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This paper describes a preliminary characterization of in-cylinder spray and combustion behavior from a high-pressure common rail injection system. The engine used in the tests was a single-cylinder optical research diesel engine, adequately developed in a full-fired version, equipped with a common rail injection system. An elongated piston allows for the optical access to the combustion chamber for diagnostic applications. Characteristic of the optical engine is the availability to investigate different combustion system designs due to an interchangeable head-cylinder group. The system configuration tested in the present work corresponds to a four-cylinder engine of 1930 cc of displacement that is representative in the class of light duty d.i. diesel engine. Spray and combustion evolutions were visualized through a high-speed CCD camera synchronized with a copper vapor laser acting as light source.

In the present paper, the effect of the clean and cold EGR flow on the performance of a diesel engine running under conventional and Low Temperature Combustion conditions is investigated by means of experimental tests on a single-cylinder research engine. The engine layout was “ad hoc” designed to isolate the effect of the clean and cold recirculated gas flow on the combustion quality. The results have shown that the thermodynamic temperature is the main factor affecting the engine performances, while the effect of a cleaner EGR flow, in terms of lower smoke and unburned compounds (HC and CO), is negligible.