Common Rail Diesel Engine Management, Part 1

A detailed tech examination

by Julian Edgar Click on pics to view larger images

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At a glance...

Diesel functioning Injection start timing Injection duration Injection discharge curve Common rail system components Email a friend Print article

Dizel je doiveo revolucionaran razvoj tokom polsednje decenije Pogledajte samo oko se!e koliko putni"kih automo!ila s dizel motorom protadto #ta je dovelo do transformacije smrdljivog$ !u"nog i prljavog motora u njegovu sada%nju rafiniranu formu& ' ve(ini slu"ajeva to je sistem za u!rizgavanje goriva zvan) common rail *ajde da napravimo detaljan tehni"ki pogled

Dizel motori

+vakako osnovni dizajn !enzinskih i dizel motora je pri!lino isti ,o!a imaju dvo ili "etvorotaktne motore s klipnim mehanizmom i radilicom-$ kod dizel motora se ne sa!ija sme%a goriva i vazduha "ije se sagorevanje inicira kori%(enjem sve(ice Although the !asic designs of petrol and diesel engines are similar ,!oth are two or four stroke designs which use reciprocating pistons driving a crankshaft-$ a diesel engine does not compress its fuel.air charge and then initiate com!ustion !y the use of a spark plug Instead$ in a diesel engine just air is compressed /hen the piston is near 0op Dead Centre$ the fuel is sprayed !y an injector into the com!ustion cham!er$ whereupon it mi1es with the hot compressed air and self2ignites In order that the air within the diesel com!ustion cham!er reaches an ade3uate temperature for self2ignition to occur$ the compression ratio needs to !e much higher than found in a spark ignition engine Compression ratios in the range of 45)4 to 67)4 are commonly used$ giving forced aspirated diesel engines a compression pressure of up to 489 :ar 0his generates temperatures of up to ;99 degrees C +ince the ignition

temperature of the most easily com!usti!le components of diesel fuel is only 689 degrees C$ it is easy to see why the fuel !urns when it is injected after the piston has risen on the compression stroke

Diesel engines are designed to develop high tor3ue at low engine speeds$ resulting in !etter fuel economy In recent years$ the use of tur!ochargers and common rail direct injection have dramatically improved the specific tor3ue output of diesel car engines 0his diagram shows that specific tor3ue has risen from a!out <9 =m.litre to more than 4>6 =m.litre over the last 69 years At the same time$ specific fuel consumption has fallen !y over 59 per cent? Compared with petrol2powered engines that most often run with stoichiometric mi1tures ,that is$ the theoretically correct air.fuel ratio for complete com!ustion$ which is a!out 47 <)4-$ diesels use very lean air.fuel ratios 0he air.fuel ratios for diesel engines under full load are !etween 4<)4 and 6;)4$ while when idling or under no load$ this ratio can e1ceed 478)4 *owever$ within the com!ustion cham!er$ localised air.fuel ratios vary @ it is not possi!le to achieve a homogenous mi1ing of the fuel with the air within the com!ustion cham!er 0o reduce these in2cham!er air.fuel ratio variations$ large num!ers of very small droplets of fuel are injected *igher fuel pressure results in !etter fuel atomisation$ so e1plaining the increase in injection pressures now !eing seen

Injection
Diesel engines are not throttled Instead$ the com!ustion !ehaviour is affected !y these varia!les)

0iming of start of injection Injection duration Injector discharge curve

+ince the use of electronically controlled common rail injection allows these varia!les to !e individually controlled$ weAll !riefly look at each

Timing of

tart of Injection

0he timing of the injection of fuel has a major affect on emission levels$ fuel consumption and com!ustion noise 0he optimal timing of the start of injection varies with engine load In car engines$ optimal injection at no load is within the window of 6 crankshaft degrees :efore 0op Dead Centre ,:0DC- to 7 degrees After 0op Dead Centre ,A0DC- At part load this alters to 5 degrees :0DC to 7 degrees A0DC$ while at full load the start of injection should occur from 5 @ 48 degrees :0DC 0he duration of com!ustion at full load is 79 @ 59 degrees of crankshaft rotation 0oo early an injection initiates com!ustion when the piston is still rising$ reducing efficiency and so increasing fuel consumption 0he sharp rise in cylinder pressure also increases noise 0oo late an injection reduces tor3ue and can result in incomplete com!ustion$ increasing the emissions of un!urned hydrocar!ons

