Fuel Injector Valve Wear Reduction via Partial Closure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fuel injection systems in diesel engines face challenges in reducing specific fuel consumption and exhaust emissions while minimizing fuel injector wear, as improvements in one area often worsen another operational characteristic, and the physical contact between valve parts leads to wear and increased emissions.
Innovation Solution
A modulated fuel injection system that provides a plurality of discrete fuel injections without fully closing the fuel injector valve, allowing the valve to actuate between fully closed, open, and partially closed positions, reducing wear and optimizing fuel delivery for improved engine performance and emission control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional fuel injection systems completely close the valve for each fuel injection, then fuel delivery control is achieved, but fuel injector wear increases due to physical contact between valve parts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by actuating the fuel injection valve between fully closed, open, and partially closed positions rather than completely closing it. This partial closing reduces physical contact and wear between valve parts while still achieving the necessary fuel delivery control through modulated injection rates and pressures.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the valve position across multiple discrete states (fully closed, partially closed, open) rather than relying on a single binary state. This dynamic actuation allows the valve to optimize between wear reduction and fuel delivery control based on operating conditions.
2Loss of energy
If attempts are made to decrease specific fuel consumption, then fuel efficiency improves, but exhaust emissions increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the fuel injection into multiple discrete injections rather than a single continuous injection. This segmentation allows optimization of combustion efficiency to reduce specific fuel consumption while the modulated valve control ensures proper mixing and combustion to limit harmful emissions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes injection parameters (rate, pressure, timing) through modulated valve actuation. By varying these parameters across multiple discrete injections, the system achieves improved fuel efficiency while maintaining emission control through optimized combustion conditions.
3Reliability
If the valve is actuated between fully closed, open, and partially closed positions, then fuel injector wear is reduced, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fuel injection valve serves multiple functions through its ability to actuate between different positions. It controls fuel delivery, modulates injection rate, and reduces wear all through a single component's multi-position actuation, avoiding the need for additional separate control mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
A fuel injector is coupled to an engine. The fuel injector includes an injection opening configured to vary in cross-section between a open state and a fully closed state. The fuel injector is configured to provide a plurality of discrete commanded fuel injections into an engine cylinder by modulating the size of the injection opening without completely closing the opening to the fully closed state.