Influence of the Fuel Characteristics on the Injection Process in a D.I. Diesel Engine

This paper deals with the influence of the fuel characteristics, mainly fuel density and viscosity on the injection system and spray behaviour. Experiments have been performed with seven different blends representative of automotive Diesel engine fuels, with a conventional engine injection system, spraying in a high density environment at room temperature. Injection rate measurements allow for the analysis of the influence of the fuel properties on the injection system, and high speed imaging and PDA measurements were used to get insight into the spray behaviour and atomisation process. The experimental results obtained have been fitted to simple equations to get predictive capabilities.