Fuel System Principles St. Cloud Technology Education Course: General Automotive Service
Common Themes Convert Chemical Energy to Kinetic Energy Increase Power Increase Efficiency Operate Cleanly
Internal Combustion Engines It’s all in the: Fuel Compression Air/Fuel Mixture Crankshaft Timing Keep it clean (air & fuel) Sensors
Fuel Hydrocarbons! Built from combinations of Hydrogen and Carbon Energy produced from combustion - the breaking of the bonds between Hydrogen and Carbon atoms. Organic - Extracted or mined Engineered to specifications – Chemical Engineering “A Lot of Bang for Your Buck”
Compression More compression = higher efficiency and more power Compression Ratio: largest volume of the combustion chamber divided by the minimum volume of the combustion chamber. Gasoline Engines: 10:1 Increases temperature Ignites with spark Diesel Engines: higher ratios much higher compression Auto-Ignites without spark
Stoichiometric Air-Fuel Ratio Stoichiometric Air-Fuel Ratio: the ratio of air to fuel at which exactly all the available oxygen and fuel is used completely. Gasoline: 14.7/1 All fuels have a target Stoichiometric ratio Lean Mixture: too much air/too little fuel, runs hot! Rich Mixture: too much fuel/too little air, runs cold!
Air-Fuel Ratio Power Efficiency Emissions from Exhaust Stream Wear & Tear
Air-Fuel Ratio Extreme Consequences Too Lean. Too Rich
Timing Taking Advantage of the Crankshaft’s Momentum Timing of spark can increase efficiency and power Combustion of compressed mixture begins to expand in perfect step as the piston moves downward….
Timing the Spark
Fuel & Air Filters Dirt and Debris KEEP OUT!!! Prevent clogging of fuel injectors Related to air/fuel ratio.
Sensors EFI: Electronic Fuel Injection Multiple sensors gather readings or inputs Computer processes the inputs Computer makes adjustments amount of fuel injected timing of when fuel is sprayed into the combustion chamber Inputs are collected about 100 times/second
Part II: Components & Maintenance In the next lesson, students will identify parts, location of parts, and review basic maintenance items.