CRDI is an intelligent way to control a diesel engine with the use of modern computer systems. CRDI helps improve power, performance and reduce harmful emissions from a diesel engine. Conventional Diesel Engines (engines that are not CRDI) are slow, noisy and have poor performance compared to a CRDI engine.
CRDI or common rail direct injection system is also sometimes referred to by many similar or different names. Some brands use the name CRDe / DICOR / Turbojet / DDIS / TDI, etc. All these systems work with the same principles with slight variations and improvements here and there.
The CRDI system uses common rail, which is like a single rail or fuel channel that contains high pressure diesel compresses. This is a common rail called because there is a single pump that compresses the diesel and a single rail containing that compressed fuel. In conventional diesel engines, there will be as many pumps and fuel rails as there are cylinders.
As an example, for a conventional 4-cylinder diesel engine there will be 4 fuel pumps, 4 fuel rails each feeding a cylinder. In CRDI, there will be one fuel rail for the 4 cylinders so that the fuel for all cylinders is pressurized to the same pressure.
The fuel is injected into each cylinder of the engine in a particular time interval based on the position of the piston in movement within the cylinder. In a conventional non-CRDI system, this interval and the amount of fuel were determined by mechanical components, but in a CRDI system this interval of time and time, etc. Are controlled by a control system based on a central computer or a microprocessor.
To run a CRDI system, the microprocessor operates with the input of multiple sensors. Based on the input of these sensors, the microprocessor can calculate the exact amount of diesel and when the diesel must be injected into the cylinder. Using these calculations, the CRDI control system delivers the right amount of diesel at the right time to allow the best possible output with less emissions and less possible waste of fuel.
The input sensors include accelerator pedal position sensor (APP), crankshaft position sensor, pressure sensor, lambda sensor, etc. The use of sensors and microprocessor to control the engine makes the most efficient use of fuel and also improved the power, performance of the engine, managing it in a much better way.
A more important difference between a CRDI and a conventional diesel engine is the way fuel injectors are controlled. In the case of a conventional engine, the fuel injectors are controlled by mechanical components to operate the fuel injectors. The use of these mechanical components adds additional noise since there are many moving components in the injection mechanism of a conventional diesel engine. In the case of a CRDI engine, the fuel injectors are used with solenoid valves that run on electric current and do not require a complex and noisy mechanical arrangement to operate the fuel injection in the cylinder. The solenoid valves are driven by the central microprocessor of the CRDI control system based on the inputs of the sensors used in the system.