Mixture Requirements

Engine induction and fuel system must

prepare a fuel-air mixture that satisfies
the requirements of the engine over its
entire operating regime.
Optimum air-fuel ratio for an SI engine is
that which gives
1. required power output
2. with lowest fuel consumption
3. consistent with smooth and reliable
operation

Mixture Requirements
(Continued)
The constraints of emissions may
dictate a different air-fuel ratio and
also require recycling some exhaust gas.
(EGR)
Relative proportions of fuel and air that
give the above requirements depend on
engine speed and load.
Mixture strength is given in terms of airfuel or fuel-air ratio or equivalence ratio.

Mixture Requirements
(Continued)
Mixture requirements are different for full
load (wide-open throttle or WOT) and for
part-load operation.
At full load, complete utilization of inducted
air to obtain maximum power for a given
displaced volume is the critical issue.
At part-load at a given speed, efficient
utilization of fuel is the critical issue.
As seen in the next slide, at WOT, maximum
power for a given volumetric efficiency is
obtained at a mixture slightly richer than
stoichiometric, 1.1

Mixture Requirements
(Continued)
At part-load (or part-throttle) it is advantageous to
dilute the fuel-air mixture with excess air or with
recycled exhaust gas. This dilution improves fuel
conversion efficiency for three reasons:
1. The expansion stroke work is increased for a
given expansion ratio due to the change in
thermodynamic properties,
2. For a given mean effective pressure, the intake
pressure increases with increasing dilution, so
pumping work decreases,
3. Heat losses to the walls are reduced because the
burned gas temperatures are lower.
In the absence of strict NOx emission control, excess
air is the obvious diluent at part load and the
engine runs lean

Requirements with emission

control
For control of NO, HC and CO, operating the engine
with stoichiometric mixture is advantageous so
that a three-way catalyst can be used for
emission control. In such a case, for further
decrease in NO the diluent used is EGR.
Amount used will depend on the EGR tolerance of
the engine at a given speed and load based on
the details of the engine combustion process.
Increasing excess air or EGR will slow down the
combustion process and increase combustion
variability so as load decreases, less dilution must
be provided and at idle, no EGR may be used and
mixture will have to be made rich.

What is carburetion?
The process of formation of a combustible
fuel-air mixture by mixing the proper
amount of fuel with air before it is
admitted into the engine cylinder.
Comes from the words car and burette
because the carburetor meters the
appropriate quantity of liquid fuel (like a
burette) and mixed it with air before
sending the mixture into the engine
cylinder.

Factors affecting
Carburetion
1.

2.
3.

4.

Engine speed. In a 4-stroke engine running at

3000 rev/min, the intake will take about 10 ms
during which the fuel has to evaporate, mix with
air and be inducted into the engine.
Vaporization characteristics of the fuel. Will
require a volatile fuel for quick evaporation and
mixing with air.
The temperature of the in coming air. Must be
high enough to be able to evaporate the fuel
and yet not too high as to reduce mass of fresh
charge.
Design of the carburetor. This will help in proper
introduction of fuel into the air stream and
provide proper distribution of the mixture to the
various cylinders.