Use of Transfer Functions to Investigate the Robustness of an In-Tank Fuel Delivery system

This paper presents an investigation into the functional robustness of an in-tank fuel delivery system (FDS) used in a saddle type fuel tank application for a high performance petrol engine. Robust design tools were used to identify the noise factors that affect the performance of the in-tank FDS. A transfer function relating the system's response to key control and noise factors was developed using a combination of theoretical modeling based on fluid mechanics and component level experimentation. The transfer function was validated with data from system level testing. A sensitivity study using the transfer function was conducted to validate the performance of the system against key noise factors.