🔍 Key Concepts

• fuel atomization in diesel engines (what it means physically) • Relationship between droplet size, spray pattern, and combustion • Which items are usually set by the injection pump and nozzle design and which are more directly influenced by how finely fuel is broken up

💭 Think About

• When fuel is better or worse atomized, what exactly is changing about the fuel as it leaves the nozzle (think: droplet size vs. flow quantity vs. direction)? • Which of the answer choices could change without changing atomization quality, simply by changing pump timing, pressure, or nozzle design? • If atomization becomes very poor (large droplets), what practical effect would you expect inside the cylinder during injection and mixing with air?

✅ Before You Answer

• Be clear on the definition: atomization = breaking liquid fuel into fine droplets • Ask: Which choice depends most directly on droplet fineness and breakup quality, not just on how much fuel is injected per unit time? • Check which items are mainly controlled by pump plunger movement and cam profile versus nozzle spray breakup in the combustion chamber.