Carburetor
A
carburetor is the component of automobile engines responsible
for mixing air and gasoline in the correct ratio for most efficient combustion
(usually about 15:1, air:gasoline, by weight). Common on older
vehicles, carburetors have been replaced in modern automobiles
by fuel injectors.
At its most basic, a carburetor has a tube constricted at
one point into a narrow throat, or venturi. The speed of air
flowing through the venturi increases and hence its pressure
decreases: fuel from a reservoir (the float chamber) is therefore
sucked in through a hole, or jet, at this point. The fuel
mixture then passes through a throttle valve, which controls the rate at which the mixture enters
the engine and hence the engine speed. A choke in the air-intake regulates the air supply and thus
the richness of the mixture. In practice, carburetors incorporate
various means of ensuring constancy of mixture strength during
running. High-performance engines may use more than one carburetor.
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