Technical Paper
Fuel Influence on Single-Piston Common Rail Pump Performance
2021-09-05
2021-24-0063
Alternative and renewable fuels play a fundamental role in research and development activities aimed at reducing the environmental impact of internal combustion engines. The possibility of using alternative fuels, whether they are pure or blended, is linked to the flexibility of the injection system, whose behavior depends on the fuel features. In this context, the article reports an investigation on a high-pressure pump for common rail diesel injection systems. Investigations have considered a single-piston pump, widely adopted in the field of light duty diesel engines. The experimental activity has been conducted on an instrumented test rig, equipped with a fluid thermoregulation system. Moving from a conventional fluid (commercial diesel) to a waste cooking oil (WCO) biodiesel, the influence of such alternative fuel on pump behavior has been investigated and discussed, highlighting the link between pump performance (in terms of torque- and volumetric-efficiency) and fuel type.