Injection D!ration

'nlike a conventional port fuel injected petrol engine$ where the amount of fuel injected can !e considered to !e directly proportional to the injector opening time$ a diesel injector will vary in mass flow depending on the difference !etween the injection and com!ustion cham!er pressures$ the density of the fuel ,which is temperature dependent-$ and the dynamic compressi!ility of the fuel 0he specified injector duration must therefore take these factors into account

Discharge C!r"e

Diesel fuel injectors do not add the fuel for a com!ustion cycle in one event$ instead they operate in up to four different modes 0he first is pre2injection$ a short duration pulse which reduces com!ustion noise and B1ides of =itrogen ,=B1- emissions 0he !ulk of the fuel is then added in the main injection phase$ !efore the injector is turned off momentarily !efore then adding a post2injection amount of fuel 0his post2injection reduces soot emissions Cinally$ at up to 4>9 crankshaft degrees later$ a retarded post2injection can occur 0he latter acts as a reducing agent for an =B1 accumulator2type catalytic converter and.or raises the e1haust gas temperature for the regeneration of a particulate filter 0he injection amounts vary !etween 4 cu!ic millimetre for pre2injection to 89 cu!ic millimetres for full2load delivery 0he injection duration is 426 milliseconds

Common Rail

#stem $"er"ie%

'nlike previous diesel fuel injection systems 2 even those electronically controlled @ common rail systems use$ as the name suggests$ a common fuel pressure rail that feeds all injectors ,In this respect$ common rail diesel systems are like traditional electronic fuel injected petrol engines - :y separating the functions of fuel pressure generation and fuel injection$ a common rail system is a!le to supply fuel over a !roader range of injection timing and pressure than previous systems

0his diagram shows a simple common rail fuel injection system A high pressure mechanical pump ,4pressurises the fuel which flows to the common rail ,D- A fuel rail control valve ,7- allows the fuel pressure to !e maintained at a level set !y the Electronic Control 'nit ,>- 0he common rail feeds the injectors ,8+ensor inputs to the EC' comprise fuel pressure ,6-$ engine speed ,;-$ camshaft position ,49-$ accelerator pedal travel ,44-$ !oost pressure ,46-$ intake air temperature ,4D- and engine coolant temperature ,47- ,5and ,<- are the fuel filter and fuel tank$ respectively Eore comple1 common rail systems use these additional sensors)

Fehicle speed E1haust temperature :road!and e1haust o1ygen sensor Differential pressure sensor ,to determine cat converter and.or e1haust particulate filter !lockage-

=ot shown on these diagrams are the glow plugs Common rail diesels still use glow plugs$ however their use is not normally re3uired e1cept for starting in am!ient temperatures !elow 9 degrees C E1tra EC' outputs can include control of tur!ocharger !oost pressure$ e1haust gas recirculation and intake port tum!le flaps

Common Rail

#stem Com&onents

'igh Press!re P!m&

Cuel pressures of up to 4599 :ar are generated !y the high pressure pump 0his pump$ which is driven from the crankshaft$ normally comprises a radial piston design of the type shown here 0he pump is lu!ricated !y the fuel and can a!sor! up to D >k/ +o that pump flow can !e varied with engine load$ individual pistons of the pump are a!le to !e shut down 0his is achieved !y using a solenoid to hold the intake valve of that piston open *owever$ when a piston is deactivated$ the fuel delivery pressure fluctuates to a greater e1tent than when all three pistons are in operation

