Internal Combustion Engine (ICE)

An engine in which the fuel is consumed in a confined space called a combustion chamber. The defining feature of an internal combustion engine is the work is performed by the expanding hot gases acting directly on pistons or rotors to cause movement. This is in contrast to a external combustion engine (for example, a steam engine), which uses the combustion process to heat a separate working fluid, typically water or steam, which then does work, for example by pressing on a steam actuated piston.