On the formation of string cavitation inside fuel injectors

The formation of vortex or ‘string’ cavitation has been visualised in the flow upstream of the injection hole inlet of an automotive-sized optical diesel fuel injector nozzle operating at pressures up to 2,000 bar. Three different nozzle geometries and three-dimensional flow simulations have been employed to describe how, for two adjacent nozzle holes, their relative positions influenced the formation and hole-to-hole interaction of the observed string cavitation vortices. Each hole was shown to contain two counter-rotating vortices: the first extending upstream on axis with the nozzle hole into the nozzle sac volume and the second forming a single ‘bridging’ string linked to the adjacent hole. Steady-state and transient fuel injection conditions were shown to produce significantly different nozzle-flow characteristics with regard to the formation and interaction of these vortices in the geometries tested, with good agreement between the experimental and simulation results being achieved. The study further confirms that the visualised vortices do not cavitate themselves but act as carriers of gas-phase components within the injector flow

Experimental Analysis, Modeling and Control of Volumetric Radial-Piston Pumps

An experimental-theoretical study has been carried out on high-pressure volumetric radial-piston pumps for diesel fuel injection systems. The dependence of the pump inducted flow rate on speed and load was investigated and the characteristic curve of the pump cooling-lubrication circuit was derived. The head-capacity curves were determined for different types of pumps at different revolution speeds and compared with the injector flow requirements in order to evaluate the pressure-control strategy efficiency. An insight into the ageing effects on the pump performance was also provided. Furthermore, the dynamic pump behavior was investigated, with specific reference to the flow-rate ripple at the delivery port. A general analytical expression has been derived for the volumetric efficiency. Furthermore, a specific procedure has been developed and applied to the experimental evaluation of the fuel leakages in pressure control valve (PCV) integrated pumps. Finally, the mechanical-hydraulic efficiency of the pump has experimentally been assessed as a function of head and speed in order to obtain a reliable evaluation of the pump shaft power and torque at different working condition