Ice Ingestion Simulation Device with Turbulent Water Injection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for simulating ice chunk formation in engine fuel systems are inadequate, as they cannot inject a precise volume of water quickly enough to accurately test the system's resistance to ice, leading to incomplete simulation and potential nozzle obstruction due to ice accumulation.
Innovation Solution
A device with a main tank, secondary tank, and reservoir system, including a selector valve and pressurizing components, allows for precise injection of water into the fuel stream, using a tapered injection nozzle with a turbulator to create a stable and controlled ice slurry with 50% water and 50% fuel, ensuring efficient water delivery and minimizing ice formation on the nozzle.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If water is injected in small quantities over tens of minutes using the regulation system, then homogeneous mixture of water and fuel is achieved, but the injection cannot simulate detaching chunks of ice which require injection of entire water volume in a few seconds
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into two independent tanks: a main tank for fuel and a secondary tank for water. This segmentation allows each tank to be optimized for its specific function - the fuel tank for continuous supply and the water tank for rapid injection - without compromising the homogeneous mixing achieved through the injection nozzle design.
Solution Approach 2:
Water is pre-filled in the secondary tank before the test, and the injection system is pre-positioned in the fuel stream. This preliminary preparation enables the system to immediately inject the entire water volume in a few seconds when needed, simulating ice chunk ingestion without requiring gradual injection or regulation delays.
2Measurement precision
If water is injected in very small quantities over time, then regulation control is maintained, but flow rate oscillations occur throughout the test and ice deposit accumulates on the injection nozzle
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses periodic switching between fuel-only injection and fuel-water injection cycles. During test phases, water is injected in brief, intense pulses rather than continuously, which maintains flow stability by allowing the system to return to steady-state fuel flow between injections, preventing oscillations and ice accumulation.
Solution Approach 2:
The injection system changes parameters by switching between different injection modes: continuous fuel flow, brief water injection pulses, and combined fuel-water injection. This parameter variation allows precise control of water quantity while maintaining overall flow stability and preventing ice deposit buildup on the nozzle.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the injection nozzle sprays small water droplets, then pre-mixing is achieved, but recirculation zones capture droplets and favor ice deposit accumulation on the nozzle head
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful recirculation zones that cause ice deposit are eliminated by extracting the water injection point from the main fuel flow path. Water is injected through a separate secondary tank system that introduces water downstream of the primary fuel flow, removing small droplets from the recirculation pattern and preventing their capture and freezing on the nozzle head.
Solution Approach 2:
A secondary injection tank serves as an intermediary between the water supply and the fuel stream. This intermediary component allows water to be introduced in a controlled manner that promotes mixing without creating the recirculation conditions that lead to ice deposit, acting as a buffer that separates the water injection function from the fuel flow path.
4Manufacturing precision
If injection time is extended to allow complete water injection, then accurate ice simulation is achieved, but the regulation system requires several seconds to start and water must be injected in multiple small doses
Solution Approach 1:
The entire water volume is pre-filled in the secondary tank before the test begins. This preliminary action eliminates the need for gradual water addition or regulation delays during the test, allowing the system to inject the complete, precisely-measured water volume in a single rapid injection sequence that accurately simulates ice chunk ingestion.
Solution Approach 2:
The injection system transitions from static, gradual injection to dynamic, rapid injection. The secondary tank is designed to deliver the entire water volume quickly when activated, with the injection duration and rate dynamically adjusted to match the specific test requirements for simulating different ice chunk sizes and conditions.
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 device enables precise simulation of ice chunk ingestion into the engine, allowing for effective evaluation of the engine's resistance to ice, with improved water delivery and reduced ice accumulation on the nozzle, ensuring accurate testing without flow rate oscillations and complete water injection within a short time.
Implementation Method 1
the injection nozzle comprises a turbulator designed to increase the turbulence of the water before spraying by the injection nozzle into the fuel system
Implementation Method 2
the secondary tank is connected to a pressurising member
Data Source
AI summary
A device for simulating an ingestion of chunks of ice by an engine, including: a main tank forming a cavity for a fuel, and connected to an inlet of the engine by a pipe; an injection system including an injection member arranged in the pipe; a secondary tank forming a cavity for a fuel, which tank is connected to the injection system by a selector member; and a reservoir connected firstly to a reserve of water and secondly to the injection system via the selector member. The selector member is configured to place the injection system selectively in communication with the secondary tank or with the reservoir to inject a determined quantity of water into the engine.