Fuel supply system with leakage detection means

A fuel supply system for an internal combustion engine, the fuel supply system comprising:

• a fuel line system with a plurality of fuel line sections;
• and
• a pressure monitoring system with a plurality of monitoring segments associated with the fuel line sections, a set of valves for fluidly separating neighbouring monitoring segments of the plurality of monitoring segments, and a pressure sensor fluidly connected to at least one of the monitoring segments,
• wherein the pressure monitoring system is configured to selectively fluidly connect different sets of the monitoring segments to the pressure sensor,
• wherein the fuel line system and the pressure monitoring system include a fuel supply pipe system of a plurality of double-walled fuel supply pipe sections, each having an inner pipe and an outer pipe, wherein
• the inner pipe is configured for guiding fuel therein,
• one or more inter-spaces between the inner pipe and the outer pipe are associated with at least one of the monitoring segments, and
• wherein at least one of the double-walled fuel supply pipe sections includes at least one of a T-shaped pipe element, a linear shaped pipe element, a linear shaped pipe element with a double-walled bellow element, and a cylinder head including a cast-on casing configured to at least partly house a fuel inlet valve and to define an inlet valve leakage detection space between an inner surface of the east-on casing and the fuel inlet valve.

A method for detecting a leakage in a fuel supply system of an internal combustion engine, wherein the fuel supply system has a control unit, a fuel line system with a plurality of fuel line sections, and a pressure monitoring system with a plurality of monitoring segments associated with the fuel line sections, a set of valves for fluidly separating neighboring monitoring segments of the monitoring segments, and a pressure sensor fluidly connected to at least one of the monitoring segments and connected to the control unit, the method comprising:

• directing, by the control unit the set of valves to open to fluidly connect the monitoring segments;
• sensing, by the pressure sensor, a change in pressure of the pressure monitoring system caused by a leakage between the fuel line sections and the pressure monitoring system;
• sending, by the pressure sensor, one or more signals based on the change in pressure to the control unit;
• selectively directing, by the control unit, one or more of the valves to close;
• performing, by the pressure sensor, at least two pressure measurements for at least two selected sets of neighboring monitoring segments for providing pressure behaviour information for the at least two selected sets of neighboring monitoring segments;
• providing the behaviour information to the control unit;
• identifying, by the control unit, a leaking monitoring segment based on the behaviour information.