METHOD FOR OPERATING A DIESEL ENGINE
A method is provided for operating a Diesel engine that includes, but is not limited to measuring a value of an oxygen concentration in an exhaust gas flow discharged by the Diesel engine, determining a value of a parameter indicative of a fuel quantity that has been injected into the Diesel engine, on the basis of the measured value of the oxygen concentration, calculating a difference between the determined value of this parameter and a desired value of the parameter, and identifying a failure of a fuel injection apparatus of the Diesel engine if the calculated difference exceeds a positive threshold value of this difference.
1 . A method for operating a Diesel engine comprising:
measuring a value of an oxygen concentration in an exhaust gas flow discharged by the Diesel engine;
determining a value of a parameter indicative of a fuel quantity injected into the Diesel engine, on at least a basis of the value of the oxygen concentration;
calculating a difference between the value of the parameter and a desired value of the parameter; and
identifying a failure of a fuel injection apparatus of the Diesel engine if the difference exceeds a positive threshold value of the difference.
2 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising empirically determining the positive threshold value.
3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the failure of the fuel injection apparatus is identified also if the difference falls below a negative threshold value of the difference.
4 . The method according to claim 3 , further comprising empirically determining the negative threshold value.
5 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the parameter is indicative of the fuel quantity injected into a single cylinder of the Diesel engine.
6 . The method according to claim 5 , wherein the determining of the value of the parameter comprises:
measuring the value of the oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas flow discharged by said single cylinder; and
determining the value of the parameter on the basis of this value of the oxygen concentration.
7 . The method according to claim 6 , wherein the measuring of the value of the oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas flow discharged by said single cylinder comprises acquiring a value of the oxygen concentration, which is measured in a portion of an exhaust line of the Diesel engine while said exhaust gas flow passes through the portion.
8 . The method according to claim 5 , wherein determining the value of the parameter, the calculating the difference between the value and the desired value of the parameter, and the identifying the failure, are performed for every cylinder of the Diesel engine.
9 . The method according to claim 5 , further comprising performing an emergency procedure if the failure of the fuel injection apparatus of the Diesel engine is identified.
10 . The method according to claim 9 , wherein the emergency procedure comprises generating an alert signal.
11 . The method according to claim 9 , wherein the emergency procedure comprises shutting off the Diesel engine.
12 . A computer readable medium embodying a computer program product, said computer program product comprising:
a program for operating a Diesel engine, the program configured to:
measure a value of an oxygen concentration in an exhaust gas flow discharged by the Diesel engine;
determine a value of a parameter indicative of a fuel quantity injected into the Diesel engine, on at least a basis of the value of the oxygen concentration;
calculate a difference between the value of the parameter and a desired value of the parameter; and
identify a failure of a fuel injection apparatus of the Diesel engine if the difference exceeds a positive threshold value of the difference.
13 . The computer readable medium embodying the computer program product according to claim 12 , the program further configured to utilize an empirically determined threshold as the positive threshold value.
14 . The computer readable medium embodying the computer program product according to claim 12 , wherein the failure of the fuel injection apparatus is identified also if the difference falls below a negative threshold value of the difference.
15 . The computer readable medium embodying the computer program product according to claim 14 , the program further configured to utilize an empirically determined threshold as the negative threshold value.
16 . The computer readable medium embodying the computer program product according to claim 12 , wherein the parameter is indicative of the fuel quantity injected into a single cylinder of the Diesel engine.
17 . The computer readable medium embodying the computer program product according to claim 16 , wherein the program is configured to determine the value of the parameter by:
measuring the value of the oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas flow discharged by said single cylinder; and
determining the value of the parameter on the basis of this value of the oxygen concentration.
18 . The computer readable medium embodying the computer program product according to claim 17 , wherein the measuring of the value of the oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas flow discharged by said single cylinder comprises acquiring a value of the oxygen concentration, which is measured in a portion of an exhaust line of the Diesel engine while said exhaust gas flow passes through the portion.
19 . The computer readable medium embodying the computer program product according to claim 17 , wherein the program is configured to determine the value of the parameter, calculate the difference between the value and the desired value of the parameter, and identify the failure for every cylinder of the Diesel engine.
20 . The computer readable medium embodying the computer program product according to claim 17 , the program is further configured to performing an emergency procedure if the failure of the fuel injection apparatus of the Diesel engine is identified.