Piezoelectric Fuel Injection System for Reformer Spray Quality
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fuel injection systems face challenges in maintaining high spray quality and turn-down ratio when operating over a wide range of fuel flow rates, as the geometry of the fuel injection element is typically optimized for either minimum or maximum flow rates, leading to suboptimal atomization and vaporization at varying flow rates.
Innovation Solution
A fuel injection system that injects hydrocarbon fuel as a pulsating spray into the fuel reformer, utilizing a valve with a fuel stream stopping element, such as a check valve, to maintain consistent pressure and quality of the fuel spray across different flow rates, reducing the negative impact of decreasing pressure on spray quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the fuel injection element geometry is optimized for minimum flow rate (small hole), then spray atomization quality is improved at low flow rates, but the turn-down ratio is limited and high flow rates cannot be achieved without excessive pressure increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a piezoelectric actuator to dynamically adjust the opening area of the fuel injection element in real-time. This dynamic adjustment capability allows the system to optimize spray atomization quality across different flow rates while maintaining a wide turn-down ratio, resolving the contradiction between fixed geometry optimization and operational versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the opening area parameter of the fuel injection element using a piezoelectric actuator. By dynamically varying this parameter according to operating conditions, the system achieves both high spray atomization quality at low flow rates and the capability to handle high flow rates without excessive pressure increases, thus resolving the contradiction.
2Productivity
If the fuel injection element geometry is optimized for maximum flow rate (large hole), then high flow rates are achieved, but spray atomization quality deteriorates at low flow rates due to insufficient pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The piezoelectric actuator enables dynamic adjustment of the opening area, allowing the system to maintain optimal spray atomization quality across the entire flow rate range. At low flow rates, the actuator reduces the effective opening area to maintain sufficient pressure for good atomization, while still allowing high flow rates when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
By dynamically changing the opening area parameter based on operating conditions, the system resolves the contradiction between high productivity (fuel flow rate) and manufacturing precision (spray atomization quality). The piezoelectric actuator adjusts the parameter in real-time to maintain optimal performance across different flow rates.
3Device complexity
If a single nozzle design is used, then device complexity is reduced, but it is difficult to achieve good spray quality across both high and low flow rates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes a single fuel injection element universal by equipping it with a piezoelectric actuator that adjusts the opening area dynamically. This single component can adapt to both high and low flow rate requirements, providing good spray quality across the entire operating range without requiring multiple specialized nozzles, thus resolving the contradiction between device complexity and performance consistency.
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
The system achieves improved spray quality and increased turn-down ratio without the need for high-pressure design, allowing for efficient operation across a wide range of fuel flow rates while minimizing the negative effects of pressure fluctuations on the fuel spray.
Implementation Method 1
said fuel injection element comprising a piezoelectric actuator for adjusting dynamically the opening area
Implementation Method 2
a successful and efficient conversion of a hydrocarbon fuel into a hydrogen rich gas is, among others, dependent on a successful mixing of the reactants. For that mixing it has proven useful to spray the hydrocarbon fuel into the fuel reformer, whereby a good atomization or vaporization of the hydrocarbon fuel can be achieved
Data Source
AI summary
A fuel injection system and method for injecting hydrocarbon fuel into a fuel reformer for generating hydrogen rich gas from hydrocarbon fuel are provided. The hydrocarbon fuel is injected into the fuel reformer as spray having a pulsating pressure.