A two-zone model for the calculation of the closed cycle of a direct injection (DI) diesel engine is presented. The cylinder contents are taken to comprise a non-burning zone of air and another homogeneous zone in which fuel is continuously supplied from the injector holes during injection and burned with entrained air from the air zone. The growth of the fuel spray zone, consisting of a number of fuel-air conical jets equal to the injector nozzle holes, is carefully modelled by incorporating jet mixing to determine the amount of oxygen available for combustion. Application of the mass, energy and state equations in each one of the two zones yields local temperatures and cylinder pressure histories. For calculating the concentration of constituents in the exhaust gases, a chemical equilibrium scheme is adopted for the C-H-O system of the 11 species considered, together with chemical rate equations for the calculation of nitric oxide (NO). A model for the evaluation of soot formation and oxidation rates is incorporated. A comparison is made between the theoretical results from the computer program implementing the analysis, with experimental results from a vast experimental investigation conducted on a fully automated test bed, direct injection, standard 'Hydra'. diesel engine located at the authors' laboratory, with very good results, following a multiparametric study of the constants incorporated in the various sub-models. Pressure indicator diagrams and plots of temperature, NO, soot density and of other interesting quantities are presented as a function of crank angle, for various loads and injection timings, elucidating the physical mechanisms governing combustion and pollutants formation. Copyright (C) 2003 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.