A preliminary characterization of emissions and combustion behavior was investigated from a high pressure common rail injection system. the engine used in the tests was a single-cylinder optical diesel engine equiped with common rail injection system. according to the injection pressure, the trade-off trend for NOx and THC was observed. as expected, pilot injection affects spray and combustion evolution of subsequent main injection. it was found that the pilot inection reduced NOx and THC due to a restrction on pre-mixed combustion and a slower combustion during diffusion