Delay circuit for providing natural gas to an engine and systems, assemblies, and methods thereof
AssigneeCaterpillar Inc.
InventorDavid T. Montgomery
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A delay circuit for providing natural gas to an engine and systems, components, and methods thereof can comprise a first valve to selectively pass the natural gas from a starter motor configured to start the engine; a delay volume to receive the natural gas from the first valve; and a second valve to selectively pass the natural gas from the delay volume to an inlet of the engine. The natural gas is provided to the inlet of the engine via the delay system according to a predetermined delay by controlling the first valve and the second valve to selectively pass the natural gas to the inlet of the engine according to the predetermined delay.
Claims20
A system comprising:
- a compressed gas source configured to provide compressed natural gas;
- a starter motor configured to start an internal combustion engine using the natural gas from the compressed gas source;
- a delay system configured to delay providing the natural gas used to energize the starter motor to an inlet of the internal combustion engine that leads to one or more combustion chambers of the internal combustion engine, the delay system including:
- a first pipe to receive the natural gas from the starter motor,
- a first three-way valve to selectively pass the natural gas from the first pipe,
- a delay chamber to receive the natural gas from the first three-way valve,
- a second three-way valve to selectively pass the natural gas from the delay chamber, and
- a fourth pipe to receive the natural gas from the second three-way valve and provide the natural gas to the inlet of the internal combustion engine;
- and
- control circuitry configured to selectively provide the natural gas from the starter motor to the inlet of the internal combustion engine according to a predetermined delay by controlling the first three-way valve and the second three-way valve to selectively pass the natural gas according to the predetermined delay.
A method comprising:
- providing to a delay chamber, under control of a controller, natural gas from a starter motor for an internal combustion engine, said providing the natural gas to the delay chamber including selectively passing the natural gas from the starter motor to the delay chamber using the controller to control at least a first valve upstream of the delay chamber;
- and
- providing, under control of the controller, the natural gas from the delay chamber to an inlet of the internal combustion engine leading to one or more combustion chambers of the internal combustion engine, said providing the natural gas to the inlet of the internal combustion engine including selectively passing the natural gas from the delay chamber to the inlet of the internal combustion engine using the controller to control at least a second valve downstream of the delay chamber,
- wherein said providing the natural gas to the inlet of the internal combustion engine occurs responsive to a determination that the internal combustion engine is running and operating at a condition compatible with the introduction of the natural gas from the delay chamber.
A delay system for providing natural gas to an engine comprising:
- a first valve to selectively pass the natural gas from a starter motor configured to start the engine;
- a delay volume to receive the natural gas from the first valve;
- and
- a second valve to selectively pass the natural gas from the delay volume to an inlet of the engine,
- wherein the natural gas is provided to the inlet of the engine via the delay system according to a predetermined delay by controlling the first valve and the second valve to selectively pass the natural gas to the inlet of the engine according to the predetermined delay.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.