Fuel system having dual fuel quill connector and quill connector installation method
AssigneeCaterpillar Inc.
InventorCory A. Brown
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A quill connector in a dual fuel engine system includes a first fuel conduit for a first fuel extending to a first fuel outlet in a flat sealing face, and a second fuel conduit for a second fuel extending to a second fuel outlet in the flat sealing face. The quill connector is installed in a cylinder head for providing feeds of two different liquid fuels such as a liquid alcohol fuel and a diesel fuel for combustion in an engine. A rough alignment pin and a fine alignment pin are used to position the quill connector during installation. Related apparatus and methodology is also disclosed.
Claims18
A fuel system comprising:
- a fuel injector including a first flat sealing face, a first fuel inlet formed in the first flat sealing face, a second fuel inlet formed in the first flat sealing face, and at least one nozzle outlet;
- a quill connector including a second flat sealing face, the quill connector forming a first fuel conduit extending to a first fuel outlet formed in the second flat sealing face and fluidly connected to the first fuel inlet, and a second fuel conduit extending to a second fuel outlet formed in the second flat sealing face and fluidly connected to the second fuel inlet;
- and
- a metal-to-metal seal formed by the first flat sealing face and the second flat sealing face,
- wherein a moat is formed in the second flat sealing face, the moat being fluidly connected to the first fuel outlet and extending circumferentially around the second fuel outlet.
A quill connector comprising:
- a base forming connection ports for a first fuel and a second fuel;
- an elongate central body extending from the base to a distal end including a flat sealing face;
- a first fuel conduit formed in the elongate central body and extending to a first fuel outlet formed in the flat sealing face;
- a second fuel conduit formed in the elongate central body and extending to a second fuel outlet formed in the flat sealing face;
- and
- a plurality of locating pins.
A method of installing a quill connector comprising:
- inserting a quill connector into a quill bore formed in a cylinder head;
- positioning a rough alignment pin projecting from the quill connector in a void formed in the cylinder head to roughly align the quill connector for insertion;
- advancing the quill connector further into the quill bore;
- positioning a fine alignment pin projecting from the quill connector in a void formed in a fuel injector supported in the cylinder head to finely align the quill connector for fluid connection to the fuel injector;
- and
- applying a sealing load to the quill connector to form a metal-to-metal seal between a sealing face of the quill connector and a sealing face of the fuel injector to fluidly connect a first fuel outlet of the quill connector to a first fuel inlet of the fuel injector and to fluidly connect a second fuel outlet of the quill connector to a second fuel inlet of the fuel injector.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.