Experimental

The air cooled, single cylinder, spark ignited, 4-stroke engine is coupled to a dynamometer which permits its power output to be measured at constant RPM. The manifold pressure, average air flow, average fuel flow, cylinder volume and pressure, ignition timing, and temperatures at several locations can also be determined. The D.C electric motor/generator of the dynamometer may also be used to start the engine.

Power plant requirements vary under their intended use. Decide on some engineering application for a small Otto-cycle engine in order to identify its required characteristics,
and then determine how these are influenced by operating conditions. You must decide on which parameters should be varied and which kept constant in order to produce a systematic mapping of the engine performance as a function of these variables. Parameters such as the engine RPM and the air flow at a constant throttle opening are not independent, and you should design your experiments to take these couplings into account.