Fuel Injection System
FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS OF AN
INJECTION SYSTEM
• For a proper running and good performance from the engine, the following
requirements must be met by the injection system:
(i) Accurate metering of the fuel injected per cycle. This is very critical due to
the fact that very small quantities of fuel being handled. Metering errors may
cause drastic variation from the desired output. The quantity of the fuel
metered should vary to meet changing speed and load requirements of the
engine.
(ii) Timing the injection of the fuel correctly in the cycle so that maximum
power is obtained ensuring fuel economy and clean burning.
(iii) Proper control of rate of injection so that the desired heat-release
pattern is achieved during combustion.
(iv) Proper atomization of fuel into very fine droplets.
(v) Proper spray pattern to ensure rapid mixing of fuel and air.
(vi) Uniform distribution of fuel droplets in the combustion chamber.
(vii) To supply equal quantities of metered fuel to all cylinders in case of multi
cylinder engines.
(viii) No lag during beginning and end of injection i.e., to eliminate dribbling of fuel
droplets into the cylinder.
CLASSIFICATION OF INJECTION SYSTEMS
In a constant-pressure cycle or diesel engine, only air is compressed in
the cylinder and then fuel is injected into the cylinder by means of a
fuel-injection system. For producing the required pressure for
atomizing the fuel either air or a mechanical means is used. Accordingly
the injection systems can be classified as:
(i) Air injection systems
(ii) Solid injection systems
Air Injection System
In this system, fuel is forced into the cylinder by means of compressed air.
This system is little used nowadays, because it requires a bulky multi-stage air compressor.
This causes an increase in engine weight and reduces the brake power output further. One
advantage that is claimed for the air injection system is good mixing of fuel with the air with
resultant higher mean effective pressure. Another is the ability to utilize fuels of high
viscosity which are less expensive than those used by the engines with solid injection
systems. These advantages are off-set by the requirement of a multistage compressor
thereby making the air-injection system obsolete.
Solid Injection System
• In this system the liquid fuel is injected directly into the combustion chamber without the aid of compressed
air. Hence, it is also called airless mechanical injection or solid injection system. Solid injection systems can
be classified as:
(i) Individual pump and nozzle system
(ii) Unit injector system
(iii) Common rail system
(iv) Distributor system
• All the above systems comprise mainly of the following components.
(i) fuel tank,
(ii) fuel feed pump to supply fuel from the main fuel tank to the injection
system,
(iii) injection pump to meter and pressurize the fuel for injection,
(iv) governor to ensure that the amount of fuel injected is in accordance with
variation in load,
(v) injector to take the fuel from the pump and distribute it in the combustion chamber by atomizing it into
fine droplets,
(vi) fuel filters to prevent dust and abrasive particles from entering the pump and injectors thereby minimizing
the wear and tear of the components.
• A typical arrangement of various components for the solid injection system used
in a CI engine is shown in Fig.8.1. Fuel from the fuel tank first enters the coarse
filter from which is drawn into the plunger feed pump where the pressure is
raised very slightly. Then the fuel enters the fine filter where all the dust and dirt
particles are removed. From the fine filter the fuel enters the fuel pump where it
is pressurized to about 200 bar and injected into the engine cylinder by means of
the injector. Any spill over in the injector is returned to the fine filter. A pressure
relief valve is also provided for the safety of the system. The above functions are
achieved with the components listed above.
• The types of solid injection system described in the following sections differ only
in the manner of operation and control of the components mentioned above.
Individual Pump and Nozzle System
• The details of the individual pump and nozzle system are shown in Fig.8.2(a) and (b). In this
system, each cylinder is provided with one pump and one injector. In this arrangement a separate
metering and compression pump is provided for each cylinder. The pump may be placed close to
the cylinder as shown in Fig.8.2(a) or they may be arranged in a cluster as shown in Fig.8.2(b). The
high pressure pump plunger is actuated by a cam, and produces the fuel pressure necessary to
open the injector valve at the correct time.
• The amount of fuel injected depends on the effective stroke of the plunger.
Unit Injector System
• The unit injector system, Fig.8.2(c), is one in which the pump and the injector
nozzle are combined in one housing. Each cylinder is provided with one of these
unit injectors. Fuel is brought up to the injector by a low pressure pump, where at
the proper time, a rocker arm actuates the plunger and thus injects the fuel into
the cylinder. The amount of fuel injected is regulated by the effective stroke of
the plunger. The pump and the injector can be integrated in one unit as shown in
Fig.8.2(c).
Common Rail System
• In the common rail system, Fig.8.2(d), a HP pump supplies fuel, under high pressure, to a fuel
header. High pressure in the header forces the fuel to each of the nozzles located in the cylinders.
