PURPOSE: To aim at enhancing the efficiency of heating and pressurizing means while ensuring stable evaporation at a negative pressure, by changing the pressure of pressurized fuel or the temperature of heating in accordance with the atmospheric pressure.
CONSTITUTION: An engine 1 has a fuel regulator 21 for pressurizing fuel fed into a fuel injection valve 11 and a heater 22 for heating fuel up to a temperature at which fuel is not evaporated under this pressurized condition but is evaporated under negative pressure, when fuel is injected from a fuel injection valve 11. When the atmospheric pressure detected by an atmospheric pressure sensor 31 lowers, an electronic control unit 16 sets a new desired pressure which is lower than the standard atmospheric pressure by a value corresponding to the pressure reduction if stable evaporation at a negative pressure may be obtained even through the pressure of fuel and the temperature are raised up to desired fuel pressure and temperature, respectively, which have been set at during operation at the standard atmospheric pressure. With this arrangement, no useless energy is consumed, thereby it is possible to reduce the burdens of the fuel pressure regulator 21 and the heater 22.
NISHIKAWA TOSHIO
YOKOOKU KATSUHIKO
