Fuel delivery assembly
AssigneeCaterpillar Inc.
InventorsBrandon Neuhoff, William Barnes, Douglas Tuenge Scott, Bobby John
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fuel delivery assembly for directing fuel into an intake manifold of an internal combustion engine includes a fuel tube having an aperture through a sidewall and a flapper pivotably secured to an interior of the sidewall adjacent to the aperture. The flapper is configured to pivot between an open and closed configuration. The flapper pivots to the closed configuration when fuel is provided through the fuel delivery assembly and pivots to the open configuration to allow air to pass through the aperture to flush residual fuel from the fuel tube and into the combustion chamber.
Claims20
A fuel delivery assembly for directing fuel into an intake manifold of an internal combustion engine, the fuel delivery assembly comprising:
- a fuel tube for directing fuel into the intake manifold, the fuel tube having an aperture through a sidewall of the fuel tube;
- and
- a flapper pivotably secured to an interior of the sidewall of the fuel tube adjacent to the aperture, the flapper configured to pivot between a closed configuration and an open configuration, wherein:
- when in the closed configuration, the flapper is in contact with the sidewall and covers the aperture, and
- when in the open configuration, the flapper is not in contact with the sidewall and allows fluid communication through the aperture.
An internal combustion engine comprising:
- a fuel supply line;
- a gas admission valve to control fuel flow through the fuel supply line;
- an intake manifold having a manifold wall defining an interior void, the manifold wall having an opening connected to the fuel supply line;
- and
- a fuel delivery system including:
- a fuel tube having an upstream and a downstream end, the upstream end being connected to the opening in the manifold wall, the downstream end being positioned within the interior void, the fuel tube providing fluid communication between the gas admission valve and the interior void and having an aperture extending through a sidewall of the fuel tube;
- a flapper pivotably secured to an interior of the fuel tube adjacent to the aperture, the flapper configured to pivot between a closed configuration and an open configuration, wherein:
- when in the closed configuration, the flapper is in contact with the sidewall and covers the aperture, and
- when in the open configuration, the flapper is not in contact with the sidewall and allows fluid communication between the fuel tube and the interior void through the aperture.
A method for operating an internal combustion engine, the internal combustion engine including an intake manifold, a combustion chamber having a piston, an intake valve between the intake manifold and the combustion chamber, and a fuel delivery assembly having a fuel tube positioned within an interior void of the intake manifold, the fuel tube having an aperture with a flapper pivotable between a closed configuration and an open configuration, the method comprising:
- providing fuel from a fuel source into a passageway of the fuel tube,
- pivoting the flapper to the closed configuration, wherein, when in the closed configuration, the flapper is in contact with the sidewall and covers the aperture;
- moving the piston downward;
- opening the intake valve;
- providing air into the interior void of the intake manifold;
- terminating provision of fuel from the fuel source into the passageway of the fuel tube;
- pivoting the flapper to the open configuration, wherein, when in the open configuration, the flapper is not in contact with the sidewall;
- passing air from the interior void of the intake manifold through the aperture and into the passageway;
- and
- drawing a mixture of the fuel and air from the passageway through the intake valve and into the combustion chamber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.