Power Generated by a Compression-Ignition Engine

by Michael Bornick

Submitted : Spring 2010

The internal-combustion engine is used worldwide in a vast array of applications. It is the powerhouse for many vehicles and ships. It can generate energy for homes; can drive heavy machinery, etc. Each internal-combustion engine is designed to perform a specific task; which is to generate a certain amount, or range, of power. This experiment investigates a method of measuring the power generated by an internal-combustion (or compression-ignition) engine. Volume and pressure measurements from a combustion chamber in a cylinder are recorded. These measurements are applied thermodynamically to calculate the net work of the cylinder. Using the net work and the time elapsed, the power out-put of the engine can be calculated.

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