Multi-Fuel Engine Combustion Ratio Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current multi-fuel engine systems face challenges in optimizing fuel combustion ratios to minimize nitrogen oxide (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) emissions while balancing fuel costs and availability, especially in mobile assets that require efficient fuel management across varying terrains and locations.
Innovation Solution
A fuel controlling unit that determines and adjusts the fuel combustion ratio based on characteristic profiles, including location, terrain, and fuel costs, using a combination of sensors and a global positioning system to optimize fuel delivery and emission compliance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the fuel combustion ratio is adjusted to reduce NOx and PM emissions, then emission compliance is improved, but fuel cost optimization becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the fuel combustion ratio in real-time based on varying operating conditions, location-based emission standards, and fuel price variations. The controller continuously optimizes the blend ratio of different fuels (e.g., diesel, natural gas, propane) to simultaneously meet emission requirements and minimize fuel costs, rather than using a fixed combustion ratio.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes multiple parameters including fuel type, fuel blend ratio, injection timing, and combustion temperature to achieve optimal emission control and cost efficiency. By varying these parameters based on location data, emission standards, and fuel pricing, the system finds the optimal balance between reducing NOx/PM emissions and minimizing fuel consumption.
2Productivity
If a multi-fuel system is implemented to optimize fuel costs and emissions, then fuel efficiency is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses a universal fuel delivery and combustion control architecture that can handle multiple fuel types (diesel, natural gas, propane, and other alternative fuels) through a single integrated platform. The same engine hardware and control system accommodate different fuel blends, eliminating the need for separate systems for each fuel type and reducing overall system complexity despite the multi-fuel capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates sensors and controllers that continuously monitor fuel consumption, emission levels, and operating conditions, then feed this information back to adjust the fuel combustion ratio in real-time. This automated feedback loop optimizes fuel efficiency dynamically without requiring complex manual intervention or separate control systems for each fuel type.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If fuel delivery is optimized based on location and terrain profiles, then emission compliance is improved, but measurement and detection difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-determines characteristic profiles including terrain data, emission standards for different locations, and fuel price variations before actual operation occurs. By having this information ready in advance and using it to pre-calculate optimal fuel combustion ratios, the system simplifies real-time measurement requirements and ensures emission compliance without complex on-the-fly detection.
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 approach enables reduced NOx and PM emissions while minimizing fuel costs by dynamically adjusting the fuel ratio, ensuring emission compliance and efficient fuel usage across different terrains and locations.
Implementation Method 1
A fuel delivery system may deliver the plurality of fuels to the at least one engine cylinder based on the fuel combustion ratio
Implementation Method 2
compression-ignition engines operate by directly injecting a fuel (e.g., diesel fuel) into compressed air in one or more piston-cylinder assemblies, such that the heat of the compressed air ignites the fuel-air mixture
Implementation Method 3
the heat of the compressed air ignites the fuel-air mixture
Data Source
AI summary
A method provides for operating an engine configured to use a plurality of differing fuels. The method includes determining a fuel combustion ratio of the plurality of differing fuels associated with at least one engine cylinder of the engine based at least in part on one or more of a plurality of characteristic profiles. This maintains one or more of a plurality of actual values associated with usage of the plurality of differing fuels relative to defined corresponding threshold values. The fuel combustion ratio includes a ratio of the plurality of differing fuels to be delivered to the at least one engine cylinder. A fuel delivery system delivers the plurality of differing fuels to the at least one engine cylinder based on the fuel combustion ratio.