[Physics] Why engines don’t melt

thermal conductivitythermodynamics

The temperatures of internal combustion engines are well above the melting points of the component materials.

For example, temperatures can reach 2200° C whereas the melting point of aluminium is 659°, of iron is 1530°, of cast iron 1260°,of high carbon steel 1353° etc.

I have read that the reason for this is the phenomenon called "microboiling".
The cooling water boils locally at temperatures below the boiling temperature, and the created steam has higher thermal conductivity and cools the engine.

What are the reasons behind microboiling?

And why steam has higher thermal conductivity than water?

Best Answer

It is all a matter of engineering balance, between the water circulating in the radiator circuit of the car, which enfolds the engine and with water-metal contact which takes heat away at a certain rate.

In automobiles and motorcycles with a liquid-cooled internal combustion engine, a radiator is connected to channels running through the engine and cylinder head, through which a liquid (coolant) is pumped. This liquid may be water (in climates where water is unlikely to freeze), but is more commonly a mixture of water and antifreeze in proportions appropriate to the climate

Microboiling are those small bubbles one sees at the bottom of the saucepan before water starts boiling uniformly at 100C. They are removed with the water circulation raising the radiator water's temperature.

If the radiator loses its water the engine seizes up because of loss of lubricating oil and deformations due to heat, long before the melting point is reached, ( as observed by tfb in comments) and is destroyed. If the water boils it would remain at the same temperature so cannot work as a coolant. Therefore the water circulates to remove the micro boiling points from the surface of the metal to the rest of the reservoir and cool it at the radiator.

The engineering design takes all this into account, to keep the metal surfaces well below melting and at a good temperature for the lubricating oil by the rate of circulation of water around the engine fast enough. With red lights coming up to stop immediately if the water circulation fails ( has happened to my old car and not only once).

Now as far as containers and temperatures, take the temperature of a propane heated oven, it is at 2800C, but we cook food in the oven at 180C. Do the oven walls melt? Or even the inlet grid? It is all about rates of heat transfer and and it depends on the engineering parameters.