Elimination of Fuel Pressure Fluctuation and Multi-injection Fuel Mass Deviation of High Pressure Common-rail Fuel Injection System

The influence of fuel pressure fluctuation on multi-injection fuel mass deviation has been studied a lot,but the fuel pressure fluctuation at injector inlet is still not eliminated efficiently.In this paper,a new type of hydraulic filter consisting of a damping hole and a chamber is developed for elimination of fuel pressure fluctuation and multi-injection fuel mass deviation.Linear model of the improved high pressure common-rail system(HPCRS)including injector,the pipe connecting common-rail with injector and the hydraulic filter is built.Fuel pressure fluctuation at injector inlet,on which frequency domain analysis is conducted through fast Fourier transformation,is acquired at different target pressure and different damping hole diameter experimentally.The linear model is validated and can predict the natural frequencies of the system.Influence of damping hole diameter on fuel pressure fluctuation is analyzed qualitatively based on the linear model,and it can be inferred that an optimal diameter of the damping hole for elimination of fuel pressure fluctuation exists.Fuel pressure fluctuation and fuel mass deviation under different damping hole diameters are measured experimentally,and it is testified that the amplitude of both fuel pressure fluctuation and fuel mass deviation decreases first and then increases with the increasing of damping hole diameter.The amplitude of main injection fuel mass deviation can be reduced by 73%at most under pilot-main injection mode,and the amplitude of post injection fuel mass deviation can be reduced by 92%at most under main-post injection mode.Fuel mass of a single injection increases with the increasing of the damping hole diameter.The hydraulic filter proposed by this research can be potentially used to eliminate fuel pressure fluctuation at injector inlet and improve the stability of HPCRS fuel injection.     

A mathematical model for the prediction of the injected mass diagram of a S.I. engine gas injector

A mathematical model of gaseous fuel solenoid injector for spark ignition engine has been realized and validated through experimental data. The gas injector was studied with particular reference to the complex needle motion during the opening and closing phases, which strongly affects the amount of fuel injected. As is known, in fact, when the injector nozzle is widely open, the mass flow depends only on the fluid pressure and temperature upstream the injector: this allows one to control the injected fuel mass acting on the “injection time” (the period during which the injector solenoid is energized). This makes the correlation between the injected fuel mass and the injection time linear, except for the lower injection times, where we experimentally observed strong nonlinearities. These nonlinearities arise by the injector outflow area variation caused by the needle bounces due to impacts during the opening and closing transients [1] and may seriously compromise the mixture quality control, thus increasing both fuel consumption and pollutant emissions, above all because the S.I. catalytic conversion system has a very low efficiency for non-stoichiometric mixtures. Moreover, in recent works [2, 3] we tested the simultaneous combustion of a gaseous fuel (compressed natural gas, CNG, or liquefied petroleum gas, LPG) and gasoline in a spark ignition engine obtaining great improvement both in engine efficiency and pollutant emissions with respect to pure gasoline operation mode; this third operating mode of bi-fuel engines, called “double fuel” combustion, requires small amounts of gaseous fuel, hence forcing the injectors to work in the non-monotonic zone of the injected mass diagram, where the control on air-fuel ratio is poor. Starting from these considerations we investigated the fuel injector dynamics with the aim to improve its performance in the low injection times range. The first part of this paper deals with the realization of a mathematical model for the prediction of both the needle motion and the injected mass for choked flow condition, while the second part presents the model calibration and validation, performed by means of experimental data obtained on the engine test bed of the internal combustion engine laboratory of the University of Palermo.     

Effects of different piezo-acting mechanism on two-stage fuel injection and CI combustion in a CRDi engine

