Cars Engines: Comparing the Modern Car Engine with the Past Car Engine - Essay Example

Car Engines Name Unit Class Introduction Over the last decade, there have been considerable interest Car engines. Though car engines vary in design, certain elements are common to all engines and are used for engine classification. Engines can be classified in several ways such as the number of cylinders, the geometry of the block, or type of ignition system used. The two major engine types in use are spark ignition (gasoline engine) and compression ignition (diesel engine) which use different types of fuel. A petrol engine consists of more than 150 moving parts. It consists of piston engine where multiple pistons move up and down in the cylinders. The diesel engine was the earliest to be invented and have undergone a lot of improvements. The modern car engine has evolved and is very different from past car engine. This has been through continuous improvement by the automotive engineers. This essay will compare the modern car engine with the past car engine. Thesis; the modern cars are more productive, it produce less carbon dioxide and have good designs, burn less fuel. Outline; Definition of the car’s engine. The inventors of the car’s engines Engines in the past. Production of the engines. Advances in Waste Heat Recovery Systems for Gas Engines. History of cars Engine A car engine converts fuel into energy which is used for motion. The process involves conversion of the chemical energy stored in the fuel into kinetic energy which leads to locomotion. The current vehicles have evolved for many years since the invention of wheel which are believed to be 5,500 years old (Erjavec, 2010). In the past, animals and human beings acted to provide locomotion. This is through use of carts. The invention of the first combustion engine started with Newcomen in 1710 that used the cylinder piston arrangement combined with a hinged beam. In 1700, horseless carriages using steam engines were common. In 1930, a new invention on electric engines began. The vehicles used rechargeable batteries but had limitations as they travelled short distances. Gasoline powered vehicles were able to surpass the electric vehicles in the 1900s. Petrol engine was developed by Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler who were German engineers in 1885 (Genta et al. 2014). This invention was a great step in the automotive industry. The modern engines have been improved and are more efficient as compared to the past engines. There is more technology used in modern car engine with innovations such as waste heat recovery and more horsepower, making the modern engines more environmental friendly and powerful. Productive of the engines and Advances in Waste Heat Recovery Systems for Gas Engines It has been proved that typical gas turbines are less than 35% thermally efficient when on full power. This is further reduced when the engine is running at partial power. Though diesel engine has been observed to be more efficient, its thermal efficiency cannot go above 45%. Energy is wasted through the exhaust system of the automobile (Bureau of Energy Efficiency, 2009). The only way in which the lost energy can be recovered is through a waste heat recovery system. Through alternative heating and cooling in the vehicle exhaust system, it is possible to reduce the vehicle fuel consumption. The process of waste heat recovery system has been aimed at enabling the vehicles to operate at low net fuel use. Using waste heat recovery technology, it has been proved that engines can increase their efficiencies by up to 60%. Though the technology have been widely utilised in the industrial power generation, it has high applicability to the automobile engines. New gasoline engines have been developed with high efficiency. Having highly efficient engine is vital for the current energy situation. This is achieved by continuous improvement of the car engines to ensure that they consume less fuel and are more efficient. Oil and its products are mostly used in the transport sector. At least 90% of the energy in most countries is used in the transport sector. Most of the countries import oil products, making it prudent to have vehicles that are more efficient in oil consumption (Bureau of Energy Efficiency, 2009). Energy security refers to the availability of sufficient energy supplies at prices which are affordable. Energy prices are rising making it prudent to have car engines with low fuel consumption. At the moment, car engine has improved in efficiency from the first car engines. Efforts in coming up with durable waste heat systems for application with automotive industry are being put up. Technology and safety The first engines had high fuel consumption and low performance 9Daniels, 2002). For example, the first Ford Model T which was released in 1908 had a 2.9 litres engine which gave an output of 22 horsepower. In 1885, Benz Motor wagon had an output of 2/3 of horse power and single cylinder engine (Genta et al. 2014). Car engines have undergone a great evolution. The evolution of the car engine has come from the injection engines to hybrid motors. The four stroke engine was the first and among the earliest improvement in the car engine. This improvement was carried in the early 1800s. The engine burns gasoline in four steps which are intake, compression, power and exhaust. Before the four stroke engine, two stroke engines were the main car engines. The four stroke engines have been under continuous improvement. One of the main improvements is forced induction. This was achieved through turbochargers