Diesel Engine: Combustion, Emissions & Condition Monitoring

Diesel engines, also known as CI engines, possess a wide field of applications as energy converters because of their higher efficiency. However, diesel engines are a major source of NOX and particulate matter (PM) emissions. Like a gasoline engine, a diesel engine is a type of internal combustion engine. Combustion is another word for burning, and internal means inside, so an internal combustion engine is simply one where the fuel is burned inside the main part of the engine (the cylinders) where power is produced. Thats very different from an external combustion engine such as those used by old-fashioned steam locomotives. The diesel engine has the highest thermal efficiency (engine efficiency) of any practical internal or external combustion engine due to its very high expansion ratio and inherent lean burn which enables heat dissipation by the excess air. A small efficiency loss is also avoided compared to two-stroke non-direct-injection gasoline engines since unburnt fuel is not present at valve overlap and therefore no fuel goes directly from the intake/injection to the exhaust. Low-speed diesel engines (as used in ships and other applications where overall engine weight is relatively unimportant) can have a thermal efficiency that exceeds 50%. We are currently experiencing an oil crisis world-wide. Gaseous fuels like natural gas, pure hydrogen gas, biomass-based and coke-based syngas can be considered as alternative fuels for diesel engines. Diesel Engine - Combustion, Emissions and Condition Monitoring describes combustion and exhaust emissions features. Reliable early detection of malfunction and failure of any parts in diesel engines can save the engine from failing completely and protect high repair cost. Tools are discussed in this book to discover common failure approaches of diesel engine that can identify early signs of failure.