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The paper aims at performing an environmental and energetic optimization of a naturally aspirated, light-duty direct injection (DI) diesel engine, equipped with a Common Rail injection system. Injection modulation into up to three pulses is considered starting from an experimental campaign conducted under non-evaporative conditions in a quiescent optically-accessible cylindrical vessel containing nitrogen at different densities. The engine performances in terms of power and emitted NOx and soot are reproduced by multidimensional modelling of the in-cylinder processes. The radiated noise is evaluated by resorting to a recently developed methodology, based on the decomposition of the CFD 3D computed in-cylinder pressure signal. Once validated, both the CFD and the acoustic procedures are applied to the simulation of the prototype engine and are coupled to an external optimizer with the aim of minimizing fuel consumption, pollutant emissions and radiated noise.

Alternative diesel fuels from renewable sources (biodiesels) have increased significantly interest due to their potential CO₂ emission benefits, capability to reduce unburned hydrocarbons and particulate matter emissions, biodegradability and non-toxicity. Biodiesels undergo ageing effects due to autoxidation processes of their molecular chains. Ageing leads to a variety of decomposition products like peroxides, alcohols, aldehydes and carboxylic acids. They are detectable as alterations of chemical properties, odor and taste (rancidity). The characteristics of Rapeseed Methylester (RME), RME aged and diesel sprays have been analyzed for different injection strategies in engines. The tests have been performed on a Bosch second generation common rail solenoid-driven fuel injection system capable of 160 MPa maximum injection pressure, fitted on EURO5 diesel engine for passenger car applications.

Three high pressure multi-hole GDI injectors, one manufactured by Continental, two manufactured by Bosch, are experimentally characterized under various injection strategies in terms of instantaneous mass flow rate and fuel dispersion. Spray visualization within an optically accessible pressure vessel allows the measurement of the single jet cone angle and penetration length. A portable numerical model for the issuing spray dynamics is developed within the AVL Fire code, exploiting a log-normal distribution for the initial droplets diameter, whose expected value and variance are properly defined as a function of the main physical parameters. Tuning of the entering constants is realized by means of an automatic optimization procedure. An example of application of the spray model within a 3D simulation of the in-cylinder process of a GDI engine is presented. Effects of splitting injection into two successive events are discussed.

This paper illustrates the results of an experimental characterization of a high pressure diesel spray injected by a common rail (CR) injection system both under non-evaporative and evaporative conditions. Tests have been made injecting the fuel with a single hole injector having a diameter of 0.18 mm with L/D=5.56. The fuel has been sprayed at 60, 90 and 120 MPa, with an ambient pressure ranging between 1.2 to 5.0 MPa. The spray evolution has been investigated, by the Mie scattering technique, illuminating the fuel jet and acquiring single shot images by a CCD camera. Tests under non-evaporative conditions have been carried out in an optically accessible high pressure vessel filled with inert gas (N2) at diesel-like density conditions. The instantaneous fuel injection rate, obtained with a time resolution of 10 microseconds, has been also evaluated by an AVL Fuel Meter working on the Bosch Tube principle.

In the modern GDI systems, the optimization of the fuel injection process is essential to prepare an air-fuel mixture capable to promote efficient combustion and reduce fuel consumption and pollutant emissions. A key feature for a better atomization is the fuel injection pressure. The increasing of the injection pressure is considered a good way for particle number (PN) reduction due to improved spray atomization, faster evaporation and better mixture formation. In this paper, a multi-hole GDI injector was tested to investigate the effects of very high injection pressures (IVHP), in addition to different ambient densities and temperatures, on the fuel spray morphology, in a cycle-resolved images analysis. Commercial gasoline was injected at the pressures ranging between 40.0 to 70.0 MPa, at gas densities varying between 1.12 to 11.5 kg/m3, and gas temperature up to 200°C.