Press!re Control (al"e

0he fuel pressure control valve comprises a fuel2cooled solenoid valve 0he valve opening is varied !y its solenoid coil !eing pulse width modulated at a fre3uency of 4 G*z /hen the pressure control valve is not activated$ its internal spring maintains a fuel pressure of a!out 499 :ar /hen the valve is activated$ the force of the electromagnet aids the spring$ reducing the opening of the valve and so increasing fuel pressure 0he fuel pressure control valve also acts as a mechanical pressure damper$ smoothing the high fre3uency pressure pulses emanating from the radial piston pump when less than three pistons are activated

)!el Rail

0he fuel rail feeds each injector It is made sufficiently large that the internal pressure is relatively unaffected !y fuel !eing released from the injectors As indicated earlier$ the rail is fitted with a fuel pressure sensor 0o guard against dangerously high fuel pressure$ a fuel pressure relief valve is also fitted

)!el Injectors

0he fuel injectors superficially look like the injectors used in conventional petrol injection systems !ut in fact differ significantly 0his diagram shows a common rail injector :ecause of the very high fuel rail pressure$ the injectors use a hydraulic servo system to operate In this design$ the solenoid armature controls not the pintle !ut instead the movement of a small !all which regulates the flow of fuel from a valve control cham!er within the injector 0he life of a common rail diesel fuel injector is certainly a hard one :osch estimates a commercial vehicle injector will open and close more than a !illion times in its service life

Emissions
Cive major approaches are taken to reducing diesel e1haust emissions

Design

/ithin the engine itself$ the design of the com!ustion cham!er$ the placement of the injection nozzle and the use of small droplets all help reduce the production of emissions at their source Accurate control of engine speed$ injection mass$ injection timing$ pressures$ temperatures and the air.fuel ratio are used to decrease emissions of o1ides of nitrogen$ particulates$ hydrocar!ons and car!on mono1ide

Exha!st *as Recirc!lation

E1haust gas recirculation$ where a proportion of the e1haust gas is mi1ed with the intake charge$ is also used to reduce o1ides of nitrogen emissions It does this !y reducing the o1ygen concentration in the com!ustion cham!er$ the amount of e1haust gas passing into the atmosphere$ and the e1haust gas temperature Hecirculation rates can as high as 89 per cent

Catal#tic Con"erter

Diesel o1idation2type catalytic converters can !e used to reduce hydrocar!on and car!on mono1ide emissions$ converting these to water and car!on dio1ide +o they rapidly reach their operating temperature$ this type of catalytic converter is fitted close to the engine

=B1 accumulator2type catalytic converters are also used 0his type of design !reaks down the =B1 !y storing it over periods from D9 seconds to several minutes 0he nitrogen o1ides com!ine with metal o1ides on the surface of the =B1 accumulator to form nitrates$ with this process occurring when the air.fuel ratio is lean ,ie there is e1cess o1ygen- *owever$ the storage can only !e short2term and when the a!ility to !ind nitrogen o1ides decreases$ the catalytic converter needs to !e regenerated !y having the stored =B1 released and converted into nitrogen In order that this takes place$ the engine is !riefly run at a rich mi1ture ,eg an air.fuel ratio of 4D >)4Detecting when regeneration needs to occur$ and then when it has !een fully completed$ is comple1 0he need for regeneration can !e assessed !y the use of a model that calculates the 3uantity of stored nitrogen o1ides on the !asis of catalytic converter temperature Alternatively$ a specific =B1 sensor can !e located downstream of the accumulator catalytic converter to detect when the efficiency of the device is decreasing Assessing when regeneration is complete is done !y either a model2!ased approach or an o1ygen sensor located downstream of the catI a change in signal from high o1ygen to low o1ygen indicates the end of the regeneration phase In order that the =B1 storage cat works effectively from cold$ an electric e1haust gas heater can !e employed

electi"e Catal#tic Red!ction

Bne of the most interesting approaches to diesel e1haust treatment is +elective Catalytic Heduction In this approach$ a reducing agent such as dilute urea solution is added to the e1haust in minutely measured 3uantities A hydrolysing catalytic converter then converts the urea to ammonia$ which reacts with =B1 to form nitrogen and water 0his system is so effective at reducing =B1 emissions that leaner than normal air.fuel ratios can !e used$ resulting in improved fuel economy 0he urea tank is filled at each service

