Quick start fuel system for gaseous fuel internal combustion engine and method
AssigneeCaterpillar Inc.
InventorsSteven W. Meinhardt, Andrew C. Gaarder, Andrew D. Palmer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A gaseous fuel engine system includes a quick start fuel system having a pressurized gaseous fuel supply, a fuel feed conduit and a quick start fuel admission valve. The fuel feed conduit is coupled to an intake conduit for the engine at a downstream fuel admission location. A main fuel system is coupled to the intake conduit at an upstream fuel admission location. The quick start fuel admission valve is electrically actuated to admit a pressured gaseous fuel from the pressurized gaseous fuel supply for quick starting the gaseous fuel internal combustion engine. The quick start fuel may have a fuel composition different than a fuel composition of the main fuel.
Claims22
A gaseous fuel engine system comprising:
- a gaseous fuel engine having a plurality of cylinders formed therein;
- an intake system including an intake conduit extending in an upstream to downstream direction between an intake air inlet and the plurality of cylinders, and a compressor operated via a flow of exhaust from the gaseous fuel engine;
- a main fuel system including a main fuel admission valve coupled to the intake conduit at an upstream fuel admission location that is upstream of the compressor, for admission of a main gaseous fuel into the intake conduit;
- a quick start fuel system including a pressurized gaseous fuel supply, a fuel feed conduit, and a quick start fuel admission valve;
- the fuel feed conduit being coupled to the intake conduit at a downstream fuel admission location that is downstream of the compressor;
- and
- the quick start fuel admission valve being electrically actuated and positioned fluidly between the intake conduit and the pressurized gaseous fuel supply to admit a pressurized gaseous fuel via the fuel feed conduit for quick starting the gaseous fuel engine.
A method of operating a gaseous fuel engine system comprising:
- rotating a crankshaft of a gaseous fuel engine to reciprocate pistons in a plurality of cylinders in the gaseous fuel engine;
- opening a quick start fuel admission valve to feed a quick start gaseous fuel through an intake conduit into the plurality of cylinders;
- combusting the quick start gaseous fuel in the plurality of cylinders to start the gaseous fuel engine;
- operating a compressor in an intake system for the gaseous fuel engine based on a flow of exhaust produced by the combustion of the quick start gaseous fuel;
- feeding a main gaseous fuel and pressurized air together from the intake conduit into the plurality of cylinders based on the operation of the compressor;
- and
- combusting the main gaseous fuel in the plurality of cylinders.
A quick start system for a gaseous fuel internal combustion engine comprising:
- a pressurized supply of a quick start gaseous fuel;
- a conduit section structured for fluidly connecting a compressor to an intake manifold in an intake system for a gaseous fuel internal combustion engine;
- a fuel feed conduit coupled to the conduit section;
- a shutoff valve;
- and
- an electrically actuated quick start fuel admission valve positionable fluidly between the conduit section and the pressurized supply of a quick start gaseous fuel to admit the quick start gaseous fuel via the fuel feed conduit for quick starting the gaseous fuel internal combustion engine;
- wherein the conduit section includes an elbow connector forming a bend between a first conduit end and a second conduit end, and the fuel feed conduit is attached to the conduit section between the first conduit end and the second conduit end at a fuel admission location.
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Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.