FUEL CYCLE IN DIESEL ENGINE

The Diesel Engine

.... an internal combustion engine in which air is compressed to a temperature sufficiently high to ignite fuel injected into the cylinder where the combustion actuates a piston.

Roger Krieger, GM R&D Center

Diesel Fuel
If you have ever compared diesel fuel and gasoline, you know that they are different.
They certainly smell different. Diesel fuel is heavier and oilier. Diesel fuel evaporates much more slowly than gasoline -- its boiling point is actually higher than the boiling point of water. You will often hear diesel fuel referred to as "diesel oil" because it is so oily.

Diesel fuel evaporates more slowly because it is heavier. It contains more carbon atoms in longer chains than gasoline does (gasoline is typically C9H20, while diesel fuel is typically C14H30). It takes less refining to create diesel fuel, which is why it is generally cheaper than gasoline.

DIESEL FUEL
Diesel fuel must meet an entirely different set of standards than gasoline. The fuel in a diesel engine is not ignited with a spark, but is ignited by the heat generated by high compression. All diesel fuel must be clean, be able to flow at low temperatures, and be of the proper cetane rating.
Cleanliness. Low-temperature fluidity. Cetane number.

Diesel Fuel Characteristics

Cetane number
Measure of relative ease to initiate combustion
Higher number: easier to ignite

Octane number for gas: opposite

Higher number: less tendency to ignite

Cetane Number
Ignition quality measure Affects: cold starting, warm-up, combustion roughness, acceleration, and exhaust smoke density Cetane number is based on the ignition characteristics of two hydrocarbons:
Cetane - short delay period and ignites readily (100) Alphamethylnaphthalene (AMN) - long delay period and poor ignition quality (0)

It is the percentage by volume of normal cetane in a blend with AMN

PC engines require a minimum cetane no. of 35 DI engines require a minimum cetane no. of 40

Cetane Number
High cetane number indicates good ignition quality (short delay period) Low cetane number indicates poor ignition quality (long delay period) PC engines require a minimum cetane # of 35

DI engines require a minimum cetane # of 40 Cetane improver additive can improve ignition quality and reduce white smoke during start up

FUEL CYCLE

Fuel Injection In CI Engines

Cylinder Pressure

Diffusion Combustion smoke Rapid Combustion knock

Delay Period

Fuel Injection In CI Engines

7% decrease in air density per 1000m altitude

Less air means less fuel required

Fuel injection system has to compensate for air density to minimize smoke output

FUEL FILTERS
The fuel filtration and water separation needs of today's new generation diesel fuel systems demand extremely high efficiency, flexibility, multiple functions and ease of use with no risk of fuel spills or contaminated parts. Stan dyne's patented Fuel Manager range of Available for light, medium and heavy duty trucks; and agricultural, industrial, construction and marine applications, there is a Fuel Manager

The FM10 Series is designed for diesel engines with a fuel flow rate up to 50 US gallons/hr (190 liters/hr). Typical engines range from 10 to 200 HP The FM100 Series is designed for diesel engines with a fuel flow rate up to 80 US gallons/hr (300 liters/hr). Typical engines range from 50 to 350 HP.

The FM1000 Series is designed for diesel engines with a fuel flow rate up to 180 US gallons/hr (680 liters/hr). Typical engines range from 200 to

Types of filters

Fuel pump
The traditional style of injection pump is the inline pump. They have been used for many decades and are still commonly found on agricultural and stationary diesels, and very many older model diesel road vehicles still employ them, including the Toyota Landcruiser 2H diesel.. They are typically capable of generating injection nozzle pressures up to about 750 bar in light road vehicles towards the lower end of the range that is required these days.

They have a separate pump plunger for each cylinder of the engine, so a 4 cylinder engine has a four plunger pump, a 6 cylinder engine has a six plunger pump, etc. The pump is run at half engine crankshaft speed and has a central shaft with four/six etc. cam lobes attached. So, each plunger is operated by its cam once every two crankshaft revolutions, coinciding of course with the power stroke of its engine cylinder. Each plunger has a spiral groove or helix machined on its side and cut through to the top of the plunger. When operated, the plunger is pushed up by its cam lobe. At a certain point the spiral groove will line up with a spill port on the side of the plunger cylinder and the rest of the fuel is spilled.

 Because the groove is a spiral shape, the point in the plunger stroke when it uncovers the spill port will vary as the plunger is rotated a few degrees either way. This adjusts the spill point and hence,

the volume of its fuel charge to the engine cylinder.

