INJECTORS

Types of Nozzle in IC Engine : Pintle Nozzle, Single Hole Nozzle, Multihole Nozzle, Pintaux Nozzle

Nozzle is that part of an injector through which the liquid fuel is sprayed into the combustion chamber.
It is used in Diesel engine in which fuel is drawn separately through injector at end of compression
stroke and air is drawn into cylinder in suction stroke. The nozzle used in IC engine should follow
following functions.

 It should atomize fuel. This is a very important function since it is the first phase in obtaining
proper mixing of the fuel and air in the combustion chamber.

 Distribute the fuel in require area within the combustion chamber.

 To prevent fuel from impinging directly on the walls of combustion chamber or piston. This is
necessary because fuel striking the walls decomposes and produces carbon deposits. This causes
smoky exhaust as well as increase in fuel consumption.

 To mix the fuel with air in case of non-turbulent type of combustion chamber.

Types of Nozzle in IC Engine:

The design of nozzle must be such that the liquid fuel forced through the nozzle will broke up into fine
droplets, or atomize, as it passes into the combustion chamber. This is the first phase in obtaining
proper mixing of the fuel and air in the combustion chamber. Various types of nozzles are used in IC
engines. These types are as follow.

The Pintle Nozzle:

In this type of nozzle the stem of nozzle valve is extended to from a pin or Pintle which protrudes
through the mouth of the nozzle. The size and shape of the Pintle can be varied according to the
requirement. It provides a spray operating at low injection pressures of 8-10MPa. The spray cone angle
is generally 60 degree. The main advantage of this nozzle is that it avoids weak injection and dribbling. It
prevents the carbon deposition on the nozzle hole.

The Single Hole Nozzle:

In this type of nozzle at the center of the body there is a single hole which is closed by the nozzle valve.
The size of the hole is usually of the order of 0.2 mm. Injection pressure is of order of 8-10MPa and
spray cone angle is about 15 degree. One of the major disadvantages of this nozzle is that they tends to
drible. Besides, their spray angle it too narrow to facilitate good mixing unless higher velocities are used.

The Multi Hole Nozzle:

This nozzle consists of a number of holes bored in the tip of the nozzle. The number of holes varies from
4 to 18 and the size from 35 to 200 micro meters. The hole angle may be from 20 degree upwards.
These nozzles operate at high injection pressure of the order of 18 MPa. Their advantage lies in the
ability to distribute the fuel properly even with lower air motion available in open combustion
chambers.

Pintaux Nozzle:

This type of nozzle is a type of Pintle nozzle which has an auxiliary hole drilled in the nozzle body. It
injects a small amount of fuel through this additional hole which is called pilot injection in upstream
direction slightly before the main injection. The needle valve does not lift fully at low speeds and most of
the fuel is injected through the auxiliary hole. The main advantage of this nozzle is better cold starting
performance. A major drawback of this nozzle is that its injection characteristics are poorer than the
multihole nozzle.

FUEL-INJECTION NOZZLES

The two principal types of injection nozzles are the single-hole type and the multihole type (Figure
10.13). Single-hole nozzles nearly always have a pintle at the lower end of the plunger. The pintle blocks
the orifice when the nozzle is not injecting and partially blocks it when the needle is lifting to open the
valve or falling to close it. The partial blocking helps to prevent a weak spray from entering the
combustion chamber. Single-hole nozzles are used in IDI diesel engines. DI diesel engines require the use
of multihole nozzles. As previously mentioned, four-hole nozzles are used in the medium-swirl DI diesels
in farm tractors.

Nozzle Operation
A cutaway view of a multihole nozzle is shown in Figure 10.14. A pintle-type nozzle would be similar to
the one in Figure 10.14, except for the details of the nozzle

tip. A spring-loaded needle valve blocks flow to the orifices when fuel is not being injected. When the
pump delivers a surge of fuel, fuel pressure acts on the lower part of the needle and forces the needle
back against spring pressure. Fuel is injected until the pressure is insufficient to hold back the spring;
then, the needle closes to stop the injection. An adjusting screw is provided for setting the pressure at
which the needle valve opens. Another adjustment is provided for controlling the maximum needle lift.
Both adjustments should be set in accordance with the manufacturer’s specifications. A portion of the
fuel leaks past the valve guide to provide lubrication of the guide. The escaped fuel passes through the
threads of the opening pressure adjustment and into the fuel return line.
Maintenance of correct orifice size and opening pressure is especially important for multihole nozzles.
The fuel spray from the nozzle must seek out and mix with the air in the combustion chamber, while
avoiding excessive impingement on the chamber walls. Spray droplets that are too large will penetrate
to the chamber wall, while droplets that are too small will not penetrate far enough into the air in the
chamber. Opening pressures for multihole nozzles are typically 20 MPa (2900 psi) or higher. Typical
orifice diameters are in the range from 150 to 320 μm (0.006 to 0.013 in.). On some injector nozzles, the
entire tip can be replaced if the orifices become excessively large or become blocked with carbon.

Nozzle Testing
Nozzle testers are available for testing the performance of injection nozzles (Figure 10.15). The tester
includes a fuel reservoir, hand pump, pressure gage, and valves. It can be used to measure the pressure
at which the needle valve pops open and to observe whether a satisfactory spray pattern is produced. A
properly functioning nozzle also should produce a characteristic chattering sound when the nozzle pops
open. The tester can be used to verify that the nozzle tip does not leak when the nozzle pressure is
slightly below the opening pressure. Finally, the tester can be used to determine whether fuel leaks past
the valve guide at the proper rate. Because of the emphasis on proper opening of the nozzle, the tester
is often called a pop tester.
UNIT INJECTORS
Jerk pumps generate large transient pressures in the injection lines. Closing the needle valve in an
injector causes a pressure wave to travel back and forth in the injection line. Under some conditions, the
reflected pressure wave can be strong enough to lift the needle and cause a secondary injection.
Secondary injections are bad because the fuel is injected too late to be used properly by the cylinder.
Thus, there would be benefits if injection lines could be eliminated. The injection system shown in Figure
10.16 eliminates the high-pressure injection lines. An individual pump and injector are combined into
the same unit, and the device is therefore called a unit injector. The pump is operated by a cam, as
Figure 10.17 shows. The spill port principle and scroll metering are used to control the size of injections,
and a rack and gear is provided to rotate the plunger. Injection ceases when

Assignment

Explain the operation and construction of electronic fuel injection system and common rail fuel injection
system.

DIESEL COMBUSTION AND SMOKE

Uniform mixing of air and fuel is not fully achieved in a diesel engine, and smoke may therefore appear
in the exhaust. Generally, smoke is classified as cold smoke or hot smoke.
Cold smoke is white in color and consists of a fog of unburned fuel particles. It is most likely to appear
when a cold engine is being started. Low air temperatures, light loads, low-cetane fuels, and high air-to-
fuel ratios also are conducive to white smoke formation.
Hot smoke is black or grey in color and consists of carbon particles (soot). Hot smoke is a product of
incomplete combustion and occurs when the air supply is insufficient. Thus, hot smoke is most likely to
occur under heavy engine load when the