FUEL SUPPLY SYSTEM IN DIESEL
ENGINE
Dr. B. B. Ale
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Pulchowk Campus
Institute of Engineering
2008
4-STROKE DIESEL ENGINE
The Diesel Engine
• Developed by Rudolph Diesel in 1892
– Focused on high efficiency replacement for steam engine
– Increased efficiency from 12% to 26%
• Demonstrated the engine at the World’s Fair in Paris in 1898
– Running on peanut oil
• How does it works?
– Air is drawn into cylinder and compressed by rising piston
– As the air is compressed, the temperature rises
– As the piston rises to the top of it’s stoke, the fuel is injected at very
high pressure into combustion chamber (mixing with the hot air
– The mixture ignites and forces the piston downward
FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM IN DIESEL ENGINES
• The task of fuel-injection system is to meter the appropriate quantity
of fuel for the given engine speed and load to each cylinder, each
cycle, and inject that fuel at the appropriate time in the cycle at the
desired rate with the spray configuration required for the particular
combustion chamber employed.
• It is important that injection begin and end cleanly, and avoid any
secondary injections.
• To accomplish this task, fuel Is usually drawn from the fuel tank by a
supply pump, and forced through a filter to the injection pump. The
injection pump sends fuel under pressure to the nozzle pipes which
carry fuel to the injector nozzles located in each cylinder head.
Excess fuel goes back to the fuel tank.
FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM IN DIESEL ENGINE
FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS
• Pumping elements: to move the fuel from the fuel tank to
cylinder and piping etc.
• Metering elements: to measure and supply the fuel at the
rate demanded by the load and speed.
• Metering controls: to adjust the rate of metering elements for
changes in load and speed of the engine.
• Distributing elements: to divide the metered fuel equally
among the cylinders.
• Timing controls: to adjust the start and the stop of injection.
• Mixing elements: to atomize and distribute the fuel within the
combustion chamber.
DIESEL FUEL SYPPLY SYSTEM
COMBUSTION IN CI ENGINES
• Fuel is injected into the cylinder late in the compression
stroke by one or more injectors located in each cylinder
combustion chamber. Injection time is usually about 20o of
crankshaft rotation, starting at about 15o bTDC and ending
about 5o aTDC.
• In addition to the swirl and turbulence of the air, a high
injection velocity is needed to spread the fuel throughout
the cylinder and cause it to mix with the air. After injection
the fuel must go through a series of events to assure the
proper combustion process.
• Atomization: the smaller the original drop size emitted by
the injector the quicker and more efficient will be this
atomization process.
• Vaporization: The small droplets of liquid fuel evaporate to
vapor. This occurs very quickly due to the hot air
temperature created by the high compression of CI
engines. About 90% of the fuel injected into the cylinder
has been vaporizes within 0.001 second after injection.
• Fuel-air mixing: After vaporization, the fuel vapor must mix
with air to form a mixture within the AF range which is
combustible.
• Self-ignition: At about 8o bTDC, 6-8o after the start
of injection, the air-fuel mixture starts to self-ignite.
Actual combustion is preceded by secondary
reaches, including breakdown of large hydro carbon
molecules into smaller species and some oxidation.
• Combustion: Combustion starts from self-ignition
simultaneously at many locations in the slightly rich
zone of the fuel jet, where the equivalence ratio is Φ
= 1 to 1.5
• Higher compression ratio can be used resulting improved
thermal efficiency.
• Short delay depends on cetane no.
• Soot formation occurs if the amount of fuel injected is
increased since mep (diesel) is lower than mep (petrol).
• γdiesel > γpetrol; since diesel engine works on lean AF
mixture. This gives a higher fuel conversion efficiency than
the spark-ignition engine, for a given expansion ratio.
γ = cp/cv
CONSTRAINT
• Difficult to achieve rapid mixing between injected fuel and the air in
the cylinder to complete combustion in the appropriate crank angle
interval close to TDC.
• For commercial diesel engine
Bore size, D = 70-900mm
• Piston speed, Sp = 2LN = const; N ≈ Sp/2L;
That is, N ∞ 1/L
• Fuel-air mixing in small engine must take place on a time scale of 10
times shorter than in large engines.
• As engine size decreases more vigorous air motion is required while
less fuel jet penetration is necessary.
• It is this logic that leads to the different diesel combustion chamber
designs and fuel injection systems found in practice in diesel engines
COMBUSTION CHAMBER
• Direct injection (DI) engine has main chamber
– Compression ratio = 15:1 to 18:1
– Used in large engine (bus, truck)
• Indirect injection (IDI) engine has prechamber and
main chamber
– Compression ratio = 20:1 to 24:1
– Used in smaller engine (utility vehicles like Pajero,
Prado)
FUEL INJECTION
The two fuel injection processes used in diesel engines, direct-injection (DI)
and indirect-injection (IDI), are illustrated in Figures. In a DI engine, fuel is
injected directly into the cylinder above the piston. In an IDI engine, fuel is
injected into a small prechamber connected to the cylinder via a narrow
passage that enters the prechamber tangentially. During the compression
process, air is forced through this passage, generating a vigorous swirling
motion in the prechamber. Then fuel is injected into the prechamber and
ignition occurs there.
