HEAT ENGINES – GAS AND VAPOUR TURBINES, DIESEL AND SPARK-IGNITION ENGINES

This article follows on from [BE 8 064] , which deals with energy converters in general, and [BE 8 066] , which deals more specifically with thermomechanical generators (refrigeration machines and heat pumps). It covers applications involving heat engines of all types: DC or AC motors, gas or steam engines. Parts of this article may draw on concepts presented in the two articles mentioned above.

Virtually all engines run on energy supplied by fuels. For this reason, the first part of this article is devoted to a brief, but sufficient for the rest of the article, introduction to the basics of combustion.

The machines concerned are gas or combustion turbines, turbojet engines, diesel engines, spark-ignition engines and steam turbines associated with a steam production plant. However, as the aim of the article is not to provide technical information on these machines, only the principles of their operation and the associated thermodynamic cycles are detailed.