Passive Prechamber Fueling by Spray-Guided Stratification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional internal combustion engines require continuous ignition sources and face challenges in efficiently igniting fuel mixtures within combustion chambers, leading to inefficiencies and increased emissions.
Innovation Solution
A prechamber system with aligned fuel injectors and nozzles is used to passively fuel the prechamber, enhancing fuel vaporization and mixing, allowing for ignition within the prechamber and subsequent jetting into the main chamber, reducing the need for direct fuel injectors and minimizing emissions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a continuous ignition source is used to ignite fuel mixture in the combustion chamber, then combustion can be reliably initiated, but the system complexity and emissions increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the ignition function from the main combustion chamber and relocates it to a separate pre-chamber. The pre-chamber contains a small amount of fuel that is ignited by a simple spark plug, and the resulting combustion propagates to the main chamber through a nozzle. This separation eliminates the need for complex continuous ignition systems in the main chamber while maintaining reliable combustion initiation.
Solution Approach 2:
The pre-chamber acts as an intermediary between the simple spark ignition source and the main combustion chamber. It receives a small amount of fuel, ignites it reliably with a spark plug, and then transfers the combustion to the main chamber through a nozzle. This intermediary structure enables reliable combustion initiation without requiring complex ignition systems in the main chamber.
2Productivity
If multiple fuel injectors are installed in the prechamber to achieve precise fuel delivery, then fuel mixing efficiency improves, but device complexity and manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The single fuel injector in the main chamber performs multiple functions: it delivers fuel to the main chamber for direct combustion and simultaneously delivers a small amount of fuel to the pre-chamber through aligned spray nozzles. This multi-functional approach eliminates the need for separate pre-chamber fuel injectors while maintaining efficient fuel mixing in both chambers.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges the fuel delivery function for both the main chamber and pre-chamber into a single fuel injector system. The injector is positioned and oriented so that its spray pattern naturally delivers fuel to both chambers, combining what would traditionally require separate injection systems into one integrated component, thereby reducing complexity and cost.
3Device complexity
If fuel is sprayed directly into the main chamber without pre-chamber stratification, then injection system simplicity is maintained, but combustion efficiency and emissions performance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary fuel delivery to the pre-chamber before main chamber combustion. The single fuel injector sprays a small amount of fuel into the pre-chamber first, which is then ignited by the spark plug. This preliminary action creates a controlled combustion source that subsequently ignites the main chamber fuel, improving overall combustion efficiency while maintaining injection system simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The fuel injector is oriented at a specific angle (e.g., 45 degrees) to create different spray patterns for different chambers. The spray delivers fuel with appropriate stratification to the pre-chamber through aligned nozzles, while also providing fuel to the main chamber. This local quality differentiation enables efficient combustion in both chambers without requiring separate injection 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
This approach improves fuel mixing and combustion efficiency, reduces nitrogen oxide emissions, and lowers engine costs by eliminating the need for additional fuel injectors in the prechamber, while maintaining engine performance under lean conditions.
Implementation Method 1
A fuel injector aligned with a prechamber nozzle of a prechamber may be used to spray guided stratification for passively fueling the prechamber
Implementation Method 2
a portion of the air and fuel mixture may be ignited in a pre-combustion chamber, where the air and fuel mixture is ignited and the resulting combustion reaction is released into the main combustion chamber to ignite the remainder of the air and fuel mixture
Implementation Method 3
enhancing fuel vaporization and mixing, allowing for ignition within the prechamber
Data Source
AI summary
An engine includes an engine block having a cylinder, a piston movably disposed in a main chamber of the cylinder, a prechamber adjacent to and in fluid communication with the main chamber via a prechamber nozzle, and a fuel injector in fluid communication with the main chamber, wherein the fuel injector has spray nozzles interfacing with the main chamber. The fuel injector and the prechamber are aligned such that a first nozzle of the spray nozzles is directed towards the prechamber nozzle.