Partic!late )ilters

E1haust particulate filters are made from porous ceramic materials /hen they !ecome full$ they can !e regenerated !y !eing heated to a!ove 599 degrees C 0his is a higher e1haust gas temperature than is

normally e1perienced in diesels and to achieve this$ retarded injection and intake flow restriction can !e used to increase the temperature of the e1haust gas

Concl!sion
As can !e seen$ dramatic changes in !oth the fuel injection system and e1haust aftertreatment have occurred in diesel technology =e1t week$ weAll look at how the electronic control system makes it all function

Common Rail Diesel Engine Management, Part +

The electronics of diesel management s#stems
by Julian Edgar Click on pics to view larger images

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At a glance...

Electronic re3uirements Diesel management functions +mooth running control Injector operation Email a friend Print article

Jast week we looked at the mechanical make2up of the common rail diesel fuel injection systems that have revolutionised diesel2powered cars ,see Common Hail Diesel Engine Eanagement$ Part 4- 0he systems used e1tremely high fuel pressure$ electronically controlled injectors and comple1 e1haust aftertreatment to provide very high specific tor3ue outputs with low fuel consumption and low emissions :ut how does the electronic control system work& In this article we look at the electronics of the system

Re,!irements
0he engine management system in a diesel common rail engine needs to provide)

Fery high fuel injection pressures ,up to 6999 :arFariation in injected fuel 3uantity$ intake manifold pressure and start of injection to suit engine operating conditions

Pre2injection and post2injection 0emperature2dependent rich air.fuel ratio for starting Idle speed control independent of engine load E1haust gas recirculation Jong term precision

As with current petrol engine management systems$ the driver no longer has direct control over the injected fuel 3uantity Instead$ the movement of the accelerator pedal is treated as a tor3ue re3uest and the actual amount of fuel injected in response is dependent on the engine operating status$ engine temperature$ the likely affect on e1haust emissions$ and the intervention !y other car systems ,eg traction control-

0his diagram shows the inputs and outputs of a typical :osch common rail diesel injection system

Management )!nctions

tarting

0he injected fuel 3uantity and start of injection timing re3uired for starting are primarily determined !y engine coolant temperature and cranking speed +pecial strategies are employed for very cold weather starting$ especially at high altitudes In these conditions$ the tur!ocharger operation may !e suspended as its tor3ue demand @ although small @ may !e sufficiently great as to prevent the car from moving off

Dri"ing

In normal driving$ the injected fuel 3uantity is determined primarily !y the accelerator pedal sensor position$ engine speed$ fuel and intake air temperatures *owever$ many other maps of data also have an effect on the fuel injection 3uantity actually used 0hese include strategies that limit emissions$ smoke production$ mechanical overloading and thermal overloading ,including measured or modelled temperatures of the e1haust gas$ coolant$ oil$ tur!ocharger and injectors- +tart of injection control is mapped as a function of engine speed$ injected fuel 3uantity$ coolant temperature and am!ient pressure

Idle

&eed Control

0he set idle speed depends on engine coolant temperature$ !attery voltage and operation of the air conditioner Idle speed is a closed loop function where the EC' monitors actual engine speed and continues to adjust fuel 3uantity until the desired speed is achieved

Re" -imiter

'nlike a petrol engine management system which usually cuts fuel a!ruptly when the rev limit is reached$ a diesel engine management system progressively reduces the 3uantity of fuel injected as the engine speed e1ceeds the rpm at which peak power is developed :y the time ma1imum permitted engine speed has !een reached$ the 3uantity of fuel injected has dropped to zero

