Quill Connector Flow Limiter for Fuel Pressure Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fuel system designs for internal combustion engines, such as common rail systems, face challenges in manufacturing, packaging, and pressure containment, especially with increasing fuel pressures, and dedicated pressure accumulators may not adequately address fuel leakage and pressure oscillations during injector operation.
Innovation Solution
A quill connector with a flow limiter subassembly that includes a hydraulically actuated valve and biaser, positioned within a guide component, to interrupt the flow of pressurized fuel from an accumulator segment to an injector supply segment, ensuring controlled fuel delivery and preventing oversupply.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a common rail system is used to supply highly pressurized fuel to multiple fuel injectors, then fuel delivery efficiency is improved, but manufacturing complexity and pressure containment challenges increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the fuel delivery function into separate modules: a common rail for storage and a dedicated quill connector with flow limiter for each fuel injector. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, reducing overall manufacturing complexity while maintaining high fuel delivery efficiency through specialized design of the quill connector assembly.
2Power
If fuel pressure is increased to enable high pressure fuel injection, then atomization and vaporization are improved, but pressure containment and sealing challenges increase
Solution Approach 1:
The quill connector assembly acts as an intermediary component between the common rail and the fuel injector. It includes a flow limiter subassembly with a valve and biaser that mediates the high pressure fuel flow, controlling it to match the injector's requirements. This intermediary design allows the common rail to maintain high pressure for atomization while the quill connector manages the pressure delivery to avoid containment challenges.
3Ease of manufacture
If a dedicated pressure accumulator is provided in direct connection with each fuel injector, then packaging and manufacturing are simplified, but fuel leakage and pressure oscillations during injector operation occur
Solution Approach 1:
The flow limiter subassembly within the quill connector serves as a mediator between the accumulator and the fuel injector. It includes a valve that can close to prevent fuel leakage during injector operation, and a biaser that maintains proper sealing. This intermediary mechanism allows the dedicated accumulator design to be both simple to package and reliable in preventing fuel leakage while maintaining stable pressure.
4Reliability
If a flow limiter is positioned fluidly between the pressure accumulator and the fuel injector, then fuel leakage is limited, but pressure oscillations caused by injector operation are not sufficiently damped
Solution Approach 1:
The quill connector assembly with its flow limiter subassembly acts as an intermediary that addresses both fuel leakage and pressure oscillation issues. The valve and biaser configuration provides controlled flow limitation that dampens pressure oscillations caused by injector operation, while simultaneously preventing fuel leakage. The accumulator volume within the quill connector further contributes to damping pressure variations.
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 solution effectively limits oversupply of pressurized fuel to fuel injectors, maintaining stable fuel injection pressures and preventing leakage, even during injector performance degradation or failure, while simplifying manufacturing and packaging compared to common rail designs.
Implementation Method 1
a biaser positioned within the guide component. The biaser is held in compression between the valve and the seat component
Implementation Method 2
a hydraulically actuated valve and a biaser each positioned within the guide component
Data Source
AI summary
A quill connector for a fuel system in an engine includes an elongate quill body defining a fuel conduit having a proximal accumulator segment, and a flow limiter subassembly, for limiting oversupplying of a pressurized fuel, positioned at least partially within the accumulator segment. The subassembly includes a seat component attached to the elongate quill body and supporting a guide component wherein a hydraulically actuated valve and a biaser are disposed. The valve is movable to a closed position during supplying pressurized fuel to a fuel injector, to interrupt a flow of the pressurized fuel thereto.