Fuel Feed System:

Fuel supply system is used for sending fuel into Internal combustion
engine.
Fuel supply systems are divided into two:
Carburettor.
Fuel Injection system.
Primary difference between Carburettor and Fuel Injection system is
fuel injection atomize the fuel by pumping fuel through a small
nozzle under high pressure, where as in carburettor relies on
suction created by intake air.

Components of fuel feed system for petrol engines:

Fuel Tank
Fuel Pump
Fuel Filter
Carburettor
Intake Manifold
Fuel lines or tubes necessary for connections
Gauge to indicate the fuel in the fuel tank

Functions of fuel feed system:

To store the fuel in the fuel tank
To supply the fuel to the engine to the required amount and in
proper condition.
To indicate to the driver the fuel level in the fuel tank.

Fuel Feed Systems:

Gravity system
Pressure system
Vacuum system
Pump system
Fuel injection system
Gravity, pressure and vacuum systems are obsolete now. The pump
system is used universally on motor vehicles.
Some gasoline engines are using fuel injection system instead of
carburettor.

Gravity fuel feed system:

Fuel tank is maintained at a place higher

than that of the carburettor.

Fuel flows due to the gravitational force.
System does not require any fuel pump.
It is cheap and simple system.
Fuel tank is directly connected to the

carburettor.
Scooters and motor cycles make use of

this system.

Pressure fuel feed system:

A pressure sealed tank is used.
The pressure is created in the tank by means of a separate air
pump.
For starting, the pump is primed by cam which produces pressure in
the tank and the fuel flows to the carburettor.
In this system the tank is placed above or below the carburettor.

Vacuum fuel feed system:

The engine is used for sucking the fuel from the main task to the
auxiliary fuel tank from where it flows by the gravity to the
carburettor.

Pump feed system:

Fuel pump is used to feed
the fuel from the fuel tank to
the carburettor .
The pump is driven either by
the camshaft or electrically .
In this system the fuel tank
is placed at any suitable
position in the vehicle.

Fuel injection System:

In fuel injection system , a fuel injection pump is used in place of
carburettor.
The fuel is atomized by means of a nozzle and then delivered into an
air stream.
Separate fuel injection system is used for each cylinder which
controls the mixture under different load and speed conditions.

Fuel tank:
It is made of sheet metal.
Usually attached to the frame at the rear of vehicle.
Capacity ranges from 70 to 120 litres.
Filler neck of the tank is closed by the cap.
In some tanks, a filtering element at the fuel line connection to collect
dirt and prevent it from reaching to the pump and carburettor.
A drain plug is provided at the bottom for emptying the tank.
It also contains the float unit of the fuel gauge.

Fuel Tank:
It may also have vent pipe which allows air to escape when the tank
is being filled.
VVR (Vehicle Vapour Recovery System) vent pipe is connected to
the condenser which contains the vaporized gasoline in the tank and
prevents its escape into the air.

Pumps used in fuel system:

Mechanical Pump
Electrical Pump
Performance of the fuel pump is tested by pressure, volume and
vacuum.
A pump must produce certain amount of pressure as per the
manufacturers specification.
It is tested by placing a pressure gauge between the pump and the
carburettor and run the engine at the specific speed.
Gauge will indicate the pressure created by the fuel pump.

Testing of Pump:
For volume test , disconnect the fuel pump from the carburettor and
run the engine at the idling speed.
Measure the fuel coming out from the pump by collecting it in a
separate container.
For vacuum test , connect the suitable vacuum gauge between the fuel
tank and the pump and run the engine at the idling speed .
The gauge will indicate the vacuum created inside the pump to suck
the fuel from the fuel tank.
The vacuum must be retained for at least 10 seconds after closing the
engine.

A C Mechanical Pump:

AC Mechanical fuel pump:

A C Mechanical Pump:

Working of AC Mechanical Pump:

Fig Shows a diaphragm type A C mechanical pump.
It is bolted to the engine block or crankcase so that the rocker arm
slides on a cam on the engine camshaft .
It consists of high grade cotton diaphragm impregnated with
synthetic rubber.
The movement of the diaphragm sucks fuel from the tank and
pushes it to the carburettor.
As the cam rotates it operates the rocker arm which in turn pushes
the diaphragm up and down.

Working of AC Mechanical Pump:

The downward movement of the diaphragm sucks the fuel in through
the strainer from the fuel tank.
The upward movement of the diaphragm pushes the fuel which causes
the inlet valve close and the outlet valve to open.
The fuel through the out let valve goes to the carburettor.
If the float chamber is completely filled with the fuel there is no need of
pumping the fuel.
But the engine is running which in turn the pump is operating which
will cause the rise of pressure in the fuel pump which may damage the
pump.

Working of AC Mechanical Pump:

To avoid this the connection between the rocker arm and the push
rod is made flexible with the help of springs.
When the fuel pressure is increased the rocker arm will disconnect
from the eccentric, hence the pump is not operated even though the
engine is running.

