OTTO and
DIESEL CYCLE:
The four main steps for the engine to run properly are 1) intake, 2) compression, 3) combustion, and 4) exhaust. This is known as the Otto cycle. This cycle is a heat transfer at a constant volume, or an isochoric process.
http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/k-12/airplane/otto.html
The steps for a diesel engine are the same, but this engine undergoes a diesel cycle. This cycle is different in the fact that heat is transferred at a constant pressure, or also called an isobaric process.
http://www.mpoweruk.com/heat_engines.htm
Power:
The power involved in
internal combustion engines is done by the combustion
of the fuel in the engine. Power is equal to a force
multiplied by a velocity, or torque multiplied by an
angular velocity. According to Wikipedia, “the power
developed by an engine and measured at the output
shaft is called the brake power (bp) and is given by,”
Where T = torque and N = rotational speed
Efficiency:
The
mechanical efficiency of an internal combustion
engine according to Wikipedia is
Where A =
area piston , p = pressure , and k = number of
cylinders
The thermal efficiency of a heat engine is
