Dual-Fuel Engine Rail Layout for One-Side Maintenance Access

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing dual fuel engines face challenges in maintenance of liquid fuel supply and pilot fuel supply, with a configuration that makes it difficult to perform maintenance of these rail pipes from a common place, and this has not been effectively addressed effectively, leading to a decrease in working efficiency.

Innovation Solution

The engine is configured with the liquid fuel supply rail pipe and pilot fuel supply rail pipe disposed on one side of an imaginary vertical plane including the crank shaft, allowing for easy maintenance from one side, and the exhaust manifold is positioned opposite to these pipes to prevent fuel leakage and reduce fire risk, with a covering member to contain any leaks.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Device complexity

If the liquid fuel supply rail pipe is disposed at the right of the crank shaft and the pilot fuel supply common rail pipe is disposed at the left of the crank shaft, then the fuel supply system can be distributed across the engine structure, but maintenance of these rail pipes becomes difficult and working efficiency decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefuel supply system layoutVSAvoidmaintenance accessibility
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSEase of repair

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the positions of the liquid fuel supply rail pipe and the pilot fuel supply common rail pipe by disposing both pipes on the same side of the imaginary vertical plane (the right side). This spatial consolidation allows maintenance personnel to access both pipes from a common location, significantly improving maintenance efficiency without compromising the functional distribution of the fuel supply system.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Device complexity

If the exhaust manifold is disposed at the same side as the fuel supply pipes, then the structure is simplified, but the risk of fire due to fuel contact with high-temperature exhaust manifold increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructural arrangementVSAvoidfire risk
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the exhaust manifold from the same side as the fuel supply pipes and relocates it to the opposite side of the imaginary vertical plane (the left side). This spatial separation removes the harmful thermal interaction between the high-temperature exhaust manifold and the fuel supply pipes, eliminating the fire risk while maintaining structural simplicity through clear zonal differentiation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentEP3477091B1engine
Publication Date: 2025.12.10 YANMAR POWER TECH CO LTD
  • EP3477091B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3477091B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3477091B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An engine (21) includes a main fuel injection valve (79), a pilot fuel injection valve (82), a liquid fuel supply rail pipe (42), and a pilot fuel supply rail pipe (47). The main fuel injection valve (79) supplies liquid fuel from the liquid fuel supply rail pipe (42) to a combustion chamber (110) during combustion in a diffusion combustion system. The pilot fuel injection valve (82) supplies pilot fuel from the pilot fuel supply rail pipe (47) to the combustion chamber (110) in order to ignite gaseous fuel during combustion in a premixed combustion system. The liquid fuel supply rail pipe (42) is disposed at one side of an imaginary vertical plane (PI) including an axis of a crank shaft. The pilot fuel supply rail pipe (47) is disposed at the side of the imaginary vertical plane (PI) at which the liquid fuel supply rail pipe (42) is disposed.