Pressure, Volume, and Work Done in an Internal Combustion Engine

by Erik Davila

Submitted : Spring 2014

The project itself was presented by advisor Scott Campbell. It consisted of a series of data with subsequent questions that needed to be answered. This data consisted of a hypothetical model in which an electromagnetic pick-up had been used to record rates of change of pressure (dp/dϴ) in a compression-ignition internal combustion engine. A compression-ignition engine is a basic 4-stroke engine which is commonly used in automobiles. A table was given which had the dp/dϴ value for each value of crankshaft angle between -120 and 120 degrees. Using this information a pressure vs. crankshaft angle graph was drawn. In addition the work done by the piston was evaluated using the given formula. Finally, using all this information, a conclusion was reached which stated that the number of cycles the crankshaft turned in one revolution in addition to the number of cylinders the engine had was the additional information required to estimate the horsepower of the system.

[ Back ]