SFC full form

What is the full form of SFC?


Answer :

  • Specific fuel consumption

What does SFC mean?


It is an automobile term that is used to describe the fuel efficiency of an engine. 

It describes the efficiency of an engine also an important parameter to decide how good engine performance is?

SFC is inversely proportional to the thermal efficiency of the engine.


Explore more information: 

What is SFC

In this article we will discuss about the SFC and their full form and some basic introduction about SFC with the use of example. Let we first know the full form.

Full form of SFC is specific fuel consumption.
Specific fuel consumption is describe efficiency of an engine design with respect to thrust output it expressed in terms of kilograms of fuel per kilowatt-hour.

It is important parameter that reflects how good the engine performance is.

It is inversely proportional to the thermal efficiency of the engine.

Specific fuel consumption of air-breathing jet engines at their maximum efficiency varies more or less inversely with speed.

which means that the fuel consumption per or per km can be a more appropriate comparison for aircraft that travel at very different speeds.

SFC = Fuel consumption per unit time / Power 

It also called as thrust specific fuel consumption (TSFC)

SFC is dependent on engine design, but differences in the SFC between different engines using the same underlying technology tend to be quite small. 

SFC varies with throttle setting, altitude and climate.

What is creep

What is creep ?

Answer :

Creep is defined as slow and progressive deformation of the material with time under a constant stress.


Disadvantages of electronic fuel injection

Replacing carburettors with electronic fuel injection (EFI) for delivery of fuel on engines has numerous advantages. However, for each engine installation, achieving these benefits requires a comprehensive integration and calibration. The spark-ignition engine with an electronic fuel injection system compared with a carburettor unit have the following unfavourable points too. 

Disadvantages of electronic fuel injection : 

  • High maintenance cost.
  • Possibility of malfunction of some sensors.
  • Difficulty in servicing.
  • Complex design.
  • Chances of developing leakage at the valve seat. 
  • Injection pressure needed 200 to 300 bar. 

Advantages of electronic fuel injection

Replacing carburettors with electronic fuel injection (EFI) for delivery of fuel on engines has numerous advantages. However, for each engine installation, achieving these benefits requires a comprehensive integration and calibration. The spark-ignition engine with an electronic fuel injection system compared with a carburettor unit have the following favourable points

Advantages of electronic fuel injection system :

  • Improvement in volumetric efficiency due to relatively less resistance in intake manifolds, resulting in less pressure loss.
  • Manifold wetting is eliminated by injecting fuel near the cylinder.
  • Automation of fuel is independent of cranking speed so the starting will be easier.
  • Better atomization and vaporization will reduce the knock on the engine.
  • It eliminates ice formation on the throttle plate.
  • Position of the injection unit is not so critical so the height of the engine can be less.
  • Distribution of fuel being independent of vaporization.
  • Less volatile fuel can be used.
  • Variation of air-fuel ratio is almost negligible.
  • This system produces around 5% to 10% more power than a carburettor engine.
  • This system will not only improves reliability but also reduces the amount of routine maintenance that is required.
  • Excellent starting.
  • Complete altitude compensation in full load or low load conditions even in cold weather condition there is one cold start injector too.

Electronic fuel injection system

In this article, we will check it out the electronic fuel injection system. There are different types of sensors uses in that system so we will check it out one by one.  

What is an electronic fuel injection system?

Nowadays modern gasoline injection systems use engine sensor, a computer and solenoid operated fuel injectors to meter and inject the right amount of fuel into the engine cylinders. These systems called electronic fuel injection system OR EFI. 
It can use electrical and electronic devices to monitor and control engine-operations.

An ECU full form is electronic control unit or the computer receives electrical signals in the form of current or voltage from various sensors then uses the stored data to operate the injectors, ignition system and other engine related devices. 
As a result, less unburned fuel leaves the engine as emissions, and the vehicle gives better performance. 

The different types of sensors used in electronic injection system are as follows :

  • Exhaust gas or oxygen sensor :
This type of sensor senses the amount of oxygen in the engine exhaust and calculates the air-fuel ratio. 
The output voltage of sensor changes in proportion to the air-fuel ratio.

  • Engine temperature sensor :
It senses the temperature of the engine coolant. By using this data the computer adjusts the mixture strength of rich side for cold starting.

