Internal Engine

An internal Engine is an engine in which the combustion of fuel and an oxidizer (typically air) occurs in a confined space, referred to as a combustion chamber, that is integral to the engine. This is in contrast to an external combustion engine, such as a steam engine or Stirling engine, in which combustion does not occur within the engine itself. Instead an external device (for example, a boiler) heats a separate working fluid that is delivered to the engine to perform useful work.

Within an internal combustion engine an exothermic reaction creates gases at high temperature and pressure, which are permitted to expand and apply force to a movable component of the engine, such as a piston or turbine.

The term Internal Engine (ICE) is often used to refer to an engine in which combustion is intermittent, such as a Wankel engine or a reciprocating piston engine in which there is controlled movement of pistons, cranks, cams, or rods.^[5] However, continuous combustion engines such as jet engines, most rockets, and many gas turbines are also classified as types of internal combustion engines.

A huge number of different designs for internal combustion engines exist, each with different strengths and weaknesses. Although they're used for many different purposes, internal combustion engines particularly see use in mobile applications such as cars, aircraft, and even handheld applications: all where their ability to use an energy-dense fuel (especially fossil fuels) to deliver a high power-to-weight ratio is particularly advantageous.