cannons."
"Working fluids for external combustion engines include air, hot water, pressurized water or even boiler-heated liquid sodium."
"Renewable fuels are commonly blended with fossil fuels."
"ICEs are the primary power supply for vehicles such as cars, aircraft, and boats."
"ICEs are typically powered by hydrocarbon-based fuels like natural gas, gasoline, diesel fuel, or ethanol."
"Most ICEs are used in mobile applications and are the primary power supply for vehicles such as cars, aircraft, and boats."
"The combustion chamber is an integral part of the working fluid flow circuit."