  • Air inlet temperature sensor :
This type of sensor checks the temperature of the ambient air entering the engine for fine-tuning the mixture strength.

  • Airflow sensor :
This type of sensor monitors mass or volume of air flowing into the intake manifold for adjusting the quantity of fuel.

  • Throttle position sensor :
This type of sensor used for senses the movement of the throttle plate which helps to adjust the mixture flow for engine speed and acceleration. 

  • Manifold pressure sensor :
This type of sensor senses monitors vacuum in the engine intake manifold. So by using this mixture strength can be adjusted with changes in engine load.

  • Camshaft position sensor :
This type of sensor senses the rotation of engine camshaft or crankshaft for speed and timing of injection.

  • Knock sensor :
It is the microphone type sensor. 
It can detect ping or pre-ignition noise so that the ignition timing can be retarded.


Electronic fuel injection system working :

Fuel injection systems are comprised of a complex array of components that work together to supply fuel to the vehicle's engine and other controlled is done by ECU.

The fuel injector is an EFI is just a fuel valve. When it is not energized, spring pressure makes the injector to remain closed and no fuel will enter the engine till the computer sends the signal through the injector coil then fuel enter into the intake manifold.

The injector pulse width is an indication of the period for which each injector is energized and kept open. The computer decides and controls the injector pulse width based on the signals received from the different sensors.

Under full load conditions, the computer will sense a wide open throttle, high intake manifold pressure, and high inlet air flow. In this conditions the ECU will increase the injector pulse width to enrich the mixture which will enable the engine to produce high power.

Under low load conditions, the Electronic control unit will sens a narrow throttle and shorten the pulse width by which the injectors are kept in the closed position over a longer period of time so that the air-fuel mixture will become leaner and will result in better fuel economy.

For the cold weather conditions it has a cold start injector too. It serves the same purpose as the carburetor choke. This injector sprays fuel into the center of the engine intake manifold. 

Full form of CNG and LPG

What is the full form of CNG?

  • Compressed Natural Gas

What is the full form of LPG?

  • Liquefied Petroleum Gas

Methane compressed at a pressure of 200 to 248 bar is called CNG while a mixture of propane and butane liquified at 15 0and pressure at 1.7 to 7.5 bar is called LPG.

Both have different uses but mainly both are used in the automobile as fuel nowadays while CNG is more popular and safe than an LPG because LPG is a highly inflammable and non-renewable energy source.

What is ESC on a car

ESC was one of the first and most effective safety systems in the automobile industries. It helps drivers to avoid crashes by reducing the danger of skidding or losing control as a result of over-steering. 

Let you know first the full form of ESC.

What does ESC do?

With the use of ESC wheel sensor can detect the beginning of a slide and a small amount of braking can be applied automatically to individual wheels to regain stability.

The risk of an accident is considerably lower with the use of ESC.
ESC also reduce crashes involving skidding or overturning by up to 59%.
ESC can help in adverse road conditions such as wet or snowy weather.
It also helps stabilise the car during sudden evasive manoeuvres.

How does ESC work?

Not all the ESC system works for the same. The hardware is similar, but there is variation in how ESC systems are programmed to respond once a loss of control is detected.

There is a number of sensors are used that detect any loss of control and automatically apply the brake to the relevant wheel, putting your vehicle on to the intended path again.

The degree of effectiveness of ESC is mainly dependent upon the amount of traction between the road and the car. If a car with old, worn or inappropriate tyres, in that case, ESC will be less effective than on a car with new tyres.

Control happens so quickly that drivers do not perceive the need for steering corrections. 

Types of fuel injection system

In a constant-pressure cycle or diesel engine, the air is compressed in the cylinder and then fuel is injected into the cylinder by means of a fuel injection system. For proper running and good performance from the engine, fuel injection is needed. There are different types of fuel injection system are used. Let we discuss that different kind of fuel injection system which is used.

Mainly fuel injection system classified in two categories:

  • Air injection system 
  • Solid injection system 
The solid injection system is again classified below :
  • Individual pump and nozzle system 
  • Unit injector system 
  • Common rail system 
  • Distributor system 
Now let we discuss the above all types in detail :
  • Air injection system :
Air injection is a method of reducing exhaust emissions by injecting air into each of the exhaust ports of an engine so that air mixes with the hot exhaust and oxidizes HC and CO.

