INTRODUCTION

MPFI stands for multi-point or multi-port fuel injection system. The term MPFI is used to specify a technology used in Gasoline/petrol Engines. This system is a replacement of carburettors and used in almost all the vehicles with slight modifications. Fuel injection is a system for admitting fuel into an internal combustion engine. The primary difference between carburettors and fuel injection is that fuel injection atomizes the fuel by forcibly pumping it through a small nozzle under high pressure, while a carburettor relies on suction created by intake air rushing through a venturi to draw the fuel into the airstream. MPFI system injects fuel into individual cylinders, based on commands from the on board Engine management system computer. These techniques result not only in better power balance amongst the cylinders but also in higher output from each one of them. In the MPFI system, there is separate supply of fuel to each individual cylinder regulated by electronic control module or electronic control unit depending on the input from various sensors. Carburettors were the predominant method used to meter fuel on gasoline engines before the widespread use of fuel injection. A variety of injection systems have existed since the earliest usage of the internal combustion engine.

One of the first commercial gasoline injection systems was a mechanical system developed by Bosch and introduced in 1952 on the Goliath GP700 and Gutbrod Superior 600. The first commercial electronic fuel injection (EFI) system was Electrojector, developed by the Bendix Corporation and was to be offered by American Motors Corporation (AMC) in 1957. The system incorporated electronic control module or on board computer for the purpose of metering & supplying of fuel depending upon the input from various sensors. At present the modifications are going in the basic construction and reliability of engine control unit which is the heart of the modern electronically controlled multipoint fuel injection systems. Automotive leader BOSCH has contributed a lot in the development of fuel injection systems and majority of patents filed by it are blessings to the current automotive sector.

HISTORY OF SUPERSESSION OF CARBURETTORS

CARBURETTOR

THROTTLE BODY INJECTION OR SINGLE POINT INJECTION

MULTIPOINT FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM

At first, carburettors were replaced with throttle body fuel injection systems (also known as single point or central fuel injection systems) that incorporated electrically controlled fuel-injector valves into the throttle body. These were almost a bolt-in replacement for the carburettor, so the automakers didn't have to make any drastic changes to their engine designs. Gradually, as new engines were designed, throttle body fuel injection was replaced by multi-port fuel injection (also known as port, multi-point or sequential fuel injection). These systems have a fuel injector for each cylinder, usually located so that they spray right at the intake valve. These systems provide more accurate fuel metering and quicker response.

FACTORS CONTRIBUTED TOWARDS REPLACEMENT

Failure to meet the condition of stochiometry was one among the prime reasons that paved the way for gasoline injection systems. When efficient combustion does not take place, extra fuel nor extra oxygen molecules remain; each fuel molecule is matched with the appropriate number of oxygen molecules. This balanced condition is called stochiometry. In the case of carburettors, the airfuel mixture was supplied to the intake manifold of the multi-cylinder engine. The fuel due to the inertia continued to flow in the straight direction resulting into pudding of fuel near the corner, thus the charge entering the end cylinders will be rich and the fuel entering the cylinders close to the supply will be lean in nature. The problem is known as misdistribution of fuel. The second reason was the inability to meet the increasingly strict exhaust emissions, imposed by the federal government in the year 1970 & 1980 in U.S. So in order to more easily comply with government emissions control regulations, automobile manufacturers, beginning in the late 1970s, furnished more of their gasoline-fuelled engines with fuel injection systems, and fewer with complex carburettor systems. There are three primary types of toxic emissions from an internal combustion engine: Carbon Monoxide (CO), unburnt hydrocarbons (HC), and oxides of nitrogen (NOx). CO and HC result from incomplete combustion of fuel due to insufficient oxygen in the combustion chamber. NOx, in contrast, results from excessive oxygen in the combustion chamber. The opposite causes of these pollutants makes it difficult to control all three simultaneously. Once the permissible emission levels dropped below a certain point, catalytic treatment of these three main pollutants became necessary. This required a particularly large increase in fuel metering accuracy and precision, for simultaneous catalysis of all three pollutants requires that the fuel/air mixture be held within a very narrow range of stoichiometry. As a result the fuel injection was phased in through the latter '70s and '80s at an accelerating rate, with the US, French and German markets leading and the UK and Commonwealth markets lagging somewhat, and since the early 1990s, almost all gasoline passenger cars sold in first world markets like the United States, Canada, Europe, Japan, and Australia have come equipped with electronic fuel injection (EFI). Fuel injection systems have evolved significantly since the mid-1980s. Current systems provide an accurate, reliable and cost-effective method of metering fuel and providing maximum engine efficiency with clean exhaust emissions, which is why EFI systems have replaced carburettors in the marketplace. EFI is becoming more reliable and less expensive through widespread usage. At the same time, carburettors are becoming less available, and more expensive. Even marine applications are adopting EFI as reliability improves. Virtually all internal combustion engines, including motorcycles, off-road vehicles, and outdoor power equipment, may eventually use some form of fuel injection.

