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

“ ... This might be called a "sketch book of engines." Pictures have been substituted for words wherever possible, and the technical language has been held to a minimum. Most people today have at least a nodding acquaintance with the internal combustion engine. To the great majority it is what makes an automobile go. But to others it may be the motive power for a tractor or truck, a cruiser or a tug-boat, a fighter plane or a transport. It may furnish power and light to an isolated farm, to a saw-mill in the woods, or to an entire city. For today the internal combustion engine has invaded all fields, from the bottom of the ocean to the limits of the heavens. We will demonstrate that they all are based on three things AIR, FUEL and IGNITION. We need those three things to make any internal combustion engine run. We have rather arbitrarily classified them in three groups: automobile, aircraft, and Diesel...” (1955 - Public Relations Staff GENERAL MOTORS)

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.

The internal combustion engine was invented around 1790 by various scientists and engineers worldwide. Since then the engines have gone through many modifications and improvements. Today, different applications of engines form a significant technological importance in our everyday lives, leading to the evolution of our modern civilization. The invention of diesel and gasoline engines has definitely changed our lifestyles as well as shaped our priorities. The current engines serve innumerable applications in various types of transportation, in harsh environments, in construction, in diverse industries, and also as back-up power supply systems for hospitals, security departments, and other institutions. However, heavy duty or light duty engines have certain major disadvantages, which are well known to everyone. With the increasing usage of diesel and gasoline engines, and the constantly rising number of vehicles worldwide, the main concern nowadays is engine exhaust emissions. This book looks at basic phenomena related to diesel and gasoline engines, combustion, alternative fuels, exhaust emissions, and mitigations.

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.