Supplemental fuel system for compression-ignition engine

A supplemental fuel system for a machine having a compression-ignition engine, the supplemental fuel system comprising:

• a supplemental fuel tank configured to store a supplemental fuel at a first pressure, the supplemental fuel configured to supplement a primary fuel used by the compression-ignition engine;
• a first pressure regulator configured to be positioned downstream of the supplemental fuel tank, the first pressure regulator configured to reduce the first pressure of the supplemental fuel received from the supplemental fuel tank to a second pressure;
• a second pressure regulator configured to be positioned downstream of the first pressure regulator, the second pressure regulator configured to reduce the second pressure of the supplemental fuel received from the first pressure regulator to a third pressure;
• a valve body defining a valve body inlet and a valve body outlet, the valve body inlet configured to receive the flow of the supplemental fuel from the second pressure regulator;
• an adjuster positioned to facilitate selectively restricting an amount of the flow of the supplemental fuel through the valve body outlet an electronic lock off valve configured to be positioned between the supplemental fuel tank and the valve body;
• a nozzle configured to be positioned within a conduit of an air supply system for the compression-ignition engine, the nozzle having:
• a passage with an inlet, a first transition point, a second transition point, an outlet, an inlet taper extending from the inlet to the first transition point, a mixing chamber positioned between the first transition point and the second transition point, and an outlet taper extending from the second transition point to the outlet;
• a second inlet positioned along the mixing chamber closer to the second transition point than the first transition point;
• and
• a first cross-sectional dimension that is configured to be less than a second cross-sectional dimension of the conduit such that an entirety of the nozzle is smaller than and does not engage with a sidewall of the conduit so that (i) a first portion of air flowing through the conduit flows through the passage and (ii) a second portion of the air flowing through the conduit flows around the nozzle;
• wherein the inlet taper has a first longitudinal length and the outlet taper has a second longitudinal length;
• wherein a ratio of the second longitudinal length to the first longitudinal length is about 3:1;
• and
• wherein the nozzle is configured to generate a vacuum signal at the second inlet as the first portion of the air flows through the passage to draw a flow of the supplemental fuel from the supplemental fuel source into the mixing chamber;
• and
• a stem having a first stem end and a second stem end, the first stem end interfacing with the valve body outlet, the second stem end interfacing with the second inlet of the nozzle, the stem configured to extend through the sidewall of the conduit such that the second stem end is positioned inside of the conduit.

A supplemental fuel system for a machine having a compression-ignition engine, the supplemental fuel system comprising:

• a nozzle configured to be positioned within a conduit of an air supply system for the compression-ignition engine, the nozzle having:
• a passage with an inlet, a first transition point, a second transition point, an outlet, an inlet taper extending from the inlet to the first transition point, a mixing chamber positioned between the first transition point and the second transition point, and an outlet taper extending from the second transition point to the outlet;
• and
• a second inlet positioned along the mixing chamber closer to the second transition point than the first transition point;
• wherein the nozzle has an outer diameter of about 3 inches, the mixing chamber has a chamber diameter of about 2 inches, the nozzle has a nozzle length of about 4 inches, the inlet taper has an inlet length of about 0.5 inches, the mixing chamber has a chamber length of about 2 inches, and the outlet taper has an outlet length of about 1.5 inches;
• wherein the outer diameter is configured to be less than a cross-sectional dimension of the conduit such that an entirety of the nozzle is smaller than and does not engage with a sidewall of the conduit so that (i) a first portion of air flowing through the conduit flows through the passage and (ii) a second portion of the air flowing through the conduit flows around the nozzle;
• a stem having a first stem end and a second stem end, the first stem end interfacing with the second inlet and extending at least partially through a thickness of the nozzle, the stem configured to extend through a wall of the conduit such that the second stem end is positioned outside of the conduit;
• a valve body defining a valve body inlet configured to receive a supplemental fuel from a supplemental fuel source and a valve body outlet interfacing with the second stem end of the stem;
• and
• an adjuster positioned to facilitate selectively restricting an amount of the supplemental fuel through the valve body outlet to the stem and the nozzle;
• wherein the nozzle is configured to generate a vacuum signal at the second inlet as the first portion of the air flows through the passage to draw a flow of the supplemental fuel into the mixing chamber.