Proceedings of the ASME Internal Combustion Engine Division 2007 Fall Technical Conference

ICEF2007
October 14-17, 2007, Charleston, South Carolina, USA

ICEF2007-1651
DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF DOUBLE HELIX FUEL INJECTION PUMP FOR
FOUR STROKE V-16 RAIL TRACTION DIESEL ENGINE
A.K.Kathpal Anirudh Gautam
Engine Development Directorate, Research Engine Development Directorate, Research
Designs & Standards Organisation, Ministry of Designs & Standards Organisation, Ministry of
Railways, Lucknow, India. Railways, Lucknow, India.

Avinash Kumar Agarwal

Department of Mechanical Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur
Kanpur, India.

Baskaran R
Fuel Injection Pump – Product Engineering
dept., Mico BOSCH, Bangalore, India.

ABSTRACT happen, fuel should be injected at an appropriate time,

depending on Injection delay and Ignition delay. Both these
The diesel fuel-injection system of ALCO DLW 251 factors are dependent on the speed and load. Changing the
engine consists of single cylinder injection pumps, delivery operating point of the engine may change either one or both
pipes, and fuel injector nozzles. Fuel injection into the types of delay, altering the moment of start of combustion.
combustion chamber through multi-hole nozzles delivers
designed power and fuel efficiency. The two most important Various researchers have shown that both the Injection and
variables in a fuel injection system of a diesel engine are the the Ignition delay are reduced as the engine speed is decreased
injection pressure and injection timing. Proper timing of the resulting in advancement of injection timing at lower speeds
injection process is essential for satisfactory diesel engine (and loads). This condition will be corrected by varying the
operation and performance. Injection timing needs to be static injection timing, which can be achieved by providing a
optimised for an engine based on requirements of power, fuel modified helix on the plunger to delay the start of fuel
economy, mechanical and thermal loading limitations, smoke injection, for the lower speeds and loads.
and emissions etc. Since each of these requirements varies with
the operating conditions, sometimes contrary to the A new double helix (upper and lower helix) fuel injection
requirements of the other parameters, the map of optimised pump for the ALCO DLW 251 16 V engine has been designed.
injection timing can The new fuel injection pump has been tested on the engine test
be very complex. cell at Research Designs & Standards Organisation and has
shown an improvement of 1.2% in locomotive duty cycle fuel
The ALCO DLW 251 engine’s fuel injection pump is jerk consumption. This paper describes the design & development
type to permit accurate metering and timing of the fuel injected. of double helix fuel injection pump and discusses the engine
The pump has a ported barrel and constant-stroke plunger tests completed to verify the projected improvements in fuel
incorporating a bottom helix for fuel delivery control with efficiency.
constant injection timing. From the point of view of good
power and fuel economy, combustion should take place so that
the peak firing pressure occurs at about 10-15° after TDC and
is usually a few degrees after combustion starts. For this to

1 Copyright © 2007 by ASME

INTRODUCTION

The diesel fuel-injection system of ALCO DLW 251 This equation is clearly speed dependent, and would be the
engine consists of single cylinder injection pumps, delivery same for all speeds if expressed in time units. The equation
pipes, and fuel injector nozzles. Fuel injected into the assumes constant injection pressure and is independent of the
combustion chamber through multi-hole nozzles provides plunger diameter.
designed power and fuel efficiency. The two most important
8
variables in a fuel injection system of a diesel engine are the
injection pressure and timing. Proper timing of the injection 7 L = 30 cm
process is essential for satisfactory diesel engine operation and L = 50 cm
performance. 6

Injection delay deg CA

5
Injection timing needs to be optimised for an engine based
on requirements of power, fuel economy, mechanical and 4
thermal loading limitations, smoke and emissions etc. Since
3
each of these requirements varies with the operating
conditions,sometimes running contrary to the requirements of 2
other parameters, the map of optimised variable injection
timing can be very complex. For example it is possible to 1

achieve good fuel economy by suitable advancement of fuel 0

injection timing; however this can have an adverse impact on 1000 1500 2000 2500
NOx emissions. Engine speed rev/min

