Gaseous fuel engine having non-axisymmetric fuel admission valve and method
AssigneeCaterpillar Inc.
InventorsJonathan W. Anders, Bobby John, Chad Palmer Koci, Naga Krishna Chaitanya Kavuri
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Abstract
A gaseous fuel engine includes an engine housing having a cylinder block with a combustion cylinder therein, and an engine head including an intake port, an exhaust port, a fuel port, and an igniter bore, each extending to a fire deck. The gaseous fuel engine includes a fuel admission valve movable to close and open the fuel port. A non-axisymmetric clearance is defined between an inner port surface and the fuel admission valve and directionally biases a flow of gaseous fuel from the fuel port. Related methodology is also disclosed.
Claims20
A gaseous fuel engine comprising:
- an engine housing including a cylinder block having a combustion cylinder formed therein, and an engine head including a fire deck, and an intake port, an exhaust port, a fuel port, and an igniter bore, each extending to the fire deck;
- a fuel admission valve defining an axis of reciprocation and translatable relative to the engine head along the axis of reciprocation between a closed position blocking the fuel port, and an open position;
- and
- the fuel port including an inner port surface, and a clearance is defined between the inner port surface and the fuel admission valve and is non-axisymmetric circumferentially around the axis of reciprocation.
A method of operating a gaseous fuel engine comprising:
- opening an intake valve in an engine to convey pressurized air into a combustion cylinder in the engine;
- opening a fuel admission valve defining an axis of reciprocation and positioned at least partially within a fuel port formed in an engine head of the engine;
- conveying a gaseous fuel through the fuel port into the combustion cylinder;
- directing a flow of the gaseous fuel from the fuel port into the combustion cylinder in a directionally biased flow pattern that is based on a non-axisymmetric profile of a clearance within the fuel port;
- and
- combusting the gaseous fuel and pressurized air within the combustion cylinder.
An engine head assembly comprising:
- an engine head having formed therein an intake port, an exhaust port, a fuel port, and an igniter bore, each extending to a fire deck;
- the igniter bore defining an igniter bore axis, and the intake port and the exhaust port extending, respectively, to a plurality of intake openings and a plurality of exhaust openings, each having a distribution circumferentially around the igniter bore axis;
- a fuel admission valve defining an axis of reciprocation and translatable relative to the engine head between a closed position blocking the fuel port, and an open position;
- and
- a clearance is defined between the engine head and the fuel admission valve within the fuel port and is non-axisymmetric, circumferentially around the axis of reciprocation, such that a flow of gaseous fuel from the fuel port is directionally biased.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.