FUNCTIONAL OBJECTIVES

The functional objectives of a fuel injection system can vary. There are several competing objectives such as: Power output Fuel efficiency Emissions performance Ability to accommodate alternate fuels Reliability Driveability and smooth operation Initial cost Maintenance cost

In a MPFI system, there is separate supply of fuel to each individual cylinder, thus the more accurate controlling of the fuel supply as well as metering is realized. Fuel injection generally increases engine fuel efficiency. With the improved cylinder-tocylinder fuel distribution, less fuel is needed for the same power output. A fuel-injected engine often produces more power than an equivalent carburetted engine. Fuel injection alone does not necessarily increase an engine's maximum potential output. Increased airflow is needed to burn more fuel, which in turn releases more energy and produces more power. The combustion process converts the fuel's chemical energy into heat energy, whether the fuel is supplied by fuel injectors or a carburettor. However, airflow is often improved with fuel injection, the components of which allow more design freedom to improve the air's path into the engine.

MPFI SYSTEM:

MPFI stands for multipoint fuel injection system In this system there is a separate supply of fuel to each individual cylinder by the help of fuel injector housed either near to the intake valve or into the intake port depending upon whether it is a direct injection into the engine cylinder or it is an indirect injection. Earlier systems were using the mechanical means to meter the fuel but recent developments in the engine control unit or engine control module has resulted in the electronically based fuel metering and fuel supply system. The EFI systems possess the ECU which calculates the pulse width for the injectors i.e. the time for which the injectors are to be kept open. The process of determining the necessary amount of fuel, and its delivery into the engine, are known as fuel metering. It is done by the ECU or ECM. The typical components of an electronically controlled multipoint fuel injection system are:-Injectors -Fuel Pump -Fuel Pressure Regulator -ECM - Engine Control Module; includes a digital computer and circuitry to communicate with sensors and control outputs. -Wiring Harness -Various Sensors

In case of MPFI system the pulse width of the injector is calculated by the ECM and determines the amount of fuel to be injected in the cylinder. The air supply should also be in matching and in accordance with the fuel injected in order to meet the conditions of stoichiometry. The air supply is calculated by the throttle body and position of throttle determines the air inflow.

FUNCTIONAL DESCRIPTION:

