Breathe, Ignite, Propel: The Unseen Symphony of Spark Ignition Engine Air Intake Mastery

Part 1 : Understanding the Power Behind the Engine: Exploring Fuel Types and Engine Components

In the modern era, human beings depend quite much on machines. These machines work on many factors such as manpower, machinery power, electric power, nuclear power, etc. But since we're going to talk about the air intake system, let us discuss the machines which work with the help of engine generated power.

In a machine, the equipment that is mostly used to generate power is an engine. An engine runs on many types of fuel such as -

1. Petrol

2. Diesel

3. Compressed natural gas (CNG)

4. Liquid petroleum gas (LPG)

5. Hydrogen

6. Ethanol

7. Methanol

Conventional engines have to be modified according to the fuels to function with the best efficiency. The engine is divided into three parts mainly -

1. Intake system

2. Cylinder block

3. Exhaust system

The engine has more parts as well but these three are the core of power generation. Now let's talk about the intake system used in the spark ignition (petrol) engine.

The air intake system (also known as air intake manifold) used in SI engines (spark ignition engines) is very simple to understand. In basic terms, the work of the air intake system is to take air from the atmosphere and create a mixture of air and fuel (called charge), which is sent into the combustion chamber of an engine during the intake stroke. This intake system consists of many components. Through the assembly of these components, air can enter the combustion chamber most efficiently with minimal losses.

The components used in the intake system are -

1. Air filter

2. Plenum

3. Throttle body

4. Runner

5. Throttle position sensor (TPS)

6. Manifold absolute pressure sensor (MAP)

7. Stepper motor

8. Fuel Injector

Part 2 : Unveiling the Mechanics of Air Intake Systems in Spark Ignition Engines

Assembly of these components ensures an efficient airflow. Firstly the air enters the manifold through the air filter then it enters the throttle body or the plenum depending on the engineering. In the throttle body, there are TPS, MAP, stepper motor and fuel injectors. Then comes the plenum, after which comes the runner. And in the end, the runner is connected to the engine head where intake valves are located.

1. Air filter: Its function is to filter the air which is entering the manifold. It prevents small soil or dust particles, leaves, small rocks, etc., from entering the engine.

2. Plenum: The plenum is used to prevent turbulence by keeping the entering air flow laminar i.e., by keeping the flow of air uniform in velocity and direction. This is done to get the highest efficiency possible.

3. Throttle body: The throttle body is the main component of the intake manifold. The sensor is crucial for the intake system and is located on the throttle body. The throttle body consists of a butterfly valve. The butterfly valve is used to control the amount of air flowing in the engine. It can be controlled electrically as well.

4. Throttle position sensor (TPS): As the name suggests, this sensor is used to sense the position of the butterfly valve. This data is sent to the Electronic Control Unit (ECU). The ECU reads this data and sends a signal to the fuel injector to inject a particular amount of fuel to create sufficient charge.

5. Manifold absolute pressure sensor (MAP): This sensor is used to sense the pressure of air present in the manifold. The data on air pressure present in the manifold is sent to ECU. The ECU reads this data and informs the fuel injector to inject a particular amount of fuel to create a charge.

6. Stepper motor: When the butterfly valve is completely closed but you want the engine to keep running, that’s where the stepper motor comes in. There is a little passage present at the side of the butterfly valve which is connected to the stepper motor. The stepper motor sucks the air from the atmosphere and sends it inside the manifold.

7. Fuel Injector: When the data of TPS and MAP is sent to the ECU, it sends a signal to the fuel injector to inject a particular amount of fuel to create charge. There is a certain ratio (air to fuel) to the charge set in the ECU. According to the data of the TPS and MAP, the injector injects a particular amount of fuel to satisfy the ratio.

8. Runner: The runner is used to connect the plenum of the throttle body to the engine head. It also plays a major role in the ram-air intake theory.

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