ELECTRONIC FUEL

INJECTION
SYSTEM
CONTRIBUTIONS AND CHALLENGES FOR LIGHT
VEHICLES
Introduction

■ In olden vehicles carburetors are used in a fuel

injection system that blends air and fuel for an Internal
Combustion Engine by using the Bernoulli’s Principle.
■ Electronic fuel injection (EFI) replaced carburetors
back as the preferred method for supplying air and fuel
to engines.
Basic Difference Between Carburetors
and Fuel Injection
■ The basic difference is that a carburetor uses intake vacuum
and a pressure drop in the venturi (the narrow part of the
carburetor throat) to siphon fuel from the carburetor fuel bowl
into the engine.
■ whereas fuel injection uses pressure to spray fuel directly into
the engine.
■ Electronic fuel injection (EFI) system uses electrical and
electronic devices to monitor and control engine-operation.
Electronic Fuel Injector - EFI
■ EFI contains
– engine sensors,
– a computer, and
– solenoid operated fuel injectors to meter and
injects the right amount of fuel into the engine
cylinders.
Sub-system
■ Electronic Fuel Injection system is divided into
three basic sub-systems.
– Fuel delivery system,
– Air induction system, and
– Electronic control system
Goal for an EFI System
■ The design goal for an EFI system is to deliver
the correct air fuel ratio for varying
– load,
– speed and
– temperature.
Major Required Inputs
■ In order to operate effectively, the ECU needs
following required inputs.
– Air Charge Temperature(ACT) Sensor
– Manifold Absolute Pressure(MAP) Sensor
– Throttle Position Sensor(TPS)
– Idle Speed Control Valve(ISCV)
Air Charge Temperature(ACT) Sensor
■ To measure the temperature of the air entering the
motor
Manifold Absolute Pressure(MAP) Sensor
■ Monitors vacuum in the engine intake manifold.
Throttle Position Sensor(TPS)
■ Senses the movement of the throttle plate
Idle Speed Control Valve(ISCV)
■ Measures engine idle speed.
Fuel Delivery System
■ The fuel Delivery system consists of
– fuel tank,
– fuel pump,
– fuel filter,
– fuel delivery pipe (fuel rail),
– fuel injector,
– fuel pressure regulator, and
– fuel return pipe.
Air Induction System

■ Air is drawn in through the air intake and then through

the air filter before reaching the throttle body
assembly.
■ A butterfly valve in the throttle body is connected to
the accelerator pedal of the vehicle and this controls
the air that passes through the air intake chamber and
the intake manifold.
Air Induction System

■ Air intake chamber dampens out the pulsations in the

air in the intake system before it enters the intake
manifold .
■ Fuel sprayed from the injectors into the intake valve
ports is carried into the cylinders with a direct flow of
air.
Electronic control system (ECS)

■ Ignition Spark Management (ESA):

– The EFI system regulates spark advance angle by
calculating the optimum spark timing.
■ Idle Speed Control (ISC):
– The EFI system regulates engine idle speed by
means of several different types of ECU controlled
devices.
Electronic control system (ECS)

■ Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR):

– Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) is a nitrogen oxide
(NOx) emissions reduction technique which works
by recirculating a portion of an engine's exhaust
gas back to the engine cylinders
Working of ECS
■ ECS continuously receives information about engine
speed, throttle position, intake air amount, pressure
and temperature, amount of oxygen from sensors.
■ ECS checks this data with other data stored in lookup
tables in its memory.
■ Then ECS decides when to open the fuel injectors and
for how long.
Contributions
■ During the last 30 years or so,
– reductions in tailpipe exhaust emissions of more
than 90% have been demanded of, and
– achieved by the automobile industry with one of
the most important enabling technologies being
low-cost, series-production EFI (Electronic Fuel
Injection).
Contributions
■ Relative to carburetted fuel systems, the main
mechanisms by which EFI has helped to reduce
exhaust emissions are as follows:
– Reduced wall wetting.
– Improved fuel atomization.
– Greater flexibility in A/F (Air/Fuel ratio) control,
which in turn has facilitated:
Contributions
■ Improved warm- and cold-start emissions.
■ Reduced transient emissions.
■ Increased lean A/F operation.
■ High conversion-efficiency exhaust after
treatment.
– Improved unit-to-unit repeatability.
Contributions
■ In addition to reduced exhaust emissions, EFI has also
– Introduced other benefits such as
– Reduced brake specific fuel consumption,
– Increased full-load output and
– Improved drivability
Challenges
■ Disadvantages of electronic fuel injection : 
– High maintenance cost.
– Possibility of malfunction of some sensors.
– Difficulty in servicing.
– Complex design.
– Chances of developing leakage at the valve seat. 
– Injection pressure needed 200 to 300 bar.