OTTO CYCLE

Flow chart

An Otto cycle is an idealized thermodynamic cycle which describes the functioning of a typical spark ignition reciprocating piston engine,[1] the thermodynamic cycle most commonly found in automobile engines.

Pressure-Volume diagram

Temperature-Entropy diagram

The idealized diagrams of a four-stroke Otto cycle both diagrams: The intake (A) stroke is performed by an isobaric expansion, followed by an adiabatic compression (B) stroke. Through the combustion of fuel, heat is added in an isochoric process, followed by an adiabatic expansion process, characterizing the power (C) stroke. The cycle is closed by the exhaust (D) stroke, characterized by isochoric cooling and isobaric compression processes.

The Otto cycle is constructed out of: TOP and BOTTOM of the loop: a pair of quasi-parallel adiabatic processes LEFT and RIGHT sides of the loop: a pair of parallel isochoric processes The adiabatic processes are impermeable to heat: heat flows into the loop through the left pressurizing process and some of it flows back out through the right depressurizing process, and the heat which remains does the work. The processes are described by:

Process 1-2 is an isentropic compression of the air as the piston moves from bottom dead centre (BDC) to top dead centre (TDC). Process 2-3 is a constant-volume heat transfer to the air from an external source while the piston is at top dead centre. This process is intended to represent the ignition of the fuelair mixture and the subsequent rapid burning. Process 3-4 is an isentropic expansion (power stroke). Process 4-1 completes the cycle by a constant-volume process in which heat is rejected from the air while the piston is a bottom dead centre.

The Otto cycle consists of adiabatic compression, heat addition at constant volume, adiabatic expansion, and rejection of heat at constant volume. In the case of a four-stroke Otto cycle, technically there are two additional processes: one for the exhaust of waste heat and combustion products (by isobaric compression), and one for the intake of cool oxygen-rich air (by isobaric expansion); however, these are often omitted in a simplified analysis. Even though these two processes are critical to the functioning of a real engine, wherein the details of heat transfer and combustion chemistry are relevant, for the simplified analysis of the thermodynamic cycle, it is simpler and more convenient to assume that all of the waste-heat is removed during a single volume change.

History
The four-stroke engine was first patented by Alphonse Beau de Rochas in 1861. Before, in about 185457, two Italians (Eugenio Barsanti and Felice Matteucci) invented an engine that was rumored to be very similar, but the patent was lost. "The request bears the no. 700 of Volume VII of the Patent Office of the Reign of Piedmont. We do not have the text of the patent request, only a photo of the table which contains a drawing of the engine. We do not even know if it was a new patent or an extension of the patent granted three days earlier, on December 30, 1857, at Turin." f. Eugenio Barsanti and Felice Matteucci, June 4, 1853 The first person to build a working four stroke engine, a stationary engine using a coal gas-air mixture for fuel (a gas engine), was German engineer Nicolaus Otto. This is why the four-stroke principle today is commonly known as the Otto cycle and four-stroke engines using spark plugs often are called Otto engines.

Processes
Process 1-2 (B on diagrams) Piston moves from crank end (bottom dead centre) to cover end (top dead centre) and an ideal gas with initial state 1 is compressed isentropically to state point 2, through compression ratio . Mechanically this is the adiabatic compression of the air/fuel mixture in the cylinder, also known as the compression stroke. Generally the compression ratio is around 9-10:1 (V1:V2) for a typical engine. Process 2-3 (C on diagrams) The piston is momentarily at rest at TDC and heat is added to the working fluid at constant volume from an external heat source which is brought into contact with the cylinder head. The pressure rises and the ratio is called the "explosion ratio". At this instant the air/fuel mixture is compressed at the top of the compression stroke with the volume essentially held constant, also known as ignition phase. Process 3-4 (D on diagrams) The increased high pressure exerts a greater amount of force on the piston and pushes it towards the BDC. Expansion of working fluid takes place isentropically and work is done by the system. The volume ratio is called "isentropic expansion ratio". Mechanically this is the adiabatic expansion of the hot gaseous mixture in the cylinder head, also known as expansion (power) stroke.

Process 4-1 (A on diagrams) The piston is momentarily at rest at BDC and heat is rejected to the external sink by bringing it in contact with the cylinder head. The process is so controlled that ultimately the working fluid comes to its initial state 1 and the cycle is completed. Exhaust and intake strokes Exhaust stroke-ejection of the gaseous mixture via an exhaust valve through the cylinder head. Induction stroke-intake of the next air charge into the cylinder. The volume of the exhaust gasses is the same as the air charge.