In this system, fuel is forced into the cylinder by means of compressed air. It is little used nowadays because it requires a bulky multi-stage air compressor. This causes an increase in engine weight and reduces the brake power output further.


Manufacturers use this system by a different name :

Here are a list of the different companies and their respective name for using this system :
American Motors call it Air Guard 
Chrysler names it Air Injection System
Ford calls it Thermactor Air Injection System and 
General Motor names it Air Injector Reactor (AIR) 

How it works?

The air injection smog pump pushes air into the exhaust system right after the exhaust manifold, to help intercept and burn those unburnt fuels. It is critical to help cars achieve government emissions standards. 
  • Solid injection system :
It is the injection of atomized fuel oil into the combustion chamber of a diesel engine under the pressure of the liquid fuel itself.
The solid injection system is also called the airless mechanical injection system.

In this system, the liquid fuel is injected directly into the combustion chamber without the aid of compressed air. Hence, it is called airless mechanical injection system.

Now we can see the different types of injection in solid injection system in details :
  • Individual pump and nozzle system :
In this system, each cylinder is provided with one pump and one injector.

Individual pump and nozzle system
As per we can see in above figure this arrangement a separate metering and compression pump is provided for each cylinder. The pump may be close to the cylinder or they may be arranged in a cluster. The high-pressure pump plunger is actuated by a cam, and produce the fuel pressure necessary to open the injector valve at the correct time.
The amount of fuel injected is depends on the effective stroke of the plunger.

  • Unit injector system :
In this system the pump and the injector nozzle are combined in one housing. Each cylinder is provided with one unit injectors. Fuel is brought up to the injector by a low pressure pump where at the proper time a rocker arm actuates the plunger so it injects the fuel into the cylinder.
By the use of effective stroke of the plunger the amount of fuel injected is regulated.

  • Common rail system :
In this system HP pumps supplies fuel, under high pressure, to a header. High pressure in the header forces the fuel to each nozzles located in the cylinders of this system. At that time, a mechanically operated valve allows the fuel to enter the proper cylinder through the nozzle. By varying the length of the push rod stroke the amount of fuel entering the cylinder is regulated.

  • Distributor system :
In this system the pump which pressurizes the fuel also meters and times it. The fuel pump after metering the required amount of fuel supplies it to a rotating distributor at the correct time for supply to each cylinder. The number of injection strokes per cycle for the pump is equal to the number of cylinders used in this system.

All of the above solid injection system comprise mainly of the following components :
  • Fuel tank.
  • Fuel feed pump to supply fuel from the main fuel tank to the injection system.
  • Injection pump to meter and make pressurize fuel for injection.
  • Governor to ensure that the amount of fuel injected is in accordance with variation in load.
  • Injector to take the fuel from the pump and distribute it in the combustion chamber by atomizing it into fine droplets.
  • Fuel filters to prevent dust and abrasive particles from entering the pump and injectors so that minimizing the wear and tear of the components.
You can also check it out the requirements of an fuel injection system.

Requirements of an fuel injection system

For a proper running and good performance from the engine, fuel injection system must be required. Nowadays there are different types of fuel injection system is used according to the need of the manufacturer.
The following requirements must be needed to injection system :

  • Accurate metering of the fuel injected per cycle because metering errors may cause variation from the desired output. The quantity of the fuel metered varies to meet changing speed and load requirements of the engine.
  • Timing the injection of the fuel correctly in the cycle so that maximum power is obtained ensuring fuel economy and clean burning.
  • Proper control over the rate of injection so that the desired heat-release pattern is achieved during combustion.
  • Proper automization of fuel into very fine droplets.
  • Proper spray pattern to ensure a rapid mixture of fuel and air.
  • Fuel droplets distribution in the combustion chamber must be uniform.
  • To supply equal quantities of metered fuel to all cylinders in case of a multi-cylinder engine.
  • No lag during the beginning and end of injection.

How to install XAMPP On Ubuntu


XAMPP

1. What is Xampp?

XAMPP is a free and open-source cross-platform web server solution stack package developed by Apache Friends, consisting mainly of the Apache HTTP Server, MariaDB database, and interpreters for scripts written in the PHP and Perl programming languages. XAMPP stands for Cross-Platform
(X), Apache (A), MariaDB (M), PHP (P) and Perl (P).

