Turbocharger combustor system

In an internal combustion engine having a turbocharger driven by exhaust gases to provide compressed charge air for the engine, a combustor system comprising a combustor coupled between the engine and the turbocharger for in-line passage of the exhaust gases;

• means for controllably supplying fuel to the combustor in response to engine operating conditions;
• fuel injector means for atomizing the fuel supplied to the combustor using a portion of the gases flowing through the combustor to permit combustor operation with sustained combustion of the fuel to supplement the energy level of the gases passing through the combustor, said fuel injector means including a nozzle having a fuel entrance end and an exit end opening into a combustion chamber formed in said combustor, and a central fuel opening formed in said entrance end, said fuel supply means including a fuel metering tube received through the central opening and extending a short distance into the nozzle interior for directing a stream of fuel into the nozzle entrance end generally along the longitudinal axis of the nozzle, said nozzle having at its entrance end a plurality of axially extending and radially inwardly angled gas jet openings arranged about the central fuel opening and through which a portion of the combustor gas flow passes in the form of a plurality of gas jets intersecting generally at the fuel stream at the termination of the metering tube to turbulently break up and substantially immediately pick up said stream, and a plurality of tangentially oriented gas swirl openings opening into the nozzle generally radially with respect to the point of intersection of said gas jets for passage of another portion of the combustor gas flow to further break up the fuel stream, whereby the combined gas flow creates a substantially atomized gas-fuel cloud directed into the combustion chamber with axial and circumferential components of velocity;
• bypass means for controllably and intermittently bypassing a portion of the charge air flow around the engine to the combustor in response to engine operating conditions, and for mixing bypassed charge air with exhaust gases upstream of the combustor;
• and purge means for purging fuel from the combustor and the fuel injector means when fuel supplied to the combustor is interrupted, said purge means including means for storing a quantity of compressed charge air, and means for comparing the pressure of the stored charge air with the pressure of fuel supplied to the combustor and for releasing the stored charge air to the combustor and fuel injector means in lieu of fuel to purge the same when the fuel pressure drops off.

In an internal combustion engine having a turbocharger driven by exhaust gases to provide compressed charge air to the engine, a method of supplementing the energy level of gases supplied for driving the turbocharger comprising the steps of mounting a combustor in-line between the engine and the turbocharger for passage of the exhaust gases;

• controllably supplying fuel to the combustor in response toengine operating conditions;
• injecting and atomizing with fuel injector means the fuel supplied to the combustor using a portion of the gases flowing through the combustor to permit combustor operation with sustained combustion, said injecting and atomizing step including forming a generally cup-shaped fuel nozzle having a base at its entrance end and a generally open exit end opening into the combustor, directing a stream of fuel into the nozzle generally along the longitudinal axis thereof via a fuel metering tube extending a short distance into the nozzle interior;
• passing a plurality of combustion-supporting gas jets through gas impingement openings opening into the nozzle axially along and angularly inwardly toward the fuel stream for intersection generally at the termination of the metering tube to break up and atomize the fuel stream;
• passing into the nozzle a plurality of combustion-supporting gas streams through tangentially oriented swirl openings formed generally radially with respect to the point of intersection of the gas jets to further break up and atomize the fuel stream, whereby the combined effects of the gas streams and jets creates a substantially atomized fuel fog supplied to the combustor with axial and circumferential components of velocity;
• controllably and intermittently bypassing a portion of the charge air flow around the engine for mixture with exhaust gases upstream of the combustor in response to engine operating conditions;
• and purging fuel from the fuel injector means and combustor when the pressure of fuel supplied to the combustor drops off;
• said purging step including storing a quantity of charge air in a plenum chamber formed in a valve body, said chamber communicating with charge air supplied by the turbocharger, and preventing reverse flow of charge air from said chamber to said turbocharger with a check valve whereby the stored charge air is stored to a pressure equalling maximum charge air pressure, and coupling a valve for communication between said plenum chamber and the fuel supplied to the combustor, said valve being operable to release the stored charge air to the fuel injector means and combustor when the fuel supplied to the combustor is interrupted.

In an internal combustion engine having a turbocharger driven by exhaust gases to provide compressed charge air to the engine, a method of supplementing the energy level of gases supplied for driving the turbocharger comprising the steps of mounting a combustor in-line between the engine and the turbocharger for passage of the exhaust gases;

• controllably supplying fuel to the combustor in response to engine operating conditions;
• injecting and atomizing with fuel injector means the fuel supplied to the combustor using a portion of the gases flowing through the combustor to permit combustor operation with sustained combustion, said injecting and atomizing step including forming a generally cup-shaped fuel nozzle having a base at its entrance end and a generally open exit end opening into the combustor, directing a stream of fuel into the nozzle generally along the longitudinal axis thereof via a fuel metering tube extending a short distance into the nozzle interior;
• passing a plurality of combustion-supporting gas jets through gas impingement openings opening into the nozzle axially along and angularly inwardly toward the fuel stream for intersection generally at the termination of the metering tube to break up and atomize the fuel stream;
• passing into the nozzle a plurality of combustion-supporting gas streams through tangentially oriented swirl openings formed generally radially with respect to the point of intersection of the gas jets to further break up and atomize the fuel stream, whereby the combined effects of the gas streams and jets creates a substantially atomized fuel fog supplied to the combustor with axial and circumferential components of velocity;
• controllably and intermittently bypassing a portion of the charge air flow around the engine for mixture with exhaust gases upstream of the combustor in response to engine operating conditions;
• and purging fuel from the fuel injector means and combustor when the pressure of fuel supplied to the combustor drops off, said purging step including storing a quantity of compressed charge air, and comparing the pressure of the stored charge air with the pressure of the fuel supplied to the combustor and releasing the stored air to the fuel injector means and combustor when fuel pressure drops off.