Fuel Supply Fine-Bubble Mixing for Cleaner Engine Combustion
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fuel reforming devices using hydrogen or oxygen gas achieve low reforming effects and can cause combustion issues due to large bubbles, leading to potential engine damage and inefficient combustion with harmful gas emissions.
Innovation Solution
An internal combustion engine that generates reformed fuel by mixing hydrogen and oxygen in the form of fine bubbles with fuel using a fine bubble generation device, which includes a porous material with a large surface area, disposed in the fuel supply passage, allowing individual control of gaseous body ratios and preventing coalescence.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If hydrogen gas and oxygen gas are mixed with fuel as large-size bubbles, then the gas can be supplied in large amounts, but the gas may become combusted in the fuel and cause the fuel supply passage or the diesel engine body to break
Solution Approach 1:
The gaseous body is divided into numerous fine bubbles with diameters of 10 μm or less, rather than supplying as large-size bubbles. This segmentation allows large amounts of gas to be supplied while preventing combustion in the fuel supply passage, as the fine bubbles disperse throughout the fuel without concentrating in one location.
Solution Approach 2:
A porous body is used as the fine bubble generation medium to generate fine bubbles of the gaseous body in the fuel. The porous structure enables the gas to be distributed as fine bubbles throughout the fuel, achieving both high gas supply量 and safety by preventing localized combustion.
2Quantity of substance
If air, oxygen, ozone, or hydrogen gas is used as the gaseous body to be mixed with fuel, then the fuel reforming effect can be improved, but the combustibility of the fuel may be increased excessively
Solution Approach 1:
The bubble size parameter is changed to fine bubbles with diameters of 10 μm or less, which allows sufficient oxygen supply to improve fuel reforming effect while the fine dispersion prevents excessive combustibility. The porous body structure also controls the distribution and size of bubbles, maintaining optimal combustion characteristics.
3Productivity
If a fine bubble generation device is added to the fuel supply passage, then combustion efficiency is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
A porous body is used as the fine bubble generation medium, which simplifies the device structure compared to complex mechanical bubble generation systems. The porous material passively generates fine bubbles through its structure, improving combustion efficiency while adding minimal complexity to the fuel supply system.
Solution Approach 2:
The porous body acts as an intermediary medium between the gaseous body supply and the fuel, enabling fine bubble generation without requiring complex mechanical devices. This intermediary approach improves combustion efficiency while keeping the overall system relatively simple.
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
Improves combustion efficiency, reduces harmful emissions like nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide, and enhances fuel economy by promoting uniform combustion and reducing soot formation.
Implementation Method 1
the fine bubble generation device includes a fine bubble generation medium that is a porous material
Implementation Method 2
Fine bubbles have physicochemical characteristics such as having very large surface areas and exhibiting a self-pressurizing effect
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
Provided is an internal combustion engine in which combustion efficiency is improved with fuel reformed by mixing fine bubbles therein, so that it is possible to suppress generation of harmful gas generated as a result of incomplete combustion of nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, and the like. An internal combustion engine (1) generates reformed fuel by mixing a gaseous body in the form of fine bubbles with fuel from a fuel tank (3), and supplies the reformed fuel to an engine body (2). The internal combustion engine (1) is provided with: a fuel supply passage (4) through which the fuel from the fuel tank (3) is supplied to the engine body (2); and a fine bubble generation device (11) that is disposed in the midway of the fuel supply passage (4) and that discharges multiple gaseous bodies in the form of fine bubbles. The fine bubble generation device (11) is provided with fine bubble generation media (24), (24) that are porous material. The fine bubble generation media (24), (24) are each provided with a main surface (24s) that has the largest area on a surface parallel to the direction in which the fuel flows in the fuel supply passage (4).