It is a simple, lightweight Apache distribution that makes it extremely easy for developers to create a local web server for testing and deployment purposes. Everything needed to set up a web server application (Apache), database (MariaDB), and scripting language (PHP) is included in an extractable file. XAMPP is also cross-platform, which means it works equally well on Linux, Mac
and Windows. Since most actual web server deployments use the same components as XAMPP, it makes transitioning from a local test server to a live server extremely easy as well.

2. Downloading and Installing XAMPP in UBUNTU?

Step 1: Download xampp-Linux-1.8.1.tar.gz from apache friends.
http://www.apachefriends.org/en/xampp-linux.html

Step 2: Put the file on home/user.

Step 3: Open terminal

Step 4: Give the command
sudo tar xzvf xampp-Linux-1.8.1.tar.gz -C /opt/
After all, these XAMPP will be installed on /opt/lampp Directory

3. How to start XAMPP?
Give the command
sudo /opt/lampp/lampp start
You will be getting the below-mentioned message on your terminal
Starting XAMPP for Linux 1.8.1...
XAMPP: Starting Apache with SSL (and PHP5)...
XAMPP: Starting MySQL...
XAMPP: Starting ProFTPD...
XAMPP for Linux started.

4. Stopping XAMPP
Give command
sudo /opt/lampp/lampp stop
5. Verification of XAMPP works
For that start xampp first.
sudo /opt/lampp/lampp start
Then open a browser and just give URL, http://localhost

You will get xampp welcome screen as the figure below.

XAMPP welcome screen

Raspberry Pi: Developing a web server using LAMP (Apache, MySql, PHP )

Raspberry Pi
Purpose
To develop a web server on a raspberry pi that can communicate with another device.

Steps to Follow

Step 1:
Update your raspberry pi.
sudo apt-get update

Step 2:
Installation of the apache web server.
sudo apt-get install apache2-y

Step 3:
To test web server is working properly on localhost find ipv4 address using the following
command
ifconfig
now in my case, ipv4 is 192.168.0.4
Go to a web browser and type http://IP-address
http://192.168.0.4

Step 4:
cd /var/www/HTML
Change owner of file index.html
sudo chown pi: index.html

Step 5:
Install PHP on a pi.
sudo apt-get install php5 libapache2-mod-php5 -y
To test PHP is working properly we will run basic home pf=gr code type following code:
sudo nano index.php
<?php phpinfo(); >?
sudo mv index.htm index1.html
To restart service type following:
sudo /etc/init.d/apache2 relaod
sudo /etc/init.d/apache2 restart
Run code on web browser.
http://192.168.0.4

Step 6:
Install MySQL for creating a database
sudo apt-get install MySQL-server php5-MySQL -y
After successful installation pop up will come to give the password as "root"

Step 7:
Starting MySql
MySQL -u root -p

1. Creating Database
create database Temp;

2. To see database
show databases;

3. selecting Temp database
use Temp;

Air fuel mixture

An engine is generally operated at different loads and different speeds. For this, the proper air-fuel mixture should be supplied to the engine is necessary. Fuel and air are mixed to form three different types of mixtures. The three types of mixtures are following below :
  1. Chemically correct mixture 
  2. Rich mixture
  3. Lean mixture
Chemically correct mixture :

It is one in which there is just enough air for complete combustion of the fuel. Now one question arise abruptly in your mind that what is complete combustion?
Complete combustion is all carbon in the fuel is converted to CO2 and all hydrogen is converted to H2O.
It is also called a stoichiometric mixture.

Now we can understand that via one simple example so you can get more idea about what is a stoichiometric mixture or stoichiometric air-fuel ratio.

To burn 1 kg of octane ( C8H18 ) completely 15.12 kg of air required. 
Hence, chemically correct A/F ratio for that is 15.12:1 or we can say that 15:1.

Rich mixture :

A mixture which contains less air than the stoichiometric requirement is called rich mixture.
For that approx A/F ratio is about 12:1 or 10:1.

Lean mixture :

A mixture which contains more air than the stoichiometric requirements is called lean mixture.
For that approx A/F ratio is about 17:1 or 20:1. 

The carburettor should provide an A/F ratio in accordance with the engine operating requirements. This will be under the combustible range.