The combination of rapidly swirling air in the prechamber and the jet-like
expansion of combustion gases from the prechamber into the cylinder
enhances the mixing and combustion of the fuel and air. The more rapid
mixing of fuel and air achieved in IDI engines comes at a price, however.
The high velocity flow of air through the narrow passage connecting the
main cylinder to the prechamber, as well as the vigorous swirling motion in
the prechamber itself, causes the air to lose significantly more heat during
compression than it does in a DI engine. Coupled with a pressure drop from
the main chamber to the prechamber, this results in an air temperature in
the prechamber after compression that is lower than that in a similar DI
engine.
Since rapid fuel autoignition requires a certain air temperature, an IDI engine needs
a higher compression ratio to achieve the desired air temperature in the
prechamber.
IDI engines operate at compression ratios of about 20:1 to 24:1; while DI engines
operate at ratios of about 15:1 to 18:1. The heat losses that necessitate these
higher compression ratios have another, more important effect: they decrease the
efficiency of the engine. IDI engines typically achieve fuel efficiencies that are 10%
to 20% lower, on a relative basis, than comparable DI engines. Even with the higher
compression ratios, IDI engines may still be hard to start. Most IDI engines use glow
plugs to heat the air in the prechamber in order to make starting easier. Glow plugs,
which are small resistive heaters, are usually powered for only the first few minutes
of engine operation.
With the negative attributes of harder starting and lower efficiency, one may wonder
why IDI diesel engines are used at all. The answer is engine speed. As an engine
gets smaller, generally it must operate at higher speeds to generate the desired
power. As engine speed increases, there is less time per engine cycle to inject,
vaporize, mix, and combust the fuel. As a result, the higher mixing rates afforded by
IDI designs become necessary to achieve good combustion at higher engine
speeds. IDI diesels most commonly are used in smaller automotive and light duty
truck applications.
COMBUSTION
CHAMBER DESIGNS
USED IN DIESEL
ENGINES
Two common types of small indirect-injection
diesel engine combustion system:
a) swirl prechamber; b) turbulent prechamber
INJECTION PUMPS
• In-line injection pumps are used in engines in the 40 to
100 kW per cylinder maximum power range. They contain a
plunger and barrel assembly for each engine cylinder.
• Distributor-type fuel injection pumps are normally used
in multi-cylinder engines with less than 30 kW per cylinder
maximum power with injection pressures up to 750 atm.
These pumps have only one plunger and barrel.
• High pressure common rail: Diesel fuel under high
pressure, over 20,000 PSI (138,000 kPa), is applied to the
injectors, which are opened by a solenoid controlled by the
computer.
COMMON-RAIL SYSTEM (CRS)
Common-rail (accumulator) fuel-injection systems
make it possible to integrate the injection system
together with a number of its extended functions in the
diesel engine, and thus increase the degree of
freedom available for defining the combustion
process.
The common-rail system’s principal feature is that
injection pressure is independent of engine speed and
injected fuel quality.
FUEL TANK AND LIFT PUMP
High-Pressure Common Rail
FIGURE 12-10 Overview of
a computer-controlled high-
pressure common rail V-8
diesel engine.
UNIT INJECTOR SYSTEM (UIS) FOR
COMMERCIAL VEHICLES
The electronically controlled unit injector is a single-
cylinder fuel-injection pump with integral nozzle and
solenoid valve which is installed directly in the cylinder
head of the diesel engine. Each engine cylinder is
allocated its own unit injector, which is operated by a
rocker arm driven by an injection cam on the engine
camshaft.
UNIT INJECTOR SYSTEM (UIS) FOR COMMERCIAL VEHICLES
Unit Injector (UI) Unit Injector (UI)
1. Return spring 11. High pressure plug
2. Pump body 12. Solenoid travel
3. Pump plunger stop
4. Cylinder head 13. Restriction
5. Spring retainer 14. Fuel return
6. Tension nut 15. Fuel supply
7. Stator 16. Injector spring
8. Armature plate 17. Pressure pin
9. Solenoid-valve 18. Shim
needle 19. Injector
10. Solenoid-valve
tension nut
TYPES OF FUEL INJECTION PUMP
1. VE Type Pump 2 . PE Type Pump 3 . PER Type Pump
(sectional area) (sectional area) Used for farm
First developed in Used for heavy equipments and
the world by Bosch engines of buses, low-speed hips
and thirdly by trucks & special with TAPET inside of
DPICO, lighter vehicles, the pump.
and smaller than the equipments and
traditional serial type ships
Plunger
Delivery valve
WORKING OF PUMP PLUNGER
INJECTOR AND NOZZLES
NOZZLES
INJECTION RATE CHARACTERISTICS OF DIFFERENT
NOZZLES
Nozzle holder
Nozzle
Multi-Hozzle Nozzle
Functional aspect
This nozzle works in conjunction
with a Torroidal chamber.
The provision of torroidal chamber
(1) on the top of the piston (2)
provides a squish turbulence of air
to enable fuel to mix with air fully.
