A TOOL FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF THERMAL EFFICIENCY OF IDEAL DIESEL CYCLES, PROVIDED TO FUTURE MARINE ENGINEERS

Diesel engines are a type of internal combustion engine widely spread in the maritime sector. In a world depending on fossil fuels, the challenge faced by scientists and professionals consists in the efficient use of this kind of fuels. The future of these engines strongly depends on the efficiency enhancement. Future mechanical engineers have to be trained in order to gain engineering judgement and enterprising attitude. In this respect, this paper deals with a theoretical study focused on the improvement of the efficiency of the ideal Diesel cycle. This type of study was recently introduced in Constanta Maritime University, within Thermodynamics seminar activities, delivered to future marine engineers, enrolled in their third semester. This study will reveal the fact that the efficiency of Diesel cycles is affected by the variation of compression ratio, cut off ratio and specific heats ratio. The results obtained will show that, for the ranges taken into discussion, thermal efficiency might be enhanced by the rise of compression ratio and specific heat ratio values and by lowering cut off ratio values. The study is a predecessor of expensive and time costing experiences and it is also a guidance in the hand of future professionals – able to train them for real solutions.