Induction
Modern SI engines mix air and fuel in the intake manifold by way of one or more low-pressure (50-psi or so) injectors. A throttle valve regulates the amount of air admitted, which is only slightly in excess of the air needed for combustion. As the throttle opens, the injectors remain open longer to increase fuel delivery. For a gaso- line engine, the optimum mixture is roughly 15 parts air to 1 part fuel. The air-fuel mixture then passes into the cylinder for compression and ignition.
In a CI engine, air undergoes compression before fuel is admitted. Injectors open late during the compression stroke as the piston approaches tdc. Compressing air, rather than a mix of air and fuel, improves the thermal efficiency of diesel engines. To understand why would require a course in thermodynamics; suffice to say that air contains more latent heat than does a mixture of air and vaporized fuel.
Forcing fuel into a column of highly compressed air requires high injection pressures. These pressures range from about 6000 psi for utility engines to as much as 30,000 psi for state-of-the-art examples.
CI engines dispense with the throttle plate—the same amount of air enters the cylinders at all engine speeds. Typically, idle-speed air consumption averages about 100 lb of air per pound of fuel; at high speed or under heavy load, the additional fuel supplied drops the ratio to about 20:1.
Without a throttle plate, diesels breathe easily at low speeds, which explains why truck drivers can idle their rigs for long periods without consuming appreciable fuel. (An SI engine requires a fuel-rich mixture at idle to generate power to over- come the throttle restriction.)
Since diesel air flow remains constant, the power output depends upon the amount of fuel delivered. As power requirements increase, the injectors deliver more fuel than can be burned with available oxygen. The exhaust turns black with par- tially oxidized fuel. How much smoke can be tolerated depends upon the regulatory climate, but the smoke limit always puts a ceiling on power output.
To get around this restriction, many diesels incorporate an air pump in the form of an exhaust-driven turbocharger or a mechanical supercharger. Forced induction can double power outputs without violating the smoke limit. And, as far as tu bochargers are concerned, the supercharge effect is free. That is, the energy that drives the turbo would otherwise be wasted out the exhaust pipe as heat and exhaust-gas velocity.
The absence of an air restriction and an ignition system that operates as a function of engine architecture can wrest control of the engine from the operator. All that’s needed is for significant amounts of crankcase oil to find its way into the combustion chambers. Oil might be drawn into the chambers past worn piston rings or from a failed turbocharger seal. Some industrial engines have an air trip on the intake manifold for this contingency, but many do not. A runaway engine generally accelerates itself to perdition because few operators have the presence of mind to engage the air trip or stuff a rag into the intake.