The carburettor can be done this process of mixing and make a correct mixture for different engine speeds and loads and this process is called carburetion.

What is carburetion

Introduction :

Spark-ignition engines normally use volatile liquid fuels. In SI engine the preparation of fuel-air mixture is done outside the engine cylinder and make a homogeneous mixture that is not completed in the inlet manifold. Fuel droplets which remain in suspension continue to evaporate and mix with air even during suction and compression stroke. The process of mixture preparation is extremely important for spark-ignition engines. 

Definition of carburetion :

The amount of formation of a combustible air-fuel mixture by mixing the proper amount of fuel with air before admission to engine cylinder is called carburetion.

The device which does this job is called carburettor.

The carburettor should provide an A/F ratio in accordance with engine operating requirements and this ratio must be within the combustible range.



Advantages of using alcohol as a fuel

Alcohol can be obtained from nature and it can manufacture very easily so alcohol as a fuel is very attractive. It is one of the liquid fuel alternatives of gasoline used in a combustion engine. There are different types of alcohol but some main types are methanol, ethanol, propanol, and butanol. Let us have a deep insight into the advantages of alcohol used as a fuel. 

Advantages of alcohol as a fuel :

  • No problem of availability can be obtained from a number of sources.
  • Reduce dependent on fossil fuel. 
  • It is a high octane number with anti-knock index numbers of over 100. 
  • Alcohols have a higher flame speed.
  • It produces less overall emissions compared to gasoline.
  • When alcohol is burned, it forms more moles of exhaust gases, which gives higher pressure and more power in the expansion stroke.
  • It gives a cooler intake process because it has a high latent heat of vaporization.
  • Volumetric efficiency is high.
  • Alcohol is ultraclean and has low sulpher content in the fuel.
  • Alcohol contains oxygen thus it requires less amount of air for stoichiometric combustion. 
  • Alcohol possesses high latent heat of vaporization thus low intake temperature and increases volumetric efficiency. 
  • It can run efficiently by a high compression ratio.

Disadvantages of alcohol as a fuel

Alcohol can be obtained from nature and it can manufacture very easily so alcohol as a fuel is very attractive. It is one of the liquid fuel alternatives of gasoline used in a combustion engine. There are different types of alcohol but some main types are methanol, ethanol, propanol, and butanol. Let us have a deep insight into the disadvantages of alcohol used as a fuel. 


Disadvantages of alcohol as a fuel :

  • It contains oxygen and therefore requires less air for stoichiometric combustion.
  • It has a low energy content because the calorific value of the fuel is almost half.
  • Combustion of alcohols produces more aldehydes in the exhaust and this would be a serious exhaust pollution problem.
  • It is much more corrosive than gasoline on copper, brass, aluminium, rubber and many plastics. 
  • With long term use of alcohol fuel lines and tanks, gaskets and even metal engine parts can deteriorate very early especially methanol is very corrosive on metals.
  • It has poor cold-weather starting characteristics due to low vapour pressure and evaporation. 
  • Alcohols have poor ignition characteristics too.
  • Alcohols have invisible flames that are hazardous when handling fuel.
  • The danger of storage tank flammability air can leak into storage tanks and create a combustible mixture.
  • Because of low flame temperatures, there will be fewer NOx emissions.
  • Alcohol has a strong odour and it is very offensive.
  • In fuel delivery systems, there is a possibility of vapour lock.

Gaseous fuels

Gaseous fuels are ideal and pose very few problems in using them in internal combustion engines. Being gaseous, they mix more homogeneously with air and eliminate the distribution and starting problems that are encountered with liquid fuels.

Even though the gaseous fuels are the most ideal for internal combustion engines, storage and handling problems restrict their use in automobiles. 

Consequently, they are commonly used for stationary power plants located near the source of availability of the fuel. Some of the gaseous fuels can be liquefied under pressure because of reducing the storage volume but this is very expensive as well as risky.

Because of the energy crisis in recent years, considerable research efforts are being made up to improve the design and performance of gas engines which became obsolete when liquid fuels began to be used.

Gaseous fuels are :
  • LPG
  • CNG

Solid fuels

What are solid fuels?

Solid fuel is the various forms of solid material that can be burnt to release energy, providing heat and light through the process of combustion.

