Gaseous fuel reciprocating engine and operating methodology for reduced hydrogen flame speed
AssigneeCaterpillar Inc.
InventorsEric Lee Schroeder, Andrew Joseph Loetz, Jaswinder Singh, Yongxian Gu, Jonathan William Anders, Naga Krishna Chaitanya Kavuri
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Operating a gaseous fuel engine includes spark-igniting gaseous hydrogen fuel and air, and propagating combustion gases of the spark-ignited mixture outwardly from a spark gap. The propagating combustion gases are impinged upon a cone surface of a piston so as to limit a flame area of the propagating combustion gases. Additional gaseous hydrogen fuel and air is ignited in the combustion cylinder by way of the propagating combustion gases to urge a piston toward a bottom-dead-center position.
Claims20
A method of operating a gaseous fuel engine comprising:
- spark-igniting a mixture containing gaseous hydrogen fuel and air at a spark gap in a gaseous fuel engine;
- propagating combustion gases of the spark-ignited mixture outwardly from the spark gap in a combustion cylinder in the gaseous fuel engine;
- limiting a flame area of combusting gaseous hydrogen fuel and air in the combustion cylinder by way of contacting some of the propagating combustion gases to a cone surface of a piston;
- and
- urging the piston in the gaseous fuel engine toward a bottom-dead-center position based on an increase in pressure in the combustion cylinder caused by combustion of the gaseous hydrogen fuel and air.
A gaseous fuel engine system comprising:
- a fuel system including a gaseous hydrogen fuel supply, and a gaseous hydrogen fuel admission valve;
- an engine coupled to the fuel system and including an engine housing having a combustion cylinder formed therein, and a piston movable within the combustion cylinder between a top-dead-center position and a bottom-dead-center position, and the piston including a combustion face having a piston outer rim surface extending circumferentially around a combustion bowl, and a center cone within the combustion bowl having a cone surface extending between a cone peak centered on a piston center axis and a combustion bowl floor;
- an igniter having formed therein a combustion prechamber and outlets fluidly connecting the combustion prechamber to the combustion cylinder, and including spark electrodes forming a spark gap within the combustion prechamber;
- and
- the outlets being spaced circumferentially around the piston center axis and oriented, when the piston is at the top-dead-center position, to direct combustion gases of an ignition charge from the combustion prechamber in paths from the outlets that each advance both radially outward and axially downward from the igniter into contact with the cone surface.
A method of controlling combustion speed in a reciprocating hydrogen engine comprising:
- propagating a combustion flame of ignited gaseous hydrogen fuel outwardly in a combustion cylinder from an igniter;
- impinging the combustion flame upon a cone surface of a piston in the combustion cylinder during the propagating a combustion flame;
- limiting a flame area of the combustion flame exposed to additional gaseous hydrogen fuel in the combustion cylinder, such that some of the flame area is in contact with the additional gaseous hydrogen fuel and some of the flame area is in contact with the cone surface, based on the impinging the combustion flame upon a cone surface;
- and
- slowing a speed of combustion of gaseous hydrogen fuel in the combustion cylinder based upon the limiting a flame area of the combustion flame.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.