At the proper time, a mechanically operated (by means of a push rod and rocker arm) valve allows
the fuel to enter the proper cylinder through the nozzle. The pressure in the fuel header must be
that, for which the injector system was designed, i.e., it must enable to penetrate and disperse
the fuel in the combustion chamber. The amount of fuel entering the cylinder is regulated by
varying the length of the push rod stroke. A high pressure pump is used for supplying fuel to a
header, from where the fuel is metered by injectors (assigned one per cylinder). The details of the
system are illustrated in Fig.8.2(d).
Distributor System
• Figure 8.3 shows a schematic diagram of a distributor system. In this system the pump which
pressurizes the fuel also meters and times it. The fuel pump after metering the required amount
of fuel supplies it to a rotating distributor at the correct time for supply to each cylinder. The
number of injection strokes per cycle for the pump is equal to the number of cylinders. The
details of the system are given in Fig.8.3. Since there is one metering element in each pump, a
uniform distribution is automatically ensured. Not only that, the cost of the fuel-injection system
also reduces to a value less than two-thirds of that for individual pump system.
INJECTION IN SI ENGINE
• Fuel-injection systems are commonly used in CI engines. Presently gasoline
injection system is coming into vogue in SI engines because of the following
drawbacks of the carburetion.
(i) Non uniform distribution of mixture in multicylinder engines.
(ii) Loss of volumetric efficiency due to restrictions for the mixture flow and the
possibility of back firing.
A gasoline injection system eliminates all these drawbacks. The injection of fuel
into an SI engine can be done by employing any of the following methods which are
shown in Fig.8.14.
(a) direct injection of fuel into the cylinder
(b) injection of fuel close to the inlet valve
(c) injection of fuel into the inlet manifold
• There are two types of gasoline injection systems, viz.,
(i) Continuous Injection : Fuel is continuously injected. It is adopted when manifold injection is contemplated.
(ii) Timed Injection : Fuel is injected only during induction stroke over a limited period. Injection timing is not
a critical factor in SI engines.
Major advantages of fuel-injection in an SI engine are:
(i) Increased volumetric efficiency
(ii) Better thermal efficiency
(iii) Lower exhaust emissions
(iv) High quality fuel distribution
Some of the recent automotive engines are equipped with gasoline injection system, instead of a carburetion
for one or more of the following reasons:
(i) To have uniform distribution of fuel in a multicylinder engine.
(ii) To improve breathing capacity i.e. volumetric efficiency.
(iii) To reduce or eliminate detonation.
(iv) To prevent fuel loss during scavenging in case of two-stroke engines.
Types of Injection Systems
The fuel injection system can be classified as:
(i) Gasoline direct injection into the cylinder (GDI)
(ii) Port injection
(a) Timed, and (b) Continuous
(iii) Manifold injection
The above fuel injection systems can be grouped under two heads, viz.,
single-point and multi-point injection. In the single point injection system,
one or two injectors are mounted inside the throttle body assembly. Fuel
sprays are directed at one point or at the center of the intake manifold.
Another name of the single point injection is throttle body injection.
Multipoint injection has one injector for each engine cylinder. In this system,
fuel is injected in more than one location. This is more common and is often
called port injection system.
As already mentioned the gasoline fuel injection system used in a spark
ignition engine can be either of continuous injection or timed injection.
(i) Continuous injection systems: This system usually has a rotary pump. The pump
maintains a fuel line gauge pressure of about 0.75 to 1.5 bar. The system injects the
fuel through a nozzle located in the manifold immediately downstream of the throttle
plate. In a supercharged engine, fuel is injected at the entrance of the supercharger.
The timing and duration of the fuel injection is determined by Electronic Control Unit
(ECU) depending upon the load and speed.
(ii) Timed fuel injection system: This system has a fuel supply pump which sends fuel
at a low pressure of about 2 bar when the engine is running at maximum speed. A
fuel metering or injection pump and a nozzle are the other parts of the system. The
nozzle injects the fuel in the manifold or the cylinder head port at about 6.5 bar or
into the combustion chamber at pressures that range from 16 to 35 bar. Timed
injection system injects fuel usually during the early part of the suction stroke. During
maximum power operation injection begins after the closure of the exhaust valve and
ends usually after BDC. Direct in-cylinder injection is superior and always desirable
and better compared to manifold injection. In this case both low and high volatile
fuels can be used and higher volumetric efficiencies can be achieved. However, it was
noticed that direct injection caused oil dilution in the frequent warm up phases if the
car is used for daily transportation.
ELECTRONIC FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM
Modern gasoline injection systems use engine sensors, a computer, and
solenoid operated fuel injectors to meter and inject the right amount of fuel
into the engine cylinders. These systems called electronic fuel injection (EFI)
use electrical and electronic devices to monitor and control engine-
operation.
