LNG Fuel System Mixing Unit Combusts Excess Gas
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
High Pressure Gas Injection engines face issues with fuel disposal, leading to emissions and losses due to the need to vent boil-off gas and excess fuel, which increases tank temperature and pressure, reducing fuel efficiency and causing environmental disturbances.
Innovation Solution
A fuel system with a mixing unit between the liquefied gas tank and pressurized gas production unit, where excess gas is mixed with liquefied gas to prevent return to the tank, utilizing a mixing chamber with a nozzle to ensure thorough mixing and control valves to manage gas flow, allowing for combustion of excess gas within the engine.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If excess gas is returned to the liquefied gas tank, then fuel is recovered and not lost, but the tank temperature and pressure increase, reducing hold time and advancing the need to vent vaporized fuel
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the excess gas from the system before it returns to the liquefied gas tank. By removing the excess gas through the mixing unit and exhaust system, the harmful thermal effect of returning warm gas to the tank is eliminated, while still recovering the fuel by combusting it in the engine.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention converts the harmful excess gas that would normally need to be vented into a beneficial fuel source. By directing excess gas to the engine for combustion, the system transforms what was waste into useful energy, simultaneously reducing emissions and eliminating the need to vent the gas.
2Stress or pressure
If excess gas is vented to the atmosphere, then tank pressure is relieved, but emissions increase and fuel is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The invention converts the harmful excess gas that needs to be vented into a beneficial fuel source. By directing excess gas to the engine for combustion, the system transforms what was waste into useful energy, simultaneously reducing emissions and eliminating the need to vent the gas.
Solution Approach 2:
The engine serves multiple functions: it both propels the vehicle and acts as a disposal system for excess gas. By utilizing the engine's combustion process to burn excess gas, the system eliminates the need for separate venting infrastructure and converts a harmful emission source into a useful energy source.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If a mixing unit is added to combine excess gas with liquefied gas, then excess gas can be combusted in the engine without returning to the tank, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the excess gas stream with the liquefied gas stream in a mixing unit before both enter the engine. This combination allows the engine to combust both fuel sources together, eliminating the need for separate handling systems and reducing overall system complexity despite adding the mixing unit.
Solution Approach 2:
The mixing unit enables the fuel system to handle both liquefied gas and excess gas through a single engine system, creating a multi-functional arrangement that reduces the need for separate venting, storage, and combustion systems.
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
Reduces emissions and fuel losses by preventing venting of excess gas, increasing the useful work from fuel through combustion of previously vented gases, and maintaining tank temperature and pressure stability.
Implementation Method 1
the mixing unit being arranged to mix the excess gas with the liquefied gas received from the liquefied gas tank
Implementation Method 2
A high pressure pump and vaporizer transforms the fuel to gaseous form
Implementation Method 3
a pressurized gas production unit connected to the liquefied gas tank, the pressurized gas production unit being arranged to receive liquefied gas from the liquefied gas tank and to produce pressurized gas from the liquefied gas
Implementation Method 4
a fuel injector adapted to inject the pressurized gas into a cylinder of the engine
Implementation Method 5
allowing for combustion of excess gas within the engine
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention provides a fuel system for an internal combustion engine (1), the fuel system comprising a liquefied gas tank (301) arranged to store liquefied gas (LNG), and a pressurized gas production unit (306, 351) connected to the liquefied gas tank (301), the pressurized gas production unit (306, 351) being arranged to receive liquefied gas from the liquefied gas tank (301) and to produce pressurized gas from the liquefied gas, the fuel system further comprising a fuel rail (310) connected to the pressurized gas production unit (306, 351) and arranged to receive the pressurized gas and to deliver the pressurized gas to a fuel injector (311-314) adapted to inject the pressurized gas into a cylinder (101-104) of the engine, characterized in that a mixing unit (307) is provided between the liquefied gas tank (301) and the pressurized gas production unit (306, 351) whereby the pressurized gas production unit (306, 351) is arranged to receive the liquefied gas via the mixing unit (307), the mixing unit (307) being arranged to receive excess gas in the form of vaporized gas from the liquefied gas tank (301) and/or pressurized gas from the fuel rail (310), the mixing unit (307) being arranged to mix the excess gas with the liquefied gas received from the liquefied gas tank (301).