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US 2021/0003084 A1Published application
Optimized fuel management system for direct injection ethanol enhancement of gasoline engines
AssigneeMassachusetts Institute of Technology
InventorsLeslie Bromberg, Daniel R. Cohn, John B. Heywood
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Fuel management system for enhanced operation of a spark ignition gasoline engine. Injectors inject an anti-knock agent such as ethanol directly into a cylinder. It is preferred that the direct injection occur after the inlet valve is closed. It is also preferred that stoichiometric operation with a three way catalyst be used to minimize emissions. In addition, it is also preferred that the anti-knock agents have a heat of vaporization per unit of combustion energy that is at least three times that of gasoline.
Claims34
1-21. (canceled)
A fuel management system for a spark ignition engine, comprising:
- a first fueling system that uses direct injection;
- a second fueling system that uses port fuel injection;
- and
- a three-way catalyst configured to reduce emissions from the spark ignition engine,
- wherein the fuel management system is configured to provide fueling in a first torque range, the first torque range being a first range of torque values at which both the first fueling system and the second fueling system are operable throughout the first range of torque values,
- wherein the fuel management system is further configured such that a fraction of fueling provided by the first fueling system is higher at a highest value of torque in the first torque range than in a lowest value of torque in the first torque range,
- wherein the fuel management system is further configured to provide fueling in a second torque range, the second torque range being a second range of torque values at which the second fueling system is operable throughout the second range of torque values and the first fueling system is not operable throughout the second range of torque values,
- wherein the fuel management system is further configured such that when the system provides fueling at a torque value that exceeds the second range of torque values, the spark ignition engine is operated in the first torque range,
- wherein the fuel management system is further configured to increase the fraction of fueling provided by the first fueling system in the first torque range as torque increases in at least a part of the first torque range,
- wherein the spark ignition engine is configured to operate at a stoichiometric air/fuel ratio in at least part of the first torque range and in at least part of the second torque range,
- wherein fuel introduced by the first fueling system has increased knock resistance due to vaporization cooling as compared to fuel introduced by the second fueling system, and
- wherein the fuel management system is configured to use at least one of open loop control or a knock detector in conjunction with closed loop control when varying the fraction of fueling that is provided by the first fueling system as torque varies.
9 more elements
A fuel management system for a spark ignition engine, comprising:
- a first fueling system that uses direct injection;
- a second fueling system that uses port fuel injection;
- and
- a three-way catalyst configured to reduce emissions from the spark ignition engine,
- wherein the fuel management system is configured to provide fueling in a first torque range, the first torque range being a first range of torque values at which both the first fueling system and the second fueling system are operable throughout the first range of torque values,
- wherein the fuel management system is further configured such that a fraction of fueling provided by the first fueling system is higher at a highest value of torque in the first torque range than in a lowest value of torque in the first torque range,
- wherein the fuel management system is further configured to provide fueling in a second torque range, the second torque range being a second range of torque values at which the second fueling system is operable throughout the second range of torque values and the first fueling system is not operable throughout the second range of torque values,
- wherein the fuel management system is further configured such that when the fueling system provides fueling at a torque value that exceeds the second range of torque values, the spark ignition engine is operated in the first torque range,
- wherein the fuel management system is further configured to use spark retard to reduce the fraction of fueling provided by the first fueling system,
- wherein the spark ignition engine is configured to operate at a stoichiometric air/fuel ratio in at least part of the first torque range and in at least part of the second torque range, and
- wherein fuel introduced by the first fueling system has increased knock resistance due to vaporization cooling as compared to fuel introduced by the second fueling system.
8 more elements
A fuel management system for a spark ignition engine comprising:
- a first fueling system configured to directly inject fuel into at least one cylinder of the spark ignition engine;
- a second fueling system that uses port fuel injection;
- and
- a three-way catalyst configured to reduce emissions from the spark ignition engine,
- wherein the fuel management system is configured to provide fueling in a first torque range, the first torque range being a first range of torque values at which both the first fueling system and the second fueling system are operable throughout the first range of torque values,
- wherein the fuel management system is further configured such that a fraction of fueling provided by the first fueling system is higher at a highest value of torque in the first torque range than in a lowest value of torque in the first torque range,
- wherein the fuel management system is further configured to provide fueling in a second torque range, the second torque range being a second range of torque values at which the second fueling system is operable throughout the second range of torque values and the first fueling system is not operable throughout the second range of torque values,
- wherein the fuel management system is further configured such that when the system provides fueling at a torque value that exceeds the second range of torque values, the spark ignition engine is operated in the first torque range,
- wherein the fuel management system uses at least one of open loop control or a knock detector in conjunction with closed loop control when varying the fraction of fueling that is provided by the first fueling system as torque varies,
- where the spark ignition engine is configured to operate at a stoichiometric air/fuel ratio in at least part of the first torque range and at least part of the second torque range, and
- wherein fuel introduced by the first fueling system has increased knock resistance due to vaporization cooling as compared to fuel introduced by the second fueling system.
8 more elements
A fuel management system for a spark ignition engine comprising:
- a first fueling system configured to directly inject fuel into at least one cylinder of the spark ignition engine;
- and
- a second fueling system that uses port fuel injection,
- wherein the fuel management system is configured to provide fueling in a first torque range, the first torque range being a first range of torque values at which both the first fueling system and the second fueling system are operable throughout the first range of torque values,
- wherein the fuel management system is further configured such that a fraction of fueling provided by the first fueling system is higher at a highest value of torque in the first torque range than in a lowest value of torque in the first torque range,
- wherein the fuel management system is further configured to provide fueling in a second torque range, the second torque range being a second range of torque values at which the second fueling system is operable throughout the second range of torque values and the first fueling system is not operable throughout the second range of torque values,
- wherein the fuel management system is further configured such that when the system provides fueling at a torque value that exceeds the second range of torque values, the spark ignition engine is operated in the first torque range,
- wherein the fuel management system is configured to use spark retard to reduce use of the fraction of fueling that is provided by the first fueling system,
- wherein the fuel management system is configured to use open loop control when varying the fraction of fueling that is provided by the first fueling system as torque varies,
- wherein the spark ignition engine is configured to operate at a stoichiometric air/fuel ratio in at least part of the first torque range and at least part of the second torque range, and
- wherein fuel introduced by the first fueling system has increased knock resistance due to vaporization cooling as compared to fuel introduced by the second fueling system.
8 more elements
A fuel management system for a spark ignition engine, comprising:
- a first fueling system that uses direct injection;
- a second fueling system that uses port fuel injection;
- and
- a three-way catalyst configured to reduce emissions from the spark ignition engine,
- wherein the fuel management system is configured to provide fueling in a first torque range, the first torque range being a first range of torque values at which both the first fueling system and the second fueling system are operable throughout the first range of torque values,
- wherein the fuel management system is further configured such that a fraction of fueling provided by the first fueling system is higher at a highest value of torque in the first torque range than in a lowest value of torque in the first torque range,
- wherein the fuel management system is further configured to provide fueling in a second torque range, the second torque range being a second range of torque values at which the second fueling system is operable throughout the second range of torque values and the first fueling system is not operable throughout the second range of torque values,
- wherein the fuel management system is further configured to use spark retard to reduce the fraction of fueling provided by the first fueling system,
- wherein the spark ignition engine is configured to opreate at a stoichiometric air/fuel ratio in at least part of the first torque range and in at least part of the second torque range, and
- wherein fuel introduced by the first fueling system has increased knock resistance due to vaporization cooling as compared to fuel introduced by the second fueling system.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.