Don’t Force It

Today’s power plants are under constant increased scrutiny by the EPA for emissions and fuel consumption. The ever more stringent requirements have been tempered by the release of smaller displacement engines with forced induction and direct injection as a means to find efficiency in every nook and cranny.

The smaller displacement engines with forced induction allow increased efficiency when under low demand because the engine is simply smaller. The reduced air intake means a smaller fuel charge is able to be used when there is a low demand for power, and the turbo or blower ensure that there is enough air to force into the cylinders against their will when the demand is there.

Direct injection, which has been a staple in the diesel power plant since its inception allows for very precise (amount, duration and time) of fuel to be directly injected into the cylinder. Normally the standard injection method in engines has been multi-point injection, wherein the injectors are in the intake manifold pointed directly at the intake valve. On the intake stroke of the engine, fuel is injected into the cylinders open valve along with the air charge. The multi-point injection method is leaps and bounds more efficient than a carburetor, but direct is just as big a leap.

Before long, large displacement internal combustion engines will be a thing of the past as we develop ever more thermally efficient methods to extract the most power possible per drop of fuel. New engines like Mazda’s SkyActiv are super promising, along with various methods of electric-assisted alternatives.

If you would like to know more on the differences between Turbo and Superchargers, or direct injection – check out these videos below from Engineering Explained.

Turbo Chargers

Superchargers

Direct Injection