D EV E LO P M E N T Injection

Pressure-amplified
Common Rail System for
Commercial Vehicles
The key to a successful layout of a combustion system for commercial vehicles is in the management
of peak torque operation points. For this purpose, Bosch has enhanced its Common Rail System with
increasing degrees of freedom – i.e. with flexible rate shaping. A second solenoid valve activates a
pressure-amplifier inside the injector, an optimized offset of nozzle needle timing reduces the injec-
tion rate by half right at the start of injection, and the formation of nitrogen oxide is reduced consider-
ably. This enables the engine manufacturer to adhere to the emission limits while further reducing
fuel consumption and the engine-related effort for the air sytem.

10 MTZ 05I2009 Volume 70

 The Authors

1 Introduction present, for adaptation to the specific Dr. Rolf Leonhard

engine requirements, the injection pres- is Executive Vice Presi-
With the introduction of the future emis- sure can be configured at a range of dent Engineering,
sion levels US10/Euro6 for heavy duty en- 2200 to 2500 bar, Figure 1. Bosch Diesel Systems
gines, the Unit Pump/Unit Injector Sys- The pressure-amplified system „CRSN4.2“ in Stuttgart (Germany).
tems today still used in many applica- offers the possibility to select the injec-
tions will increasingly be replaced by tion rate in a flexible way at start of in-
Common Rail Systems. jection, thereby reducing the formation Dr.-Ing.
The main driver for this is the use of of nitrogen oxide in the area of the NOx- Marcus Parche
exhaust gas recirculation with all rele- sensitive engine map. Figure 2 below is Senior Vice Presi-
vant combustion systems. Engines using shows an example for this application. dent Diesel Systems
this system have to be able to handle in- At the same peak pressure of a conven- for Commercial Vehi-
jection pressure peaks at part load, and tional CRS, the pressure-amplified sys- cles at Robert Bosch
this can only be implemented in a hy- tem utilizes the advantage of a lower NOx Diesel Systems in
draulically efficient way by using a rail emission for a reduction of the fuel con- Stuttgart (Germany).
as pressure accumulator. sumption during pressure peaks. Addi-
The product portfolio of Bosch offers tionally, the effort for the air system and
two variants of Common Rail Systems to for the cooling system can be limited. Dipl.-Ing. Carlos
facilitate combustion at operating While optimizing an engine with the Alvarez-Avila
points with high load. The system pressure-amplified system, fuel consump- is Director Platform
„CRSN3.3“ offers the freedom of fully tion is reduced up to 3.5 % under real load Projects for Commer-
flexible multiple injections. conditions. Projected onto an operating cial Vehicles at Robert
It is used for combustion systems life of four years in European long haul Bosch Diesel Systems
with high boost in combination with traffic, up to 200 t of CO2 or 10.000 € of in Stuttgart (Germany).
high exhaust gas recirculation rates. At fuel costs, respectively, can be saved [1].

Dipl.-Ing. Jost Krauß

is Director System De-
velopment Common
Rail Platform at Robert
Bosch Diesel Systems
in Stuttgart (Germany).

Dipl.-Ing. (FH)
Bernd Rosenau
is Director Product-
Figure 1: Roadmap Common Rail Systems for commercial vehicles management Common
Rail System for Pas-
senger Cars at Robert
Bosch Diesel Systems
in Stuttgart (Germany).

