Method For Starting A Gaseous Fuel Combustion Engine
AssigneesCaterpillar Motoren GmbH & Co. KG, Caterpillar Motoren Rostock GmbH
InventorsEike Sixel, Kay Schwerdtfeger, Daniel Wester, Andre Schmidt
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for starting a gaseous fuel internal combustion engine is disclosed. According to the disclosed method, the engine is rotated using a start device until a first speed threshold is reached. After reaching the first speed threshold, pilot fuel is supplied to a plurality of cylinders of the engine to combust the same. After performing an ignition health check, gaseous fuel is supplied to all or a relatively large number of cylinders to start accelerating the engine up to a second speed threshold.
Claims11
A method for starting a gaseous fuel internal combustion engine having a plurality of gas admission valves respectively associated with a plurality of cylinders, the method comprising:
- rotating the engine until the first speed threshold is reached;
- starting a supply of pilot fuel to the plurality of cylinders by a pilot fuel system after reaching the first threshold to initiate combustion of the pilot fuel and intake air;
- determining the status of operation of the pilot fuel system as the pilot fuel is supplied to the plurality of cylinders,
- operating the engine by supplying gaseous fuel to the plurality of cylinders via the associated gas admission valves.
An internal combustion engine, comprising:
- an engine block defining at least in part a plurality of cylinders;
- a plurality of gas admission valves respectively associated with the plurality of cylinders;
- a start device configured to rotate the engine;
- and
- a control unit configured to:
- control the start device to rotate the engine until a first speed threshold is reached;
- start a supply of pilot fuel to the plurality of cylinders after reaching the first threshold to initiate combustion of the pilot fuel and intake air;
- determine the status of operation of the pilot fuel system as the pilot fuel is supplied to the plurality of cylinders,
- operate the engine by supplying gaseous fuel to the cylinders via the associated gas admission valves until a second speed threshold above the first speed threshold is reached.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.