Red marquis: /* Common rail today */

2010-10-26T15:34:08Z

Common rail today

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:34, 26 October 2010
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	==Common rail today==		==Common rail today==
	Today the common rail system has brought about a revolution in diesel engine technology. [[Robert Bosch GmbH]], [[Delphi Automotive Systems]], [[Denso Corporation]], and [[Siemens VDO]] (now owned by Continental AG) are the main suppliers of modern common rail systems. The car makers refer to their common rail engines by their own brand names:		Today the common rail system has brought about a revolution in diesel engine technology. [[Robert Bosch GmbH]], [[Delphi Automotive Systems]], [[Denso Corporation]], and [[Siemens VDO]] (now owned by Continental AG) are the main suppliers of modern common rail systems. The car makers refer to their common rail engines by their own brand names:
	* [[BMW]]'s D-engines (also used in the [[Land Rover]] [[Freelander]] TD4)		* [[BMW]]'s D-engines (also used in the [[Land Rover]] [[Land Rover Freelander\|Freelander]] TD4)
	* [[Cummins]] and [[Scania (company)\|Scania]]'s '''XPI''' (Developed under joint venture)		* [[Cummins]] and [[Scania (company)\|Scania]]'s '''XPI''' (Developed under joint venture)
	* [[Cummins]] '''CCR''' ([[Cummins]] pump with [[Robert Bosch GmbH\|Bosch]] Injectors)		* [[Cummins]] '''CCR''' ([[Cummins]] pump with [[Robert Bosch GmbH\|Bosch]] Injectors)

Red marquis at 15:33, 26 October 2010

2010-10-26T15:33:22Z

New page

'''Common rail direct fuel injection''' is a modern variant of direct [[fuel injection]] system for [[petrol engine|petrol]] and [[diesel engine]]s.

On diesel engines, it features a high-pressure (over 1,000 bar/15,000 psi) [[fuel rail]] feeding individual [[solenoid valve]]s, as opposed to low-pressure [[fuel pump]] feeding [[Unit Injector|unit injectors]] (Pumpe Düse or pump nozzles). Third-generation common rail diesels now feature piezoelectric injectors for increased precision, with fuel pressures up to 1,800 bar/26,000 psi.

In [[petrol engine|gasoline engines]], it is utilised in [[gasoline direct injection]] engine technology.

==History==
The common rail system prototype was developed in the late 1960s by Robert Huber of Switzerland and the technology further developed by Dr. Marco Ganser at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, later of Ganser-Hydromag AG (est.1995) in Oberägeri.

The first successful usage in production vehicle began in Japan by the mid-1990s. Dr. Shohei Itoh and Masahiko Miyaki of the [[Denso Corporation]], a Japanese automotive parts manufacturer, developed the common rail fuel system for heavy duty vehicles and turned it into practical use on their ECD-U2 common-rail system mounted on the [[Hino Ranger#3rd Generation .281989-2002.29|Hino Rising Ranger truck]] and sold for general use in 1995.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jsae.or.jp/autotech/data_e/10-8e.html |title=240 Landmarks of Japanese Automotive Technology - Common rail ECD-U2 |publisher=Jsae.or.jp |date= |accessdate=2009-04-29}}</ref> Denso claims the first commercial high pressure common rail system in 1995.<ref>{{cite web
| title = Diesel Fuel Injection | work=DENSO International Australia
| accessdate = 2008-09-30
| url = http://www.denso.com.au/products/aftermarket_automotive_components/diesel_fuel_injection
}}</ref>
Modern common rail systems, whilst working on the same principle, are governed by an [[engine control unit]] (ECU) which opens each injector electronically rather than mechanically. This was extensively prototyped in the 1990s with collaboration between [[Magneti Marelli]], [[Centro Ricerche Fiat]] and [[Elasis S.C.p.A.|Elasis]]. After research and development by the [[Fiat|Fiat Group]], the design was acquired by the German company [[Robert Bosch GmbH]] for completion of development and refinement for mass-production. In hindsight the sale appeared to be a tactical error for Fiat as the new technology proved to be highly profitable. The company had little choice but to sell, however, as it was in a poor financial state at the time and lacked the resources to complete development on its own.<ref name="economist.com">{{cite news|url=http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11090197|title=Fiat Rebirth of a carmaker|accessdate=2008-05-01|year=Apr 24th 2008|work=economist.com}}</ref> In 1997 they extended its use for passenger cars. The first passenger car that used the common rail system was the 1997 model [[Alfa Romeo 156]] 1.9 [[JTD engine|JTD]],<ref name="autonews.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.autonews.com/files/07_ane_ptc/speakers.html|title=New Powertrain Technologies Conference|accessdate=2008-04-08|work=autonews.com}}</ref> and later on that same year [[Mercedes-Benz W202|Mercedes-Benz C 220 CDI]].

