Piston Top Land Crevice Fluid Sampling via Cylinder Wall Passage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for sampling fluid from piston top land crevices in internal combustion engines are ineffective in collecting and preserving a suitable sample for understanding the composition of crevice fluid, particularly due to issues with fluid leakage and contamination during the sampling process.
Innovation Solution
A sampling system comprising a collector with a check valve and solenoid actuator that accesses the top land crevice through a small passage in the cylinder wall, allowing controlled fluid collection and storage within a shuttle and housing, with a normally closed check valve preventing leakage and allowing for easy fluid removal and transport.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If tubing is used to draw sample out through the piston and connecting rod, then the sample can be collected from the crevice, but fluid leakage and contamination occur during the sampling process
Solution Approach 1:
A small passage through the cylinder wall serves as an intermediary access route to the top land crevice, eliminating the need for tubing through the piston and connecting rod. This intermediary path prevents fluid leakage and contamination while enabling reliable sample collection during engine operation.
2Ease of operation
If a passage through the cylinder wall is used to access the top land crevice, then direct sampling is enabled, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sampling system extracts the sampling function from the complex piston-connecting rod-tubing pathway and relocates it to a simple passage through the cylinder wall. This extraction simplifies the overall device by eliminating the need for internal tubing and linkage mechanisms.
3Productivity
If the engine is shut down to collect crevice fluid, then the sampling process is simplified, but time is lost and the engine must be stopped
Solution Approach 1:
The small passage through the cylinder wall is pre-installed and positioned to access the top land crevice during normal engine operation. This preliminary preparation enables sampling to be performed without shutting down the engine, eliminating time loss and maintaining productivity.
4Ease of operation
If tubing traverses the connecting rod to exit the crankcase, then the sample can be transported out, but the system becomes more complex and prone to leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The cylinder wall passage acts as an intermediary that provides a direct, simple route for sample transport from the top land crevice to the exterior. This eliminates the complex linkage and tubing system that traverses the connecting rod, reducing device complexity and leakage risks while maintaining ease of operation.
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
Enables reliable and efficient sampling of piston top land crevice fluids during engine operation, maintaining sample integrity and allowing for analysis of crevice fluid composition, which is essential for understanding emissions and engine performance.
Implementation Method 1
a normally closed check valve preventing leakage
Implementation Method 2
solenoid actuator that accesses the top land crevice
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for sampling fluid from a top land piston crevice of a reciprocating piston engine. Access into the crevice is via a bore through the piston wall. A collector receives sampled fluid from the piston crevice, and has a housing, a valve, and a shuttle. The housing is an elongated hollow shell having a bore through its length, with the bore containing the valve and the shuttle. The valve opens to allow sampled fluid to pass along the bore toward the shuttle, when the valve is in an open position. The shuttle serves two purposes: it moves back and forth within the bore, thereby opening the valve, and also provides passages for storing sampled fluid within the housing.