Central to an EFI system is a computer called the Engine Control Unit (ECU), which monitors engine operating parameters via various sensors. The ECU interprets these parameters in order to calculate the appropriate amount of fuel to be injected, among other tasks, and controls engine operation by manipulating fuel and/or air flow as well as other variables. The optimum amount of injected fuel depends on conditions such as engine and ambient temperatures, engine speed and workload, and exhaust gas composition. The electronic fuel injector is normally closed, and opens to inject pressurized fuel as long as electricity is applied to the injector's solenoid coil. The duration of this operation, called the pulse width, is proportional to the amount of fuel desired. The electric pulse may be applied in closely controlled sequence with the valve events on each individual cylinder (in a sequential fuel injection system), or in groups of less than the total number of injectors (in a batch fire system). The solenoid is energized as the electric supply is provided to it; this in turn lifts the pintle or nozzle valve of its seat. When the electric supply to the injector is disconnected, the restraining spring holds the pintle in its original position. Fuel metering can be very effectively controlled by the solenoid operated fuel injector. The prerequisite for the fuel injector is that the opening and closing of the fuel injector should be purely instantaneous without causing any dribbling of fuel droplets inside the engine cylinder. Since the nature of fuel injection dispenses fuel in discrete amounts, and since the nature of the 4-stroke engine has discrete induction (air-intake) events, the ECU calculates fuel in discrete amounts. In a sequential system, the injected fuel mass is tailored for each individual induction event. Every induction event, of every cylinder, of the entire engine, is a separate fuel mass calculation, and each injector receives a unique pulse width based on that cylinder's fuel requirements. It is necessary to know the mass of air the engine "breathes" during each induction event. This is proportional to the intake manifold's air pressure/temperature, which is proportional to throttle position. The amount of air inducted in each intake event is known as "air-charge", and this can be determined using several methods. (See MAF sensor, and MAP sensor). The three elemental ingredients for combustion are fuel, air and ignition. However, complete combustion can only occur if the air and fuel is present in the exact stoichiometric ratio, which allows all the carbon and hydrogen from the fuel to combine with all the oxygen in the air, with no undesirable polluting leftovers. Oxygen sensors monitor the amount of oxygen in the exhaust, and the ECU uses this information to adjust the air-to-fuel ratio in real-time. To achieve stoichiometry, the air mass flow into the engine is measured and multiplied by the stoichiometric air/fuel ratio 14.64:1 (by weight) for gasoline. The required fuel mass that must be injected into the engine is then translated to
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the required pulse width for the fuel injector. The stoichiometric ratio changes as a function of the fuel; diesel, gasoline, ethanol, methanol, propane, methane (natural gas), or hydrogen. Deviations from stoichiometry are required during non-standard operating conditions such as heavy load, or cold operation, in which case, the mixture ratio can range from 10:1 to 18:1 (for gasoline). In early fuel injection systems this was accomplished with a thermo time switch.

Pulse width is inversely related to pressure difference across the injector inlet and outlet. For example, if the fuel line pressure increases (injector inlet), or the manifold pressure decreases (injector outlet), a smaller pulse width will admit the same fuel. Fuel injectors are available in various sizes and spray characteristics as well. Compensation for these and many other factors are programmed into the ECU's software.

WORKING REPRESENTATION OF MPFI SYSTEM

CALCULATIONS FOR PULSE WIDTH OF AN INJECTOR:

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The pulse width of a fuel injector is the time for which the fuel injector is kept open. Thus the amount of fuel entering into the engine cylinder is directly proportional to the pulse width which is calculated by the electronic control module or electronic control unit for each individual cylinder for a particular operating condition.

Minutes / Revolution is the reciprocal of engine speed (RPM) The term Revolutions / Stroke = 1 / 2, whether it is a four-stroke or a two-stroke engine.

Mass Fuel / Mass Air is the desired mixture ratio, usually stoichiometric, but often different depending on operating conditions.

1 / (Mass Fuel / Minute) is the flow capacity of the injector, or its size.

TWO- TYPES OF MPFI SYSTEM:

The D-MPFI system is the manifold fuel injection system. In this type, the vacuum in the intake manifold is first sensed. In addition, it senses the volume of air by its density. As air enters into the intake manifold, the manifold pressure sensor detects the intake manifold vacuum and sends the information to the ECU. The speed sensor also sends information about the rpm of the engine to the ECU. The ECU in turn sends commands to the injector to regulate the amount of gasoline supply for injection. When the injector sprays fuel in the intake manifold the gasoline mixes with the air and the mixture enters the cylinder.

L-MPFI SYSTEM

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The L-MPFI system is a port fuel injection system. In this type the fuel metering is regulated by the engine speed and the amount of air that actually enters the engine. This is called air mass metering or airflow metering. As air enters into the intake manifold, the air flow sensor measures the amount of air and sends information to the ECU. Similarly the speed sensor sends the information about the speed of the engine of the ECU. The ECU processes the information received and sends appropriate commands to the injector, in order to regulate the amount of gasoline supply for injection. When injection takes place, the gasoline mixes with the air and the mixture enters the cylinder.

SINGLE POINT INJECTION SYSTEM VERSUS MPFI SYSTEM

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In the single point injection system or throttle body injection there is either one or two fuel injectors mounted over the top of the throat of the throttle body. The fuel gets mixed with the air and the air- fuel mixture is discharged to the various cylinders. Whereas in the case of a multipoint fuel injection system there is an individual injector for each individual cylinder spraying either into the intake port or into the engine cylinder depending on whether it is a direct injection or the indirect injection. The figure showing the direct as well as indirect injection is given below:

Single-point injection, called Throttle-body injection (TBI) by General Motors and Central Fuel Injection (CFI) by Ford, was introduced in the 1940s in large aircraft engines (then called the pressure carburettor) and in the 1980s in the automotive world. The SPI system injects fuel at the throttle body (the same
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location where a carburettor introduced fuel). The induction mixture passes through the intake runners like a carburettor system, and is thus labelled a "wet manifold system". Fuel pressure is usually specified to be in the area of 10-15 psi. The justification for single-point injection was low cost.