The air in the cylinder (4) is
compressed to a very high
pressure. The fuel nozzle (3) has 4
spray (5) holes and fuel is sprayed
at a very high pressure to penetrate
into the highly compressed air. The
fuel is ignited very quickly and
combustion proceeds in the
cylinder (4).
No heater or glow plug is
necessary. Hence starting of
engine is easy. The method is
called direct injection in diesel
engines. ([Link])
Pintle Nozzle
Functional aspect
The pintle nozzle (1) works in conjunction with
Pre-chamber (2) provided in the cylinder head
(3).
The pintle nozzle (1) provides a conical spray
of fuel at a low pressure on the compressed
air in the pre-combustion chamber (2).
The pre-chamber provides good turbulence of
air for mixing with fuel spray. Since the air in
the pre-chamber (2) is not compressed to high
pressure enough heat is not available for
igniting the fuel. Hence a glow plug (4) to
preheat the air is provided.
The combustion of fuel takes place in two
stages, i.e first in the pre-combustion chamber
(2) and it is continued in the spherical
chamber (5) on the top of the piston. The
burnt gas and unburnt fuel particles pass to
the main chamber through passage in the
pre-chamber (2). During this process further
atomisation of fuel takes place and all fuel is
burnt out. The combustion process is
continued on the top of the piston (6).
This method is called Indirect Injection in
diesel engine.
COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF NOZZLE
S.N. Nozzle Properties Uses Advantages Disadvantages
1 Single hole Diameter >0.2 mm Open Simple in operation Poor fuel mixing with air.
Spray angle:5-15° combustion and construction It requires high injection
Injection pressure: 80- chamber pressure.
100 bar It has tendency to dribble.
2 Multi-hole No. of holes: 4-10 Open Good Very high injection pressure.
Dia: 0.125-0.85 mm combustion automisation. Chances of nozzle hole
Spray angle: 20-45° chamber Better mixing even clogging by carbon.
Pressure: 165-300 bar with slow air Requires greater maintenance
movement. and operation expenses.
3 Circumferential Large spray angle Large spray angle
orifice for better mixing of
fuel with air.
4 Pintle nozzle Variable spray angle Pre-chamber Spray angle can Distribution and penetration
up to 60° be varied by poor, hence not suitable for
Pressure: 110-135 bar changing the open combustion chamber.
section of pin
along its length.
5 Pintaux Auxilliary hole dia: Pre-chamber Better performance Tendency for the auxilliary hole
(Pintle+auxilliary) 0.2mm in cold starting. to choke. The injection
Spary angle: 30° characteristic of the pintaux
nozzle is poorer than that of the
multi-hole nozzle.
IGNITION DELAY
• The ignition delay in a diesel engine is defined as the time
(or crank angle) interval between the start of injection and
the start of combustion. The start of injection is taken as the
time when the injector needle lifts off its seat.
• The combustion of injected fuel depends on:
– The physical processes are: the atomization of the liquid fuel jet;
the vaporization of the fuel droplets; the mixing of fuel vapor with
air.
– The chemical processes are the pre-combustion reactions of the
fuel, air, residual gas mixture which lead to autoignition.
• These processes are affected by engine design and
operating variables, and fuel characteristics.
Cylinder pressure p, injector
needle lift lN, and injection-system
fuel-line pressure p1, as functions
for crank angle for small DI
engine
Typical DI engine
heat-release-rate
diagram identifying
different diesel
combustion phases.
A-Start of fuel injection
AB-Delay period (mixture formation)
B-Start of ignition (combustion)
C-End of ignition
BC-Rapid or uncontrolled combustion
D-Combustion
CD-Mixing-Controlled combustion
DE-Late combustion (products)
INFLUENCE OF VARIOUS FACTORS ON DELAY PERIOD
• Ignition quality of fuel (cetane no.)
• Injection timing
• Compression ratio
• Injection pressure, rate of injection and drop size
• Intake, water jacket and fuel temperature
• Intake pressure
• Engine speed
• Air-fuel ratio
• Injection quantity or Load
• Engine size
• Combustion chamber wall effects
• Swirl rate
• Exhaust gas recirculation
• Types of combustion chamber
Schematic injection-rate and burning-rate diagrams in three different types of naturally aspirated
diesel combustion system: a) DI engine with central multihole nozzle; b) DI “M” type engine with fuel
injected on wall; c) IDI swirl chamber engine.
FUEL SPRAY
Tracing of outer boundary of liquid fuel spray and flame from high-speed movies of
diesel combustion taken in a rapid-compression machine, looking down on piston
through transparent head.
TEST BENCH
GOVERNOR
MECHANICAL
GOVERNOR
CONCLUSIONS
• Diesel fuel supply system depends on the type of injection. It may be
either DI or IDI.
• DI system is used in slow running large engines whereas IDI is used
in smaller but fast running engines.
• Glow plugs are used to enhance the cold starting.
• Care should be taken to use clean diesel fuel.
• Diesel engines running at low rpm emit more health damaging
smoke.
• Periodic servicing of fuel system is very important; such as changing
of filters, calibration of injection pump etc.
• Only a trained and skilled technician should handle the injection
pump.