Figure 2: Optimum rate shaping in engine map

MTZ 05I2009 Volume 70 11

D EV E LO P M E N T Injection

3 The Injector of the

Pressure-amplified System

As a result of the tasks and requirements

they have to cope with, 4th generation in-
jectors for commercial vehicles are sub-
stantially different from their predeces-
sors regarding functionality and design.
The concept of a pressure-amplified injec-
tor was implemented by a reduction of
the original injector to a fraction of the
size know for heavy duty CRS. More pre-
cisely, that part of the injector was mini-
mized, which is responsible for the injec-
tion function and for the control thereof
by means of an electronic actuator. This
Figure 3: Injection system „CRSN4.2“ with pressure-amplified injector was necessary in order to make room for
an extended range of functions.
The miniaturization was accom-
plished with a newly developed pressure-
2 System Design An important driver for the maximiza- balanced 2/2-way solenoid valve, which is
tion of lifetime of an exhaust gas recir- directly connected hydraulically to the
The basic design of a pressure-amplified culation system is that any contact be- nozzle needle. In combination with the
system, Figure 3, consists of the known tween engine oil and fuel is avoided. For nozzle module (already used in Bosch 3rd
components/functions of a CRS, like: the pressure-amplified system, the driv- generation passenger car injectors), one
– fuel delivery by high pressure pump etrain of the pump, usually lubricated gets a compact and highly dynamic “in-
– pressure accumulation and disper- with engine oil for commercial vehicle jection module” with the complete func-
sion onto cylinders in rail appications, is lubricated with fuel in- tionality of a classical injector, Figure 4.
– fuel injection in injectors. stead. The concept of a modular structure
When compared with conventional A rail in the length of a heavy-duty en- with numerous advantages resulting from
CRS, a major distinguishing feature is gine is designed with the following ad- it has altogether shaped the design of the
the way the function “pressure genera- vantages: 4th generation, Figure 5. The now increased
tion“ is divided into two stages in the – reduction of variants of high-pressure functionality of the separately selectable
system. During the first stage of pres- lines to one third pressure amplification has also been de-
sure generation, the high-pressure – compact packaging of lines picted in modules: one “pressure amplifi-
pump compresses fuel to 250 to 900 bar. – reduction of pressure oscilliations in er” and one related „control module“.
In the second stage, fuel is compressed the rail injector lines The pressure-amplifier module is used
up to 2100 bar by a pressure-amplyfier – reduction of vibrations in rail and for the actual generation of high pres-
integrated in the injector. The pressure lines through a ridgid connection. sure inside the injector. The principle of
amplification is controlled by a sepa-
rate solenoid valve.
When a system configuration with
pressure amplifier ist chosen, it offers
the following advantages for the develop-
ment of modern engine concepts:
– flexible and hydraulically efficient
rate shaping for optimized fuel con-
sumption during pressure peaks
– pre-injection/post-injection with a rail
pressure of ≤ 900 bar reduces the spray
momentum, the wetting of the cylin-
der liner walls with fuel and the subse-
quent dilution of engine oil with fuel
– reduction of number of injector parts
affected by peak pressure; Pump and
rail as well as high-pressure lines only
have to be designed for a pressure of Figure 4: Transformation of the conventional nozzle management in the injection module
up to 900 bar. of CRIN4.2

12 MTZ 05I2009 Volume 70

function is that of a hydraulic piston: Via
a surface ratio a lower fluid pressure, in
this case the system pressure in of rail, is
amplified to a higher pressure beneath a
smaller surface. This means the ratio of
these two surfaces to each other deter-
mines the factor of pressure amplifica-
tion. This static (i.e. geometrically de-
fined) pressure-amplification rate in con-
nection with a system pressure that can
theoretically be scaled freely within a
CRS, makes it possible that all ranges
from minimum to maximum pressure Figure 5: Modular structure of the pressure-amplified injector
within the engine map can be realized.
This means, depending on the rele-
vant goal, the ratio of the pressure-ampli-
fier can be adjusted to achieve the opti-
mum result between injection pressure
and hydraulic efficiency. The functional-
ity “pressure amplification“ is designed
as a separately selectable option so that
the injector can be used both in the pres-
sure-amplified and in the unamplified
mode. This distinctly sets itself apart
from alternative solutions, which direct-
ly connect the activation of the injector
with the pressure-amplification. This
freedom (of using the injector in both
modes) was achieved with the develop-
ment and integration of another module Figure 6: Variants of multiple injection and rate shaping
for the 4th generation injector: the so-
called “control module“.
The movement of the pressure-ampli-
fying piston is prevented or activated, re- force, the pressure-amplifying piston re- feature “multiple injections“ offer engine
spectively, depending on whether the mains in its position at the upper end. developers further possibilities from the
relevant point in the engine map re- This means, the spring is not only respon- optimization of combustion to a reduced
quires “only” rail pressure or pressure- sible for supporting the reset but also for fuel consumption, improved emission
amplified fuel injection instead. ensuring that the piston is always in the rates and an increased specific efficiency.
The control function is implemented same initial position when the system is At the same time, the adaptation of dif-
by means of a specifically for this appli- started. The fuel then flows with unam- ferent applications e.g. to regional legisla-
cation newly developed directly control- plified injection pressure through the tion based on different emission laws can
led 3/2-way solenoid valve. If the valve is pressure-amplifier piston and through be accomplished more easily due to this
triggered, the control chamber of the the open check valve to the nozzle. The system freedom.
pressure-amplifier is decoupled from the real strength of the 4th generation injec- There are further advantages that
rail pressure and is short-circuited to the tors can be explained when combining have not been described before: By inte-
fuel return line. Once the hydraulic pres- the aforementioned function options, grating the pressure-amplification into
sure on the control chamber has been supported by the modular design: the de- the injector, only those components in
released, this leads to excess force on the coupling of the function blocks “injec- the ”bottom” half of the injector are af-
surface affected by the rail pressure. tion control” and “pressure-amplification fected by the amplified pressuer. The
The pressure-amplifier piston now control”. This facilitates flexible rate pump, the lines, the rail as well as the
starts moving, and the “high-pressure shaping. Not only can the customer select major part of the injector are only af-
chamber”, now exclusively feeding the between unamplified and pressure-am- fected by the standard rail pressure.
injection, is closed via a check valve inte- plified injection – also the point in time Since the requirements on the system
grated into the piston. This way, the when the pressure-amplification is to components are determined by the pres-
“locked up” fluid is compressed to a high- start can be selected independently of the sure they have to handle, those parts not
er pressure level. If the fuel is injected beginning of the injection. The rate affected by higher pressure have to fit for
without pressure-amplification, due to a shapes named ”Boot“, “Ramp“ and rail pressure only. The implementation
balance of forces and supported by spring “Square“, Figure 6, in connection with the of subsequent pressure increases are sim-

