Auxiliary Starting System for Gas Engine Cold Weather
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Natural gas-powered gas internal combustion engines face challenges in starting reliably, especially at low temperatures due to the suboptimal ignitability of natural gas mixtures, leading to increased pollutant emissions and inefficient combustion.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating an auxiliary starting system that injects a high-ignition fuel, such as dimethyl ether, into the combustion chambers when ambient temperature drops below a threshold, controlled by sensors monitoring temperature, crankshaft speed, and combustion chamber conditions to ensure reliable engine start and operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If natural gas is used as the primary fuel for the internal combustion engine, then the engine operates with lower emissions and better fuel efficiency, but the engine fails to start reliably at low temperatures due to poor ignitability
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by detecting low temperature conditions before engine startup attempts and pre-injecting auxiliary fuel into the combustion chamber. This preliminary fuel introduction ensures that when the engine cranks, the auxiliary fuel is already present and ready to ignite, preventing starting failures before they occur. The control unit monitors temperature sensors and automatically activates the auxiliary fuel injection system in advance of the startup sequence.
Solution Approach 2:
The auxiliary fuel acts as an intermediary substance between the cold natural gas environment and the ignition system. This intermediary fuel with superior cold-weather ignitability properties bridges the gap caused by low temperature conditions, allowing the ignition system to successfully ignite the fuel mixture even when natural gas alone would fail to combust reliably.
2Productivity
If the engine operates on natural gas without auxiliary fuel injection, then the fuel system remains simple and cost-effective, but combustion efficiency deteriorates when natural gas quality varies or ignitability is suboptimal
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies partial action by injecting auxiliary fuel only when necessary - specifically when temperature sensors detect low temperature conditions or when combustion sensors indicate suboptimal combustion. The control unit monitors engine parameters and activates the auxiliary fuel injection system only during these specific conditions, rather than continuously. This selective approach maintains high combustion efficiency when needed while avoiding unnecessary fuel injection during normal operating conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the fuel composition parameter dynamically based on operating conditions. When temperature drops below a threshold or combustion quality deteriorates, the control unit modifies the fuel mixture by introducing auxiliary fuel with different combustion characteristics. This parameter change allows the system to adapt to varying natural gas quality and temperature conditions, maintaining optimal combustion efficiency across different operating scenarios.
3Reliability
If auxiliary fuel is injected continuously to ensure reliable starting, then engine starting reliability improves, but fuel consumption increases and emission control becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs feedback control by continuously monitoring engine parameters such as crankshaft speed, temperature, and combustion quality through various sensors. The control unit processes this feedback information in real-time and adjusts the auxiliary fuel injection accordingly. When sensors detect that the engine is starting reliably or temperature rises above thresholds, the control unit reduces or stops auxiliary fuel injection, thereby minimizing fuel consumption while maintaining starting reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The auxiliary fuel injection operates periodically rather than continuously, activated only during specific startup phases or low-temperature conditions. The control unit monitors engine cranking speed and temperature, injecting auxiliary fuel during the critical startup period when reliability is needed, then stopping injection once the engine reaches operational parameters. This periodic action pattern ensures reliable starting while minimizing overall fuel consumption.
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
The system ensures reliable engine start and operation across varying conditions by providing a readily ignitable fuel, improving combustion efficiency and reducing pollutant emissions by switching to auxiliary fuel when main fuel quality or ignitability is suboptimal.
Implementation Method 1
an auxiliary fuel, such as dimethyl ether, be injected into the combustion chambers of the engine, thereby facilitating its starting. This auxiliary fuel is characterized by the fact that, although it is kept in a liquid state under pressure, it vaporizes upon injection into the combustion chambers
Implementation Method 2
at least one combustion chamber (18) arranged to receive an air-gas-fuel mixture for combustion
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
The invention relates to a gas internal combustion engine (10) for vehicles and to a method for operating a gas internal combustion engine (10). The gas internal combustion engine (10) comprises at least one combustion chamber, an intake distributor tube (14), and an auxiliary starting system (30) for starting the gas internal combustion engine (10). The auxiliary starting system (30) has an auxiliary fuel tank (32), a control valve (34) which is designed to open or close a connection between the auxiliary fuel tank (32) and the intake distributor tube (14), a surrounding temperature sensor (36), and a control unit (38) which is designed to control the control valve (34) in order to open same if the surrounding temperature is lower than a specified surrounding temperature threshold.