internal-combustion engine
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- A type of heat engine where the fuel is burned (combustion) within a sealed chamber inside the engine itself. This internal burning creates high-pressure hot gases that expand directly to produce mechanical work, typically by moving a piston or spinning a turbine.
Usage
- The internal-combustion engine revolutionized transportation in the 20th century.
- Most cars are powered by an internal-combustion engine that runs on gasoline or diesel.
- The efficiency of an internal-combustion engine is affected by its design and fuel type.
Advanced Usage
- Reciprocating internal-combustion engine: The most common type, where the expansion of gases drives a piston back and forth (reciprocates) in a cylinder.
- The automobile's reciprocating internal-combustion engine converts linear piston motion into rotational motion at the crankshaft.
- Rotary internal-combustion engine: A type where combustion spins a triangular rotor within an oval chamber, instead of using pistons.
- The Wankel engine is a famous example of a rotary internal-combustion engine.
Variants and Related Words
- ICE (n.): A common abbreviation for "internal-combustion engine."
- Many governments are introducing policies to phase out new ICE vehicles.
- Engine (n.): A broader term for a machine that converts energy into motion. An internal-combustion engine is one specific kind.
- External-combustion engine (n.): A contrasting type of heat engine where fuel is burned outside the main engine unit to heat a separate working fluid (e.g., a steam engine).
Synonyms
- Heat engine: A more general term for any engine that converts heat energy into mechanical work.
Related Phrases
- Internal combustion: The process itself of burning fuel inside the engine.
- The principle of internal combustion is central to the engine's operation.
Noun
- a heat engine in which combustion occurs inside the engine rather than in a separate furnace; heat expands a gas that either moves a piston or turns a gas turbine