Estimating a level of corrosion of an injector

A method for distributing a level of corrosion between a plurality of injectors of an engine, the plurality of injectors including a primary injector and at least one secondary injector, each of the injectors including a tip in fluidic communication with a combustion chamber specific to each of the injectors, the respective combustion chamber of each of the injectors being in fluidic communication with an exhaust system of the engine, said method comprising:

• estimating a level of corrosion by:
• while the engine is stopped, inhibiting a propagation of gases from the exhaust system toward the tip of the primary injector by closing an exhaust valve of the primary injector,
• determining a static flow rate of the at least one secondary injector and a static flow rate of the primary injector, and
• estimating the level of corrosion of the at least one secondary injector by comparing the static flow rate of said at least one secondary injector with the static flow rate of the primary injector,
• the determining the static flow rate of the at least one secondary injector and the estimating the level of corrosion of said at least one secondary injector are implemented for each of a plurality of secondary injectors of the plurality of injectors of the engine, and
• stopping the engine such that an exhaust valve corresponding to the at least one secondary injector having the lowest corrosion level estimation among the plurality of injectors is opened.

A computer controlling an engine including a primary injector and at least one secondary injector, each of the primary injector and the at least one secondary injector including a tip in fluidic communication with a combustion chamber specific to each of the injectors, the respective combustion chamber of each of the injectors being in fluidic communication with an exhaust system of the engine, the computer comprising:

• one or more processors configured to:
• while the engine is stopped, inhibit a propagation of the gases from the exhaust system toward the tip of the primary injector by closing an exhaust valve of the primary injector,
• determine a static flow rate of the at least one secondary injector and of the primary injector, and
• estimate a level of corrosion of the at least one secondary injector by comparing the static flow rate of said at least one secondary injector with the static flow rate of the primary injector.

An engine comprising:

• an exhaust system;
• a primary injector and at least one secondary injector, each of the primary injector and the at least one secondary injector comprising a tip in fluidic communication with a combustion chamber specific to each of the injectors, the respective combustion chamber of each of the injectors being in fluidic communication with the exhaust system of the engine;
• a computer configured to control the engine, the computer comprising
• one or more processors configured to:
• while the engine is stopped, inhibit a propagation of the gases from the exhaust system toward the tip of the primary injector by closing an exhaust valve of the primary injector,
• determine a static flow rate of the at least one secondary injector and of the primary injector, and
• estimate a level of corrosion of the at least one secondary injector by comparing the static flow rate of said at least one secondary injector with the static flow rate of the primary injector.