Diagnostic fault detection & intelligent reconfiguration of fuel delivery systems

The reliable operation of an engines fuel delivery system is fundamental. A failure in the fuel system that impacts the ability to deliver fuel to the engine will have an immediate effect on system performance and safety. There are very few diagnostic systems that monitor the health of the fuel system and even fewer that can accommodate for detected faults. Current diagnostic techniques call for careful maintenance of fuel system components. These techniques tend to be backward thinking in that they are based on previous experience which is not always a good indicator for future systems. This paper describes a technique developed at the Penn State Applied Research Laboratories Condition Based Maintenance Department for fault detection and reconfiguration for fuel delivery system components. This technique has been applied to a diesel engine test rig. The test rig is fully instrumented with sensors including those for fuel pressure. Even though this technique is being applied on a diesel engine, the approach is fully compatible to any fuel delivery system