In this study, the effects of two piezo injectors operated by different mechanisms on multi-injection and Compression ignition (CI) combustion were investigated. High-pressure injectors for CI engines are divided into two categories according to the actuator: Solenoid and piezo injectors. It is commonly known that both injectors have a hydraulic circuit for fuel injection; thus, the performance of the injector is highly dependent on not only hydraulic characteristics such as volume of internal chambers and nozzle geometry, but also the actuation mechanism. Specially, the direct needle-Driven piezo injector (DPI) is introduced in this study and compared with the indirectacting Piezo injector (PI) to investigate the injection characteristics and influences on CI combustion performance by using spray visualization, injection rate measurement, and single cylinder diesel engine experiments, as well as numerical simulation for injection rate modeling of DPI. In the spray visualization experiment, a high-speed camera was used to examine spray tip penetration length and spray speed with respect to each injector. Also, in order to investigate injection rate information, which is a significantly dominant factor in combustion characteristics, the Bosch-tube method was adapted under the condition of a back pressure of 4.5 MPa, corresponding to engine motoring pressure. Also, a single-cylinder CRDi (Common-rail direct-injection) engine experiment was carried out to determine the effects of different piezo-acting mechanisms on two-stage fuel injection and CI combustion. From the key results obtained by this study, the direct needle-driven piezo injector has a faster SOI (Start of injection) and EOI (End of injection). In addition, the overall shape of the injection rate of DPI was narrow and the injection had a higher spray speed than that of PI. Also, DPI has a higher heat release rate and peak pressure, as verified by the engine experiment. In particular, it was found that DPI showed the possibility of combustion improvement when applying a pilot injection strategy.

     

Model-based optimization of injection strategies for SI engine gas injectors

A mathematical model for the prediction of the mass injected by a gaseous fuel solenoid injector for spark ignition (SI) engines has been realized and validated through experimental data by the authors in a recent work [1]. The gas injector has been studied with particular reference to the complex needle motion during the opening and closing phases. Such motion may significantly affect the amount of injected fuel. When the injector nozzle is fully open, the mass flow depends only on the upstream fluid pressure and temperature. This phenomenon creates a linear relationship between the injected fuel mass and the injection time (i.e. the duration of the injection pulse), thus enabling efficient control of the injected fuel mass by simply acting on the injection time. However, a part of the injector flow chart characterized by strong nonlinearities has been experimentally observed by the authors [1]. Such nonlinearities may seriously compromise the air-fuel mixture quality control and thus increase both fuel consumption and pollutant emissions (SI engine catalytic conversion systems have very low efficiency for non-stoichiometric mixtures). These nonlinearities arise by the injector outflow area variation caused by needle impacts and bounces during the transient phenomena, which occur in the opening and closing phases of the injector. In this work, the mathematical model previously developed by the authors has been employed to study and optimize two appropriate injection strategies to linearize the injector flow chart to the greatest extent. The first strategy relies on injection pulse interruption and has been originally developed by the authors, whereas the second strategy is known in the automotive engine industry as the peak and hold injection. Both injection strategies have been optimized through minimum injection energy considerations and have been compared in terms of linearization effectiveness. Efficient linearization of the injector flow chart has been achieved with both injection strategies, and a similar increase in injector operating range has been observed. The main advantage of the pulse interruption strategy lies on its ease of implementation on existing injection systems because it only requires a simple engine electronic control unit software update. Meanwhile, the peak and hold strategy reveals a substantial lack of robustness and requires expressly designed injectors and electronic components to perform the necessary voltage commutation.     

An investigation on effect of high pressure post injection on soot and NO emissions in a DI diesel engine

NO and Soot trade off is an important challenge for engineers in DI Diesel engines. This paper, introduces multiple injection as a strategy for simultaneous reduction of NO and Soot emissions on a DI diesel engine and also proposes a new concept of variable injection pressure and studies its effect on the engine emissions. To evaluate the benefits of multiple injection strategies and to reveal combustion mechanism, modified three dimensional CFD code KIVA-3V was developed. Results showed that using post injection with appropriate dwell between injection pulses has a great effect on simultaneous reduction of the emissions. Based on computational results, NO reduction formation mechanism in multiple injection strategy is as a single injection with retarded injection timing. It is shown that reduction in soot formation is because of the fact that in split fuel injection the soot, which is producing rich regions at the head of fuel spray, are not replenished by newly injected fuel in post injection pulse. Also increasing injection pressure in post injection will reduce the Soot emission dramatically while NO emission is in control for increase of fuel burning rate in post injection pulse.     

