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US 12,209,532 B2Granted
Compression ignition engine with igniter and pilot injector
AssigneeWisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
InventorsHarsh Darshan Sapra, Sage Kokjohn, Randy Hessel, Eri Amezcua Cuellar, David Rothamer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A compression ignition engine provides a main injector and a second pilot injector producing a spray passing over an igniter producing a pilot flame assisting in ignition of the main injector spray.
Claims15
An internal combustion engine comprising:
- a set of cylinders and interfitting pistons movable within the cylinders to compress air in a combustion chamber region at an end of each cylinder at a compression ratio of no less than 12:1;
- a main injector assembly communicating with each combustion chamber having a conduit for receiving pressurized fuel leading to a nozzle directing a first spray of received fuel along at least one first spray axis and providing a valve positioned to move between a blocking state blocking fuel passing from the conduit to the nozzle and an unblocking state allowing a flow of the pressurized fuel from the conduit to the nozzle to exit as the first spray;
- a pilot injector assembly communicating with each combustion chamber having a conduit for receiving pressurized fuel leading to a nozzle directing a second spray of received fuel along at least one second spray axis intersecting the at least one first spray axis so that fuel from the main injector assembly passing along the at least one first spray axis intersects fuel from the pilot injector assembly passing along the at least one second spray axis and providing a second valve positioned to move between a blocking state blocking fuel passing from the conduit to the nozzle and an unblocking state allowing a flow of the pressurized fuel from the conduit to the nozzle to exit as the second spray;
- and
- an igniter positioned along the at least one second spray axis to ignite the second spray.
2 more elements
A method of operating an internal combustion engine of a type having:
- a set of cylinders and interfitting pistons movable within the cylinders to compress air in a combustion chamber region at an end of each cylinder at a compression ratio of no less than 12:1;
- a main injector assembly communicating with each combustion chamber having a conduit for receiving pressurized fuel leading to a nozzle directing a first spray of received fuel along at least one first spray axis and providing a valve positioned to move between a blocking state blocking fuel passing from the conduit to the nozzle and an unblocking state allowing a flow of the pressurized fuel from the conduit to the nozzle to exit as the first spray;
- a pilot injector assembly communicating with each combustion chamber having a conduit for receiving pressurized fuel leading to a nozzle directing a second spray of received fuel along at least one second spray axis intersecting the at least one first spray axis so that fuel from the main injector assembly passing along the at least one first spray axis intersects fuel from the pilot injector assembly passing along the at least one second spray axis and providing a second valve positioned to move between a blocking state blocking fuel passing from the conduit to the nozzle and an unblocking state allowing a flow of the pressurized fuel from the conduit to the nozzle to exit as the second spray;
- and
- an igniter positioned along the at least one second spray axis to ignite the second spray;
- the method comprising controlling the main injector and pilot injector assemblies to create a pilot flame fed by the second spray serving to ignite the first spray.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.