Figure 1: Effect of engine speed & length of tubing on

Similarly reduction of NOx emissions requires the fuel
injection delay
injection timing to be retarded with consequent increase in the
particulate emissions. High firing pressures and temperatures
Figure 1 shows the theoretical values of delay for different
are required for proper combustion and lower brake specific
tubing lengths. But in actual practice, the function lines are
fuel consumption (bsfc) but are detrimental for the reliability of
neither straight nor as evenly spaced, for the following reasons:
the engine and require robust engine structural design.
-
Literature indicates [1] that from the point of view of good
• a finite nozzle lifting time, independent of tubing
power and fuel economy, combustion should take place so that
length
the peak firing pressure occurs at about 10-15° after TDC, this
• residual pressures which vary for different speeds
usually occurs a few degrees after combustion starts. For this to
happen, fuel should be injected at an appropriate time, • retraction action of the delivery valve
depending on the following factors
However the relative values are of the same order. Figure 1
a) Injection delay amply demonstrates the need for short, equal length delivery
b) Ignition delay tubes and indicates the order of compensation, with speed,
required to be made while arriving at the actual dynamic
While injection delay is primarily a function of engine timing.
speed, nozzle opening pressure and tubing length, ignition
delay depends on the temperature and pressure in the cylinder, Ignition delay
droplet size and velocity, mixing characteristics, initial droplet
temperature etc. The governing relationship for calculation of ignition
delay, as proposed by different researchers is of the general
Injection delay form: - [2]

The governing equation for calculating the injection delay θigd = 6N*(A/pB)*eC/T °CA, where
(implies the period between spill port closure and the start of
injection) is [2] N – engine speed, rev/min
p – mean pressure in the cylinder between injection and
θinjd = (6N * L)/ Vo °CA where] ignition
T – mean temperature in the cylinder between injection
N is the rotational speed of the engine, rev/min and ignition
L is the length of high pressure tubing, m A,B - constants
Vo is the velocity of the pressure wave in high pressure
tubing, m/s 2 Copyright © 2007 by ASME
 It clearly shows that the correlations have limited
A typical correlation proposed by Wolfer is [2] applicability, as each correlation is true only for a certain set of
injection system and combustion chamber design. This would
not be good enough for determining the map of optimum
timing for a certain engine. However figure 2 shows that
θigd = 6N*(0.429/p1.19)*e4650/T °CA, where ignition delay increases with speed of the engine. Thus at lower
speeds the start of combustion (SOC) shall be early as
N – engine speed, rev/min compared to higher speeds. Since for the maximum brake
p – mean pressure in the cylinder between injection and torque (MBT) we need half of the pressure rise to be at top
ignition dead centre (TDC) and the balance after TDC, at lower speeds
T – mean temperature in the cylinder between injection we need to inject fuel closer to TDC to get the desired pressure
and ignition rise characteristics. This condition translates into the need to
retard the start of injection (SOI) as the engine speed decreases.
Another relation due to Shipinski [2] takes into account the
cetane number of the fuel in addition to the temperature and Fuel Injection system of ALCO engines
pressure in cylinder when ignition takes place
The existing fuel injection system of ALCO engine consist
θigd = 6N*(0.0097/p0.386)*(40/CN)*0.69*e4644/T °CA, of three main components, i.e. the fuel injection pump, the high
where pressure tubing connecting the fuel injection pump to the
nozzle and the fuel injection nozzle. The fuel injection pump is
N – engine speed, rev/min mounted on the fuel pump support which is mounted on the
p – mean pressure in the cylinder between injection and side of the engine crankcase. The pump is actuated by the fuel
ignition cam lobe of the camshaft through a lever arm and roller. The
T – mean temperature in the cylinder between injection and ALCO fuel injection pump is a jerk type plunger pump to
Ignition permit accurate metering and timing of the fuel injected. The
CN – Cetane number pump has a ported barrel and constant-stroke plunger
incorporating bottom helix for fuel delivery control. The pump
Although these correlations take into account only pressure consists primarily of a housing, delivery valve and spring,
and temperature in the cylinder, other factors like number of delivery valve holder, element(plunger and barrel assembly),
spray holes, diameter of spray holes, Air fuel ratio, heat plunger spring, a geared control sleeve and control rack(rod)
transfer rate from walls (dependent also on speed), swirl etc. assembly. The pump element comprises a barrel and plunger,
also affect the which are matched, assembled to a very close tolerance. The
delay. fuel injection pump has three functions:[4]
· To raise the fuel supply pressure to a value which will
efficiently atomise the fuel.
Engine speed rev/min
· To supply the correct quantity of fuel to the injection
1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000 2200 2400 nozzle commensurate with the power and speed requirements
8 of the engine.
· To accurately time the delivery of the fuel for efficient
9 and economical operation of the engine.
Ignition delay deg CA