MTZ 05I2009 Volume 70 13

D EV E LO P M E N T Injection

plified considerably. Production and se-

ries maintenance profit from the modu-
lar structure of the injectors, since func-
tion tests and debugging can be carried
out on each module individually.

4 The High-pressure Pump Family

In the first stage of the two-stage high-pres-

sure generation process, the „CPN5-9/2“
(5. generation – 900 bar and two pistons)
– a pump of the „CPN5“ pump family – is
used. By the evolutionary development of
the basic design, this pump concept is ca-
pable to cover the increasing system re-
quirements of future Common Rail Sys-
tems. With identical or even reduced
pump weight, the hydraulic power can be Figure 7: The „CPN5“ pump family
increased distinctly, Figure 7.
The „CPN5“ pump family is based on
an inline pump concept. Compared to
other pumps in this power segment, this In particular the selection of a suitable The fuel is pre-delivered by a gear
type is lubricated with fuel instead of en- combination of speed ratio to the number pump, which is integrated into the pump
gine oil. The drivers behind this funda- of cams can support the adherence to housing. The fuel delivery is controlled by
mental switch were the increasing de- narrow injection tolerance limits. By us- the solenoid valve of the measuring unit.
mands of emission legislation, in partic- ing adequate combinations, the delivery Depending on the combination chosen
ular regarding soot. stroke of the pump elements is either and the drivetrain ratio, two or three
While oil-lubricated types require a synchronized to the fuel injections or loads per pump element are located on
considerable effort to minimize leakages each individual injector is always as- the camshaft. The barrels with its pistons
along the pump piston, the fuel-lubrica- signed to the same pump element. This consist of steel and are mounted as one
tion facilitates a perfect separation be- so-called injection-synchronous or ele- unit into the aluminum pump housing.
tween oil circuit and fuel circuit. With ment-synchronous delivery ensures that Also in the commercial vehicle sector
the implementation of constructive man- the influence of a strewing rate shape on the demands on noise emissions are gain-
ufacturing measures, an impact on ro- the injection quantity tolerance is mini- ing importance. Corresponding demands
bustness caused by lower fuel lubricity is mized from injection to injection. The on the injection system are derived of
avoided. The buildup of the lubricating described modular structure of the this. Apart from measures to optimize the
film between those parts moving relative- „CPN5-9/2“ pump generation can best be combustion noise, there are growing de-
ly against each other is specifically sup- depicted by the example of Figure 8. mands regarding measures to reduce
ported by design features of those compo-
nents and their environment. For the cam
drive e.g. a roller shoe concept is used
which has been derived from the „CP4“ –
the pump that has already proven itself
successful in newer common rail pumps
of passenger cars, light duty and heavy
duty systems. Furthermore, friction-mini-
mizing coatings as well as special bearing
material are also used to meet the requr-
irements of variing fuel qualities.
The „CPN5“ pump family is character-
ized through its modular design. Using
adequate combinations of cam numbers,
piston diameter and piston lift as well as
a transmission ratio suitable for the en-
gine speed, volume and pressure ranges
from 250 l/h at 2500 bar up to 520 l/h at
900 bar can be covered. Figure 8: Assembly of a „CPN5-9/2“