Computation of pressure fluctuation frequency in electronic unit pump for diesel engine

Pressure variations inside a fuel injection system can lead to fluctuations in injected fuel quantity during injections and therefore can directly impact the stability and performance coherence of the fuel injection system and the engine it matched. Concepts of hydraulic capacitance and hydraulic inductance are introduced into fuel injection system by referencing LC oscillator electric circuit. A LC undamped hydraulic mathematical model is developed based on the structural parameters of the electronic unit pump (EUP). Pressure fluctuation frequency during injection process at different operating conditions of the EUP is computed by the LC undamped model. It is observed that the frequencies of pressure fluctuations tend to increase with the fuel injection process. Pressure curves and pressure fluctuation frequencies obtained by experiments at different operating conditions validated the results predicted by the LC undamped mathematical model.     

Correlation analysis of factors influencing the electronic unit pump cycle fuel injection quantity under overall operating conditions for diesel engines

Electronic unit pump (EUP) can satisfy both diesel engine emission legislation and fuel economy by improving injection pressure and numerical control. Fluctuations in cycle fuel injection quantity (CFIQ) of EUP determine the coherence and stability of the EUP fuel injection system. The EUP simulation model is developed in the AMESim environment. The method for the simulation experiment is designed in the MODDE environment using the design of experiments method. The results of the simulation reveal the variation laws of correlation between parameters with interaction or no interaction under overall operating conditions of diesel engines. In addition, the results also show the EUP system is a complex nonlinear system. Under overall operating conditions, all the characteristic parameters, such as fuel supply pressure, cam profile velocity, control valve lift, injector opening pressure, injector needle lift, and injector flow coefficient, have significant correlation with CFIQ. The interacting first-order factors exhibit the most significant correlation with CFIQ. The self-interacting second-order factors have significant secondary correlation with CFIQ.     

Using momentum flux measurements to determine the injection rate of a commercial Urea Water Solution injector

The Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) technology allows the transformation of the Nitrous Oxide emissions present in exhaust gases into gaseous nitrogen and water. For a proper operation of the SCR, a urea-water solution (UWS) injector must dose an adequate amount of liquid into the exhaust pipe in order to avoid deposit formation and to guarantee the SCR system efficiency. This task requires the knowledge of the performance of the injector. Then, the goal of this work is to study the hydraulic performance of a UWS injector, by means of measuring the spray momentum flux in order to understand the influence of different variables as injected fluid, injection pressure, counter pressure and cooling temperature of the injector on the flow characteristics. The tested injector was cooled at three different temperatures, 60, 90 and 120 °C, the injection pressure of the UWS was set at 5, 7 and 9 bar, with counter pressures of 750, 900, 1000 and 2000 mbar for the two tested fluids, water and UWS. The measurements were carried out using an experimental facility developed at CMT-Motores Térmicos for the determination of spray momentum flux, where a piezoelectric pressure sensor was located near the nozzle exit of the injector, which measures the impact force of the spray. Additionally, the proposed methodology allowed to determine the injected mass flow and to capture the transient injection events, such as the opening and closing stages. Moreover, mass flow rate measurements of the injector were performed under the same operating conditions, determining the influence of the injection pressure, cooling temperature, counter pressure and fluid properties. Regarding the pressure, the tendency was as expected, the higher the injection pressure the higher the Momentum flux and flow rate. Results showed that an increment of the cooling temperature of the injector induces the appearance of flash boiling conditions, having an impact on the total injected mass and momentum flux, changing the behaviour of the spray. For the same conditions, water has a higher momentum flux than the UWS due to differences in fluid properties and velocity at the nozzle exit.     

Experimental investigation on the influence of engine operating conditions on combustion and nanoparticle emission characteristics of a small DI diesel engine