!rge Dam&ing

+udden changes in engine tor3ue output can result in oscillations in the vehicleAs driveline 0his is perceived !y the vehicle occupants as unpleasant surges in acceleration Active +urge Damping reduces the likelihood of these oscillations occurring 0wo approaches can !e taken In the first$ any sudden movements of the accelerator pedal are filtered out$ while in the second$ the EC' detects that surging is occurring and actively counteracts it !y increasing the injected fuel 3uantity when the engine speed drops and decreasing it when the speed increases

mooth R!nning Control

:ecause of mechanical differences from cylinder to cylinder$ the development of tor3ue !y each cylinder is not identical 0his difference can result in rough running and increased emissions 0o counteract this$ +mooth Hunning Control uses the fluctuation in engine speed to detect output tor3ue variations +pecifically$ the system compares the engine speed immediately after a cylinderAs injection with the average engine speed If the speed has dropped$ the fuel injection 3uantity for that cylinder is increased If the engine speed is a!ove the mean$ the fuel injection 3uantity for that cylinder is decreased

Closed -oo& $x#gen

ensor Control

As with petrol management systems$ diesel management system use o1ygen sensor closed loop control *owever$ in diesel systems a !road!and o1ygen sensor is used that is capa!le of measuring air.fuel ratios as lean as 59)4 0his 'niversal Jam!da +ensor ,a!!reviation in Kerman) J+'- comprises a com!ination of a =ernst concentration cell and an o1ygen pump cell :ecause the J+' signal output is a function of e1haust gas o1ygen concentration and e1haust gas pressure$ the sensor output is compensated for variations in e1haust gas pressure 0he J+' sensor output also changes over time and to compensate for this$ when the engine is in over2run conditions$ comparison is made !etween the measured o1ygen concentration of the e1haust gas and the e1pected output of the sensor if it were sensing fresh air Any difference is applied as a learned correction value Closed loop o1ygen control is used for short2 and long2term adaptation learning of the injected fuel 3uantity 0his is especially important in limiting smoke output$ where the measured e1haust gas o1ygen is compared with a target value on a smoke limitation map B1ygen sensor feed!ack is also used to determine whether the target e1haust gas recirculation is !eing achieved

)!el Press!re and )lo% Control

0he pressure in the common rail is regulated !y closed loop control A pressure sensor on the rail monitors real time fuel pressure and the EC' maintains it as the desired level !y pulse width modulating the fuel pressure control valve At high engine speeds !ut low fuel demand$ the EC' deactivates one of the pistons in the high pressure pump 0his reduces fuel heating in addition to decreasing the mechanical power drawn !y the pump

$ther Management

#stem $!t&!ts

In addition to the control of the fuel injectors$ the diesel engine management system can control

Klow plugs for su!2zero starting conditions Klow plugs that heat the coolant$ providing ade3uate ca!in heating in cold climates +witcha!le intake manifolds$ where at low loads air is forced through tur!ulence ducts to provide !etter in2cylinder swirl

0ur!ocharger !oost pressure control +witching of radiator fans

Injector $&eration

0he triggering of the injector can !e divided into five phases)

In the first phase$ the injector is opened rapidly !y the supply of high current from a 499F !ooster capacitor Peak current is limited to 69A and the rate of current increase is controlled to allow consistent injector opening times

0he second phase is termed Lpick2up currentA In this phase$ the current supply for the injector switches from the capacitor to the !attery In this phase$ peak current continues to !e limited to 69A

A 46A pulse width modulated holding current is then used to maintain the injector in its open state 0he inductive spike generated !y the reduction in current through the injector in the change from Lpick2upA to LholdingA phases is routed to the !ooster capacitor$ so starting its recharge process

/hen the injector is switched off$ the inductive spike is again routed to the !ooster capacitor :etween actual injector events$ a sawtooth waveform is applied to the closed injector 0he current used is insufficient to open the injector and the generated inductive spikes are used to further recharge the !ooster capacitors until they reach 499F

Concl!sion
European car manufacturers and consumers have thrown their weight heavily !ehind passenger cars e3uipped with diesel engines 0he major improvement in specific tor3ue outputs and the reduction in fuel consumption and emissions have !een achieved with sophisticated electronic control of very high pressure$ individually controlled injectors