Effects of Pre-injection on Combustion Characteristics of a Single-cylinder Diesel Engine

Multiple injections used for diesel engines, especially pre- and post- injections, have the potential to reduce combustion noise and emissions with improved engine performance. This paper outlines the combustion characteristics of a single-cylinder diesel engine with multiple injections. The effects of pre-injection (multi-injection) on combustion characteristics are presented in a single-cylinder diesel engine at different engine speeds and load conditions. A common rail fuel system with a solenoid injector, driven by a peak and hold circuit, is used in this work. This enables us to control the number of injections, fuel injection timing and duration, and the fuel rail pressure that can be used to optimize the engine combustion process (e.g., eliminate engine knock). Mass fraction burned and burn durations are determined by analyzing the measured in-cylinder pressure data. Results are compared with the cases when no pre-injection was used, i.e. only main injection, at the same engine speeds and load conditions. In each study, different cases are considered with the variation in main injection timing. It is found that at full-load condition and lower engine speeds pre-injection is an effective method to alter the engine burn rate and hence to eliminate knock.