Internal Combustion Engines, Systems, Devices, and Methods for Propulsion and Power Applications
AssigneeGryphon Diesel Engines, LLC
InventorAntonio Silva
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Engines, systems, devices, software, and methods of the present invention provide increased fuel efficiency and emission performance. The engine may include a magnesium alloy cast engine block cast as a mono-block with or without a ceramic inner core and including one or more cylinders designed to provide compression ratio of 10:1 to 14:1. Each cylinder may include one or more laser igniters, one or more supercritical fuel injectors configured to inject the fuel near or in a supercritical state, and carbon dioxide, which may be in the form of engine exhaust gas. The fuel may be diesel, gasoline, or other suitable hydrocarbons that may be cracked into smaller molecules prior to be injected into the cylinder.
Claims20
A system comprising:
- a magnesium alloy engine block cast as a mono-block to
- receive fuel and air as input
- compress the fuel and air to a compression ratio of at least 10:1 and less than 15:1,
- combust the fuel, and
- output power and exhaust;
- a fuel reconditioning system to
- receive fuel, and
- break down at least a portion of the diesel fuel into smaller molecule fuel;
- an exhaust splitter to split the exhaust into two or more exhaust streams;
- a heat exchanger to heat the smaller molecule fuel using at least one of the exhaust streams,
- a mixer to combine exhaust from at least one of the exhaust streams with heated smaller molecule fuel to produce an exhaust-supercritical fuel mixture;
- one or more supercritical fuel injectors to inject the exhaust-supercritical fuel mixture into engine block;
- a multi-point laser ignition system to ignite the smaller molecule fuel in the engine block;
- and,
- an electronic control unit to control the fuel reconditioning system, heat exchange, mixer, exhaust splitter, fuel injectors, and laser ignition system.
A method comprising:
- providing an magnesium alloy engine block cast as a mono-block to
- receive fuel and air as input, and
- output power and exhaust;
- breaking down, via a fuel reconditioning system, at least a portion of a larger molecule fuel into a smaller molecule fuel;
- splitting, via an exhaust splitter, the exhaust into two or more exhaust streams;
- heating, via a heat exchanger, the smaller molecule fuel using at least one of the exhaust streams;
- mixing, via a mixer, at least one of the exhaust stream with the heated smaller molecule fuel to produce an exhaust-supercritical fuel mixture;
- injecting, via supercritical fuel injectors, the exhaust-supercritical fuel mixture into engine block;
- compressing, in the engine block, the exhaust-supercritical fuel mixture and the air;
- igniting, via an optical ignition system and in the engine block, the compressed fuel;
- combusting, in the engine block, the compressed fuel with air to produce the power and exhaust;
- and
- controlling, via an electronic control unit, at least one of the other steps.
A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:
- one or more instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
- break down at least a portion of a larger molecule fuel into a smaller molecule fuel via a fuel reconditioning system;
- heat the smaller molecule fuel to a supercritical temperature via a fuel heater;
- mix exhaust from an engine block with the heated smaller molecule fuel to produce an exhaust-supercritical fuel mixture in a mixer;
- inject the exhaust-supercritical fuel mixture into the engine block via one or more supercritical fuel injectors;
- compress the exhaust-supercritical fuel mixture with air in the engine block;
- ignite the compressed fuel in the engine block via an optical ignition system;
- combust the compressed fuel with air in the engine block;
- and
- output power and exhaust from the engine block.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.