The influence of variations in engine speed, injection pressure, injection timing, and multiple injection strategies on the combustion and nanoparticle characteristics of a small Direct injection (DI) diesel engine was experimentally investigated. To measure the size distribution and number concentration of particle emissions, a rotating disk thermo-diluter (dilution system), a Condensation particle counter (CPC), and a Scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS) were used. The injection pressure was changed from 60 MPa to 120 MPa, at an engine speed of 1200 rpm. Injection timing was varied from Before top dead center (BTDC) 40˚ to Top dead center (TDC). To investigate the effect of multiple-injection strategies, the injection strategies consisted of two pulse signals with different dwell time. The experimental results show that the peak combustion pressure and Rate of heat release (ROHR) profile are increased and ignition delay is shortened with the increase of injection pressure from 60 MPa to 120 MPa. The concentration of soot emission for 120 MPa is lower than that of 60 MPa at advanced injection timing from TDC up to BTDC 25°. As the injection timing advances to over BTDC 30°, soot emissions rapidly increase and the high injection pressure case (120 MPa) creates more emissions than the 60 MPa case. The overall trends of total particle number are relatively increased with high injection pressure for single injection conditions. In the advanced injection timings of over BTDC 30°, the trend of total particle number is high for all injection pressures. For multiple injections, the peak combustion pressures and ROHR of multiple-injection strategies are slightly lower compared with those of single-combustion results. Comparing the multiple injection strategies, soot emission is reduced with the retard of second injection timing (-30°+5°). The overall trends of particle size and total number for the 7 mg+3 mg case revealed the lowest level compared with other cases, which is 50% lower than that for the 5 mg+5 mg case. When compared with single injection results, the total particle number and Dp of multiple injection cases were eventually lower.

     

型料输送管道系统中注入装置的设计研究

针对型料管输送的特点，提出型料输送管道注入装置的设计思路，介绍了注入装置的工作原理，并对注入装置进行了系统分析，设计了弹仓式水下喂料器，注入销定管系统和Y型管道连接件，通过管道主泵，辅泵的相互配合和控制球阀的交替启闭，圆柱状型料能连续有序的注入水力输送管道，并实现型料在管道内成串地进行输送。     

Numerical research on influence of structural parameters of common-rail injector on injection rate of each nozzle hole

Performance of diesel engines are influenced by fuel spray distribution, fuel-air mixture formation and combustion, which are also influenced by hole-to-hole fuel injection rate from multi-hole injectors. In this study, a customized spray momentum flux experimental test rig was used to measure the transient injection rates from a two-layered 8-hole diesel injector. The results indicated that the fuel injection rate and the cycle fuel injection quantities of the lower-layered nozzle holes were 3–15% higher than the fuel injection rates and the cycle fuel injection quantities of the upper-layered nozzle holes. A three-dimensional (3D) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of the two-layered 8-hole diesel injection nozzle was developed and validated by analyzing the relative error between the numerical results obtained from the model and the experimental results measured with the test injector. The simulation results showed that the relative average deviation of hole-to-hole cycle injection quantities were less than ±1%, which is the result of 5% increment in the cross-sectional area of the upper-layered holes.     

Optical investigation of the fuel injector influence in a PFI spark ignition engine for two-wheel vehicles

This paper describes the results obtained in a port fuel injection spark-ignition (PFI SI) engine by optical diagnostics during the fuel injection and the combustion process. A research optical engine was equipped with the fuel injection system, the head and the exhaust device of a commercial 250 cc engine for scooters and small motorcycles. Two injectors were tested: standard 3-hole injector that equipped the real reference engine and a 12-hole injector. The intake manifold was modified to allow the visualization of the fuel injection using an endoscopic system coupled with CCD camera. Size and number of the fuel droplets were evaluated through an image processing procedure. The cycle resolved visualization and chemiluminescence allowed to follow the combustion process from the spark ignition to the exhaust phase. All the optical data were correlated with engine parameters and exhaust emissions. The effect of the fuel injector type on deposits formed by fuel accumulation and dripping on the intake valves steams and seats was investigated. In particular, the evolution of diffusion-controlled flames due to the fuel deposits burning was analyzed. These flames were principally located near the intake valves, and they persisted well after the normal combustion event. The consequences were the formation and emission of soot and unburned hydrocarbons. The multi-hole injector helped reducing wall wetting and deposit formation so that the emission characteristic can be improved. The use of 12-hole injector allowed a more homogeneous distribution for a lower time of fuel droplets in the intake manifold than the 3-hole injector. This study also investigated the detailed physical/chemical phenomena to figure out reasons for the improvement using optical measurements.     