Common rail engines have been used in marine and locomotive applications for some time. The Cooper-Bessemer GN-8 (circa 1942) is an example of a hydraulically operated common rail diesel engine, also known as a modified common rail.

Vickers used common rail systems in submarine engines circa 1916. Doxford Engines Ltd.<ref name="Doxford">{{cite news|url=http://www.doxford-engine.com/engines.htm}}</ref> (opposed piston heavy marine engines) used a common rail system (from 1921 to 1980) whereby a multi-cylinder reciprocating fuel pump generated a pressure of approximately 600bar with the fuel being stored in accumulator bottles. Pressure control was achieved by means of an adjustable pump discharge stroke and a "spill valve". Camshaft operated mechanical timing valves were used to supply the spring loaded Brice/CAV/Lucas injectors which injected through the side of the cylinder into the chamber formed between the pistons. Early engines had a pair of timing cams, one for ahead running and one for astern. Later engines had two injectors per cylinder and the final series of constant pressure turbocharged engines were fitted with four injectors per cylinder. This system was used for the injection of both diesel oil and heavy fuel oil (600cSt heated to a temperature of approximately 130°C).

The common rail system is suitable for all types of road cars with diesel engines, ranging from [[city car]]s such as the [[Fiat Panda#Second generation (2003-present)|Fiat Nuova Panda]] to [[executive car]]s such as the [[Volvo S80]].

==Common rail today==
Today the common rail system has brought about a revolution in diesel engine technology. [[Robert Bosch GmbH]], [[Delphi Automotive Systems]], [[Denso Corporation]], and [[Siemens VDO]] (now owned by Continental AG) are the main suppliers of modern common rail systems. The car makers refer to their common rail engines by their own brand names:
* [[BMW]]'s D-engines (also used in the [[Land Rover]] [[Freelander]] TD4)
* [[Cummins]] and [[Scania (company)|Scania]]'s '''XPI''' (Developed under joint venture)
* [[Cummins]] '''CCR''' ([[Cummins]] pump with [[Robert Bosch GmbH|Bosch]] Injectors)
* [[Daimler AG|Daimler]]'s '''CDI''' (and on [[Chrysler]]'s [[Jeep]] vehicles simply as '''CRD''')
* [[Fiat|Fiat Group]]'s ([[Fiat]], [[Alfa Romeo]] and [[Lancia]]) '''[[JTD engine|JTD]]''' (also branded as ''MultiJet'', ''JTDm'', ''Ecotec CDTi'', ''TiD'', ''TTiD'' , ''DDiS'', ''Quadra-Jet'')
* [[Ford Motor Company]]'s '''TDCi''' [[Duratorq]] and [[Powerstroke]]
* [[General Motors]] [[Opel]]/[[Vauxhall Motors|Vauxhall]] '''CDTi''' (manufactured by [[Fiat]], [[Isuzu]] and [[GM Daewoo]]) and earlier '''DTi'''
* [[General Motors]] [[GM Daewoo|Daewoo]]/[[Chevrolet]] '''VCDi''' (licensed from [[VM Motori]]; also branded as ''Ecotec CDTi'')
* [[Honda]]'s '''i-CTDi'''
* [[Hyundai Kia Automotive Group|Hyundai-Kia]]'s '''[[CRDi]]'''
* [[IKCO]]'s '''[[IKCO_EF_engines|EFD]]''' which is one of the members of the EF family. Supplier TBD
* [[Isuzu]]'s '''iTEQ'''
* [[Mahindra and Mahindra Limited|Mahindra]]'s '''[[CRDe]]'''
* [[Mazda]]'s '''MZR-CD''' (1.4 MZ-CD, 1.6 MZ-CD manufactured by joint venture [[Ford]]/[[PSA Peugeot Citroën]]) and earlier '''DiTD'''
* [[Mitsubishi Motors|Mitsubishi]]'s '''[[DI-D]]''' (recently developed [[Mitsubishi 4N1 engine|4N1 engine]] family uses next generation 200 MPa (2000 bar) injection system))
* [[Nissan]]'s '''[[dCi]]'''
* [[Proton]]'s '''SCDi'''
* [[PSA Peugeot Citroën]]'s '''HDI or HDi''' (1.4HDI, 1.6 HDI, 2.0 HDI, 2.2 HDI and V6 HDI developed under joint venture with [[Ford]])
* [[Renault]]'s ''[[dCi]]'' and earlier '''dTi'''
* [[SsangYong Motor Company|SsangYong]]'s '''XDi''' (most of these engines are manufactured by [[Daimler AG]])
* [[Subaru]]'s '''[[Subaru Legacy#Diesel|Legacy TD]]''' (as of Jan 2008)
* [[Tata Motors|Tata]]'s '''[[DICOR]]'''
* [[Toyota]]'s '''D-4D'''
* [[Volkswagen Group]]: The 4.2 V8 '''[[Turbocharged Direct Injection|TDI]]''' and the latest 2.7 and 3.0 TDI (V6) engines featured on current Audi models use common rail, as opposed to the earlier [[Unit Injector|unit injector]] engines. The 2.0 TDI in the [[Volkswagen Tiguan]] SUV uses common rail, as does the 2008 model Audi A4. Volkswagen Group has announced that the 2.0 TDI (common rail) engine will be available for [[Volkswagen Passat]] as well as the 2009 [[Volkswagen Jetta]].<ref>[http://www.popularmechanics.com/blogs/automotive_news/4235586.html 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Test Drive: Clean Diesel’s 50 MPG Meets Prius-Humbling Thrust - Popular Mechanics]</ref>
* [[Volvo]] 2.4D and D5 engines (1.6D, 2.0D manufactured by [[Ford]] and [[PSA Peugeot Citroen]]), [[Volvo Penta]] D-serie engines

