Recent developments in diesel technology have given us direct injection, common rail technology, multi-stage injection, and variable geometry turbochargers.
The engine management systems control the fuel pressure generated by the high-pressure pump, the precise timing of the electronically controlled fuel injectors, along with the operation of the EGR system, and the output of the turbocharger.
Development of the diesel engine, and particularly the engine management system, has been relatively slow compared with the advances which have been made in petrol engine fuel injection and management systems.
However, in recent years, electronic diesel engine control systems have been developed to improve diesel engine efficiency and to reduce exhaust emissions.
Almost all modern engines use some form of electronic engine control system.
For a diesel engine to operate efficiently, it is essential that the correct amount of fuel is injected at the correct pressure, and at exactly the right time.
Even small deviations can cause increased exhaust emissions, increased noise, and increased fuel consumption.
In a typical diesel engine, the injection process takes only a thousandth of a second, and only a minute quantity of fuel is injected.