An electronic control unit (ECU) or the computer receives electrical signals in
the form of current or voltage from various sensors. It then uses the stored
data to operate the injectors, ignition system and other engine related
devices.
As a result, less unburned fuel leaves the engine as emissions, and the
vehicle gives better mileage. Typical sensors for an electronic fuel injection
system includes the following:
(i) Exhaust gas or oxygen sensor – senses the amount of oxygen in the engine
exhaust and calculates air-fuel ratio. Sensor output voltage changes in proportion
to air-fuel ratio.
(ii) Engine temperature sensor – senses the temperature of the engine coolant, and
from this data the computer adjusts the mixture strength to rich side for cold
starting.
(iii) Air flow sensor – monitors mass or volume of air flowing into the intake
manifold for adjusting the quantity of fuel.
(iv) Air inlet temperature sensor – checks the temperature of the ambient air
entering the engine for fine tuning the mixture strength.
(v) Throttle position sensor – senses the movement of the throttle plate so that the
mixture flow can be adjusted for engine speed and acceleration.
(vi) Manifold pressure sensor – monitors vacuum in the engine intake manifold so
that the mixture strength can be adjusted with changes in engine load.
(vii) Camshaft position sensor – senses rotation of engine camshaft/crankshaft for
speed and timing of injection.
(viii) Knock sensor – microphone type sensor that detects ping or preignition noise
so that the ignition timing can be retarded.
MULTI-POINT FUEL INJECTION (MPFI) SYSTEM
The main purpose of the Multi-Point Fuel Injection (MPFI) system is to supply
a proper ratio of gasoline and air to the cylinders. These systems function
under two basic arrangements, namely
(i) Port injection
(ii) Throttle body injection
• Port Injection
In the port injection arrangement, the injector is placed on the side of the
intake manifold near the intake port (Fig.9.3), The injector sprays gasoline
into the air, inside the intake manifold. The gasoline mixes with the air in a
reasonably uniform manner. This mixture of gasoline and air then passes
through the intake valve and enters into the cylinder.
• Every cylinder is provided with an injector in its intake manifold. If
there are six cylinders, there will be six injectors. Figure 9.4 shows a
simplified view of a port or multi point fuel injection (MPFI) system.
• Throttle Body Injection System
Figure 9.5 illustrates the simplified sketch of throttle body injection system
(Single point injection). This throttle body is similar to the carburettor
throttle body, with the throttle valve controlling the amount of air entering
the intake manifold. An injector is placed slightly above the throat of the
throttle body. The injector sprays gasoline into the air in the intake manifold
where the gasoline mixes with air. This mixture then passes through the
throttle valve and enters into the intake manifold.
As already mentioned, fuel-injection systems can be either timed or
continuous. In the timed injection system, gasoline is sprayed from the
injectors in pulses. In the continuous injection system, gasoline is sprayed
continuously from the injectors. The port injection system and the throttle-
body injection system may be either pulsed systems or continuous systems.
In both systems, the amount of gasoline injected depends upon the engine
speed and power demands. In some literature MPFI systems are classified
into two types: DMPFI and L-MPFI.
• FUNCTIONAL DIVISIONS OF MPFI SYSTEM
The MPFI system can be functionally divided into
(i) electronic control system,
(ii) fuel system, and
(iii) air induction system.
These functional divisions are described in the following sections.
• MPFI-Electronic Control System
The MPFI-electronic control system is shown in the form of block
diagram in Fig.9.8. The sensors that monitor intake air temperature, the
oxygen, the water temperature, the starter signal and the throttle
position send signals to the ECU. The air-flow sensor sends signals to
the ECU regarding the intake air volume. The ignition sensor sends
information about the engine speed. The ECU processes all these
signals and sends appropriate commands to the injectors, to control
the volume of the fuel for injection. When necessary the cold-start
injector timing switch off the ECU operates the cold start injector which
is a part of the fuel system.
• MPFI-Fuel System
The MPFI-fuel system is shown in the form of block diagrams in Fig.9.9.
In this system, fuel is supplied by the fuel pump. At the time of starting,
the cold start injector is operated by the cold start injector time switch.
The cold start injector injects fuel into the air intake chamber, thus
enriching the air-fuel mixture. The pressure regulator regulates the
pressure of the fuel. The injectors receive signals from the ECU and
inject the fuel into the intake manifold.
• MPFI-Air Induction System
The MPFI-air induction system is shown in the block diagram in
Fig.9.10. The air cleaner, the air-flow meter, the throttle body and the
air valve supply a proper amount of air to the air intake chamber and
intake manifold. The quantity of air supplied is just what is necessary
for complete combustion.