"The Economist", during a ceremony in San Francisco, CA, has recognized Mr. Rinaldo Rinolfi, Executive Vice-president of the FIAT Research Center, with the Innovation Award, Energy and Environment category, for the work he has done to develop the Common Rail Diesel Engine Technology. 

This is the latest recognition that diesel technology developed by the Fiat Research Center has gained. 

"Common Rail" development

The Common Rail history initiated at the end of the 80's when the Fiat Research Center with the cooperation of other Fiat Companies a finalized research and development effort in order to demonstrate the technical and industrial feasibility of the Common Rail ( UNIJET ) concept. During 1992 and 1993 all preliminary reliability and consistency tests, both on engines and vehicles were satisfactorily passed and at the end of 1993 the Common Rail System (UNIJET) samples were in a well-proven pre-industrialized stage. 

In the last quarter of 1997 brought to production the first Direct Injection Diesel engine equipped with the Common Rail fuel injection system on the Alfa Romeo 156 vehicle. During 1998 the Common Rail system was adopted by all major European car makers and in the following year the Common Rail technology started to migrate to Light and Medium Duty vehicle applications. Fiat pioneered the application in this segment through the world-first introduction of this technology on the Iveco Daily light duty truck. 

In the mean time Fiat Research Center was already developing the Second Generation of the Common Rail ( Multijet ). The Multijet system uses electronic injector control to carry out more injections than the current number of two during each engine cycle. By this process, the same amount of diesel is burnt inside the cylinder but in smaller parts to achieve smoother combustion. 

The secret of the Multijet system lies in the design of the control unit and injectors designed to deliver a series of very closely spaced injections. Fiat Auto researchers developed this injection process to ensure more accurate control of pressures and temperatures inside the combustion chamber and more efficient use of air taken into the cylinders. The improved product represents a sort of a new breakthrough since it allows to achieve higher power densities, lower combustion noise particularly in engine cold operation and to fulfill in advance the very stringent Euro 4 emission standard. 

The first engine of this type is 1.9 JTD 16v multiple injection. This engine will receive its premier at the 75th Paris Motor Show next week fitted to Alfa 156 and 147 models. And in 2003 it will be the turn of the small 1.3 JTD 16v Multijet unit: a product with extremely compact dimensions that enable it to be fitted on small cars of Fiat Group. 

>>> 140 bhp 16v 1.9 JTD engine to make its debut at the 75th Paris Motor Show
>>> Fiat's second generation compact 1.3 16v JTD diesel engine