In an internal combustion engine fuel is burned in a combustion chamber or cylinder inside the engine
to produce mechanical energy
Chemical (gas) to thermal (combustion) to mechanical More Simply: Chemical Energy to Mechanical Energy
Water is an excellent fuel for internal combustion engine, But, It takes A LOT! of energy to make it to the form to burn
pretty much to put it simply, the purpose of the internal combustion engine is to turn potential energy in the form of petrol or diesel into mechanical energy. This is done by exploding the fuel in the combustion chamber of the engine, therefore creating heat and rapid expension of gas which drives the whole car. if you want more info just look it up on the wikipedia site, it's pretty handy and well written.
List of examples of energy conversions1. Electric Generator (Mechanical Energy into Electrical Energy)2. Electric Motor (Electrical Energy into Mechanical Energy)3. Steam Engine (Thermal Energy into Mechanical Energy)4. Diesel or Petrol Engine (Chemical Energy into Mechanical Energy)5. Stove (Chemical Energy into Thermal Energy)6. Electric Bulb (Electrical Energy into Thermal and Light Energy)7. Cellular Respiration (Chemical Energy into Thermal and Mechanical Energy)
combustion
Thermal Energy
Thermal Energy
An internal combustion engine converts chemical energy into Thermal Energy, and converts thermal energy into mechanical energy via the pistons, connecting rods, and crankshaft .
burning fuel
heat engine: steam, internal combustion, turbines, etc
The output of every internal combustion engine is usually thought of as kinetic energy, but as a byproduct, thermal energy also is expelled as a result of the combustion of hydrocarbons. The primary fuel source. Additionally, much kinetic energy is also lost as a result of friction thereby also creating a thermal energy. So although the sources of both seem different, there would be no friction without first there being kinetic energy as a result of the combustion of hydrocarbon and oxygen.
Thermal energy is just heat. To convert it to mechanical energy you need some sort of heat engine, like an internal combustion engine or a gas turbine.
You can transform thermal energy to electrical energy in a power plant, chemical energy to mechanical energy in an internal combustion engine, or nuclear energy into thermal energy in a nuclear reactor. These are just three examples.
This is a heat engine, they come in various types such as internal combustion, external combustion, steam turbines, gas turbines, etc.
The source of thermal energy in an internal combustion engine is from a combination of pressure (the piston compressing the air/fuel mixture), ignition of air/fuel mixture by spark plug (largest contributor), and friction of moving parts inside the engine.
In an internal combustion engine, the provided energy is chemical energy. By means of combustion it is transformed into heat energy. This heat energy is transformed in to motion/kinetic energy in an internal combustion engine.