14 MTZ 05I2009 Volume 70

noise emission of the components of the
fuel injection. One of the dominant noise
sources is the pressure generation inside
the pump. The growing demands for
higher pressure levels and the increasing
energy consumption resulting thereof en-
sure that these newer pump generations
are more sophisticated.
The dynamic of the piston movement
is a major influence factor on the noise
emitted by the pump. One oft he domi-
nant noise sources of the high-pressure
pump itself is the moment when during
delivery the piston comes into contact Figure 9: Quantitatively Accelerated Life Testing (QALT)
with the “locked up” and compressed fuel
in the element room. Regarding the noise
emission of the entire system, the effec-
tive torque in the drivetrain of the pump sitive assemblies and machine elements 6 Prospect
is a major factor. This torque puts the driv- of the products and their specific testing.
etrain under a pre-tension, and causes the The assemblies to be tested are deter- Preliminary investigations demonstrates,
characteristic “ratteling noise” when the mined making use of experience with that further development of conventional
tension is released and the metallic drive- similar assemblies or of theoretical con- combustion methods for commercial ve-
train components hit on each other. The siderations i.e. calculations. The so-called hicles with the target to improve fuel con-
same effect is caused by backing torques. HALTs (Highly Accelerated Life Tests) play sumption is possible. A major element of
The transmission of these exitations a major role in it. During these tests, this measures package is a futher increase
to the gearbox of the engine and the re- critical factors, for example temperature of the injection pressure.
sulting amplification of this noise due to and pressure, are gradually increased to Based on the features described before,
the “loudspeaker effect” of the engine detect machine elements “reacting” on the „CRSN4.2“ with its pressure-ampli-
components elevate this parameter to these parameters. fied injector is ideally suited for another
the central factor of the hydraulic system In the next step, the load collectives pressure increases. The evolutionary de-
that has to beoptimized to achieve opti- are identified under real life conditions velopment of this platform for pressure
mum noise emissions. in close cooperation with the engine levels up to 2500 bar as well as of for the
The best results can be obtained by a manufacturer. Based on these load col- platform for conventional fuel injection
suitable design of the camp loop geome- lectives, so-called QALTs (Quantitative Ac- systems, with one-stage pressure genera-
try to reduce torque fluctuations. Com- celerated Life Tests) are defined. This way, tion, has already been started. This means
bined with damping measures on the targeted, component-specific accelerated all application-specific customer require-
coupling elements between the drive- tests can be performed under critical ments can be fulfilled. In order to be able
train and the gearbox, the noise level can conditions correlating with lifetimes in to respond to future requirements for
be reduced significantly. the field, Figure 9. even higher pressure levels, Bosch already
The modular structure of the prod- conducts research for target pressure lev-
ucts used supports this concept. It facili- els of up to 3000 bar.
5 Validation Strategy tates the accelerated optimization and
validation of various assemblies and ma-
Due to the high lifetime requirements of chine elements in parallel. Long lasting References
1.2 million miles in combination with a endurance tests are only performed with [1] Schmid, W.; Heil, B.; Harr, T.; Maderthaner, K.:
very tight project schedule, the demands “mature“ products to verify the trouble- Combustion Process for the New Generation
of DaimlerChrysler Heavy Duty Diesel Engines
on the validation efficiency of compo- free interaction at the different compo-
and Requirements to Fuel Injection Systems.
nents and of the entire system have be- nent interfaces. Particular importance is 28. Internationales Wiener Motorensymposium
come more and more important. In view placed on the testing of the products un- [2] Albrecht, W.; Dohle, U.; Gombert, R.; Krauss, J.;
of this background, a new and optimized der real life conditions. Therefore, the Leonhard, R.; Wannenwetsch, P.: Das innovative
validation strategy has been worked out test benches have been modified in such Bosch Common Rail System CRSN4.2 für die
and implemented. a way that the use of cylinder heads and neue Generation von schweren DaimlerChrysler
The previous validation concept, with of the entire lower pressure circuit be- Nutzfahrzeug – Dieselmotoren. 28. Internationales
Wiener Motorensymposium
its runtime-intensive endurance tests, came possible.
[3] Dohle, U.; Dürnholz, M.; Kampmann, S.;
usually only detects the weakest part of The high quality standard of the re- Hammer, J.; Hinrichsen, C.: 4th Generation Diesel
each product. This results in a high cently started series production confirms Common Rail System for Future Emissions Legis-
number of necessary iterations. The new impressively the effectiveness of this vali- lations. FISITA World Automotive Congress,
validation is focused on the lifetime-sen- dation strategy. Barcelona, 2004

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