How a Diesel Engine Works

The general diesel engine operating principles  shown apply to diesel cars and pickup trucks   as well as heavier duty diesel trucks, which are  used in this video for illustrative purposes only. In diesel engines the operating cycle starts  with clean air being drawn into the cylinder,   not a fuel air mixture as in a  conventional gasoline engine. The motion of the piston compresses the  air, heating it to a high temperature.   When the piston nears the top of  the cylinder, fuel is injected   under high pressure through a number of precisely  machined holes in the tip of the fuel injector. The fuel enters the engine  in the form of a fine spray,   and the surface of each droplet quickly begins  to vaporize on its path through the hot air. Spontaneous ignition takes place without the need  for a spark, and rapid expansion of the combusting   mixture increases the pressure in the cylinder,  forcing the piston down and powering the vehicle. When the piston is close to its lowest position  the exhaust valve starts to open, and the exhaust   stroke then drives the spent gases out of the  combustion chamber and the cycle starts again. In conventional gasoline engines a mixture of fuel  and air is drawn into the cylinder, compressed by   the motion of the piston, and ignited by a spark  as the piston nears the top of the cylinder. The resulting combustion generates pressure which  forces the piston down to power the vehicle.

Channel: Shell

Views: 2,128,626

Keywords: compression ignition, spark ignition, diesel operating cycle, diesel combustion, diesel compression, four stroke cycle, intake, compression, power, exhaust, diesel, diesel engine, how it works, how an engine works, how a diesel engine works, diesel v gasoline, diesel v petrol

Id: qeGQgPQsJJI

Length: 1min 57sec (117 seconds)

Published: Tue Oct 21 2014