The world of automotive engineering has seen a succession of inventions and innovations that have profoundly changed the way we drive and use our vehicles. Among the various technologies developed, the injection system Common Rail he represented one of the greatest leaps forward in the design of diesel engines. This technology has significantly improved the performance, efficiency and emissions of modern engines, contributing to greater sustainability in the automotive sector. Let’s discover together the history of this particular system and how it works.
Common Rail injection system, an all-Italian story
It is interesting to note how Italy played a fundamental role in the evolution of the automotive sector. In addition to being the home of iconic brands such as Ferrari, Fiat, and Maserati, the Belpaese has given birth to numerous innovative systems that have revolutionized the world of cars. Italian engineers have stood out for their creativity and ability to combine passion and technical precision, leading to excellent results, as demonstrated by the case of Common Rail injection system.
The injection system Common Rail It is one of the most important advances in diesel engine technology, an invention that has significantly improved the performance and efficiency of modern engines. Its history dates back to the 1960swhen Robert Huber and engineers from the Swiss company Sulzer Industries began to develop a technology for improve injection control of fuel in diesel engines. However, the real breakthrough came in the 1990s, thanks to the Italian engineer Marco Ganserwho perfected the system making it usable on series vehicles.
In 1997, Common Rail technology was introduced to the automotive market by Magneti Marelli in collaboration with the group Fiat And Bosch. There Fiat Croma it was the first vehicle to use this system, followed by many other car manufacturers. The introduction of Common Rail represented a turning point in the automotive sector, as it allowed more efficient combustion, thus reducing emissions of harmful gases and improving performance in terms of power and consumption.
Before Common Rail, diesel injection systems used mechanical pumps that sent fuel directly to the injectors. However, this method had limitations, as the injection was not optimized and the timing was difficult to control precisely. Common Rail solved these problems, making high-pressure electronic injection possible, ensuring better atomization of the fuel and, therefore, more efficient combustion.
How does the Common Rail system work?
The Common Rail injection system is based on a relatively simple principle, but which involves a lot of electronic control. The heart of the system is a pressurized tankor “rail”, which accumulates e maintains fuel at high pressure. This is where the name comes from “Common Rail”since the fuel is distributed by a single rail common to all injectors.
Here’s how it works in detail:
- High pressure pump: a mechanical or electric pump compresses the fuel up to pressures that can exceed 2,000 bar. This high pressure is essential to ensure that the fuel is sprayed finely within the combustion chamber.
- Common rail: the high pressure fuel is stored in the rail, which acts as a reserve and allows the pressure to be maintained constant. This allows the system to be ready to supply fuel to the injectors at any timeregardless of engine speed or load.
- Electronic injectors: the injectors, controlled by an electronic control unit (ECU), regulate the opening and closing of the valves that release the fuel into the combustion chamber. The control unit precisely determines when and for how long the injectors should remain open, based on various parameters such as engine speed, load and temperature.
- Multiple injection: one of the great advantages of the Common Rail system is the possibility of performing multiple injections per combustion cycle. In particular, it is possible to do a “pre-injection” to heat the cylinder and reduce emissions, followed by a main injection to provide power, and a “post-injection” to reduce noise and optimize combustion.
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