Gas, gasoline and oil engines

Excerpt from Gas, Gasoline and Oil Engines: Including Complete Gas Engine Glossary
Heat Engines. Heat energy and mechanical energy are mutually convertible; that is, heat energy can be converted into mechanical energy, and mechanical energy can be converted into heat energy. The production of heat through friction is a very common example of the latter form of conversion, while the transformation of heat into mechanical energy is represented by the steam and gas engines. Since these engines transform heat into mechanical force and motion they are known as "Heat Engines," to distinguish them from other forms of prime movers in which electricity or the kinetic energy of falling water is utilized as a source of energy. In both the gas engine and steam engine, the transformation is accomplished by the expansion of a heated gas or vapor, the temperature of the gas falling as the expansion proceeds, the energy liberated being proportional to the reduction in temperature.
In practical heat engines, the heat energy is supplied to the gas or water vapor by a process known as "Combustion" a chemical combination of the atmospheric oxygen with substances known as "Fuels." The fuels are carbon and hydrogen compounds such as coal, petroleum, or wood, and each substance is capable of developing a certain definite amount of heat for every pound of weight. The fuel can therefore be considered as a heat storage system since the original heat energy imparted to the fuel by the sun during the period of plant growth can later be liberated by the process of combustion. Nearly all fuels are the result of plant growth, the structure being modified by various conditions of pressure, aging, and atmospheric conditions imposed after the death of the plant.
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