On the Modeling of Single-Piston CR Pump

The injection strategy as well as the overall efficiency of the diesel engine are tightly related to the performance of the high-pressure injection pump. The paper deals with the modeling of a latest generation Common Rail injection pump, aiming at the characterization of its performance in terms of volumetric- and torque-efficiency. A lumped parameter approach is adopted; with reference to a commercial pump widely used in the field of light diesel engines, a dynamic model of the piston-cylinder pair is built, taking its mechanical drive, the hydraulic supply and delivery systems into account. Based on in-depth experimental activities that provide the performance diagrams of pump, the lumped-parameter model is built and assessed. Given the current strong interest in the use of alternative fuels that limit CO₂ emissions, the pump model has been implemented to simulate, beside the standard diesel, the use of biofuel. The modeling assumption have been thoroughly described and the details of the pump loss models have been discussed, providing fundamental reference data for high-pressure pump simulation.