Cylinder Head Air Guide Section for Hydrogen Engine Fuel Mixing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing cylinder heads for internal combustion engines, particularly those using hydrogen fuel, suffer from clogging and backfire issues due to atomizing screens in intake ports, which impair fuel supply and mixture formation.

Innovation Solution

A cylinder head design featuring a tubular injection tube with an attachment element having a radially outward-facing air guide section that enhances turbulence in the intake air, improving fuel-air mixing and preventing clogging by maintaining an unobstructed fuel flow path.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If an atomizing screen is used in the injection tube to improve fuel-air mixing, then mixture formation is improved, but the injection tube becomes clogged during operation and fuel supply is impaired

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemixture formation qualityVSAvoidfuel supply reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The harmful atomizing screen is completely removed from the injection tube. Instead, a separate air guide section is introduced that performs the mixing function without creating clogging issues, thus extracting the problematic component while preserving the beneficial mixing effect

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The injection tube is divided into functional sections: a fuel injection section and a separate air guide section. This segmentation allows the air guide section to handle air flow and turbulence generation without the fuel supply path being blocked, separating the mixing function from the fuel delivery path

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Manufacturing precision

If an atomizing screen is used in the injection tube to improve fuel-air mixing, then mixture formation is improved, but fuel is retained within the tube leading to backfires

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemixture formation qualityVSAvoidbackfire risk
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The atomizing screen that causes fuel retention is removed. The air guide section is introduced instead, which generates turbulence for mixing without creating pockets where fuel can be trapped, thereby eliminating the backfire hazard

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The design uses the radial outward orientation of the air guide section to create beneficial turbulence that promotes complete fuel consumption, converting what would have been a harmful fuel retention issue into a benefit where all fuel is burned before potential backfire conditions can arise

Inventive Principle:
Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

3Manufacturing precision

If a radially outward-facing air guide section is added to the injection tube to enhance turbulence and mixing, then mixture formation is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemixture formation qualityVSAvoidinjection tube structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The air guide section is merged with the injection tube as an integrated component rather than a separate attachment. This combining approach improves mixture formation while minimizing the increase in device complexity by using a unified structure

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The air guide section extends radially outward from the injection tube, adding a dimensional element that creates turbulence without requiring complex internal structures. This dimensional addition achieves improved mixing with relatively simple geometric modification

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

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 design ensures favorable mixture formation and reduces the risk of clogging, enhancing the service life of the injection tube by supporting it against the intake port wall and maintaining fuel flow integrity.

Implementation Method 1

The radially outward-facing air guide section creates a more turbulent flow in the intake air downstream of it, which improves the mixing of the intake air with the fuel injected into the intake port via the injection tube

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectTurbulence: Turbulence

Data Source

PatentEP4394173B1Cylinder head for an internal combustion engine and an internal combustion engine comprising such a cylinder head
Publication Date: 2025.11.12 DEUTZ AG
  • EP4394173B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4394173B1 patent drawingFigure 2~5
  • EP4394173B1 patent drawingFigure 6

AI summary

Cylinder head for an internal combustion engine comprising: a cylinder head assembly having an inlet port (7), an injector (18) connected to the cylinder head assembly, and a tubular injection tube (19) extending along a tubular liner (L19) into the inlet port (7) and fluidically connected to the injector (18), wherein an attachment element (21) is arranged on the injection tube (19), and the attachment element (21) has an air guide section (25, 26, 27) extending radially outwards with respect to the tubular liner (L19) such that a flow in the inlet port (7) is influenced by the air guide section (25, 26, 27).