Numerical Analysis of the Structural and Flow Rate Characteristics of the Fuel Injection Pump in a Marine Diesel Engine

Abstract

A reciprocating fuel pump system was investigated using a modeling approach. The diesel pump system comprises a variable-sized barrel and plunger. This study investigates the effect of diesel, propane, and DME fuels on the plunger barrel’s deformation and flow rate characteristics. It compares the barrel and plunger displacement as a function of working pressure. Based on the multi-field coupling theory, a numerical fluid–solid thermal coupling model was developed to characterize the operational fluctuations in deformation and clearance. Due to the distinct deformation patterns of the two components, the appropriate clearance for the pump’s head and stem must be set independently. In addition, significant AMESim parameters compared and confirmed the discharge flow rates of three distinct fuels. The results show that the maximum displacement for the plunger stem was 0.00266 mm at 7.5 mm from the top of the stem, which was 6.94% lower than the literature result. The DME fuel showed flow stability initially (from 0.0 to 0.4 s) when using a plunger diameter of 23.85 mm. According to the plunger diameters, the marine fuel injection pump’s discharge flow rates increased, minimizing the wearing between the barrel/plunger. The research findings revealed that the suggested structural and flow rate model is recommended for alternative marine fuel applications.