Application

Engineering
Bulletin
Subject This AEB is for the following applications:
Fuel Temperature Effect on Engine
Power for Midrange Industrial
and Power Generation Engines Automotive X Industrial X G-Drive

Date June 1999 Page 1 of 3 AEB Number 70.26

Introduction

This AEB introduces the effect of increased fuel temperature on engine horsepower, specifically how it applies to
Midrange mechanical “non-compensating” fuel pumps, such as: Stanadyne DB4; Bosch VE, A, MW, P-3000,
P-7100.

In general, when the fuel inlet temperature increases, the decrease in engine horsepower is due to three reasons:

Viscosity Effects
Density Effects
In-Cylinder Effects

Author: S. Dane Whitley

Discussion

Viscosity:
The primary effect due to fuel viscosity change is the subsequent change in the fuel leakage in the fuel pump. For
a fuel system that is a “volume displacement system” (i.e. Bosch in-line and rotary pumps), a specific volume of
fuel is pushed out of the fuel pump (at a given speed and load). Not all of this fuel gets injected into the cylinder.
Due to basic design constraints of the fuel pump and fuel injector, a small amount of fuel is expected to leak
around the pump and injector components. As the fuel inlet temperature increases, the viscosity of the fuel
decreases. This decrease in viscosity allows more fuel to leak around the fuel pump and fuel injector hardware.
Therefore, increasing the fuel inlet temperature will decrease the fuel viscosity, leading to less fuel (volume and
mass) injected into the cylinder; this will result in the engine horsepower being reduced.

Density:
The primary effect due to fuel density change is the subsequent change in the amount of energy injected into the
cylinder. For a fuel system that is a “volume displacement system”, a specific volume of fuel is pushed out of the
fuel pump and injected into the cylinder (at a given speed and load, neglecting fuel leakage past the pump and
injectors). At standard operating/testing conditions, this will correspond to a certain mass of fuel (call this mass A)
which is directly proportional to the amount of energy available for the combustion event. As the fuel inlet
temperature increases, the density of the fuel decreases. Therefore, if the same volume of fuel is injected into the
cylinder, the mass of this injected fuel (mass B) will be lower than “mass A” due to the decreased density.
Increasing the fuel inlet temperature will reduce the energy available for the combustion event; this will result in a
reduction of the engine horsepower.

In-Cylinder:
This last item significantly contributes to the power losses associated with elevated fuel temperatures. Due to the
increase in fuel inlet temperature, it is known that many properties of the fuel change. In turn, this causes the
combustion efficiency to be lowered. Some hypotheses that could contribute to this decrease in combustion
efficiency include the change in injection timing, duration, and pressure, as well as spray angle and penetration,
burn rate, and start of combustion. Due to the complexity of this phenomenon, all of its effects are not well
understood. However, it has been shown that if the same amount of fuel (mass/energy content) is injected into
the cylinder but at a higher fuel temperature, engine horsepower will be reduced.

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 AEB70.26
Page 2 of 3
Results

The table below shows an example of this effect for a non-compensating, volume displacement fuel pump and
system. The actual power loss due to increased fuel temperature will depend specifically on the engine and fuel
system. In other words, the losses can vary from engine family to engine family, from CPL to CPL.

Engine Power Decrease

Effect per 10°F fuel temp increase
Viscosity 0.50%
Density 0.40%
In-Cylinder 0.80%
Total 1.70%

One quick example: Engine certification and data sheets are based off of data run at a fuel inlet temperature of
104°F. Many datasheets then list the “Maximum Fuel Inlet Temperature” at 160°F. It would be reasonable to see
a 10% reduction in engine horsepower if the engine was ran at a fuel inlet temperature of 160°F
(56°Fx1.7%/10°F=9.52%). This is better illustrated in the graph below.

Example of % Power Change as a Function

of Fuel Inlet Temperature

8.0
7.0 Note: Fuel inlet temp below 104°F will
6.0 result in increased power compared to
5.0 the Performance Curve and Data
4.0
3.0 Durability Limit
2.0 Durability Limit (ISL CAPS; VP44;
1.0 (ISC CAPS) Bosch VE,
0.0
-1.0 60 70 80 90 10 110 12 130 14 150 16 170
-2.0 0 0
-3.0
104°F--Performance Curve and
-4.0
-5.0 Data Sheet Test Temperature
-6.0
-7.0
-8.0
-9.0
-10.0
-11.0
-12.0

Fuel Inlet Temperature (deg F)

Understanding these principles and its impacts on engine performance further emphasizes the need for OEM’s to
maintain well designed fuel tanks and fuel coolers. This will also drive the need for Application Engineers to
understand this phenomenon and be able to apply this knowledge while reviewing OEM installations.

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 AEB70.26
Page 3 of 3
Author’s Notes

This effect is not a new phenomenon nor is it specific to Cummins Engines. This affects all engine manufacturers
with similar fuel systems and their engines.

Many new Cummins Industrial engines will feature an electronic control module. Similar to previous mechanical
engines, electronic engines can/will still be victim to this same effect of reduced horsepower due to an increase in
fuel inlet temperature. Generally, the fuel pumps for electronic engines have similar moving parts and
characteristics as compared to mechanical fuel pumps. However, to some degree the ECM can counteract this
effect by sensing fuel inlet temperature and adjusting the fuel quantity accordingly. Each engine group can/will
address this issue differently with the engine specific ECM controls.

All data presented in this AEB was generated using Diesel Fuel #2. Diesel Fuel #1, Jet fuels, and other fuels will
have similar types of characteristics with respect to increased fuel inlet temperature, but to varying degrees. The
magnitude of the effect will depend on the relationship that the fuel properties have with increasing fuel
temperature. Also remember that the Performance Curves and Data Sheets were created from test data with
engines being tested with Diesel Fuel #2 at 104°F. Using Diesel Fuel #1, Jet fuels, and other fuels at 104°F will
also cause the engine power to be changed (generally reduced) due to the inherent fuel property differences of
each fuel at a given temperature.

Cummins Confidential