Combustion stability characteristics of the model chamber with various configurations of triplet impinging-jet injectors

Combustion stability characteristics in actual full-scale combustion chamber of a rocket engine are investigated by experimental tests with the model (sub-scale) chamber. The present hot-fire tests adopt the combustion chamber with three configurations of triplet impinging-jet injectors such as F-O-O-F, F-O-F, and O-F-O configurations. Combustion stability boundaries are obtained and presented by the parameters of combustion-chamber pressure and mixture (oxidizer/fuel) ratio. From the experimental tests, two instability regions are observed and the pressure oscillations have the similar patterns irrespective of injector configuration. But, the O-F-O injector configuration shows broader upper-instability region than the other configurations. To verify the instability mechanism for the lower and upper instability regions, air-purge acoustic test is conducted and the photograph of the flames is taken. As a result, it is found that the pressure oscillations in the two regions can be characterized by the first impinging point of hydraulic jets and pre-blowout combustion, respectively.     

Influence of injection rate shaping on combustion and emissions for a medium duty diesel engine

This paper describes the effects of injection rate shaping on the combustion, fuel consumption and emission of NO_X and soot of a medium duty diesel engine. The focus is on the influence of four different injection rate shapes; square type 1, square type 2, boot and ramp, with a variation of maximum injection pressure and start of injection (SOI). The experiments were carried out on a 1 liter single cylinder research diesel engine equipped with an amplifier-piston common rail injection system, allowing the adjustment of the injection pressure during the injection event and thus injection rate as desired. Two strategies to maintain the injected fuel mass constant were followed. One where rate shaping is applied at constant injection duration with different peak injection pressure and one strategy where rate shaping is applied at a constant peak injection pressure, but with variable injection duration. Injection rate shaping was found to have a large effect on the premixed and diffusion combustion, a significant influence on NO_x emissions and depending on the followed strategy, moderate or no influence on soot emission. Only small effects on indicated fuel consumption were found.     

Development and assessment of a new operating principle for the measurement of unsteady flow rates in high-pressure pipelines

Instantaneous mass flow rate measurements in high-pressure transmission pipelines under transient flow conditions can be valuable for the analysis of hydraulic power systems. However, at present no reliable commercial measuring device is available for pressure levels beyond 300 bar. A new operating principle, of general application, for measuring the flow rate in high-pressure flows (from 300 to 2000 bar) was developed and assessed. The innovative device was capable of accurately evaluating the instantaneous mass flow rate on the basis of the pressure–time histories detected at two different locations by high-pressure transducers. The measurement operating principle was detailed and technical indications for the flowmeter correct design were provided.For validation purposes, the flow rate measurements taken at the inlet of a Multijet Common Rail (CR) injector were compared to the theoretical data predicted by an advanced numerical model of the complete fuel injection system.The developed flowmeter was then applied to characterize the flow rate ripple at the delivery of the CR high-pressure reciprocating pump.     

Floating clamping mechanism of PT fuel injector and its dynamic characteristics analysis

PT fuel injector is one of the most important parts of modern diesel engine.To satisfy the requirements of the rapid and accurate test of PT fuel injector,the self-adaptive floating clamping mechanism was developed and used in the relevant bench.Its dynamic characteristics directly influence the test efficiency and accuracy.However,due to its special structure and complex oil pressure signal,related documents for evaluating dynamic characteristics of this mechanism are lack and some dynamic characteristics of this mechanism can’t be extracted and recognized effectively by traditional methods.Aiming at the problem above-mentioned,a new method based on Hilbert-Huang transform(HHT) is presented.Firstly,combining with the actual working process,the dynamic liquid pressure signal of the mechanism is acquired.By analyzing the pressure fluctuation during the whole working process in time domain,oil leakage and hydraulic shock in the clamping chamber are discovered.Secondly,owing to the nonlinearity and nonstationarity of pressure signal,empirical mode decomposition is used,and the signal is decomposed and reconstructed into forced vibration,free vibration and noise.By analyzing forced vibration in the time domain,machining error and installation error of cam are revealed.Finally,free vibration component is analyzed in time-frequency domain with HHT,the traits of free vibration in the time-frequency domain are revealed.Compared with traditional methods,Hilbert spectrum has higher time-frequency resolutions and higher credibility.The improved mechanism based on the above analyses can guarantee the test accuracy of injector injection.This new method based on the analyses of the pressure signal and combined with HHT can provide scientific basis for evaluation,design improvement of the mechanism,and give references for dynamic characteristics analysis of the hydraulic system in the interrelated fields.     

