Bidirectional Purge Fuel Delivery System for Complete Engine Shutdown
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fuel purging systems for internal combustion engines, such as those described in French Patent Application FR2830284A1, are limited to unidirectional purging, which can leave undesirable fluids in the fluid stream, failing to effectively remove fuel from all parts of the engine during shutdown.
Innovation Solution
A bidirectional purge system that includes a fuel pump, a bidirectional purge component with an inlet and outlet, a pressure regulator, and a differential pressure source to facilitate the movement of fuel in both directions through the system, allowing for efficient purging of fuel from the engine components during shutdown.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If unidirectional purging is used, then the system structure is simple, but fuel cannot be completely removed from all parts of the engine
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies reverse flow purging by configuring the purge valve to allow fuel to flow backward through the fuel filter and fuel lines. The purge pump creates negative pressure that draws fuel out in the opposite direction of normal flow, ensuring complete removal of fuel from all components including the fuel filter element, inlet, and outlet ports.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements periodic purging cycles where the purge valve opens at intervals to reverse the flow direction. The control unit activates the purge pump during specific periods to create bidirectional flow, alternating between normal forward flow during operation and reverse flow during purging cycles, ensuring thorough fuel removal without continuous complex operation.
2Reliability
If bidirectional purging is implemented, then complete fuel removal is achieved, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The purge valve is designed to perform multiple functions: it controls the reverse flow during purging operations and also regulates normal forward flow during engine operation. The fuel pump serves dual purposes by acting as both the primary fuel delivery device and the purge pump, eliminating the need for a separate purge pump and reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the purge pump function with the existing fuel pump, using the same device for both fuel delivery and fuel purging. The control unit integrates purging control with the engine management system, merging multiple control functions into a single control architecture to reduce the number of separate components and simplify the overall system.
3Reliability
If purge operations are performed frequently, then fuel removal effectiveness is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs purging operations periodically rather than continuously, with the control unit activating the purge pump at scheduled intervals or based on specific conditions such as engine shutdown or fuel filter differential pressure thresholds. This periodic operation maintains effective fuel removal while minimizing energy consumption by keeping the purge pump inactive during normal operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs purging operations in advance before fuel contamination or accumulation becomes problematic. The control unit monitors fuel filter differential pressure and activates purging proactively when thresholds are approached, preventing complete blockage or contamination while avoiding excessive frequent purging operations that would waste energy.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The bidirectional purge system ensures complete removal of fuel from the engine components, reducing the risk of residual undesirable fluids and enhancing engine maintenance and safety by allowing fuel to be purged in both the normal and reverse flow directions, thereby improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the purging process.
Implementation Method 1
a differential pressure source fluidically connected to the bidirectional purge component, the differential pressure source providing a differential pressure across the bidirectional purge component to cause the fuel to move into the inlet of the bidirectional purge component or the outlet of the bidirectional purge component during the purge operation
Implementation Method 2
a pressure regulator fluidically connected to the outlet of the bidirectional purge component, the pressure regulator configured to maintain a pressure of the fuel below a predetermined pressure
Data Source
AI summary
A fuel delivery system for an internal combustion engine system is described herein. The fuel delivery system uses one or more bidirectional purge components to provide for bidirectional purging of a fuel from at least a portion of the fuel delivery system. The bidirectional purge components provide for a fuel delivered using the fuel delivery system to be purged into the directional purge component in more than one fluid flow direction. When a differential pressure is applied across the bidirectional purge component, the fuel is purged into an inlet and an outlet of the bidirectional purge component, leaving the component through a purge outlet and into a tank. The differential pressure can be generated using a pressured fluid such as nitrogen or a pump downstream of the purge outlet.