Working of Electrical Fuel Pump:

It also consists of a diaphragm and it is operated electrically.
By turning on the ignition switch , the solenoid winding generates
the magnetic flux which pulls the armature and the diaphragm
moves up.
The upward movement of the diaphragm creates the suction and the
fuel is drawn into the chamber through the inlet valve.
As soon as the armature moves up it disconnects from the electric
supply and the magnetic flux dies and the armature falls down
which it causes to create pressure in the pump chamber.

Working of Electrical Fuel Pump:

This causes the outlet valve to open and inlet valve to close.
The fuel goes out to the carburettor.
The downward movement of the armature against sets electric
supply to the solenoid and this process is repeated.

Carburetion:
The process of mixture preparation in S I Engine is called as
carburetion.
This air fuel mixture is prepared outside the cylinder in a device
called carburettor.
The carburettor atomizes the fuel and mixes with air in different
proportions for various load conditions.
Loads: starting, idling, Cursing, accelerating.

Factors affecting Carburetion:

The time available for mixture preparation.

The temperature of the incoming air

The quality of fuel supplied

The engine speed
The design of the carburettor

Various Loading Conditions

Idling/Starting: Engine runs at no load. Produces power just to
overcome the friction between the parts.
Rich mixture (10:1) is needed to sustain the combustion.
Normal power/Cruising mode/Medium load: engine runs for the
most of the period. Fuel economy is maintained.
Lean mixture (17:1) is needed.
Maximum power/Acceleration: Overtaking a vehicle ( short period)
Rich Mixture is needed.

The main functions of a carburettor:

It vaporizes and atomizes the fuel and mixes it with the air
The vaporization means the change of the fuel from a liquid to a
vapour whereas 'atomization' is the braking up of fuel by mechanical
system, so that every small particle of the fuel is surrounded by air
It provides and controls the amount and strength of air fuel mixture
under varying conditions of load and speed of the engine.
It provides easy starting while the engine is cold.
It provides maximum acceleration without hesitation to pick up speed,
when the throttle is suddenly or slowly opened.

Main Components of Carburetor:

Float Chamber: To store the fuel and adjust the fuel level
Cylinder with venturi: For atomization of fuel
Fuel nozzle : To atomize the fuel and produce spray of fuel
Throttle valve : To Supply varying quantities of mixtures at
different load conditions.
A choke valve: To control the air supply in order to provide a rich or
lean mixture.

Carburettor:

Carburettor:

Working Principle of Carburetor:

Fuel supplied to the float chamber is controlled by the action of the
float.
The suction stroke creates vacuum and because of the fall in the
pressure the atmospheric air rushes into the carburetor.
Near the venturi the cross section decreases, the velocity increases
hence the pressure decreases and creates a partial vacuum known
as carburetor depression at the venturi throat and the fuel comes
out in the form of jet in the form of spray.
The fuel gets mixed with air and enters into cylinder.

Idling system:
During idling or starting engine
runs with out the load and the
throttle valve remains in closed
position.
Idling system consists of an
idling fuel passage and an idling
port.
There is separate passage for the
supply of fuel and air when the
throttle is at closed potion.

Auxiliary Port System:

During the normal running conditions engine
has to be run for most of the time and hence
fuel economy has to be maintained. Hence it is
necessary

to have

low specific fuel

consumption.
Hence auxiliary port system has to be
maintained where opening of the butterfly
valve allows additional air to be admitted and
at the same time the depression at the venturi
throat will be reduced thereby decreasing the
fuel rate.

Classification
of carburettor:
According to the direction
of air flow.
Down draft
Updraft
Sidedraft
According to the arrangement of float chamber
Eccentric
Concentric
According to the type of metering system
Metering pin type

Air-bleed jet

Classification
of carburettor:
According to the number
of units
Single
Double
Four-barrel

According to the type of pressure above the fuel in the float chamber
Atmospheric pressure carburettor
Air pressure in the carburettor intake

According to the type of power system

Manually operated
Vacuum controlled

Based on direction of flow:

Updraft carburetor
Down draft carburetor
Side draft carburetor

Electronic Fuel Injection System:

Modern gasoline injection systems use engine sensors, a computer
and solenoid operated fuel injector to meter and to inject the right
amount of fuel into the cylinder.
These is called as electronic fuel injection (EFI) which uses electric
and electronic devices to control and monitor the engine operation.
ECU Electronic control unit receives the electrical signals in the form
of current or voltage from various sensors.
It then uses the stored data to operate the injectors, ignition system
and other engine related devices.

Different sensors used In the EFI:

Exhaust gas or oxygen sensor
Engine temperature sensor
Air flow sensor
Air inlet temperature sensor
Throttle position sensor
Manifold pressure sensor
Camshaft position sensor
Knock sensor

Functions of Sensors:
Exhaust gas or oxygen sensor: Senses the amount of oxygen in the
engine exhaust and calculates air fuel ratio. Sensor output voltage
changes in proportion to the air fuel ratio.
Engine temperature sensor: Senses the temperature of the engine
coolant and from this data the computer adjust the mixture strength
to rich side for the cold starting.
Air flow sensor: Monitor the mass or volume of air flowing into the
intake manifold for adjusting the quantity of fuel.
Air inlet temperature sensor: Checks the temperature of the ambient
air entering the engine for fine tuning the mixture strength.

