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Modern injection systems are characterized by low cost, light weight and diversified components based on a mature technology. In addition, the constant growth of computational resources allows an in-depth understanding and control of the injection process. In this scenario, increasing interest is presently being paid to understand if an application of such technologies to small two-stroke engines could lead to a return to popularity in place of the more widespread use of the four-stroke engine. Indeed, the possibility of achieving a drastic reduction of both specific fuel consumption and pollutant emissions would completely reverse the future prospect of the two-stroke engine. The authors in previous studies developed a low pressure direct injection (LPDI) system for a 300 cm3 two-stroke engine that was ensuring a performance consistent with a standard four-stroke engine of similar size.

In the last years, the engineering in the automotive industry is revolutionized by the continuous research of solutions for the reduction of consumptions and pollutant emissions. On this topic maximum attention is paid by both the legislative bodies and the costumers. The more and more severe limitations in pollutant and CO2 emissions imposed by international standards and the increasing price of the fuel force the automotive research to more efficient and ecological engines. Commonly the standard approach for the definition of the engine parameters at the beginning of the design process is based on the wide-open throttle condition although, both in homologation cycles and in the daily usage of the scooters, the engines work mainly at partial load where the efficiency dramatically decreases. This aspect has recently become strongly relevant also for two wheeled vehicles especially for urban purpose.

High specific fuel consumption and pollutant emissions are the main drawbacks of the small crankcase-scavenged two-stroke engine. The symmetrical port timing combined with a carburetor or an indirect injection system leads to a lower scavenging efficiency than a four-stroke engine and to the short-circuit of fresh air-fuel mixture. The use of fuel supply systems as the indirect injection and the carburetor is the standard solution for small two-stroke engine equipment, due to the necessity of reducing the complexity, weight, overall dimensions and costs. This paper presents the results of a detailed study on the application of an innovative Low Pressure Direct Injection system (LPDI) on an existing 300 cm3 cylinder formerly equipped with a carburetor. The proposed solution is characterized by two injectors working at 5 bar of injection pressure.

The paper investigates the influence of the fuel injection pressure on a small two-stroke engine with low pressure direct injection (LPDI). The authors in previous studies showed the benefits of the LPDI system in reducing the fuel short circuit, both from an experimental and numerical point of view. As a direct consequence, both the specific fuel consumption and the pollutant emissions were notably reduced, reaching the typical performance of a standard four-stroke engine of comparable size. The main drawback of the system is the limited time at disposal for delivering the fuel with difficulties in achieving a satisfactory air-fuel mixing and homogenization as well as fuel vaporization. In order to overcome the aforementioned issues, a detailed numerical analysis is carried out by performing a wide set of CFD simulations to properly investigate and understand the many complex phenomena occurring during the interaction between the injected fuel and the fresh scavenging air.