Fuel Pump System With Displacement Unit For Secondary Liquid Injection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing fuel pump systems for internal combustion engines require additional space and mechanical components to inject a secondary liquid, such as water, into the combustion chamber, which increases costs and mechanical failure risks.

Innovation Solution

The fuel pump system utilizes the pressure difference generated by the high-pressure fuel pump to drive a second injection liquid to the desired pressure level, eliminating the need for a separate pump drive and minimizing mechanical components by using a fluid-mechanical coupling with a displacement unit, such as a cylinder/piston unit, to inject the secondary liquid.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a separate additional pump is used to deliver the second injection liquid, then the delivery capability and pressure control for the second liquid is improved, but the installation space requirement and the number of parts susceptible to mechanical failure increase

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovereliabilityVSAvoiddevice complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The fuel pump is designed to perform dual functions: delivering fuel to the combustion chamber and delivering the second injection liquid (water or water-alcohol mixture) to the combustion chamber or intake manifold. This eliminates the need for a separate pump, reducing the number of moving parts and potential failure points while maintaining reliable delivery capability for both liquids.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent combines the fuel pump and the second liquid pump into a single integrated unit. The pump housing contains both fuel delivery and water injection pathways, with a single drive mechanism powering both pumping actions. This merging reduces installation space and eliminates the mechanical complexity of having two separate driven units.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Stress or pressure

If a separate additional pump is used to deliver the second injection liquid, then the pressure delivery capability for the second liquid is improved, but the installation space requirement increases

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovepressureVSAvoidinstallation space
Core Design Contradiction:
Stress or pressureVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The fuel pump is designed to perform dual functions: delivering fuel to the combustion chamber and delivering the second injection liquid (water or water-alcohol mixture) to the combustion chamber or intake manifold. This eliminates the need for a separate pump, reducing the number of moving parts and potential failure points while maintaining reliable delivery capability for both liquids.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The second liquid delivery pathway is integrated within the fuel pump housing structure. The pump chambers for fuel and water are arranged in a nested or adjacent configuration, allowing both delivery systems to occupy the same spatial envelope. This nesting approach maintains high pressure delivery capability while minimizing the overall installation footprint.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

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

This solution allows for cost-effective and reliable injection of a secondary liquid into the combustion chamber with reduced space requirements and mechanical complexity, while maintaining efficient pressure delivery and control through a control unit.

Implementation Method 1

The pressure difference generated by the pump is utilized through the coupling to the displacement unit in order to bring the second injection liquid to a desired high pressure level

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPressure difference: Pressure Gradient

Implementation Method 2

Via the flow connection of the first pressure chamber to the fuel branch, its pressure differences between the high-pressure side and the low-pressure side of the fuel pump can be utilized in order to move the displacement element and thus bring about a change in volume in the second pressure chamber. This change in volume is used to convey the second injection liquid in the second liquid branch from its low-pressure to its high-pressure connection.

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPressure-driven fluid flow: Pressure Gradient

Data Source

PatentEP2787214B1Fuel pump system
Publication Date: 2018.04.11 BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE AG
  • EP2787214B1 patent drawingFigure 1

AI summary

A fuel pump system for injecting fuel into a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine has a pump (12) actuated by a pump drive, which delivers the fuel as a first injection fluid in a first fluid branch in the form of a fuel branch (14) from a first low-pressure port (16) to a first high-pressure port (18). The pump (12) is coupled to a displacement unit (20) fluidically connected to a second fluid branch (25), such that the pump (12) delivers a second injection fluid via the displacement unit (20) in the second fluid branch (25) from a second low-pressure port (42) to a second high-pressure port (44).