 So that all engine cylinders receive the same sized fuel charge, all of the plungers are rotated together. This is achieved by each plunger having gear teeth machined to its circumference which are engaged by a common gear rack which runs through the pump body. As the rack moves back and forth, all four (or six or more) plungers are rotated together. The extremes of travel of the pump rack control the minimum and maximum fuel charge quantities the pump is capable of

PRE SUPPLY PUMP

The electric fuel pump comprises of: 1.Electric Motor 2.Roller-Cell Pump 3.Non Return Valve

PRE SUPPLY PUMP

The roller cell is driven by an electric motor. Its rotor is mounted eccentrically and provided with slots in which movable rollers are free to travel.

PRE SUPPLY PUMP

The rollers are forced against the base plate by rotation and by fuel pressure . The fuel is transported to the outlet openings on the pumps pressure side.

PRE SUPPLY PUMP variants

Gear type fuel pump The drive gear wheel is driven by the engine . Delivery quantity is directly proportional to engine speed . Shut off is by means of an electromagnet..

High- pressure pump

The pump plunger moves downwards The inlet valve opens The fuel is drawn in to the pumping element chamber(suction stroke)

High- pressure pump

At BDC, the inlet valve closes The fuel in the chamber can be compressed by the upward moving plunger.

High- pressure accumulator (Rail)

Store fuel Prevent pressure fluctuations

High- pressure accumulator (Rail)

Rail is a forged-steel tube. ID is approx.. 10mm Length is between 280 and 600mm The volume must be as small as possible, as large as necessary

Pressure-control valve (DRV)

Responsible for maintaining the pressure in the rail at a constant level.

Fuel Injector
The injector on a diesel engine is its most complex component and has been the subject of a great deal of experimentation -- in any particular engine it may be located in a variety of places. The injector has to be able to withstand the temperature and pressure inside the cylinder and still deliver the fuel in a fine mist.

Getting the mist circulated in the cylinder so that it is evenly distributed is also a problem, so some diesel engines employ special induction valves, pre-combustion chambers or other devices to swirl the air in the combustion chamber or otherwise improve the ignition and combustion process.

CI Engine Combustion Chambers

Two types:
Indirect (divided chamber) injection - into a pre-combustion chamber

CI Engine Combustion Chambers

Two types:
Direct injection - into cylinder

Combustion Chamber Comparison

Indirect
Good
Excellent mixing, turbulence characteristics
Can burn lower quality fuel

Lower injection pressure Less pronounced knock

Combustion Chamber Comparison

Indirect
Bad
Very high temperature/pressure in injection chamber
Higher emissions, especially NOx

Harder to start - glow plugs Less efficient

Combustion Chamber Comparison

Direct
Bad
Pressure rise can be great, knock High injection pressure, high quality fuel

Combustion Chamber Comparison

Direct
Good
Lower specific fuel consumption - 20% Lower emissions Bigger valves, higher volumetric efficiency

Direct Injection
Air-fuel mixing important
Controlled by:
Use of swirl-inducing designs
Intake port geometry Piston cap geometry

Injection system design

High pressure Many nozzle holes Positioning
Bad: high-tech injection system Good: Higher volumetric efficiency

DIESEL ENGINES
Indirect and Direct Injection

FIGURE 4-4 A direct injection diesel engine injects the fuel directly into the combustion chamber. Many designs do not use a glow plug.

DIESEL ENGINES
Indirect and Direct Injection In an indirect injection (abbreviated IDI) diesel engine, fuel is injected into a small prechamber, which is connected to the cylinder by a narrow opening. The initial combustion takes place in this prechamber. This has the effect of slowing the rate of combustion, which tends to reduce noise. FIGURE 4-3 An indirect injection diesel engine uses
a prechamber and a glow plug.

DIESEL ENGINES
Diesel Fuel Ignition

Ignition occurs in a diesel engine by injecting fuel into the air charge, which has been heated by compression to a temperature greater than the ignition point of the fuel or about 1,000F (538C).

Fuel Injection Systems

Electronic distributor pump Electronic unit injector (EUI)

High-pressure common rail

Roger Krieger, GM R&D Center

Electronic Distributor Pump

Electronic Unit Injector (EUI)

Roger Krieger, GM R&D Center

High-Pressure Common Rail

Common Rail

Spill Control Valve

Injectors

Fuel Return to Tank ECU

High-Pressure Pump