Unlike gasoline engines that are spark-ignited, diesel engines are compression-ignited. These engines spray highly pressurized diesel into compressed air causing ignition that eventually leads to power stroke. In earlier days, these engines were much noisier, inefficient, and produced much emissions.
However, diesel engines were greatly improved in the 1980s and now they are more efficient than ever. In this regard, let's explore how a diesel engine works.
Working Mechanism Explained
Petrol and diesel engines share many similarities in terms of components with slight differences such as the presence of the spark plug in the former. This makes all the difference in regard to how the fuel is ignited. While in petrol engines air-fuel mixture is ignited by a spark, in diesel engines it's ignited by compression.
The Compression ratio of diesel as compared to petrol in ICE engines is 20:1 and 9:1 respectively. The high compression ratio in diesel engines helps to generate the much-needed heat for self-ignition.
When we look at the working mechanism, the diesel engine draws the same amount of air during each intake cycle. The intake valve opens and the piston is forced to the bottom dead center during the intake phase. By the force provided by other pistons and flywheel, the air is compressed and diesel is sprayed into the preheated air leading to ignition. The forces produced by the spontaneous combustion push the piston to the bottom dead center leading to the power stroke. The outlet valve opens and the piston moves to the top dead center forcing exhaust gas outside.
This is the general working of a diesel engine. If you've got any questions about diesel engines or you've got problems with your engine, feel free to come down to Nixon Automotive and our high-qualified technicians will be more than ready to listen and help.
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