10 The fuel injection pump has a plunger diameter of 17 mm

with a bottom helix for proper fuel metering. The pump is
11 capable of producing fuel injection pressures up to 1000 bar.
The high-pressure tubing is made of special alloyed steel and
12 its internal diameter is shot peened to provide compressive
Witschakowski
stress. The tubing is capable of handling the required fuel
Wolfer
13
injection pressures. The injector is fitted into the cylinder head
Watson
and consists of a body, the nozzle holder and nozzle. The
nozzle is a low sac design with nine fuel injection holes. The
14
fuel is injected into a quiescent combustion chamber; therefore
the penetration of the injected spray is largely dependent on the
Figure 2: Ignition delay using different correlations – ignition
injection characteristics of the injector nozzle and the pump
at 4° BTDC
injection pressure.

3 Copyright © 2007 by ASME

 retarded as the speed decreases. Based on above results,
Determination of a theoretical 2-dimensional map of optimum injection timings for each notch setting have been
desired timing found out and the trend line added to these values as shown in
figure 5. This shows a trend of retardation of injection closer to
A change in speed or load (compression temperature and the TDC as the engine speed and load is decreased.
pressure) may change either injection or ignition delay or both,
altering the moment of start of combustion. This condition
would need to be corrected by varying the static injection Notch trend timing retard
timing. A two dimensional bsfc map was produced for the 25
ALCO DLW 251 16-cylinder engine by using the electronic
fuel injection system. At every notch the injection timing was
varied to find out the most optimum injection timing for the 20

Optimum SOI deg BTDC

lowest bsfc. This is shown in figure 3.
Mapping points 15
Idle
239

229 Ist
corrected bsfc(gm/bhp-hr)

Notch
219 2nd 10
Notch
209
3rd
199 Notch
5
4th
189 Notch
5th
179
Notch
0
169 6th
Notch 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Notch
159 7th
Notch
149
8th
Figure 5: Trend line of the optimum Start of Injection notch-
0 5 10 15 20 25
Notch wise
Static injection timing BTDC

Figure 3: Mapping points with the Electronic Fuel

Injection system
Upper helix to control start
of injection

Plunger with the upper and

lower helices
Lower helix to control fuel
delivery

Figure 6: Concept of double helix conclusion

Important plunger
To find the optimum injection timing, fuel consumption and from this experiment is that an advance / retard of 13-14 deg
sfc measurements were done at various injection timings. CA is required over the full working range of the ALCO 251 16
Figure 3 is a two dimensional map of the engine sfc vis-à-vis cylinder engine. A change in design of the plunger timing helix
the injection timings shows the spread of the readings. Notch is required to accomplish this retardation with engine speed.
optimisations of injection timings are presented in figure 4 as
shown in Annexure ‘A’. DOUBLE HELIX CONCEPT

It can be observed from figure 4 that the optimum injection The ALCO 251 engine fuel injection pump is a single
timings for each notch (different engine speed and load) can acting, constant stroke and plunger type with the effective
vary. In general the optimum injection timing needs to be

4 Copyright © 2007 by ASME

working stroke being adjustable. The barrel and plunger ports remain uncovered initially for varying time intervals.
element of the fuel injection pump are shown in figure 7. Thus at lower notches, the delivery starts closer to TDC as
compared to the higher engine notches and the desired SOI
retardation with decrease in engine speed and load is obtained.
Since the plunger element now has two helices, at the top and
bottom, the fuel injection pump incorporating the same is
called a double helix pump. Design of this element would take
inputs from the fuel-mapping diagram as shown in figures 4
and 5.

