US 10,578,034 B2 · System and method for improving performance of combustion engines employing primary and secondary fuels

Abstract

An engine system and method for operating an internal combustion engine in dynamically varying conditions. An exemplary system comprises an internal combustion engine configured to receive both a primary fuel and a secondary fuel into one or more chambers in which a combustion process occurs, a fuel injection system, an air intake manifold and a fuel manifold; an electronic system which controls timing and metering of the primary fuel and/or the secondary fuel in the combustion process; and a plurality of sensors positioned to measure one or more variables associated with combustion of the primary fuel in the presence of the secondary fuel. The electronic system is configured to apply a control signal to adjust an engine setting to reduce NOx emissions based in part on the magnitude of the variable.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method for operating an internal combustion engine under dynamically varying conditions, comprising:

injecting a liquid primary fuel into the engine;
monitoring a magnitude of an engine characteristic with a sensor positioned to measure magnitudes of a first dependent variable associated with combustion of the primary fuel in the presence of a secondary fuel, the dependent variable taken from the group consisting of exhaust gas temperature, NOx content and SOx content;
injecting into the engine a combustible, gaseous product comprising reactive hydrogen as the secondary fuel while injecting the primary fuel into the engine;
and
while the primary fuel is being delivered into the engine, continually adjusting a rate of delivery of the reactive hydrogen into the engine as operation of the engine is changed under the dynamically varying conditions, said adjusting including, over a range of sixty percent to one hundred percent of engine power, continually increasing the rate of delivery of the reactive hydrogen into the engine while continually increasing a rate at which the primary fuel is delivered into the engine to change the magnitude of the engine characteristic.

2 more elements

An engine system comprising:

an internal combustion engine configured to receive both a primary fuel and a secondary fuel comprising reactive hydrogen into one or more chambers in which a combustion process occurs, including a fuel injection system, an air intake manifold and a fuel manifold;
electronic control circuitry configured to control timing and metering of the primary fuel and the secondary fuel in the combustion process so that, while the primary fuel is being delivered into the engine, a rate of delivery of the reactive hydrogen into the engine is continually adjusted as operation of the engine is changed, said adjusting including, over a range of sixty percent to one hundred percent of engine power, continually increasing the rate of delivery of the reactive hydrogen into the engine while continually increasing a rate at which the primary fuel is delivered into the engine to change a magnitude of an engine characteristic;
and
a sensor positioned to measure magnitudes of a dependent variable associated with combustion of the primary fuel in the presence of the secondary fuel, the dependent variable taken from the group consisting of exhaust gas temperature, NOx content and SOx content.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

System and method for improving performance of combustion engines employing primary and secondary fuels

Life of this patent

System and method for improving performance of combustion engines employing primary and secondary fuels

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20