Supplemental fuel control system
AssigneeDavid Steck
InventorsDavid William Steck, Jr., Anthony Jake Merriman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An auxiliary controller operates in combination with a baseline ECU in a primary fuel (PF) system to determine a fueling level for supplemental fuel (SF) injectors. The auxiliary controller receives PF injector on time from the baseline ECU and determines a PF fuel mass and a PF fueled air mass for the primary fuel system. The auxiliary controller calculates a SF fueled air mass from a total engine air mass and the PF fueled air mass and then calculates a SF fuel mass and a SF injector on time. The auxiliary controller sequentially repeats the process for all of the cylinders in the engine and communicates the SF injector on times to the SF injectors for the cylinders.
Claims20
A method for using information from a primary fuel system for an engine with a baseline ECU and a plurality of PF injectors for a corresponding set of cylinders to determine a supplemental fueling level for a plurality of SF injectors in the engine, wherein the SF injectors have a SF injector flow rate, comprising:
- providing an auxiliary controller in operative communication with the baseline ECU and the SF injectors;
- receiving or calculating in the auxiliary controller at least one of a PF fueled air mass and a PF fuel mass;
- receiving in the auxiliary controller a total engine air mass from the baseline ECU and an additional set of data from the baseline ECU;
- calculating in the auxiliary controller a SF fuel mass from the total engine air mass, at least one of the PF fueled air mass and the PF fuel mass, and the additional set of data;
- calculating in the auxiliary controller a SF injector on time from the SF fuel mass and the SF injector flow rate for the SF injectors;
- and
- communicating the SF injector on time from the auxiliary controller to at least one of the SF injectors.
A method for using information from a primary fuel system for an engine with a baseline ECU and a plurality of primary fuel injectors for a corresponding set of cylinders to determine a supplemental fueling level for a plurality of SF injectors in the engine, wherein the SF injectors have a SF injector flow rate, comprising:
- providing an auxiliary controller in operative communication with the baseline ECU and the SF injectors;
- providing a table of enrichment modifiers over a range of air mass fractions, wherein the air mass fractions are ratios of SF fueled air mass levels relative to total engine air mass;
- receiving or calculating in the auxiliary controller a PF fueled air mass;
- receiving in the auxiliary controller a total engine air mass, a commanded fuel ratio for the total engine air mass, and a stoichiometric value for the supplemental fuel from the baseline ECU;
- calculating in the auxiliary controller a SF fueled air mass from the total engine air mass and the PF fueled air mass;
- calculating in the auxiliary controller a SF air mass fraction based on the total engine air mass and the SF fueled air mass;
- determining in the auxiliary controller an enrichment modifier from the table of enrichment modifiers according to the calculated SF air mass fraction;
- calculating in the auxiliary controller a commanded supplemental fuel ratio based on the commanded fuel ratio for the total engine air mass, the enrichment modifier, and the calculated SF air mass fraction;
- calculating in the auxiliary controller a SF fuel mass from the stoichiometric value for the supplemental fuel, the commanded supplemental fuel ratio, and the SF fueled air mass;
- calculating in the auxiliary controller a SF injector on time from the SF fuel mass and the SF injector flow rate for the SF injectors;
- and
- communicating the SF injector on time from the auxiliary controller to at least one of the SF injectors.
A method for using information from a primary fuel system for an engine with a baseline ECU and a plurality of primary fuel injectors for a corresponding set of cylinders to determine a supplemental fueling level for a plurality of SF injectors in the engine, wherein the SF injectors have a SF injector flow rate, comprising:
- providing an auxiliary controller in operative communication with the baseline ECU and the SF injectors;
- receiving or calculating in the auxiliary controller at least one of a PF fueled air mass and a PF fuel mass;
- receiving in the auxiliary controller a total engine air mass from the baseline ECU and an additional set of data from the baseline ECU;
- calculating in the auxiliary controller a SF fueled air mass from the total engine air mass and the PF fueled air mass;
- calculating in the auxiliary controller a SF fuel mass from the SF fueled air mass and a commanded fuel ratio;
- calculating in the auxiliary controller a SF injector on time from the SF fuel mass and the SF injector flow rate;
- and
- communicating the SF injector on time from the auxiliary controller to at least one of the SF injectors.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.