Wartsila has used similar concept on its Model 64 engine,

the largest engine type in its series of medium-speed engines.
The engine has a twin-plunger concept of the injection pump,
where one plunger helix sets the start of injection and the other
meters the amount of injected fuel.[5]

Design of the double helix plunger element

Figure 7: Barrel and plunger of Double Helix Fuel Injection
pump, double helix and single helix plungers As shown in figure 5, a retardation of 14 CA° in fuel
injection is required at the Idle engine notch, as compared to
The upper section of the plunger has been provided with the engine full load and speed. The position of the helix relative
just one helical cut to obtain the injection timing and delivery to the delivery ports is changed by rotation of the plunger
as required. The ALCO 251engine fuel injection pump element element, which in turn is controlled by the control rod
has a right hand single helix. The barrel has delivery ports assembly. The control rod assembly position at idle engine
spaced 180° apart and the delivery period is during the time the notch is 9 mm and at 8th engine notch is 30 mm, thus the
ports remain covered by the plunger element. The fuel control rod assembly moves a distance of 21 mm over the full
injection stops as soon as the ports come in contact with the working range of the engine. Considering a proportional fuel
bottom helix. injection retard at intermediate engine notches, a retard of 0.7
CA° /mm of the control rack is required to achieve the
On the current pump, the fuel injection starts at the same optimum injection timings.
CA irrespective of the engine load and speed. To change the
dynamic injection timing it is somehow required to delay the The camshaft fuel lobe is responsible for providing lift to
covering of the ports for different time intervals at different the fuel injection plunger. Figure 9 shows the fuel injection
pump plunger lift plotted against the crank angle for a
conventional camshaft. It can be seen that the lift of the plunger
starts at 125° and the plunger reaches the centre of the dwell
period at TDC at 246.5°. Shown in figure 10 below is the fuel
cam lobe and its radius of curvature at different angles
Lower helix reckoned from the dwell centre line. Thus 246.5° of CA
to control fuel correspond to the centre line of the dwell portion of the fuel
delivery cam lobe, which is taken as 0° cam angle for the fuel cam lobe.

Figure 8 : Concept of single helix plunger

speeds. Literature has shown that provision of an upper helix

has been successfully used for obtaining such injection delays
[3]. Therefore it was planned to incorporate another helix at the
top of the plunger element for variable injection timing whereas
the bottom helix was to ensure the required fuel delivery. The
concept is illustrated in figure 7.

As the plunger moves up to complete the stroke,

depending on the rack position (or the engine notch) the barrel

5 Copyright © 2007 by ASME

 Maximum Plunger lift 20.002 mm.

25 Plunger helices

20
After calculation of the cam lift the construction of the
plunger helices is taken up. For convenience in the graphical
procedure, the plunger position can be considered fixed and
Plunger lift

15
barrel ports moved relative to it.
C.L of fuel cam 246.5 '
0
10 The first step was to calculate the port positions. The
plunger diameter was laid out in developed position and the
5 upper helix line is drawn based on the empty plunger
movement at different engine notches. The bottom helix line is
drawn based on the fuel delivery required at different engine
0
notches. The pitches of the two helices are then calculated
100 150 200 250 300 350 400
geometrically. The arrangement of the fuel rack, the control
Crank angle sleeve and the fuel injection pump plunger is shown in figure
11.
Figure 9: Lift diagram for the Fuel Cam
Control sleeve on
Based on the lift diagram of the fuel cam the period for barrel
lifting of the fuel injection pump plunger is calculated as
60.75°. Thus the lift of the plunger starts at 60.75° cam angle of F Rack
Plunger
the fuel cam lobe.

