The internal combustion engine is most commonly used engine in today's world. Almost every car you see on the road uses one. In this type of engine the fuel which is most commonly a fossil fuel is mixed with an oxidizer which is usually air takes part in a combustion reaction in the combustion chamber of the engine and this is how the energy is produced for the car.The internal combustion engine was invented as a substitute for the steam engine. The first successful internal combustion engine was made by Étienne Lenoir in Paris in 1859. The engines adopt a familiar four stroke cycle which comprises of the induction-compression-firing-exhaust otherwise known as the Otto cycle. This cycle was adopted by Nikolaus Otto to make an efficient gas engine, the same principle was applied with fossil fuels.
Many of you will have heard of several engine configurations such as a V-6 engine or a straight 6 engine etc. These configurations each have their own advantages and disadvantages in terms of smoothness, power, cost etc. The engine configurations can change various aspects of the engine. The internal combustion engine also has a higher level of efficiency at 20% more than an external combustion engine. This is why it is more commonly used in cars, its portability and higher efficiency are two of the main reasons why it is favoured over the external combustion engine.
There were several reasons why the internal combustion engine was used over the external combustion engine. The main points were because it was much smaller in size and lighter in weight compared to the bulky and heavy external combustion engine. This meant that the internal combustion was much more practical in every day use.
It was also safer to use, at the time of creation the internal combustion engine was the safest type of engine to run, there was no risk of the boiler exploding because external combustion engines such as the steam engine used highly pressurised steam to run itself. Internal combustion engines were also quicker, safer and easier to start up than an external combustion engine. The internal combustion engine could reach up to 40% fuel efficiency due to its capability of higher compression ratios whereas the external combustion engine could only reach up to 20% fuel efficiency.
So for the foreseeable future the internal combustion engine is the only way forward for us and for cars until someone else makes history by discovering something a lot more efficient for us to use. Although many will argue that electric engines will overtake the internal combustion engine , figures show that today 0.09% of new car sales and that by the year 2040 electric vehicles will only account for 1% of total car sales which proves that internal combustion engines are not on there way out and have a very long future.
Many of you will have heard of several engine configurations such as a V-6 engine or a straight 6 engine etc. These configurations each have their own advantages and disadvantages in terms of smoothness, power, cost etc. The engine configurations can change various aspects of the engine. The internal combustion engine also has a higher level of efficiency at 20% more than an external combustion engine. This is why it is more commonly used in cars, its portability and higher efficiency are two of the main reasons why it is favoured over the external combustion engine.
There were several reasons why the internal combustion engine was used over the external combustion engine. The main points were because it was much smaller in size and lighter in weight compared to the bulky and heavy external combustion engine. This meant that the internal combustion was much more practical in every day use.
It was also safer to use, at the time of creation the internal combustion engine was the safest type of engine to run, there was no risk of the boiler exploding because external combustion engines such as the steam engine used highly pressurised steam to run itself. Internal combustion engines were also quicker, safer and easier to start up than an external combustion engine. The internal combustion engine could reach up to 40% fuel efficiency due to its capability of higher compression ratios whereas the external combustion engine could only reach up to 20% fuel efficiency.
So for the foreseeable future the internal combustion engine is the only way forward for us and for cars until someone else makes history by discovering something a lot more efficient for us to use. Although many will argue that electric engines will overtake the internal combustion engine , figures show that today 0.09% of new car sales and that by the year 2040 electric vehicles will only account for 1% of total car sales which proves that internal combustion engines are not on there way out and have a very long future.