Functions of Sensors:
Throttle position sensor: Senses the movement of the throttle plate so
that the mixture flow can be adjusted for engine speed and
acceleration.
Manifold pressure sensor: Monitors the vacuum in the engine intake
manifold so that the mixture strength can be adjusted with changes in
the engine load.
Camshaft position sensor: Senses the rotation of the engine
crankshaft and the camshaft for speed and timing of injection.
Knock sensor: Micro phone type sensor that detects the ping or
resignation noise so that the ignition time can be retarded.

Electronic fuel Injection system:

The injection pulse width is an indication of the period for which
each indicator is energized and kept open.
The computer decides and controls the injector pulse width based on
the signals received from the various reasons.
Under full load, the computer will sense a wide open throttle, high
intake manifold pressure, and high inlet flow.
The ECU will then increases the injector pulse width to enrich the
mixture, which will enable the engine to produce high power.

Electronic fuel Injection system:

Under low load and idling conditions the ECU will shorten the pulse
width by which the injectors are kept in the closed position over a
longer period of time.
Because of this air fuel mixture will become leaner and will result in
better fuel economy.
EFI has a cold injector too. This is an extra injector that sprays fuel
into the center of the engine intake manifold when the engine is
cold.
It serves the same purpose as the carburetor choke and this ensures
easy start up in the very cold weather.

Multi Point Fuel injection System:

The main purpose of the multipoint fuel injection is to supply a proper
ratio of gasoline and air to the cylinders.
These systems function under two basic arrangements:
Port injection
Throttle body injection

Port Injection:
In this system, the injector is placed on
the side of the intake manifold near the
intake port.
The injector sprays gasoline into the air,
inside the intake manifold.
The gasoline mixes with the air in a
reasonably

uniform

manner.

This

mixture of gasoline and air then passes

through the intake valve and enters into
the cylinder.

Port Injection:
Every cylinder is provided with an injector in its manifold. If there
are six cylinders there will be six injectors.
Figure shows port or multi point fuel injection system

Throttle body Injection:

Figures gives the simplified sketch of the throttle body injection
system ( Single point injection system).
This is similar to the carburetor throttle body with the throttle valve
controlling the amount of air entering the intake manifold.

Types of MPFI Systems:

In some literatures MPFI is classified into 2 types:
D MPFI
L MPFI

D MPFI System:
It is the manifold fuel injection system.
In this type the vacuum in the intake manifold is first sensed.
Further it senses the volume of air by its density.
Figure shows the block diagram regarding the functioning of the D
MPFI system.

D MPFI System:
As the air enters the intake manifold the manifold pressure sensor
detects the intake manifold vacuum and sends the information to
the ECU.
The speed sensor also sends the information about the rpm of the
engine to the ECU.
The ECU in turn sends commands to the injector to regulate the
amount of gasoline supply for injection.
When the injector sprays fuel in the intake manifold the gasoline
mixes with the air and the mixture enters the cylinder.

L MPFI System:
In this system the fuel metering is regulated by the engine speed
and the amount of air that actually enters the engine. This is called
air mass metering or air flow metering.
This is the block diagram of L MPFI system.

L MPFI System:
As the air enters the intake manifold, the air flow sensor measures
the amount of air and sends the information to the ECU. Similarly
the speed sensor sends information about the speed of the engine to
the ECU.
The ECU process the information received and send appropriate
commands to the injector to regulate the amount of gasoline supply
for injection.
When injection takes place, the gasoline mixes the air and mixture
enters the cylinder.

Functional Divisions of the MPFI System:

It can be functionally divided into the following three main
components:
Electronic Control System
Fuel System
Air Induction System

MPFI Electronic System:

The sensors that monitors intake air temperature, the oxygen, the
water temperature, the starter signal and the throttle position sends
the signals to the ECU

MPFI Electronic System:

The air flow sensor sends the signals to the ECU regarding the
intake air volume.
The ignition sensor send information about the engine speed.
The ECU processes all these signals and sends the appropriate
commands to the injectors to control the volume of the fuel for
injection.
When necessary the cold start injector is operated by the ECU
which is a part of the fuel system.

MPFI Fuel System:

Fuel is supplied by the fuel pump.
At the time of starting the cold start
injector is operated by the cold start
injector time switch.
The cold start injector injects fuel into the
air intake chamber thus enriching the air
fuel mixture.
The pressure regulator regulates the
pressure of the fuel.
The injectors receive signals from the
ECU and inject the fuel into the intake
manifold.

MPFI Air Induction System:

In here the air cleaner, the

air flow meter, the throttle

body and the air valve
supply a proper amount of
air to the intake chamber
and intake manifold.
The

quantity

of

air

supplied is just what is

required

for

combustion.

complete