A Comparative Study of Engine Configurations: Fuel Consumption, Efficiency, and Application-Specific Advantages

Abstract

This research paper will investigate fuel consumption, efficiency, and applications-specific advantages of different engine configurations – Inline-4, V8, and flat engines. The engines will be evaluated through brake-specific fuel consumption, focusing on the engine itself solely, neglecting the mass of the vehicle, engine, and fuel load. Data collection will be conducted using the AngeTheGreat engine simulator, providing accurate fuel consumption data, RPM, and kph for analysis. Results show that the Inline-4 engines are the most fuel efficient, V8 engines generate the most incredible power, and the flat four engine offers the lowest brake-specific fuel consumption value. However, there are also inevitable minor errors that occurred during the simulation; although they do not affect the results heavily, they are still not negligible. Overall, the study highlights how engine configuration can directly impact the performance, leading manufacturers to extract the most out of its advantages to serve their purpose in specific applications.