==Principles==

Solenoid or piezoelectric valves make possible fine [[electronic control unit|electronic control]] over the fuel injection time and quantity, and the higher pressure that the common rail technology makes available provides better fuel atomisation. In order to lower engine noise the engine's [[electronic control unit]] can inject a small amount of diesel just before the main injection event ("pilot" injection), thus reducing its explosiveness and vibration, as well as optimising injection timing and quantity for variations in fuel quality, cold starting, and so on. Some advanced common rail fuel systems perform as many as five injections per stroke.<ref>(multistroke injection) See BMW 2009 Brochure for 3 series</ref>

Common rail engines require no heating up time and produce lower engine noise and emissions than older systems.

Diesel engines have historically used various forms of fuel injection. Two common types include the unit injection system and the distributor/inline pump systems (See [[diesel engine]] and [[Unit Injector|unit injector]] for more information). While these older systems provided accurate fuel quantity and injection timing control they were limited by several factors:

*They were cam driven and injection pressure was proportional to engine speed. This typically meant that the highest injection pressure could only be achieved at the highest engine speed and the maximum achievable injection pressure decreased as engine speed decreased. This relationship is true with all pumps, even those used on common rail systems; with the unit or distributor systems, however, the injection pressure is tied to the instantaneous pressure of a single pumping event with no accumulator and thus the relationship is more prominent and troublesome.
*They were limited on the number of and timing of injection events that could be commanded during a single combustion event. While multiple injection events are possible with these older systems, it is much more difficult and costly to achieve.
*For the typical distributor/inline system the start of injection occurred at a pre-determined pressure (often referred to as: pop pressure) and ended at a pre-determined pressure. This characteristic results from "dummy" injectors in the cylinder head which opened and closed at pressures determined by the spring preload applied to the plunger in the injector. Once the pressure in the injector reached a pre-determined level, the plunger would lift and injection would start.

In common rail systems a high pressure pump stores a reservoir of fuel at high pressure — up to and above 2,000 bars (29,000 psi). The term "common rail" refers to the fact that all of the fuel injectors are supplied by a common fuel rail which is nothing more than a pressure accumulator where the fuel is stored at high pressure. This accumulator supplies multiple [[fuel injector]]s with high pressure fuel. This simplifies the purpose of the high pressure pump in that it only has to maintain a commanded pressure at a target (either mechanically or electronically controlled). The [[fuel injector]]s are typically ECU-controlled. When the [[fuel injector]]s are electrically activated a hydraulic valve (consisting of a nozzle and plunger) is mechanically or hydraulically opened and fuel is sprayed into the cylinders at the desired pressure. Since the fuel pressure energy is stored remotely and the injectors are electrically actuated the injection pressure at the start and end of injection is very near the pressure in the accumulator (rail), thus producing a square injection rate. If the accumulator, pump, and plumbing are sized properly, the injection pressure and rate will be the same for each of the multiple injection events.

==See also==
* [[Gasoline direct injection|Gasoline Direct Injection]]
* [[Unit Injector]]
* [[Unit pump]]
* [[Turbocharged Direct Injection]]
* [[Fuel filter]]
* [[Water sensor]]

== External links ==
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGwV9ueHcz4] This animation explains the common rail's functioning

[[Category:Diesel engine technology]]
[[Category:Engine fuel system technology]]

Common rail - Revision history

Red marquis: /* Common rail today */

Red marquis at 15:33, 26 October 2010