The solid fuels find little practical application at present because of the problems in handling the fuel as well as in disposing of, the solid residue or ash after combustion. 


Solid fuels compared to gaseous and liquid fuels, solid fuels are quite difficult to handle and storage and feeding are quite cumbersome.


Solid fuels are categories by following below :

  • Biomass ( 5 C and 37 P )
  • Charcoal (27 P )
  • Coal (13 C and 64 P )
  • Oil shale ( 7 C and 12 P )
  • Peat ( 2 C and 4 P )
  • Wood fuel ( 1 C and 9 P ) 
Now we can see all of the above in details :

Wood fuel :

Content of wood :
  • Cellulose 
  • Lignin 
  • Resins 
  • Inorganic material 
  • Water ( 25 - 60 % )
Advantages of wood :
  • Burns readily
  • Soot and ash produced is small
  • Ash is reused 
  • Easily available 
  • Suitable calorific value for domestic use 
Disadvantages of wood :
  • A high percentage of water decreases the calorific value 
Peat :

Content of peat :
  • Volatile matter ( 10.4 % )
  • Fixed carbon ( 4.6 % )
  • Moisture ( 85 % )
Advantages of peat :
  • Used as fertilizer
  • As for packing material 
  • As boiler fuel in the form of briquettes 
Disadvantages of peat :
  • High water content 
  • Burns slowly 
  • Low calorific value 
  • Not economical 
Coal :

Content of coal :
  • Highly complex organic matter 
  • Varying quantity of water 
  • Nitrogen ( 0.75 % to 1.75 % )
  • Sulpher
There are different grades of coal :
  • Anthracite ( 86-88 % )
  • Bituminous ( 78-66 % )
  • Sub-bituminous coal or black lignite 
  • Pulverised coal  
Biomass :

Content of biomass :
  • Lignin ( Phenolics 26 % )
  • Cellulose ( Glucose 44 % )
  • Hemicellulose ( Xylose 30 % )
Charcoal :

Content of charcoal :
  • Fixed carbon 
  • Hydrogen 
  • Oxygen 
  • Nitrogen
  • Sulpher 
  • Moisture 
  • Ash 

Petrol Vs LPG

LPG characteristics vs petrol characteristics

Petrol :
  • Fuel consumption in petrol engine is less when compared to LPG.
  • Petrol has odour.
  • Octane rating of petrol of 81.
  • Petrol engine is not as smooth as LPG engine.
  • In order to increase octane number petrol required lead additives.
  • Carburetor supplies the mixture of petrol and air in the proper ratio to the engine cylinders for combustion.
LPG :
  • Fuel consumption in LPG engine is 10 % increase as compared with the petrol.
  • LPG is odourless.
  • Octane rating of LPG is 110.
  • Due to higher octane rating, combustion of LPG is smoother and knocking is eliminated and the engine runs smoothly.
  • LPG is lead-free with high octane number.
  • The vaporizer function as the carburetor when the engine runs on LPG. It is a control device that reduces LPG pressure, vaporizes it and supplies to the engine with a regular flow of gas as per the engine requirement.
If you use petrol or LPG as a fuel in car then they differ by following category :
  • LPG costs about 40% less than petrol and diesel, in part because of a lower fuel duty.
  • LPG is a cleaner burning fuel compared to the above two, but releases even lesser heat than petrol.
  • Engine life can be improved due to LPG being a cleaner burning fuel.
  • Maintenance is more in LPG used car as compared with petrol.
  • LPG vehicle owners pay less road tax than petrol vehicle. 

Future scenario for LPG vehicles

LPG full form is Liquefied Petroleum Gas is Cost-saving, larger life of the engine, and less emission will attract the public for making use of LPG run vehicles. The future of LPG vehicles is bright, provided the following improvements in the system are made.
  • At present, in many countries, LPG cylinders are used n the vehicles. The weight of the cylinders is an advantage. Some amount of power is wasted in carrying these cylinders along with the automobile vehicles. However, in developing countries, most LPG cars use LPG tanks. The tank is usually the same size as the spare wheel and fits snugly into space for the spare wheel. 
  • Efforts must be made to have more LPG filling stations at convenient locations so that LPG tanks can be filled up easily.
  • Safety devices are to be introduced to prevent an accident due to the explosion of gas cylinders or leakage in the gas pipes.