Air assisted direct injection systems have been in commercial production for four years having established themselves as a technical breakthrough in the pursuit of low-emission two-strokes, whilst providing the end-user with smooth operation and a significant reduction to fuel consumption. The same core technology has demonstrated significant advantages for automotive direct injected four-stroke engines.
For the non-automotive sector, research has since aimed to provide manufacturers with alternate cost-function options, thus extending market penetration opportunities for low cost air assist DI.
By extensively benchmarking the air assisted direct injection system applied to customer marine products, Orbital engineers are developing significantly simplified systems which inherit the most performance-critical aspects of the existing production system, whilst eliminating some of the components required in today's production system.
This paper discusses the benchmarking process and the comparison of fuel system performance between simplified and existing production solutions. Also outlined is the process of function integration and component elimination used to realise a more favourable cost-function ratio.
Results from the application of simplified air assist systems to non-automotive engine designs are also presented.