Multi-Fuel Injector System for Liquid and Gaseous Fuel Mixing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Internal combustion engines lack the capability to efficiently operate on multiple fuel types, particularly in regions with uncertain fuel supply, where the ability to use both gaseous and liquid fuels or their mixtures is necessary.
Innovation Solution
A method and fuel system that allows for the selective delivery of either a liquid fuel, a gaseous fuel, or a mixture of both through a common delivery arrangement with integrated metering and delivery components, ensuring metered quantities of both fuels are delivered during an injection event, enabling operation on various fuel types, including combinations of gaseous and liquid fuels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If separate fuel delivery systems are used for gaseous and liquid fuels, then each fuel can be delivered independently, but the system complexity increases and the ability to deliver mixed fuels is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines gaseous fuel delivery and liquid fuel delivery into a single integrated injection system. The injector assembly includes both a gaseous fuel delivery pathway and a liquid fuel delivery pathway that converge at a common injection point, allowing both fuels to be delivered simultaneously through the same nozzle into the combustion chamber. This merging eliminates the need for separate delivery systems while maintaining the ability to deliver either fuel type independently or as a mixture.
Solution Approach 2:
The injection system is designed with multi-functionality to handle different fuel delivery modes. The same injector assembly can deliver gaseous fuel alone, liquid fuel alone, or a mixture of both fuels. The system includes configurable pathways and metering mechanisms that allow flexible operation across multiple fuel modes, making the system universal for different fuel types and delivery requirements.
2Adaptability or versatility
If fuels are delivered through separate ports, then metering control is simpler, but fuel mixing capability is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges separate gaseous fuel delivery and liquid fuel delivery pathways into a common injection point. Both fuels are delivered through the same nozzle assembly, enabling effective mixing at the point of injection. The injector design includes separate metering mechanisms for each fuel type that converge at a shared delivery port, allowing simultaneous delivery and mixing while maintaining individual metering control.
3Device complexity
If a common fuel injector is used for both fuels, then system complexity is reduced, but precise metering control for each fuel becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The injector assembly is segmented into separate delivery pathways for gaseous fuel and liquid fuel, each with its own metering mechanism. The gaseous fuel pathway includes a gaseous fuel injector with controlled opening, while the liquid fuel pathway includes a liquid fuel injector with separate metering. This segmentation allows precise independent control of each fuel type while both pathways converge at a common injection point for simultaneous delivery.
4Productivity
If separate fuel paths are used, then fuel delivery control is improved, but the ability to deliver fuels simultaneously through the same port is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines separate gaseous fuel delivery and liquid fuel delivery into a unified injection system where both fuels are delivered simultaneously through the same nozzle. The system maintains separate metering and control mechanisms for each fuel type but merges the final delivery point, enabling both fuels to be injected together into the combustion chamber in a single injection event, improving delivery efficiency while maintaining dual fuel capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for fuelling an internal combustion engine, and a fuel system (10) for delivering a variety of fuel types to the engine, with selected fuel types typically being chosen according to theft availability. The fuel system (10) can be configured to accommodate liquid fuels such as gasoline, ethanol or a blend thereof, and gaseous fuels such as CNG, LNG or LPG. The engine is configured to operate on any of the designated liquid fuels, and can switch between the liquid and gaseous fuels. The fuel system (10) includes a respective common delivery arrangement (11) for selectively delivering fuel into the combustion chamber of each cylinder of the engine. The common delivery arrangement (11) comprises at a fluid delivery device (12) and a liquid metering device (31) configured for operation in concert. The fluid delivery device (12) comprises a fluid delivery injector. Fuel is delivered to each combustion chamber is through the same fluid delivery device; that is, the same fluid delivery device (12) is used, regardless of the fuel type. More particularly, the fluid delivery device (12) can be used for delivery of gaseous fuel only, delivery of liquid fuel only (by way of an air assist delivery process), or delivery of a fuel mixture comprising the gaseous fuel and the liquid fuel according to the fuelling requirements of the engine at any time.