The multi-point fuel injection system can be either pulsed or continuous injection system. In the pulsed injection system fuel is supplied intermittently in pulses whereas in the case of continuous injection system the amount of fuel to be injected is a function of the pressure of the fuel line. In a continuous injection system, fuel flows at all times from the fuel injectors, but at a variable flow rate. This is in contrast to most fuel injection systems, which provide fuel during short pulses of varying duration, with a constant rate of flow during each pulse. Continuous injection systems can be multi-point or single-point, but not direct. The most common automotive continuous injection system is Bosch's KJetronic introduced in 1974. In general for MPFI system controlled electronically, an ECU in is controlled by the data input from a set of SENSORS located all over the Engine and its Auxiliaries. These detect the various operating states of the Engine and the performance desired out of it. Such Sensors constantly monitor : 1) Ambient Temperature, 2) Engine Coolant Temp., 3) Exhaust/manifold temp., 4) Exhaust O2 content, 5) Inlet manifold vacuum, 6) Throttle position, 7) Engine rpm, 8) Vehicle road speed, 9) Crankshaft position, 10) Camshaft position, etc. Based on a programmed interpretation of all this input data, the ECU gives the various commands to the Engines fuel intake and spark ignition timing systems, to deliver an overall satisfactory performance of the Engine from start to shut down, including emission control. The sensors are basically the thermistor type and send the signal in the form of varying voltage to the electronic control unit. The oxygen sensor mounted in the exhaust manifold is the important sensor determining the nature of combustion i.e. whether it is complete or incomplete combustion by tracing out the amount of oxygen contained in the exhaust from the engine.

ADVANTAGES OF MPFI SYSTEM:

Improved Fuel Consumption--Vehicles with carburettors do not get nearly the fuel economy of those with multi-point fuel injection. The underlying reason is
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that fuel delivery systems of these older vehicles are less precise. A multipoint fuel injection system, which uses one fuel injector for each cylinder of the engine, delivers just the right amount of gasoline to each cylinder. Thus, gasoline is not wasted in the process. Over time, the gasoline saved with a multi-point fuel injection system saves the vehicle owner loads of money.

Emissions--Emissions test results are an important factor today. A car from this century emits a small fraction of what a vehicle emitted even a few decades ago. Multi-point injection systems are better for the environment because the emissions of hazardous chemicals being released when fossil fuels are burned are minimized. As mentioned above, the more precise delivery of fuel to the engine means that fewer toxious by products are released when the fuel combusts within the engine. The implements within the engine meant to clean the exhaust have been fine-tuned in a multi-point system to work more efficiently. Therefore, the engine--and the air--is cleaner as a result of multipoint systems.

The ECU stores a default code for each sensor; thus in the case of any malfunction or fault in the sensor, the default value is used in the worst case conditions so that the engine continues to run satisfactorily.

Better Performance--The performance of an engine suffers with the use of a carburettor, but multipoint fuel injection allows for far better engine performance. This is due to a few factors. Instead of allowing for additional air intake, multi-point injection atomizes the air that is taken through a small tube. Because multipoint injectors are usually controlled by computers, each function of a carburettor is performed by a different system component. These systems also improve the cylinder-to-cylinder distribution of an engine, which allows it to conserve energy.

1) More uniform A/F mixture will be supplied to each cylinder; hence the difference in power developed in each cylinder is minimum. Vibration from the engine equipped with this system is less; due to this the life of engine components is improved.
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(2) No need to crank the engine twice or thrice in case of cold starting as happens in the carburettor system. (3) Immediate response, in case of sudden acceleration / deceleration. (4) Since the engine is controlled by ECM* (Engine Control Module), more accurate amount of A/F mixture will be supplied and as a result complete combustion will take place. This leads to effective utilization of fuel supplied and hence low emission level. (5) The mileage of the vehicle will be improved.

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