With the advancement of technology, many different kinds of equipments that make your life easier are made possible through a single-cylinder diesel engine. Single cylinder diesel engines are commonly seen vehicles, motorcycles, electrical power generators, and some machinery tools used for carpentry and gardening.
Many industries rely on devices and machinery powered by diesel engines to operate their businesses, making this engine one of the greatest technological inventions. They come in different types, brands, and sizes but all power equipment. Here is more information about the single-cylinder diesel engine and how it works.
What is a Single Cylinder Diesel Engine?
A single cylinder diesel engine is an internal combustion engine wherein thermal energy is transformed into mechanical energy when oil, gasoline, or another fuel is combined with hot air. It was invented to utilize the power that can be generated from gases. The main part of the diesel engine, where the process of creating power takes place, is the single cylinder.
Today’s Models are built stronger with thicker block walls for efficient shock absorption and effective noise reduction. As its name implies,absorption only has one cylinder making the unit lightweight and more affordable while remaining efficient .
Reasons Why The Single Cylinder Diesel Engine is Efficient
- It’s safer. Diesel is less volatile than gasoline which makes it safer to use. In addition, the use of a single cylinder makes it less explosive, even in high temperatures. Some industries that utilize other kinds of engines are slowly transitioning into diesel engines with single or multiple cylinders because of the reduced risk.
- It doesn’t utilize a high-tension electrical ignition system. The single cylinder diesel engine has a high resistance to damp environments because it doesn’t have spark plug wires and coils. This is particularly useful in marine and aircraft applications because the absence of ignition coils and wires ensures that there will be no radio frequency that may interfere with
thecommunication and navigation signals.
- High compression functionality. Because of its high compression the single cylinder diesel engine has the ability to withstand high levels of stress and strain, making the engine suitable for longer use. High compression also allows the engine to generate power more efficiently, since the air is compressed faster to produce more heat. Vehicles with single cylinder diesel engines tend to get good mileage because the high compression percentage ensures that the fuel is completely burned.
- Exhaust-emission behavior. When used in vehicles, this type of engine has the ability to control the discharge of harmful gases such as nitrogen and sulfur oxides, carbon monoxide, and unburned hydrocarbons. It is said that the single cylinder diesel engine is 10 times less pollutant compared to other kinds of engines. However, the longer you use the equipment that utilizes this engine, the more harmful gases that are being discharged.
- Fuel efficient. Among engines available in the market, the diesel engine that has a single cylinder is known to conserve more fuel for a long term use. It has high thermal efficiency because it makes sure that after the combustion process, a high percentage of fuel is converted into mechanical energy and only a little percentage evaporates. The ratio of air in the fuel-air mixture is greater so the fuel will burn smoothly to produce more energy.
Factors That Makes Single Cylinder Diesel Engine Work
- Compression ratio
A single cylinder diesel engine does not have a spark plug that delivers a current to ignite fuel but it does utilize a high compression ratio to produce high temperatures so as to facilitate auto-ignition. A high compression level is needed to operate a diesel engine efficiently. When the compression ratio is high, the air in the cylinder is constricted so its easier for it to be heated. The efficiency of the engine is maximized while the fuel is conserved for longer usage.
- Oxygen
To have proper combustion, there should be enough oxygen in the air. If there is no oxygen or if the ratio of air and fuel is not proportionate, the fuel will not completely burn which leads to power reduction. The oxygen also assists in lessening unburned hydrocarbon pollutants which manifests in high combustion temperatures. In the event that there is an insufficient oxygen level, injecting nitromethane or nitrous oxide into the fuel-air mixture is necessary.
- Friction and lubrication
When you talk about engine friction, it pertains to the contacting surfaces among the parts of the engine. Lubrication plays an important role in making sure that friction is lessened. The less friction the unit creates, the more energy is created and excessive wear and tear are avoided to prolong the life of the component. The engine components that are usually prone to friction are the piston ring assembly, valve train system, bearings, water pump, oil pump, fuel pump, and other engine powered auxiliaries.
How Does A Single Cylinder Engine Turn Fuel Into Power?
Turning on your machine or your vehicle makes use of a single cylinder diesel engine, As such, it may take a couple of seconds for the air in the single cylinder to be compressed. The high pressure exerted is enough to make the temperature of the air increase. The environmental weather affects how fast the process of heating up the air in the cylinder is but usually, it only takes less than 5 seconds. When the machine or your vehicle starts operating, the fuel is pumped into the cylinder where it combines with the hot air through compression.
Before the fuel reaches the cylinder, it will pass through several fuel filters that will purify it. In diesel engines, the air and fuel are mixed properly so fuel is burned efficiently to maximize the energy that will be produced. It is important that the air ratio is higher than the fuel level to ensure that it will all be converted into energy and to avoid wastage. The engine control unit (ECU) is responsible for all the functions that the engine will do. The process goes on until the engine is no longer in use.
Classes of Single Cylinder Diesel Engine and How it Works
The internal combustion engine has two classes mainly four-stroke engines and the two-stroke engine. These types determine the movement of the piston to complete a power cycle. The four-stroke engines complete the cycle in four strokes which are the intake stroke, compression stroke, combustion stroke, and exhaust stroke. The two-stroke engine completes the cycle through compression stroke and combustion stroke.
The kind of stroke depends on the brand of your engine and where the engine is for. A four-stroke engine is heavier that is why it is a common engine class for most vehicles while the two-stroke engine is smaller because it doesn’t contain valves and is usually seen on construction or garden equiptments.
- Intake: As the piston moves downward, the air fills the cylinder that is caused by the atmospheric pressure that the piston ring seal contributes.
- Compression: When the cylinder is filled with air, the piston moves up to increase the temperature so the air warms up. The air is compressed just in time for fuel to be injected through the central fuel injection valve. When the hot air and the fuel combines, ignition, and burning to convert energy is facilitated.
- Combustion: The ignition will cause the piston to go down. Due to the ignited gasses, the chemical energy is converted into mechanical energy. The converted energy is then transported through the crankshaft to let the unit operate.
- Exhaust: Before the engine proceed to a new cycle or before the piston returns into the downward position, the used gas is forced to move out from the exhaust ports so as to allow clean air to fill the cylinders again.
Advantages Single Cylinder Engine
- Good lubrication properties for efficient energy transmission that is less damaging
- It doesn’t form a flammable vapor that causes fire
- It doesn’t utilize a high voltage electrical ignition system
- Specifically made to withstand high pressure, fast speed, and heavy workloads
- High-quality torque characteristics
- It doesn’t have a complicated set-up making it economical and low maintenance
Disadvantages of Single Cylinder Engine
- This diesel engines tend to have higher levels of vibration that creates noise
- Harmful emissions to the human body and to the environment caused by the heat release process of the engine
Final Thoughts
A single cylinder diesel engine is versatile in terms of its usage, application, and efficiency. Engines also evolve as time passes by to improve its functionality. With a long list of contributions that engines delivered together with the advancement of technology, no wonder that it is one of the greatest inventions man has created. Knowing how it works is not only good-to-know information but having proper knowledge on how to operate it allows you to maximize its usage in the right way.
