An Investigation of the Sources of Blowby in Single-Cylinder Supercharged Diesel Engines

Measurements of carbon dioxide concentrations in the exhaust and in the crankcase of two different types of single-cylinder, supercharged diesel engines have been used to determine the amount of exhaust gas reaching the crankcase as piston ring blowby and as leakage through the exhaust valve stem-to-guide clearance. Over a wide range of operating conditions in both engines the carbon dioxide concentration was found to be more dependent on engine fuelling rate per hour than on fuel input per stroke. It was established that blowby through the exhaust valve guide was a major contributor to crankcase contamination. A simple method has been devised, requiring only minor modifications to the engine, that permits the blowby through the piston ring pack and the exhaust valve guides to be determined separately in turbocharged production engines.