Classification of Engines

Posted by : Sayantan Mandal Mar 22, 2010

Have u ever wondered how a BMW run/races around tracks & streets just using gasoline (which we commonly say petrol). You might have heard things like "V-10 engines" and "dual overhead cams" and "triple fuel injection." But what does all this mean?

Many of you simply out of curiosity want to know and understand what actually is going on behind the big confusing jumble of metal, tubes and wires.

To be straight, the purpose of a gasoline car engine is to convert gasoline into motion. Actually the car burns the gasoline inside its engine. Therefore, a car engine is an internal combustion engine -- as combustion takes place internally inside.

There are typically three types of engines-

Shaft Engines - These are the engines where power is transmitted (usually torque produced by engine) using a Drive Shaft.

Internal Combustion Engine - Here gasoline is burned inside an engine. They are much better and gives good performance and are also very efficient than External Combustion Engine. There are different kinds of Internal Combustion Engine:

Piston engine
Wankel engine
Turbines:

Turboprop
Turboshaft

Photo Courtesy TheCarShooters

External Combustion Engine - A steam engines and steam boats are a good example of External combustion engine. The fuel (coal, wood, oil, whatever) in a steam engine burns outside the engine to create steam, and the steam creates motion inside the engine. These engines are very much heavy and bulky than Internal combustion engine.

Steam Engine

Reaction Engines - Such engines are based on the Newton's third Law of Motion i.e. "For every action force there is an equal, but opposite, reaction force". Such engines provides a thrust which propelles the mass/ body forward by throwing out gases at high speed or we can say reaction mass.