Figure 11: Arrangement of the fuel rack with plunger, barrel &
control sleeve

The port closing depends on the port size, the engine rpm
and the ratio of the plunger stroke to the plunger lift required
for port closing. The effective stroke of the plunger for fuel
delivery is based on the fuel delivery requirements at each
engine notch. After the port positions are marked on the
plunger development diagram, tangents are drawn to the circles
(port) at the top and the bottom position. These give the top and
the bottom helix lines. Finally pitch of the top and bottom helix
is calculated. The double helix geometry is laid out as shown in
figure 12.

Figure 10: Details of the Fuel cam lobe

In a single helix element the fuel injection starts from

60.75° fuel cam lobe angle irrespective of the load and speed.
In variable injection timing we need to retard the fuel injection
at idle by 7° fuel cam (or 14° CA). Thus the fuel injection
should start only at 53.75° fuel cam lobe angle. Taking into
account the average radius of curvature of the fuel cam lobe at
60.75° and 53.75° the empty movement of the plunger at idle
engine notch to provide the required injection retard of 14° CA
works out to be 4 mm. Similarly the empty movement of the
plunger at another intermediate notch is calculated and the
Figure 12: Layout of the plunger helix
helix is designed as explained below.

6 Copyright © 2007 by ASME

Design verification tests

After the design & development of the double helix fuel

injection pump, it was planned to carry out design verification
tests to find out whether the design objectives of reduction in
fuel consumption have been met or not. One engine set of
double helix pump were manufactured at MICO Bosch India
Ltd. and delivered to the Engine test laboratory at the Research
Designs & Standards Organisation under the Ministry of
Railways.

Engine configuration as given in table 1 was used for

evaluating the performance of double helix pumps.

Table 1: Engine configuration for testing

Figure 13: Load and speed test points
1 16 Cylinder ALCO 251 engine
2 Bore 228.6 mm, Stroke 254 mm
3 Displacement – 10.4 liter per cylinder
DISCUSSION ON RESULTS

4 Rated power – 2312 kW As a first step, it was desirous to find out the actual fuel
5 Rated speed – 1050 rpm injection timings with the double helix fuel injection pumps
6 Large after cooler (16 row)
and compare with theoretical predictions of engine mapping in
figure 4. Figure 14 shows the Start of Injection (SOI) obtained
7 Modified water piping with single helix and double helix fuel injection pumps at
8 Stiffer unit cam shaft different engine notches. It can be seen that a double helix
pump with 22° static injection retard demonstrates
9 17 mm fuel injection pumps, Double helix and Single
conformance to the theoretical predictions based on engine
helix
mapping carried out with the electronic fuel injection system.
10 11.75 CR deep bowl steel cap Piston with barrel type
ring pack SOI does not vary with engine notch (load and speed) when the
single helix pump is used as anticipated. Thus 22° static
11 0.35 mm fuel injection hole with 157º spray angle injection timing (the flywheel timing mark) with double helix
fuel injection pump is expected to show the lowest brake
12 RR 606 multigrade engine oil of Indian Oil
Corporation
specific fuel consumption (bsfc).
13 10º impeller water pump Engine notch
-2
14 Plate type Lube Oil Cooler 290 kW heat dissipation 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
capacity SH 25.5º
-7 SH 22º
15 New design cylinder heads DH 22º
DH 25.5º
SOI, CA degrees

DH 27.5º
Experimental load points -12 DH 29.5º

Figure 13 shows the load points at which the engine was

tested. In all nine load points of the locomotive operation were -17
chosen with adequate thermal stabilisation at each point. The
engine was first taken to the ninth load point and the
-22
measurements were done in notch reduction mode.

