Multifuel Engine Control via Viscosity-Adaptive Injection Maps

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing engine control systems for multifuel engines face challenges in accurately adjusting the injection process to compensate for the varying viscosity of different fuels, which affects torque output and engine start performance.

Innovation Solution

A control system that receives fuel type-specific physical parameters, such as temperature and viscosity, to determine injection parameters, using maps to adapt the injection duration and cranking fuel limits, allowing for precise fuel delivery and improved engine performance across multiple fuel types.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If the injection duration is adjusted to compensate for fuel viscosity variations, then the fuel delivery accuracy is improved, but the control system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefuel delivery accuracyVSAvoidcontrol system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The control system pre-stores multiple injection duration maps in memory, each corresponding to different fuel viscosity levels. Before injection, the system determines the fuel viscosity and selects the appropriate pre-prepared map, avoiding complex real-time calculations and simplifying the control process while maintaining accurate fuel delivery across different fuel types

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the control parameter (injection duration) based on the detected fuel viscosity. By storing multiple maps with different injection duration values for low, medium, and high viscosity fuels, the system adapts the injection process to compensate for viscosity variations, ensuring accurate fuel delivery without requiring complex real-time adjustment mechanisms

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Adaptability or versatility

If the engine operation is adapted to different fuel types, then the engine versatility is improved, but the control strategy complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveengine versatilityVSAvoidcontrol strategy complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The control system is designed with universal functionality to handle multiple fuel types (diesel, biodiesel, heavy fuel oil, etc.). By incorporating fuel viscosity detection and multiple pre-stored injection maps, a single control system can adapt to various fuel types and viscosities, eliminating the need for separate control systems for different fuels while maintaining optimized performance across all fuel types

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary detection of fuel viscosity and selects the appropriate control strategy (injection map) before the actual injection process. This advance preparation simplifies the control logic by pre-organizing multiple fuel adaptation strategies into distinct maps, allowing the system to handle diverse fuel types through a unified yet adaptable control architecture

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Quantity of substance

If the injection valve opening time is extended to deliver more fuel, then the fuel delivery amount is improved, but the injection pressure stability deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefuel delivery amountVSAvoidinjection pressure stability
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSStress or pressure

Solution Approach 1:

The system changes the injection duration parameter based on fuel viscosity to maintain optimal injection pressure stability. By storing multiple maps with different injection duration values optimized for different viscosity levels, the system ensures that higher viscosity fuels receive longer injection times while lower viscosity fuels receive shorter times, preventing pressure instability in both cases while achieving the required fuel delivery amounts

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP2423492B1Controlling multifuel common rail engines
Publication Date: 2013.07.31 CATERPILLAR MOTOREN GMBH & CO KG
  • EP2423492B1 patent drawingFigure 1~3
  • EP2423492B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5
  • EP2423492B1 patent drawingFigure 6~7

AI summary

Methods for controlling an injection process of an engine that is configured to operate with multiple types of fuels are disclosed. The methods may comprise the steps of receiving (40) a fuel amount request indicating a requested amount of fuel to be delivered, receiving at least one physical parameter indicating the type of fuel provided to operate the engine, providing a map comprising a control parameter in dependence of the physical parameter, reading the control parameter associated with the received physical parameter, determining an injection parameter (46) for the injection process based on the control parameter and the requested amount of fuel, and operating (48) the engine based on the injection parameter.