Internal Fire is the captivating history of the internal combustion engine and the creative individuals who brought it to life. From gunpowder to diesel, the development of these early powerhouses has been recorded from all sides. The influences of new technologies, patents, and obtainable fuels, as well as a growing understanding of the very nature of heat itself are all explored. Internal Fire is not intended as a textbook, but as the well-researched and readable chronicle of a mechanical servant that has greatly influenced life in the 20th century and beyond. You will find in this comprehensive book: ■ Gunpowder and Steam ■ Air Engines ■ Thermodynamics: Carnot Charts a Course ■ Patents: Origin and Influence ■ Internal-Combustion Engines: 1791-1813 ■ Searching and Perfecting: 1820-1860 ■ The Genesis of an Industry ■ Otto and Langen ■ Otto's Four-Stroke Cycle ■ Brayton and His Ready Motor ■ The Two-Stroke Cycle ■ Gas and Gasoline Engines to 1900 ■ Oil Engines: An Interim Solution ■ Rudolf Diesel: The End of the Beginning

Computational Optimization of Internal Combustion Engines presents the state of the art of computational models and optimization methods for internal combustion engine development using multi-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tools and genetic algorithms. Strategies to reduce computational cost and mesh dependency are discussed, as well as regression analysis methods. Several case studies are presented in a section devoted to applications, including assessments of: spark-ignition engines, dual-fuel engines, heavy duty and light duty diesel engines. Through regression analysis, optimization results are used to explain complex interactions between engine design parameters, such as nozzle design, injection timing, swirl, exhaust gas recirculation, bore size, and piston bowl shape. Computational Optimization of Internal Combustion Engines demonstrates that the current multi-dimensional CFD tools are mature enough for practical development of internal combustion engines. It is written for researchers and designers in mechanical engineering and the automotive industry.

This monograph covers different aspects of internal combustion engines including engine performance and emissions and presents various solutions to resolve these issues. The contents provide examples of utilization of methanol as a fuel for CI engines in different modes of transportation, such as railroad, personal vehicles or heavy duty road transportation. The volume provides information about the current methanol utilization and its potential, its effect on the engine in terms of efficiency, combustion, performance, pollutants formation and prediction. The contents are also based on review of technologies present, the status of different combustion and emission control technologies and their suitability for different types of IC engines. Few novel technologies for spark ignition (SI) engines have been also included in this book, which makes this book a complete solution for both kind of engines. This book will be useful for engine researchers, energy experts and students involved in fuels, IC engines, engine instrumentation and environmental research.

This book discusses all aspects of advanced engine technologies, and describes the role of alternative fuels and solution-based modeling studies in meeting the increasingly higher standards of the automotive industry. By promoting research into more efficient and environment-friendly combustion technologies, it helps enable researchers to develop higher-power engines with lower fuel consumption, emissions, and noise levels. Over the course of 12 chapters, it covers research in areas such as homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) combustion and control strategies, the use of alternative fuels and additives in combination with new combustion technology and novel approaches to recover the pumping loss in the spark ignition engine. The book will serve as a valuable resource for academic researchers and professional automotive engineers alike.

This book offers a comprehensive and timely overview of internal combustion engines for use in marine environments. It reviews the development of modern four-stroke marine engines, gas and gas–diesel engines and low-speed two-stroke crosshead engines, describing their application areas and providing readers with a useful snapshot of their technical features, e.g. their dimensions, weights, cylinder arrangements, cylinder capabilities, rotation speeds, and exhaust gas temperatures. For each marine engine, information is provided on the manufacturer, historical background, development and technical characteristics of the manufacturer’s most popular models, and detailed drawings of the engine, depicting its main design features. This book offers a unique, self-contained reference guide for engineers and professionals involved in shipbuilding. At the same time, it is intended to support students at maritime academies and university students in naval architecture/marine engineering with their design projects at both master and graduate levels, thus filling an important gap in the literature.

One hundred years ago electric cars were the most popular automobiles in the world. In the late nineteenth century and at the start of the twentieth century, they outsold every other type of car. And yet, within a couple of decades of the start of the twentieth century, the electric car had vanished. Thousands of battery-powered cars disappeared from the streets, replaced by the internal combustion engine, and their place in the history of the automobile was quietly erased. A century later, electric cars are making a comeback. Fears over pollution and global warming have forced manufacturers to reconsider the electric concept. A History of Electric Cars presents for the first time the full story of electric cars and their hybrid cousins. It examines how and why electric cars failed the first time - and why today's car manufacterers must learn the lessons of the past if they are to avoid repeating previous mistakes all over again. The book examines in detail: Early vehicles such as the Lohner-Porsche petrol-electric hybrid of 1901; Key figures in the history of the electric car development such as Henry Ford; Sir Clive Sinclair's plans to build a number of electric vehicles, designed to sit alongside the Sinclair C5; The return of the electric technology to vehicles as diverse as the NASA Lunar Rover, commuting vehicles and supercars; Future developments in electric cars. For the first time the full story of electric cars and their hybrids are examined.The hidden past of the electric automobile is uncovered and its future developments are discussed. Superbly illustrated with 300 colour photographs, many of which are rare and original sketch designs. Nigel Burton has written and lectured on cars and automotive history for more than twenty years.