Surge Tank in Fuel Delivery System (FDS) of an Automobile

The fuel delivery system of a vehicle ensures consistent fuel supply from the storage tank to the engine. Surge tank is one of a kind component that regulates the flow, pressure, and level of fuel in fuel tank, lines and injectors. The main purpose of the surge tank is to ensure that the engine is never starved for fuel. Let us discuss about surge tank briefly in this article.

Generally located at the highest point in the fuel delivery system, a surge tank connects all the components of the fuel delivery system; fuel pump, regulators, injectors are all connected to surge tank.

If your car experiences bumps while running, it needs a surge tank. If you do not install one, other engine components are at risk when your car bumps while running or when insufficient fuel is pumped to the engine.

Surge tank regulates fuel pressure and supply
Surge tank basically doesn’t deliver fuel at higher pressure. It balances and regulates the pressure of fuel in a delivery system.
When there is high pressure in the system, the fluids go to the surge tank and the excess pressure created will be counter-balanced. Likewise, when there is low pressure in the system, the surge tank will fill in the low pressure with fluid. This process goes on until the pressure is balanced.

When fuel is below a quarter of a tank or so, it would have a few blips of fuel delivery even on straightaways. The surge tank fixes this because it adds an additional layer of protection by having a second tank for the actual delivery.
Fuel starvation is a common occurrence in non-surge tank delivery systems. When an injector has a low supply of fuel even if adequate amount of fuel is available in the tank, then that system is said to be under starvation and is called fuel starvation. Fuel starvation may burn up holes in piston and cylinder chambers. So, installing a surge tank is helpful for engine's life.

Surge tank controls the system during hazards
The surge tank has built-in sensors, which make it capable of bringing the fuel delivery to a stop if anything goes wrong. It also prevents blowout of the components of the FDS caused due to high fuel pressure.

When installing a surge tank in your car, make sure to have all the related connections across the FDS. Make also sure you choose one that fits your car's system.

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