Menu
Home
People
Places
Arts
History
Plants & Animals
Science
Life & Culture
Technology
Reference.org
Hesselman engine
open-in-new
<h2 id="operation">Operation</h2> <p>During the engine's operating cycle, air is first drawn into the cylinder through an intake valve and given a rotary motion as a result of its tangential direction of entry. Air is compressed on the "up" stroke of the piston without stopping its rotary motion. At about 50 degrees before top dead-center, fuel is injected toward the spark plug from the opposite side of the combustion chamber. The rotary movement of the air mixes the air and fuel while carrying the mixture past the spark plug. The spark occurs at about 15 degrees before top dead-center after which the engine completes its power and exhaust strokes and the cycle began again. Timing for the start of fuel injection and spark are fixed. Throttling of the engine is achieved by linked variation of air intake volume and duration of fuel injection.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a> </p><p>In practice Hesselman engines had efficiencies higher than contemporary <a href="/facts/Carburetor/DMvC7y9M">carburetor</a> spark ignition engines but lower than diesel engines. The combination of low-ratio, air-only compression and spark plug ignition allowed Hesselman engines to run on <a href="/facts/Fuel_oil/5Qbta9f5">fuel oil</a>, <a href="/facts/Kerosene/DoHPYXKp">kerosene</a>, <a href="/facts/Petrol/lcnxq5BS">petrol</a>, coal derived tar-oils or <a href="/facts/Alcohol_(chemistry)/Y0SCTDkh">alcohol</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a> although most ultimately ran on conventional diesel fuels.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a> It was common to start Hesselman engines using petrol from a small auxiliary tank before switching over to cheaper diesel fuel from the main fuel tank.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11"><sup>11</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="history">History</h2> <p>The Hesselman engine was first described in 1925 by Jonas Hesselman, who was already a leading authority on diesel engine design and had created hundreds of patents.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12"><sup>12</sup></a> </p><p>Hesselman engines were built in Sweden by <a href="/facts/Scania-Vabis/GooUkEzI">Scania-Vabis</a>, <a href="/facts/Tidaholms_Bruk/Pwaz3XFX">Tidaholms Bruk</a> and <a href="/facts/Volvo_Trucks/WmCuJpJo">Volvo</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:13" href="#fn:13"><sup>13</sup></a> Some engines were also built in Germany by <a href="/facts/AEG_(German_company)/m0FBE9YN">AEG</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:14" href="#fn:14"><sup>14</sup></a> </p><p>In the United States, Hesselman engines were built by the <a href="/facts/Waukesha_Engine/MWep7FPE">Waukesha Motor Company</a> for both vehicular and industrial applications.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:15" href="#fn:15"><sup>15</sup></a> Smaller numbers of Hesselman engines were also built by <a href="/facts/Allis-Chalmers/Ac9HxQVB">Allis-Chalmers</a> for use in <a href="/facts/Continuous_track/Kdn9EBLN">tracked vehicles</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:16" href="#fn:16"><sup>16</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:17" href="#fn:17"><sup>17</sup></a> Waukesha-Hesselman engines remained in production until 1951.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:18" href="#fn:18"><sup>18</sup></a> </p><p>Marketing tactics emphasised the engine's ease of starting and low smoke emissions when compared to contemporary diesel engines, as well as its ability to run on low cost fuels.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:19" href="#fn:19"><sup>19</sup></a> </p><p>Hesselman engines were produced in relatively small numbers (around 500 by 1934) but were tried in wide variety of applications that typically used diesel engines. Transport applications included trucks, busses, powerboats and <a href="/facts/Railcars/8WCtLGNc">railcars</a>. Stationary Hesselman engines were used to drive pumps, gas compressors and a variety of other industrial machinery.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:20" href="#fn:20"><sup>20</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Hulsebos-Hesselman_axial_oil_engines/wk4y75Xb">Hulsebos-Hesselman axial oil engines</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Gasoline_direct_injection/sYFbNNJm">Gasoline direct injection</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Diesel_engine/9B9opxvA">Diesel engine</a></li></ul> Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hesselman engines. <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>Dillstrom, Torbjorn (1934). "A High-Power Spark-Ignition Fuel-Injection Engine". SAE Transactions. 29. United States: Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE): 431–438. <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Ricardo, Harry (1953). The High Speed Internal Combustion Engine (4 ed.). Glasgow, UK: Blackie and Sons. p. 4. <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>Pope, A.W (1934). "The Hesselman Low-Compression Diesel-Fuel-Burning-Engine". SAE Transactions. 29. United States: Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE): 385–390. <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>Allen, Jim (June 2019). "Crazy Combustion". Diesel World. United States. ISSN 1559-8632. <a href="/wiki/ISSN_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/ISSN_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>Dillstrom, Torbjorn (1934). "A High-Power Spark-Ignition Fuel-Injection Engine". SAE Transactions. 29. United States: Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE): 431–438. <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>Allen, Jim (June 2019). "Crazy Combustion". Diesel World. United States. ISSN 1559-8632. <a href="/wiki/ISSN_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/ISSN_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>Pope, A.W (1934). "The Hesselman Low-Compression Diesel-Fuel-Burning-Engine". SAE Transactions. 29. United States: Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE): 385–390. <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>Dillstrom, Torbjorn (1934). "A High-Power Spark-Ignition Fuel-Injection Engine". SAE Transactions. 29. United States: Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE): 431–438. <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:9"><p>Allen, Jim (June 2019). "Crazy Combustion". Diesel World. United States. ISSN 1559-8632. <a href="/wiki/ISSN_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/ISSN_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:10"><p>Allen, Jim (June 2019). "Crazy Combustion". Diesel World. United States. ISSN 1559-8632. <a href="/wiki/ISSN_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/ISSN_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:11"><p>"The Stewart Oil Engined Truck". The Singleton Argus. Singleton, Australia. 28 Feb 1936. p. 4. <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:12"><p>Pope, A.W (1934). "The Hesselman Low-Compression Diesel-Fuel-Burning-Engine". SAE Transactions. 29. United States: Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE): 385–390. <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:13"><p>Dillstrom, Torbjorn (1934). "A High-Power Spark-Ignition Fuel-Injection Engine". SAE Transactions. 29. United States: Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE): 431–438. <a href="#fnref:13" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:14"><p>"Airless Injection Engines, Proposed for Aeroplane Use". The Telegraph. Brisbane, Australia. 4 January 1935. p. 6. <a href="#fnref:14" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:15"><p>Pope, A.W (1934). "The Hesselman Low-Compression Diesel-Fuel-Burning-Engine". SAE Transactions. 29. United States: Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE): 385–390. <a href="#fnref:15" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:16"><p>Allen, Jim (June 2019). "Crazy Combustion". Diesel World. United States. ISSN 1559-8632. <a href="/wiki/ISSN_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/ISSN_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:16" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:17"><p>"Stock Statistics". The Telegraph. Charleston, USA. 14 May 1937. p. 14. <a href="#fnref:17" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:18"><p>Allen, Jim (June 2019). "Crazy Combustion". Diesel World. United States. ISSN 1559-8632. <a href="/wiki/ISSN_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/ISSN_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:18" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:19"><p>"The Stewart Oil Engined Truck". The Singleton Argus. Singleton, Australia. 28 Feb 1936. p. 4. <a href="#fnref:19" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:20"><p>Dillstrom, Torbjorn (1934). "A High-Power Spark-Ignition Fuel-Injection Engine". SAE Transactions. 29. United States: Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE): 431–438. <a href="#fnref:20" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>