and superchargers. These are air compressors that are used to put more air into the car engine. The improvement was added to the car engine in 1920s (Daniels, 2002). This helped the car engines as they could gain more power with a small engine. A 1.6 litre turbo charged car engine has a capability to produce over 200 horsepower (Oxlade, 2011). Another area that has been improved is the fuel injection. Carburettors have been the main method of mixing the fuel and air in car engine in the combustion chamber. This has been replaced by the fuel injection in car engines. Fuel injection system has been incorporated with computer controls which have led to a more efficient system. Though the system is expensive than the carburetor, it has become the industry standard. Direct injection has been an improvement on the fuel injection. Direct injection has enabled high efficiency due to improved fuel economy (Oppenheim, 2004). Old car engines used iron for the engine blocks. This was heavy and reduced efficiency on the car engine. Auto manufactures have made the car engine lighter through the use of aluminium. Light car engines enable use of less fuel and better handling. Other improvement on the modern car engine includes VTEC which refers to the Variable valve timing. VTEC refers to the engine with a capability to time the flow of the air in and out as needed by the engine (Genta et al. 2014). For example, Honda and Toyota use this innovation in their car engines. Engine control unit (ECU) have been innovated and incorporated in the modern vehicle (Daniels, 2002). This is an onboard computer that controls the car engine processes which includes ignition, fuel injection among others. The computer uses sensors and does a lot of calculations to make sure that all the parts in a vehicle are functioning. The first onboard diagnostic computers started being used in car engines in 1980s. The Modern car diesel engine is cleaner and fuel efficient as compared to the traditional diesel engine (Oppenheim, 2004). This is through the use of low sulphur diesel which eliminates particles and reduces pollution. Hybrid engine have been a great improvement towards a clean energy and reduced environmental pollution. One of the most successful hybrid cars is the Toyota Prius which uses a gasoline engine coupled with an electric motor (Erjavec, 2010). The recent car engine is made up with more computer chips and sensors. Due to changing consumer demands and need for a low carbon emissions advocacy, vehicles engine technology is changing at a fast rate. Over the years, the horsepower outputs have been increasing. For example, the racing car engine has increased its power output by more than 135 horse powers (Holder & Kunz, 2002). The car ignition system has been improved with high energy sparks generated electronically and special purpose 18mm spark plugs. There have been improvements in the engine friction at high RPM from the traditional engine. Through engine coating, car engine performance has been improved (Erjavec, 2010). Conclusion A current car engine is capable of delivering high horse powers as compared to the past cars. Modern car engines have capability of more than 140 HP in racing cars as compared to 2/3 of horsepower in 1885 car (Holder & Kunz, 2002). The increase in engine horsepower have been gradual with automakers working hard to increase the horsepower while making sure efficiency is increased. At the moment, cars have become common in the society unlike the traditional society where they were rare. This has given people freedom to move more easily and keep in touch with each other. Despite the positive effects of the improved car engine in the modern society, it has led to accidents, injuries, deaths and pollution (Sovacool, 2009). In Europe, UK has the highest dependence on cars. Buying and running a car is fairly expensive. Research proves that to maintain a family car for 10,000 in every year would cost about $6000. This has made most of the families in poor countries to use other means of transport instead of owning a car. For example, the average price for a vehicle in US was at $24,900 in 2000 and rose to $29,793 in 2009 (Sovacool, 2009). Multinational vehicle companies have increased as opposed to the past. The increase in multinational car companies and use of advanced technology has pushed the cost of owning a car down as opposed to past. There are also different varieties of cars ranging from family cars to sports cars. The main car types in the market are Toyota, GMC, Mack and Nissan among others. From the essay it’s true that the modern cars are more productive, product less carbon dioxide, have good designs and burn less fuel. References Bureau of Energy Efficiency 2009, Waste Heat Recovery, Retrieved 15 July 2014, http://www.emea.org/Guide%20Books/book2/2.8%20Waste%20Heat%20Recovery.pdf Daniels, J 2002, Driving force: the evolution of the car engine, Sparkford, Yeovil, Somerset, Haynes Pub. Erjavec, J 2010, Automotive technology: a systems approach, Australia, Delmar Cengage Learning. Genta, G., Morello, L., Cavallino, F., & Filtri, L 2014, The Motor Car: Past, Present and Future, Netherlands, Dordrecht, Springer. Holder, W & Kunz, P 2002, GM muscle cars, St. Paul, MN, MBI Pub. Co. Oppenheim, A. K 2004, Combustion In Piston Engines Technology, Evolution, Diagnosis And Control, Berlin, Heidelberg, Springer Berlin Heidelberg. Oxlade, C 2011, The car, Chicago, Ill, Heinemann Library. Sovacool. B 2009, ‘Sound climate, energy, and transport policy for a carbon constrained world’, Policy and Society, Vol. 27, no.4, p.273-2. Read More