What is an engine?
An engine can be defined as a machine that converts energy into useful work by means of combustion, conversion of electrical energy into mechanical energy or by other means. Another more complete definition would be that an engine is a machine designed to convert thermal energy into mechanical energy. That is, an engine is a machine that takes one form of energy, such as fossil fuel combustion, and converts it into mechanical energy that can be used to run another machine, such as a vehicle or industrial machine.
Who created the combustion engine?
The creator of the combustion engine was Nikolaus Otto in 1876 until today's electric motors, technology has advanced considerably, making engines more efficient, more powerful and more environmentally friendly.
How can motors be divided?
We can divide them by their general operation and their way of transforming energy. In these are divided into combustion engine (internal, external and internal alternative) and electric motor.
The internal combustion engine works as follows: these engines work by the combustion of fuel inside a combustion chamber. The most common internal combustion engines are gasoline and diesel engines used in cars, trucks and machinery. These engines are very popular because of their high power output and ability to run for long periods of time. In addition, there are many more types of engines depending on their characteristics.
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Electric motors: they work through the interaction of magnetic fields to generate motion. They are very efficient and do not emit gases or polluting particles.
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External combustion engines: these engines operate by combustion of fuel outside the machine. Steam engines are an example of an external combustion engine. Although these engines are not as common today, they have been very important in the history of technology.
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Alternative internal combustion engines: They use alternative fuels such as natural gas, ethanol or hydrogen. Examples of these engines include liquefied petroleum gas engines and hydrogen fuel cell engines.
Types of engines
Focusing on the combustion engine, the options are equally varied, as we can find different alternatives in relation to the arrangement and number of cylinders or fuel used to generate power and movement. This will vary depending on what you want to achieve. From the economic way to the purely performance, through different formulas more or less compensated.
Gasoline: These engines require a spark -generated by the spark plug- to ignite the fuel, so they are called explosion engines. They can be two-stroke or four-stroke, the latter being the most common option in vehicles, although the former is still a common alternative in mopeds and industrial machines.
These designations refer to the number of phases in the operating process. In the case of four-stroke engines, we have intake, compression, expansion and exhaust, with the crankshaft having to complete two revolutions. In the case of two-stroke engines, intake and compression take place in the same upward movement of the piston, and the expansion and exhaust cycle takes place in the downward movement.
Diesel: This type of engine uses diesel fuel, which cannot be ignited by spark ignition and therefore uses pressure to ignite the fuel-air mixture. Because of this, the compression ratio (the number that determines the compression ratio of the mixture inside the cylinder) is much higher in these engines.
Diesel engines are generally more efficient than gasoline, although as a trade-off they require more efficient emission reduction systems. They expel more nitrogen oxides (NOX) and generate more carbon (soot resulting from inefficient fuel combustion). In the case of diesel engines, in addition to the absence of spark at ignition, the fuel is injected at the end of the compression stage.
Gas: It is increasingly common to see cars with gasoline engines and CNG (compressed natural gas) or LPG (liquefied petroleum gas). They generate fewer nitrogen oxides.
V-engines: This arrangement is used for larger displacement engines and has two banks of cylinders (6,8,10,12, etc., although they can also be found in an odd arrangement) located in a V-shape with a variable inclination depending on each manufacturer, although 90o is usually the most common. This choice determines, among other things, the center of gravity of the engine block. Both the traditional V-arrangement and its variants VR (very tight angle with a single cylinder head) and W (two V-engines joined together) are usually more compact, balanced and refined than in-line engines.
Boxer engines: This type of engine is rare, being almost exclusive to Porsche and Subaru. The pistons are placed horizontally and are arranged in two banks on both sides of a single crankshaft, reminiscent of the movement of a boxer.
With or without turbo: Both gasoline and diesel engines - as well as those arranged in line, in V or boxer - can be atmospheric or turbocharged. The former aspirate the air at ambient pressure, while the latter use a turbocharger to do so in a forced manner, which increases power, as well as low and mid-range response. This is because the greater presence of oxygen allows more fuel to be burned in the combustion chamber of the same or smaller size than in an atmospheric engine. The usual boost pressure in turbo engines is between 0.7 and 0.9 bar higher than atmospheric pressure. In any case, the higher the performance of the vehicle, the higher the blowing pressure of the engine.
The history of the engine
In 1765, the first steam engine was created and patented by the English inventor James Watt. This machine was built for the purpose of generating power and with this the foundations of engines were laid.
In 1807, French inventor Nicéphore Niépce patented the first internal combustion engine. This engine used illuminating gas to generate power, which made it more efficient than steam engines. However, its design was very rudimentary, so it did not become popular until years later.
In 1860, German engineer Nikolaus Otto invented the first gasoline engine. This engine was more efficient than previous internal combustion engines because it used a mixture of air and gasoline to generate power. This engine quickly became popular and became the basis for modern internal combustion engines.
In 1876, German engineer Nikolaus Otto invented the four-stroke engine, which became the basis for modern internal combustion engines. This engine used four different motions to generate power, which made it more efficient and powerful than previous engines.
In 1892, German inventor Rudolf Diesel patented the first diesel engine. This engine used heavy oil instead of gasoline to generate power, which made it more efficient and economical than gasoline engines. This engine became the basis for modern diesel engines.
In 1908, Henry Ford launched the first mass-produced automobile, the Ford T. This car used a four-cylinder gasoline engine and became the first affordable automobile for the middle class.
In the 1920s, the first aircraft engines were developed. These engines were more powerful and efficient than previous engines, which enabled the development of commercial aviation.
In 1932, the first V8 engine was launched, which became the most popular engine for sports cars. This engine used two banks of four cylinders each, which made it more powerful and efficient than previous engines.
In the 1960s, the first Wankel engines were developed. These engines used a triangular rotor instead of pistons to generate power, which made them more powerful and efficient than traditional internal combustion engines.
In the 1970s, more efficient internal combustion engines were developed, using fuel injection technology and electronic ignition systems to improve efficiency and reduce emissions.
In the 1990s, the first hybrid engines were developed, combining an internal combustion engine with an electric motor to improve efficiency and reduce emissions.
In the 2000s, the first electric cars were launched, which use electric motors instead of internal combustion engines.
In conclusion, engines are an important part of our life since with these we are able to obtain a new form of displacement and it was an impressive technological advance from the 1760's to the present day giving new ideas to optimize and improve this mechanism. From the personal side this mechanism is absolutely incredible and was delightful to investigate. Thanks to this invention society was able to change and renew its way of moving around.