Inductive Fuel Injector Nozzle Heating for Sparkless Combustion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Internal combustion engines face inefficiencies due to the need for spark ignition in gasoline engines, as gasoline fuel is not hot enough to combust solely through compression, unlike diesel fuel, limiting the use of higher compression ratios and power output.
Innovation Solution
A conductive coil is wrapped around the fuel injector nozzle to induce heating through electromagnetic forces, heating the fuel to autoignition temperature for compression-based combustion without the need for spark plugs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If gasoline fuel is used in internal combustion engines, then the engine can operate with liquid fuel, but the fuel cannot reach autoignition temperature through compression alone requiring spark plugs
Solution Approach 1:
The nozzle is preheated to autoignition temperature before fuel injection occurs. This preliminary heating action eliminates the need for spark plugs during combustion, as the fuel ignites automatically upon contact with the heated nozzle surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/electrical spark plug ignition system with a thermal field-based ignition system. Instead of using electrical sparks to ignite fuel, the system uses a heated nozzle to thermally ignite the fuel through compression heating alone.
2Power
If higher compression ratios are used in gasoline engines, then power output increases, but pre-detonation occurs when air and fuel mixture excessively compress
Solution Approach 1:
The nozzle is preheated to autoignition temperature before fuel injection. This ensures that when fuel is injected and compressed, it ignites at the precise moment through thermal contact with the nozzle, preventing premature pre-detonation and enabling higher compression ratios without combustion control issues.
3Productivity
If diesel fuel is used, then compression-based combustion is efficient, but the fuel type is limited and energy density is lower than gasoline
Solution Approach 1:
The heated nozzle ignition system can accommodate multiple fuel types including gasoline, diesel, and natural gas. The system maintains compression-based combustion efficiency across different fuel types by preheating the nozzle to appropriate autoignition temperatures, providing both high productivity and fuel versatility.
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 method allows for efficient combustion of gasoline fuel at autoignition temperature, enabling higher compression ratios and increased power output in internal combustion engines, applicable to various fuel types including gasoline, diesel, and natural gas.
Implementation Method 1
A conductive coil is wrapped around the fuel injector nozzle to induce heating through electromagnetic forces
Implementation Method 2
heating the fuel to autoignition temperature for compression-based combustion
Data Source
AI summary
A fuel heating apparatus and method are disclosed where a conductive coil is wrapped around an outer surface of at least a portion of a nozzle of a fuel injector. The coil and the nozzle are inductively cooperative with each other such that the coil, in response to a variable current through the coil, induces a heating of the nozzle. The inductively heated nozzle can heat fuel passing into an engine so as to cause the fuel to combust as it exits the heated nozzle. This arrangement allows for sparkless combustion of fuel in an internal combustion engine.