Skip Fire Fuel Injection Control for Engine Emissions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Internal combustion engines, particularly two-stroke diesel engines, face challenges with high emissions of particulates and nitrogen oxides, as well as premature fuel injector wear and fouling, due to the continuous presence of particle matter in each engine cycle, which existing solutions fail to adequately address without compromising fuel efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A system and method utilizing an electronic engine control module with a central processing unit and memory to manage fuel injector firing patterns, selectively firing and skipping injectors based on power demand conditions, distributing the firing sequence across all injectors to reduce wear and emissions, while optimizing fuel efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-generated harmful factors
If catalytic exhaust systems and exhaust filter systems are implemented to reduce pollutants, then emissions are reduced, but fuel efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the fuel injection operation into segments by selectively firing only certain cylinders (skip-fire pattern) rather than all cylinders continuously. This segmentation allows the engine to reduce fuel injection events during reduced power demand conditions, thereby improving fuel efficiency while still meeting emissions requirements through the catalytic and filter systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements periodic fuel injection by alternating between firing and skipping cycles in a predetermined pattern. This periodic action reduces the frequency of fuel injection events and combustion cycles, decreasing particulate matter generation and improving fuel efficiency while the catalytic and filter systems handle emissions control periodically.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If traditional exhaust treatment systems are used to control emissions, then pollutant levels are reduced, but injector fouling and wear increase due to continued particle presence
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts or removes the source of particle matter by reducing or eliminating fuel injection events in skipped cylinders. By taking out the combustion process in certain cycles, the generation of particulate matter is reduced at the source, preventing injector fouling and wear while still achieving emissions control through the exhaust treatment systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies partial fuel injection action by firing only a subset of cylinders rather than all cylinders in every cycle. This partial action is sufficient to meet power demand while reducing the total amount of fuel injected and combusted, thereby reducing particulate matter formation and injector exposure to harmful conditions.
3Power
If all fuel injectors are fired continuously to maintain power output, then engine power is maintained, but emissions and injector wear increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the fuel injection strategy by switching between firing all cylinders and selective skip-fire patterns based on power demand conditions. This dynamic adaptation allows the engine to maintain required power output while reducing emissions during reduced power demand periods through predetermined skip-fire patterns.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the operational parameters of fuel injection by altering the firing pattern from continuous all-cylinder operation to selective skip-fire patterns. This parameter change reduces the frequency and number of injection events, thereby reducing particulate and NOX emissions while maintaining adequate power output through strategic cylinder selection.
Data Source
AI summary
A system is disclosed for controlling fuel injectors in an internal combustion engine having a plurality of individual engine cylinders with associated pistons. The system includes at least one electronic engine control module configured to control the fuel injectors and having a memory with predetermined injector firing patterns stored therein. The firing patterns specify the fuel injectors to be fired and the fuel injectors to be skipped, in an engine cycle under conditions of reduced power demand. For each engine cycle in a succession of cycles under the reduced power demand condition, the engine control module determines the number of fuel injectors to be fired based upon the reduced power demand data, selects from the stored predetermined firing patterns a firing pattern specifying the injectors to be fired and the injectors to be skipped, and orders the specified fuel injectors to be fired sequentially in accordance with the selected predetermined firing pattern.