Fuel Injector Premixer Segmentation for Wide Range Gaseous Fuels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Combustion engines face challenges in efficiently operating on a range of fuel types with varying calorific values, often resulting in suboptimal performance and increased emissions, as existing engine designs are typically optimized for specific fuel types and may not seamlessly transition between different fuels without degradation in emissions or performance.
Innovation Solution
A fuel injector system with a premixer and distributor that allows staged fuel delivery, featuring multiple fueling orifices and conduits, enabling the injection of gaseous fuels at different locations within the premixer and through a nozzle, which adapts to different fuel types by adjusting fuel flow rates and delivery patterns to maintain efficient operation across a range of calorific values.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a combustion engine is optimized for a specific fuel type, then performance and emissions are improved for that fuel, but the engine cannot efficiently operate on other fuel types with varying calorific values
Solution Approach 1:
The fuel delivery system is segmented into multiple injection stages with separate control for each stage. The injector head includes distinct fuel delivery conduits and galleries that can independently deliver fuel at different times and locations, allowing the system to adapt to different fuel types while maintaining optimal performance for each.
Solution Approach 2:
The fuel injection system dynamically adjusts injection timing, duration, and quantity based on detected fuel type. The control system modifies operational parameters in real-time to optimize combustion for the specific fuel being used, enabling both versatility across fuel types and peak performance for each fuel type.
2Adaptability or versatility
If fuel is injected at a single location in the premixer, then the injection system is simple, but the system cannot effectively handle fuels with varying calorific values
Solution Approach 1:
The single injection point is segmented into multiple injection locations within the premixer. Fuel can be injected at different positions depending on the fuel type detected, with each location optimized for specific calorific value ranges. This segmentation enables fuel type adaptability while the modular structure keeps complexity manageable.
Solution Approach 2:
The injector head is designed as a universal component that can deliver fuel through multiple conduits and galleries to different locations in the premixer. This multi-functional design allows a single injector assembly to handle various fuel types by selectively activating different delivery paths based on fuel characteristics.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If lean burn conditions are used to reduce emissions, then certain emissions are reduced, but the system may be sensitive to fuel type variations and flashback risks
Solution Approach 1:
Fuel is injected into the premixer before the combustion chamber where it mixes with air under controlled conditions. This preliminary mixing action ensures proper fuel-air ratio establishment before combustion, reducing emissions while maintaining combustion stability across different fuel types by pre-conditioning the mixture.
Solution Approach 2:
The premixer acts as an intermediary between fuel injection and combustion chamber entry. It provides a controlled environment for fuel-air mixing that stabilizes the combustible mixture before it enters the combustion chamber, reducing sensitivity to fuel type variations and minimizing flashback risks while maintaining lean burn emission benefits.
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
Enables seamless operation of combustion engines on fuels with varying calorific values without significant emissions degradation, allowing for efficient transition between fuel types, including hydrogen-rich and high BTU fuels, while minimizing the risk of flashback and maintaining lean-burn strategies.
Implementation Method 1
The premixer has formed therein a plurality of fueling orifices positioned to deliver fuel into the plurality of flow channels
Implementation Method 2
directing the mixed air and gaseous fuel injected at the upstream, downstream and third locations through a nozzle of the fuel injector and into a combustor
Implementation Method 3
Burning virtually any combustible fuel produces certain emissions
Implementation Method 4
so-called lean burn conditions where fuel is combusted with a stoichiometric excess of oxygen
Data Source
AI summary
A fuel injector for a combustion engine includes an injector head including a nozzle, a premixer, and a distributor structured to distribute a plurality of different fuels to different sets of fueling orifices in the premixer. A pilot assembly of the fuel injector is coupled to the premixer and includes a first fueling passage for a first fuel and a second fueling passage for a second fuel. Multiple sets of fueling orifices are positioned within the fuel injector, the fueling orifice sets being selectively connectable to a plurality of different fuel supplies, and both located and sized so as to accommodate a wide range of flow rates to enable a combustion engine coupled with the fuel injector to operate on fuels having a range of Wobbe numbers and compositions.