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US 11,187,142 B2Granted
Diesel engine with turbulent jet ignition
AssigneeBoard of Trustees of Michigan State University
InventorsHarold Schock, Guoming Zhu
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A diesel engine employs a turbulent jet ignition system and method. In another aspect, diesel fuel and air are premixed prior to introduction of the mixture into a main engine combustion chamber. A further aspect employs a turbocharger compressor to boost air pressure into a main piston combustion chamber and/or an ignition pre-chamber for missing with a heavy fuel, such as diesel.
Claims27
A diesel engine system comprising:
- a diesel fuel inlet;
- an aft inlet;
- a pre-chamber adapted to receive, mix and ignite diesel fuel from the diesel fuel inlet and air from the air inlet;
- a main piston combustion chamber connected to the pre-chamber via always open, multiple passageways therebetween;
- pressure of the air in the pre-chamber being greater than a pressure in the r rain chamber for purging, prior to ignition in the pre-chamber;
- a programmable controller operably controlling at least one characteristic associated with entry, mixing or combustion of the diesel fuel and air in the pre-chamber;
- the programmable controller including software instructions which control an amount of the diesel fuel, the air which includes fresh air, and exhaust gas recirculation allowed into the pre-chamber;
- the programmable controller operably reducing or eliminating auto-ignition during piston compression by controlling the amount and a temperature of the exhaust gas recirculation to both the main combustion chamber and the pre-chamber;
- and
- the programmable controller operably allowing some but less than 25% of the exhaust gas recirculation to enter the pre-chamber while allowing a greater amount of the exhaust gas recirculation to enter the main combustion chamber.
7 more elements
A diesel engine system comprising:
- a diesel fuel inlet;
- an air inlet;
- a pre-chamber adapted to receive, mix and ignite diesel fuel from the diesel fuel inlet and air from the air inlet;
- a main piston combustion chamber connected to the pre-chamber via always open, multiple passageways therebetween;
- pressure of the air in the pre-chamber being greater than a pressure in the main chamber prior to ignition in either of the chambers;
- a programmable controller operably controlling at least one characteristic associated with entry, mixing or combustion of the diesel fuel and air in the pre-chamber;
- and
- a turbocharger compressor driven by exhaust gas exiting the main combustion chamber;
- the turbocharger compressor delivering the air, which includes both fresh and cooled exhaust gas recirculation air, to the main combustion chamber;
- and
- the programmable controller automatically calculating an optimum amount of exhaust gas recirculation to be introduced into at least one of the chambers, and the programmable controller then varying a quantity and/or pressure of the exhaust gas recirculation entering the pre-chamber and the main combustion chamber.
8 more elements
A method of operating a diesel engine comprising:
- (a) injecting diesel or hydrogen fuel into a pre-chamber;
- (b) flowing exhaust gas into the pre-chamber;
- (c) compressing fresh air into the pre-chamber;
- (d) igniting a mixture of the fuel, fresh air and exhaust gas within the pre-chamber;
- (e) transmitting the ignited mixture through at least one aperture into a separate main combustion chamber;
- (f) minimizing undesired auto-ignition of the mixture prior to steps (d) and (e);
- (g) moving a piston due to combustion of the mixture in the main combustion chamber;
- (h) using a programmable controller to control an amount of the fuel, the fresh air, and the exhaust gas allowed into the pre-chamber;
- and
- (i) rotating a cam shaft at a speed of at least 6,000 rpm.
7 more elements
A method of controlling combustion in both a pre-chamber and a main chamber, the method comprising:
- (a) controlling a fuel-air ratio, ignition and timing in the pre-chamber to optimize a rate of combustion in the main chamber;
- (b) controlling main chamber exhaust gas recirculation by regulating a cam phase, an exhaust gas recirculation valve position, and a turbocharger characteristic;
- (c) controlling a closed-loop, main chamber rate of combustion through controlling a rate of the main chamber exhaust gas recirculation, an ignition-timing in the pre-chamber and the fuel-air ratio;
- (d) using a turbocharger to compress fresh air into the pre-chamber;
- and
- (e) using a programmable controller to automatically control an amount of the exhaust gas recirculation to both the pre-chamber and the main chamber;
- (f) using a programmable controller to also automatically control at least two of:
- (i) a rate of pre-chamber combustion of fuel which includes diesel fuel;
- (ii) a flow of the diesel fuel into the pre-chamber;
- (iii) a temperature of the exhaust gas recirculation to the pre-chamber;
- and
- (iv) a mixing ratio of the air and the fuel in the pre-chamber.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.