Abstract:
A fuel property detection apparatus detects fuel properties based on cetane number and density of a tested fuel. Tested fuel is examined in terms of ignition timing, and, when the tested fuel has an ignition timing earlier than a threshold, the tested fuel is identified as having a standard cetane number. When the tested fuel has an ignition timing later than the threshold, the tested fuel is identified as having a low cetane number. An advance angle of the ignition timing is increased for yielding a greater ignition timing difference between a light property fuel and a heavy property fuel, and, in such manner, the difference therebetween is detected. When an advancement of the ignition timing is greater than a threshold, the fuel property is identified as heavy, and, when an advancement of the ignition timing is smaller than the threshold, the fuel property is identified as light.
Abstract:
An injection port includes a straightening area which straightens a flow of a fuel, and an increasing area which is a slit connected to a downstream end of the straightening area and increasing a cross-sectional area of the flow toward a downstream end of the increasing area. The fuel is injected from the downstream end of the increasing area. When a cross-sectional area of the downstream end of the straightening area is expressed as S1, a cross-sectional area of the downstream end of the increasing area is expressed as S2, and a shape property value is expressed as X that is equal to S2/S1, the shape property value X is set to be greater than 1.0 and be less than or equal to 4.0.
Abstract:
The density of fuel being used by a compression-ignition engine and the flammability of the fuel (readiness to ignite when injected into a combustion chamber of the engine, under the current operating conditions of the engine) are respectively detected. When the flammability is excessively low and the density is above a threshold value, the oxygen concentration of the intake air supplied to the cylinders is increased until the flammability reaches a reference condition, while when the flammability is excessively low and the density is below the threshold value, the compression ratio of the engine (and/or each pilot injection amount) is increased until the flammability reaches the reference condition.