The diesel cycle converts liquid fuel into energy through a series of small explosions. It has four stages: air intake, compression, fuel injection, and exhaust release. A turbocharger is used to increase air intake. Compression heats up the air, igniting the fuel when it is injected. The exhaust is released through a valve, and the cycle begins again.
The diesel cycle is used by diesel engines to generate energy from a liquid fuel. As in the cycle performed by a combustion engine, the diesel engine converts liquid fuel into energy by creating a series of small explosions. It does this by heating a small amount of fuel to a temperature at which the liquid fuel turns into a gas and burns. There are four stages to a diesel cycle: the engine draws in air, compresses that air, draws in fuel, and finally releases the exhaust. After the engine releases the exhaust, the cycle begins again and continues until the engine stalls or runs out of fuel.
In the first stage of the diesel cycle, called the induction stroke, air is drawn into the engine. The amount of air that enters the engine is important for its efficiency. As air enters the chamber on its own, forcing more air into the chamber increases the engine’s effectiveness, so most modern diesel engines use a turbocharger to force the extra air into the chamber.
Compression, which is the second stage of the diesel cycle, involves forcing air into a smaller space than it originally occupied. When air is compressed, it heats up. In a diesel engine, this heat is sufficient to ignite the fuel once it has been introduced into the chamber.
Fuel enters the diesel engine in the third stage of the diesel cycle. This step is called compression ignition. Fuel is only allowed into the chamber in very small amounts at a time, a process controlled by the fuel injector. When fuel enters the engine, it ignites immediately, fueling the system by forcing movement of various mechanical components. The piston is moved linearly and the energy is converted into rotational momentum by the crankshaft and transferred to the flywheel.
The exhaust, which is the by-product of the diesel cycle, is vented out of the chamber through an exhaust valve. This final phase of the cycle is known as the unloading phase. After the exhaust has exited the chamber, or with some designs, while it is exiting, new air is admitted back into the system and the cycle begins again.
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