-27

Figure 14: SOI timings obtained with different static injection

timings

7 Copyright © 2007 by ASME

Optimum SOI timing shall reflect in lesser fuel being validation but could not be done due to time
consumed for a lower engine notch as compared to the single constraints.
helix fuel injection pump since horsepower produced at an
245
engine notch is fixed. Thus a modification of the lower helix is
also required to cater to lower fuel delivery requirements at 235 SH 25.5º
lower notches. Accordingly this phenomenon should be SH 22º
225 DH 22º
reflected in the injected fuel quantity per stroke of the fuel DH 25.5º
injection pump. Figure 15 depicts the difference in fuel 215 DH 27.5º

bsfc(gm/bhp-hr)
DH 29.5º
injection quantity with different combinations for four engine
205
notches. The lowest fuel injection is seen with double helix
pump with 22° BTDC static injection timing. It is therefore 195
expected that this combination of the fuel injection pump and 185
the static injection timing should result in the lowest brake
specific fuel consumption. 175

165

SH 22.5º 155
640 DH 22º
DH 25.5º 145
DH 27.5º 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
540 DH 29.5º
Inj. Qty(mm³/st/cyl)

Engine notch
SH 22º

440
Figure 16: bsfc with different static injection timings

The next most important parameter to consider is the duty cycle

340 fuel consumption of the ALCO 251 engine. Indian Railways
have two separate duty cycles for the freight and the passenger
240 train operation. The duty cycle fuel consumption with these
two different duty cycles are presented in figures 17 and 18. It
can be seen that the engine with the double helix fuel injection
140
pumps have outperformed the one fitted with the single helix
1 2 3 4 pumps. Choice of particular static injection timing shall depend
Engine notch on other factors like the firing pressures, turbine inlet
temperatures etc. An improvement of about 1.2% fuel
Figure 15: Fuel injection quantity with different static injection consumption over duty cycle is calculated with use of DH
timings pump.

Freight Cycle 3100 hp

Reduction in the brake specific fuel consumption (bsfc) was the
178.0
primary design objective. Figure 16 shows the bsfc obtained at
engine notches with single helix (SH) and double helix (DH)
177.5
fuel injection pumps at different static fuel injection timings. It
can be observed that the least bsfc is obtained with double helix
Fuel consumption(Kg/h)

177.0
fuel injection pump at 22° BTDC static fuel injection timing.
The highest bsfc is seen with double helix pump at 29.5°
176.5
BTDC static fuel injection timing at lower engine notches and
with double helix pump at 27.5° BTDC static fuel injection
176.0
timing at higher notches. The single helix pump with 25.5°
BTDC static fuel injection timing exhibits the second highest
175.5
bsfc at lower notches, an ample indication of non-optimisation
of the single helix at lower notches. Single helix pump with 22°
175.0
BTDC and 25.5° BTDC injection timings show higher bsfc at
lower notches. Thus the engine with the double helix fuel
174.5
injection pump is able to achieve the lowest bsfc at lower
DH22º DH25.5º DH27.5º DH29.5º SH22º SH25.5º
notches verifying the design objective. Plotting of brake
specific fuel consumption against static engine timing for each Figure 17: Comparison of Freight duty cycle fuel consumption
engine notch would have further supported the design

8 Copyright © 2007 by ASME

 Turbine gas inlet temperatures are representative of the cylinder
Passenger Cycle 3100 hp peak firing temperatures and combustion efficiency and also
183.0
determine the efficiency of the turbocharger. In case of higher
182.5
combustion efficiency, the amount of unburnt HC passing into
& burning in the exhaust manifold is less leading to lower
Fuel Consumption(Kg/h)

