Fuel Systems

Topics for today :

1. Fuel Gauges
2. Fuel Filters
3. Fuel Injectors and Injector pumps
4. Governing
1. Fuel Gauges

Fuel gauges are used to
indicate the level of fuel
inside the fuel tank of an
automobile

Two types of Fuel
gauges are used viz. :
1. Electromagnetic type
2. Thermostatic type

Both the types of Fuel gauges have a sending unit that

consists of the device that physically measures the level of
fuel inside the tank

It consists of a float that floats on the fuel surface and
moves up or down depending on the fuel level

It varies the resistance inside an electrical circuit as it
moves up and down inside the tank with the help of a
rheostat
Electromagnetic type

The electromagnetic fuel gauge consists of an arrangement of coils

which receives varying electric current from the sender unit

The armature deflects the needle in the direction where the field is
strong

The field strength and the level of fuel are calibrated such that
proper indication is shown by the needle
Thermostatic type

The thermostatic gauge consists of a heating coil which

gets heated by the current sent by the sending unit

A bimetal strip attached to the heating coil contracts and
expands according to heat that is generated

The Bi metal strip connected to the needle decides how
much the needle has to deflect resulting in the display of
amount of fuel on the fuel gauge
2. Fuel Filters

A mesh made of porous material is used in a fuel filter to

remove unwanted particles and moisture from the fuel

The size of the mesh is determined according to the viscosity
of the fuel and the minimum size of the particles that has to
be filtered
3. Fuel Injectors & Injector Pumps

1. Necessity of Fuel Injection

2. Fuel injector positions in an engine
3. Fuel Injector positions inside the manifold for Multi-
cylinder Engines
4. Fuel injector construction and working
5. Fuel Injector pump construction and working
1. Necessity of Fuel Injection

A carburetor can cause reduced engine efficiencies due to
improper mixing of fuel with air due to improper pressure
generation and improper distribution of the fuel mixture
inside the manifold in the case of multi-cylinder engine
etc.

Volumetric efficiency may decrease due to failure of the
carburetor in filling up the combustion chamber with the
right amount of fuel

In order to handle these problems Fuel injectors have been
developed for petrol engines too along with Diesel engines
2. Fuel injector positions inside the engine

Fuel injectors can be situated at different positions inside
an engine

Three positions of a fuel injector can be as below :
1. Direct injection
2. Port injection
3. Manifold injection
Direct injection :

Direct injection system uses an injector that sprays fuel
directly into the combustion chamber

Such an injector should be designed to overcome the
pressure generated inside the chamber

Fuel injection begins at the end of the suction stroke to
make sure that fuel is available at the beginning of power
stroke
Port injection (2 stroke) :

Port ignition can be done by an injector in the case of a two
stroke engine

Port injection eliminates the need of a carburetor for a two
stroke engine and improves efficiency of combustion

It eliminates the movement of fuel mixture from going into
the exhaust port during transfer of fuel from the transfer
port
Manifold injection :

Manifold injection is done inside the inlet manifold of an
engine

Injection is done after air flows into the manifold

Single cylinder manifold injection improves the performance
of the engine

Manifold injection for multicylinder engines has to be done
carefully to make sure fuel is distributed properly into all the
manifolds leading to the cylinders
3. Fuel Injector positions inside the manifold for
Multicylinder Engine

Fuel injectors can be positioned in two ways inside the
manifold for multicylinder engines
1. Single common injector for all manifolds
2. Individual injector for every cylinder
1. Single common injector for all
manifolds

A common injector can be used
in the case of a multicylinder
engine to supply fuel to all the
cylinders

However this arrangement has
its disadvantages when
distribution of fuel is not
happening uniformly

If one of the cylinders fail due
to reasons like spark plug
failure etc, fuel will always flow
into the failed cylinder and
causes no combustion
2. Individual injector for every
cylinder

Using individual injectors for
multi-cylinders offers a lot of
advantages

The injectors can be
individually controlled
according to the demands of
the cylinder

It can be made sure that fuel
definitely flows into all the
cylinders
Fuel injector construction and working :

A fuel injector basically controls the flow of fuel
generated by the fuel injector pump into the engine
cylinder / manifold / port

The fuel injector does the following tasks :
1. It atomizes the fuel
2. It distributes fuel for proper mixing with air
3. It avoids sticking of fuel to cylinder walls and piston
surfaces which happens with the carburetor
working :

The Injector cavities are supplied with fuel at higher
pressure by the fuel injector pump

The needle valve is in closed position due to spring
force

When it is required to open the needle valve the
solenoid / electromagnetic coil is energized

The solenoid lifts the needle valve and causes the
diffuser nozzle to open generating a spray of fuel

Video How a Common Rail Diesel Injector Works and
Common Failure Points - Engineered Diesel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUvWnOd5lFw

Video - Detail Animation of Fuel Injector

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMb6fuXjaRI
Fuel injector pump construction and working

The injector pump consists of a spring loaded plunger

Above the plunger is a barrel that receives fuel that has to
be pumped

The camshaft actuates the plunger in a vertical reciprocating
movement resulting in pumping of fuel under high
pressure towards the fuel injector

The accelerator pedal is connected to a Control rack
mechanism

The control rack rotates a pinion which is attached to a
rotating plunger which has a helical groove over it

As the plunger with the helical groove is rotated by the
control rack it either reduces or increases the flow rate of
fuel depending upon the direction in which the accelerator
pedal is actuated

Video - In-line Injector Pump Part (1 _ 2)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9jMvJZwRuE
4. Governing

Engine governing is a
method used to control the
speed of the engine when
it reaches a set value of
speed

Centrifugal forces are used
to lift rotating weights

These lifting/dropping
weights make a valve to
open and close controlling
the amount of fuel that has
to be passed to an engine

Centrifugal governors are used in three different ways :
1. Hit and Miss Method / Trip Governor
2. Quality governing / Regulating governor
3. Quantity governing / Regulating governor
Hit and Miss method / Trip governor :

In this method, based on the speed, the governor just
decides whether fuel has to be supplied to the Engine or if
it has to be cut off, shutting down the engine and
restarting it when required

It is a ON OFF Governor
Quality Control governor / Regulating governor :

The Quality control governor controls the Air-Fuel
mixture ratio

According to the speed of the engine the valve that is
operated by the governor influences the amount the fuel
that goes into the mixture
Quantity control governor / Regulating governor :

In this type, the Air-Fuel ratio has a fixed value and the
amount of mixture entering the engine is controlled
according to the speed of the engine

Video - DIESEL ENGINE GOVERNORS - 1946 United States
Navy Training Film

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfQPJ3WRfWo
Modern Engine management System
Questions