# Internal combustion engines and gensets

Piston engines in vehicles, ships and generators, burning petrol, diesel or gas.

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_engines/

Conversion and use · Conversion devices · No. 98

- Conversion and use
 Conversion and use · Conversion devices · Foundation · Energy

Running an Indian office on a diesel generator costs about Rs 25 to 40 per kWh, mostly for the fuel.

Chart: Illustration: Internal combustion engines and gensets

##### Where it comes from

Chart: Map of where it comes from

Fuel burns inside a sealed cylinder, and the hot gas pushes a piston; diesels compress air alone, so they avoid knock and run more efficiently.

##### Three things to know

1. A typical petrol car engine turns only about 28 to 32% of its fuel into work, and 16 to 25% reaches the wheels.
2. The biggest gas engines, with cylinders 500 mm wide, turn about 50% of their fuel into electricity.
3. India's emission norms raised diesel genset prices by 20 to 40%.

##### The journey

1. 1 **Fuel**Petrol, diesel, natural gas or biogas
2. 2 **Cylinder**Compressed charge burns, pushing a piston
3. 3 **Crankshaft**Turns the push into rotation
4. 4 **Output**Wheels, propellers or an alternator
5. 5 **Uses**Vehicles, backup power, data centres, islands

##### Go deeper pick a tab to open it in full

## Other sections

- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_engines/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_engines/correlation/index.md)
- [Science and limits](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_engines/science/index.md)
- [Value chain](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_engines/valuechain/index.md)
- [Unit economics](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_engines/economics/index.md)
- [Engineering methods](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_engines/methods/index.md)
- [Equipment and suppliers](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_engines/equipment/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_engines/links/index.md)