高压共轨喷油器测试电路设计及其检测平台开发研究

为了检测高压共轨喷油器的工作性能,改善汽车尾气的排放质量,对高压共轨喷油器的动作原理及其检测波形进行了分析,并对喷油器的喷油量进行了计算。采用PLC技术,利用PWM方法,设计了一种喷油器检测电路及其测试平台,可以检测各类型号的高压共轨喷油器在怠速及全油门状态下的喷油状况,对其喷油质量给出判定,该平台也可进行喷油嘴驱动电路的优化研究。     

Correlating armature and needle dynamics with voltage waveforms of solenoid-actuated GDI injector

The injector voltage hump that appears near the needle closing has been used for the real-time monitoring and feedback control of fuel injection duration in modern engines. This voltage hump has been thought to result from the abrupt change in electromagnetic induction by the stoppage of needle motion but detailed electromagnetic processes and associated armature and needle dynamics during the needle closing have not been thoroughly investigated in a wide range of injection conditions, which knowledge is crucial for the delicate control of fuel injection based on the voltage hump. The current study analyzes the transient armature and needle dynamics of a solenoid-actuated gasoline direct injection injector using an X-ray phase-contrast imaging technique. Then, the results are correlated with voltage waveforms during the needle closing transient under various injection pressures, injection pulse durations, and dwell times of split injections. The time derivatives of voltage waveforms showed lower and upper peaks in order in the regime of the voltage hump. Inconsistent with conventional understandings, the lower peak timing of the voltage derivative did not match with the timing of needle closing (end of injection) but rather matched with the abrupt descent timing of the armature and needle. The inflection timing and upper peak timing of the voltage derivative matched with the timings of actual needle closing and armature closing respectively. The amplitude of the voltage hump was near linearly dependent on the needle closing speed. The needle closing speed decreased upon the decrease of injection pulse duration and injection pressure which made it difficult to detect the voltage humps in ballistic injection regimes and low injection pressures. In split injection conditions, the voltage hump of the first injection was not detectable if the dwell time was shorter than the needle closing delay, the time from the current cut-off to the actual needle closing.     

The effect of injection pressure and fuel viscosity on the spray characteristics of biodiesel blends injected into an atmospheric chamber

An experimental study was conducted to examine the effect of injection pressure and fuel type on the spray tip penetration length and the angle of spray injected into atmospheric chamber. The objective of the present study is to formulate empirical correlations of the spray tip penetration and the spray angle for non-evaporative condition. The experiment was performed by a common rail type high-pressure injector for the diesel engine at the injection pressure 40??100 MPa and four different fuels (D100, BD25, BD45, and BD65). The results showed that the biodiesel content increased the spray tip penetration and decreased the spray angle. The correlation of spray tip penetration is expressed for each region before and after spray break-up time in terms of injection pressure, fuel viscosity and time after start of injection. The correlation is also obtained for spray angle equation terms of injection pressure and fuel viscosity.     

An investigation on the spray characteristics of DME with variation of ambient pressure using the common rail fuel injection system

We investigated the DME spray characteristics about varied ambient pressure and fuel injection pressure using the common rail fuel injection system when the nozzle holes diameter is varied. The common rail fuel injection system and fuel cooling system were used since DME has compressibility and vaporization at atmospheric temperature. The fuel injection quantity and spray characteristics were measured. The spray was analyzed for spray shape, penetration length, and spray angle at the six nozzle holes. There are two types of injectors: 0.166 mm diameter and 0.250 mm diameter. The ambient pressure, which was based on gage pressure, was 0, 2.5, and 5 MPa. The fuel injection pressure was varied by 5 MPa from 35 to 70 MPa. By comparing with the common injector, using the converted injector it was shown that the DME injection quantity was increased 127% but it didn??t have the same low heating value. Both the common and converted injectors had symmetric spray shapes. In case of converted injector, there were asymmetrical spray shapes until 1.2 ms, but after 1.2 ms the spray shapes were symmetric. Also, the converted injector had shorter penetration length and wider spray angle than the common injector.