182.0
turbine gas inlet temperatures. These temperatures at different
notches with different static injection timings are shown in
figure 20. At higher notches the lowest temperatures are
181.5
obtained with the 22° static injection timing with double helix
fuel injection pump. This correlates well with the lowest brake
181.0
specific fuel consumption (highest thermal efficiency) obtained
with the DH 22° static injection timing. Another aspect which
180.5
can be examined is the residual HC in the exhaust manifold
which is generated at lower notches. With single helix fuel
180.0
injection pump, at lower notches, because of non-optimised
SOI, a significant amount of unburnt HC passes to the Exhaust
179.5
DH22º DH25.5º DH27.5º DH29.5º SH22º SH25.5º
manifold and resides in the manifold because of the constant
pressure turbocharger exhaust manifold. At higher notches as
the gas flow rate increases along with the peak firing
Figure 18: Comparison of Passenger duty cycle fuel
temperatures, this HC burns leading to higher turbine gas inlet
consumption
temperatures. At lower notches the lowest turbine gas inlet
temperatures are obtained with 25.5° and 29.5° static injection
The cylinder peak firing pressures and temperatures determine
timings and double helix fuel injection pumps. The
the mechanical and thermal loading of the engine. Changes in
temperatures show a drop after 5th engine notch with the DH
the SOI affect the start of combustion and the peak firing
pump and 22° static fuel injection timing. This aspect shall be
pressures and temperatures in the cylinder. The cylinder inline
discussed further during combustion analysis.
pressures and temperatures also affect reliability of engine.
Figure 19 above shows the peak firing pressures obtained with
500
different fuel injection pumps. With the double helix pumps
and static injection timing of 22° BTDC, the second lowest
450
Turbine Gas Temp Inlet ºC

peak firing pressures are obtained. The allowable peak firing

pressures are 1800 psi; therefore the DH pump with static 400
injection timing of 22° BTDC meets the criteria.
350
@ Full load & rated speed
2000
1950 300 SH 25.5º
1900 SH 22º
Peak Firing Pressure (psi)

1900 1880 DH 22º

1860 250
DH 25.5º
200 DH 27.5º
1800 1760 DH 29.5º
150
1700 1680 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Engine notch
1600
Figure 20: Turbine gas inlet temperature with different static
injection timings
1500
DH- DH- DH- DH- SH-25.5 SH
22deg. 25.5deg. 27.5deg. 29.5deg. deg. Base 22deg. Although the engine was able to obtain the required
Base horsepower with all the combinations of the fuel injection
BTDC (deg.) pumps and the static injection timings, the air boost pressures
were also measured to find out any differences due to the
Figure 19: Firing pressures with different static injection
different pumps and static injection timings. Figure 21 shows
timings at full load and speed
boost pressure obtained with different configurations at
different engine notches. Type of fuel injection pump and static

9 Copyright © 2007 by ASME

injection timing do not have any appreciable effect on the boost
air pressure, although the double helix pump with 22° CA
BTDC static injection timing shows the highest boost
pressures.

SH 25.5º
SH 22º
DH 22º
1.5 DH 25.5º
Boost pressure (bar)

DH 27.5º
DH 29.5º

0.5 Figure 22: p-θ and lN- θ diagram for single helix pump at idle
notch, SOI at -18º BTDC, SOC at -10º BTDC

0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Engine notch

Figure 21: Boost pressure with different static injection

timings

Figure 22 & 23 bring out the difference in start of injection

and start of combustion with single helix and double helix fuel
injection pumps. Similar results have been obtained at other
lower notches. Due to the use of the double helix fuel injection
pump, the pmax is higher than the single helix pump. The
θpmax for double helix is about +5º ATDC whereas for single
helix pump this maximum in pressure occurs at about +1º
ATDC. This is the reason for lower bsfc observed with the
double helix pump. Higher peak pressures are accompanied
with higher in-cylinder temperatures and are the cause for
higher gas turbine inlet temperatures at lower notches with DH Figure 23: p-θ and lN- θ diagram for double helix pump at idle
pumps. notch, SOI at -10º BTDC, SOC at -3º BTDC

CONCLUSION

Development of double helix fuel injection pump has been

successful. The theoretical modelling of the double helix fuel
injection is seen to show fair match with the experimental
results with double helix pump adjusted for 22º BTDC static
fuel injection timing.

