Hesselman engine
Encyclopedia
The Hesselman engine is a hybrid between a petrol engine
and a Diesel engine
introduced by Swedish
engineer Jonas Hesselman
in 1925. It represented the first use of direct gasoline injection
on a spark-ignition engine. The Hesselman engine saw use in heavy trucks and buses in models produced in the 1920s and 1930s.
products such as oil
, kerosene
or diesel oil. The fuel is injected into the combustion chamber using an injection pump. Because of the engine low compression the fuel must be ignited by a spark plug
, unlike the diesel engine, where the fuel ignites spontaneously by the heat generated by the high compression ratio. Hesselman engines were often started on gasoline and then switched to diesel or kerosene when at working temperature. Clearing the heavy oil for the next start was achieved by switching back to gasoline before stopping. It is the first spark ignition engine with direct injection of fuel into the cylinder.
A Hesselman engine compared to a diesel engine had smaller dimensions and hence lower weight. In the 1930s knowledge of metallurgy
was less advanced, therefore diesel engines were heavy to cope with the high compression and pressure during combustion. Later, diesel engines were developed with better materials and Hesselman engines lost this advantage.
Hesselman engines had several disadvantages. Due to the low compression it was difficult to reach the working temperature. The result was an incomplete combustion. The incomplete combustion led to the spark plugs quickly fouling, but above all to what even in that time was termed "heavy smoke". In today's terms, this meant that the engines generated toxic exhausts on a scale that would be considered completely unacceptable.
, Tidaholms Bruk
and Volvo
, from the late 1920s. Scania-Vabis replaced Hesselman engines with proper Diesel engines from 1936, and Volvo from 1947.
Petrol engine
A petrol engine is an internal combustion engine with spark-ignition, designed to run on petrol and similar volatile fuels....
and a Diesel engine
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
introduced by Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
engineer Jonas Hesselman
Jonas Hesselman
Jonas Hesselman , was a Swedish engineer. He built the first spark ignition engine with direct injection of fuel into the cylinder.Hesselman worked from 1899 to 1916 for AB Diesel Engines in Sickla in Nacka just outside Stockholm, from 1901 as Head of Construction...
in 1925. It represented the first use of direct gasoline injection
Gasoline direct injection
In internal combustion engines, gasoline direct injection , also known as petrol direct injection or direct petrol injection, is a variant of fuel injection employed in modern two-stroke and four-stroke gasoline engines...
on a spark-ignition engine. The Hesselman engine saw use in heavy trucks and buses in models produced in the 1920s and 1930s.
Operation
A Hesselman engine is basically a spark-ignition engine, converted to run on heavier petroleumPetroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
products such as oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
, kerosene
Kerosene
Kerosene, sometimes spelled kerosine in scientific and industrial usage, also known as paraffin or paraffin oil in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Ireland and South Africa, is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid. The name is derived from Greek keros...
or diesel oil. The fuel is injected into the combustion chamber using an injection pump. Because of the engine low compression the fuel must be ignited by a spark plug
Spark plug
A spark plug is an electrical device that fits into the cylinder head of some internal combustion engines and ignites compressed fuels such as aerosol, gasoline, ethanol, and liquefied petroleum gas by means of an electric spark.Spark plugs have an insulated central electrode which is connected by...
, unlike the diesel engine, where the fuel ignites spontaneously by the heat generated by the high compression ratio. Hesselman engines were often started on gasoline and then switched to diesel or kerosene when at working temperature. Clearing the heavy oil for the next start was achieved by switching back to gasoline before stopping. It is the first spark ignition engine with direct injection of fuel into the cylinder.
Advantages and disadvantages
Hesselman engines could use heavier oils which were considerably cheaper than gasoline and were therefore more economical to operate for the vehicle owner. Contemporary tests also pointed to a slightly lower fuel consumption in comparison to gasoline engines of similar power.A Hesselman engine compared to a diesel engine had smaller dimensions and hence lower weight. In the 1930s knowledge of metallurgy
Metallurgy
Metallurgy is a domain of materials science that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their intermetallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are called alloys. It is also the technology of metals: the way in which science is applied to their practical use...
was less advanced, therefore diesel engines were heavy to cope with the high compression and pressure during combustion. Later, diesel engines were developed with better materials and Hesselman engines lost this advantage.
Hesselman engines had several disadvantages. Due to the low compression it was difficult to reach the working temperature. The result was an incomplete combustion. The incomplete combustion led to the spark plugs quickly fouling, but above all to what even in that time was termed "heavy smoke". In today's terms, this meant that the engines generated toxic exhausts on a scale that would be considered completely unacceptable.
Users
Hesselman engines were produced by all three Swedish truck manufacturers of its day, Scania-VabisScania-Vabis
Scania-Vabis was a Swedish truck and car manufacturer. The company was formed from a merger of Scania with the firm of Vabis in 1911. The car production ended in 1929...
, Tidaholms Bruk
Tidaholms Bruk
Tidaholms Bruk was founded in the Middle Ages and over the years it merged with several smaller industries into woodworking and the making of carts. In the small community of Sandhem outside Tidaholm the brothers Gottfrid and David Lindström in 1895 had a workshop where they made Kronan bicycles...
and Volvo
Volvo Trucks
Volvo Trucks is a global truck manufacturer based in Sweden, owned by Volvo Group - AB Volvo it is the world's second largest heavy-duty truck brand....
, from the late 1920s. Scania-Vabis replaced Hesselman engines with proper Diesel engines from 1936, and Volvo from 1947.
See also
- Diesel engineDiesel engineA diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
- Hot bulb engineHot bulb engineThe hot bulb engine, or hotbulb or heavy oil engine is a type of internal combustion engine. It is an engine in which fuel is ignited by being brought into contact with a red-hot metal surface inside a bulb....
- Gasoline direct injectionGasoline direct injectionIn internal combustion engines, gasoline direct injection , also known as petrol direct injection or direct petrol injection, is a variant of fuel injection employed in modern two-stroke and four-stroke gasoline engines...
- History of the internal combustion engineHistory of the internal combustion engineAlthough various forms of internal combustion engines were developed before the 19th century, their use was hindered until the commercial drilling and production of petroleum began in the mid-1850s...
- Fairbanks Morse
- Fuel injectionFuel injectionFuel injection is a system for admitting fuel into an internal combustion engine. It has become the primary fuel delivery system used in automotive petrol engines, having almost completely replaced carburetors in the late 1980s....
- Gasoline direct injectionGasoline direct injectionIn internal combustion engines, gasoline direct injection , also known as petrol direct injection or direct petrol injection, is a variant of fuel injection employed in modern two-stroke and four-stroke gasoline engines...
- Indirect injectionIndirect injectionIn an internal combustion engine, the term indirect injection refers to a fuel injection where fuel is not directly injected into the combustion chamber...
- Internal combustion engineInternal combustion engineThe internal combustion engine is an engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer in a combustion chamber. In an internal combustion engine, the expansion of the high-temperature and high -pressure gases produced by combustion apply direct force to some component of the engine...
- Lanz BulldogLanz BulldogThe Lanz Bulldog was a tractor manufactured by Heinrich Lanz AG in Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Production started in 1921 and various versions of the Bulldog were produced up to 1960. John Deere purchased Lanz in 1956 and started using the name "John Deere-Lanz" for the Lanz product line....
- Prosper L'OrangeProsper L'OrangeProsper L'Orange was a German engineer and inventor who pioneered the precombustion chamber , which made possible high-speed diesel engines that did not require an air compressor, and enabled them to be built small enough for use in road vehicles.-Career:L'Orange moved to Germany and studied...