The double helix pump has shown fuel savings as

compared to the single helix fuel injection pump both in terms
of bsfc and the duty cycle fuel consumption. The peak firing
pressures with the double helix injection pumps and 22º BTDC
static fuel injection timing are found to be below the stipulated
limit of 1800 psi. The turbine gas inlet temperatures with

10 Copyright © 2007 by ASME

double helix fuel injection pump and the 22º BTDC static fuel
injection timing are found to be lowest at the higher notches.
This combination has also exhibited the lowest bsfc amongst all
the configurations tested. Gas turbine inlet temperatures
obtained with the 22° DH and the 22° SH pumps are different
mainly because of the difference in the combustion efficiencies.

FIELD TRIALS & DESIGN SWITCH

Subsequent to the development of the double helix fuel

injection pump testing on the 16-cylinder ALCO test cell at
Research Designs & Standards Organisation, sixteen of these
DH pumps were fitted on a diesel locomotive of Indian
Railways for field tests. The fuel injection pumps were tested
for a period of nine months and showed savings in fuel
consumption in line with the laboratory tests. As a
consequence, Indian Railways have decided to build all the
new ALCO engine based diesel locomotives with double helix
fuel injection pumps resulting in design switch from single
helix to double helix fuel injection pumps.

REFERENCES

1. Internal Combustion Engine Fundamentals, Heywood John

B, McGraw Hill, International Edition, 1988.
2. Luthra S.K., Development of fuel injection systems for
diesel engines with dynamically varying timings, IXth
National Conference on I.C.Engines and Combustion,
Indian Institute of Petroleum, Dehradun, India, November
1985.
3. Fuel Injection and controls for Internal Combustion
Engines, Burman Paul G, DeLUCA Frank, The Technical
Press Ltd, London, 1962.
4. Bosch Automotive Handbook, 5th Edition, SAE
International, 2000.
5. Twin-plunger concept for containership, Marine Engineers
Review, pp. 31. Feb. 2005

11 Copyright © 2007 by ASME

 ANNEX A

FIGURE 4: NOTCH OPTIMISATION OF INJECTION TIMING

sfc-Idle 1st Notch

237.4 211.8

211.6
237.2
211.4

sfc(gm/bhp-hr)
sfc(gm/bhp-hr)

237 211.2

211
236.8
210.8

236.6 210.6

210.4
236.4
210.2

236.2 210
0 5 10 15 20 25 2 7 12 17 22

Injection timing BTDC Injection timing BTDC

(a) (b)

3 rd Notch
2 nd Notch
177.5
189.6
189.4 177.45

189.2 177.4
sfc (gm/bhp-hr)
sfc(gm/bhp-hr)

189
177.35
188.8
177.3
188.6
188.4 177.25
188.2 177.2
188
177.15
187.8
177.1
187.6
0 5 10 15 20
6 8 10 12 14 16 18
Injection timing BTDC
Injection timing BTDC
(d)
(c)

12 Copyright © 2007 by ASME

 4 th Notch 5 th Notch
173
166.5
172.98
166.4
172.96
166.3
172.94
sfc (gm/bhp-hr)

172.92 166.2

sfc(gm/bhp-hr)
172.9 166.1
172.88 166
172.86
165.9
172.84
165.8
172.82
165.7
172.8
172.78 165.6
9 14 19 24 165.5
Injection timing BTDC 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25
Injection timing BTDC
(e) (f)

6 th notch 7 th notch
153.4
159.1
159.05 153.3
sfc(gm/bhp-hr)

159
sfc(gm/bhp-hr)

153.2
158.95
153.1
158.9
153
158.85
158.8 152.9
158.75 152.8
158.7
152.7
158.65
152.6
158.6
11 13 15 17 19
9 11 13 15 17 19 21

Injection timing BTDC Injection timing BTDC

(g) (h)

8 th notch
152.35

152.3
sfc(gm/bhp-hr)

152.25

152.2

152.15

152.1
7 12 17 22
Injection timing BTDC

(j)

13 Copyright © 2007 by ASME