Multi-fuel engine
AssigneeXRDi
InventorAndy Allen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An engine capable of use with multiple different types of fuels including gasoline and alcohol based flues and heavy fuels such as diesel fuel, JP5, JP8, Jet A and kerosene based fuels. The engine includes a main cylinder having a compression chamber at one end and a piston that is movable along the length of the cylinder and which connects to a crankshaft for the engine. A fuel delivery system delivers a combustible mixture of fuel and air through a fuel delivery valve into the combustion chamber at a sonic velocity of flow such that the fuel is substantially atomized into the air of the combustible mixture delivered to the combustion chamber. The combustible mixture is ignited by an igniter within the combustion chamber to urge the piston along the cylinder for driving the crankshaft of the engine.
Claims32
An engine capable of being run on various types of fuels including heavy fuels being one of diesel fuel, JP5, Jet-A, JP8, kerosene, and gasoline and alcohol based, fuels, said engine comprising:
- an engine block having at least one cylinder defining at least one cylinder chamber;
- a cylinder head mounted on said cylinder and defining a combustion chamber;
- at least one piston received within said at least one cylinder chamber and moveable therealong, said piston connected to a crankshaft for driving the crankshaft;
- a fuel delivery system for delivering a combustible mixture of fuel and air to said combustion chamber with the combustible mixture being delivered at a sonic rate of flow so as to substantially atomize the fuel in the air for enhanced ignition;
- and
- at least one igniter mounted adjacent said combustion chamber and having an ignition zone at which the combustible mixture is ignited to cause combustion of the combustible mixture within said combustion chamber for driving said piston.
A method of operating an engine capable of being run using a variety of different types of fuels including heavy fuels being one of JP5, JP8, Jet A, diesel fuel, and kerosene, and gasoline and alcohol based fuels, comprising:
- drawing fuel and air into a fuel metering device to form a combustible mixture of fuel and air;
- delivering the combustible mixture to a fuel delivery valve at a rate of flow sufficient to create an opening pressure differential sufficient to open the fuel delivery valve and cause the combustible mixture to flow through the fuel delivery valve at a sonic rate of flow such that the fuel of the combustible mixture is caused to be substantially atomized within the combustible mixture;
- dispensing the combustible mixture into a combustion chamber of the engine;
- igniting the combustible mixture with a heated igniter to cause combustion of the combustible mixture;
- and
- in response to the combustion of the combustible mixture, moving a piston in a reciprocating cycle along a cylinder of the engine to drive a crankshaft of the engine.
A fuel deliver system for an engine having a combustion chamber and capable of running on different types of fuels including heavy fuels and alcohol based fuels, comprising:
- a fuel metering device for delivering a supply of fuel for mixing with air to form a fuel/air mixture;
- a fuel delivery valve for delivering the fuel/air mixture to the combustion chamber at a sonic rate of flow so as to substantially atomize the fuel in the air for ignition;
- and
- a compressor cylinder assembly positioned between the fuel metering device and said fuel delivery valve;
- wherein the compressor cylinder assembly comprises a compressor cylinder, a piston movable along said compressor cylinder for drawing the fuel/air mixture into said compressor cylinder and directing the fuel/air mixture towards the fuel delivery valve at a sonic velocity so as to create an opening differential pressure sufficient to open the valve and enable passage of the fuel/air mixture therethrough at a sonic rate of flow.
An engine capable of being run on various types of fuels including heavy fuels being one of diesel fuel, JP5, Jet A, JP8, kerosene, and gasoline and alcohol based fuels, said engine comprising:
- an engine block having at least one cylinder defining at least one cylinder chamber;
- a cylinder head mounted on said cylinder and defining a combustion chamber;
- at least one piston received within said at least one cylinder chamber and moveable therealong, said piston connected to a crankshaft for driving the crankshaft;
- a fuel delivery system for delivering a combustible mixture of fuel and air to said combustion chamber with the combustible mixture being delivered at a sonic rate of flow so as to substantially atomize the fuel in the air for enhanced ignition;
- and
- at least one spark igniter mounted adjacent said combustion chamber and having an ignition zone at which the combustible mixture is ignited to cause combustion of the combustible mixture within said combustion chamber for driving said piston, wherein said fuel delivery system includes a fuel delivery valve including a valve body defining a valve passageway having an inlet end and an exit end defining a valve opening, a valve member received in said valve body and movable along said valve passageway, said valve member having an air passage formed therein and which communicates with the valve opening as said valve member is moved along said valve passageway between open and closed positions, and a bias for maintaining said valve member in the closed position until the combustible mixture is directed through said air passage at an opening differential pressure sufficient to overcome said bias and open said valve opening so as to create a sonic velocity flow of the combustible mixture through said fuel delivery valve.
An engine capable of being run on various types of fuels including heavy fuels being one of diesel fuel, JP5, Jet A, JP8, kerosene, and gasoline and alcohol based fuels, said engine comprising:
- an engine block having at least one cylinder defining at least one cylinder chamber;
- a cylinder head mounted on said cylinder and defining a combustion chamber;
- at least one piston received within said at least one cylinder chamber and moveable therealong, said piston connected to a crankshaft for driving the crankshaft;
- a fuel delivery system for delivering a combustible mixture of fuel and air to said combustion chamber with the combustible mixture being delivered at a sonic rate of flow so as to substantially atomize the fuel in the air for enhanced ignition;
- and
- at least one spark igniter mounted adjacent said combustion chamber and having an ignition zone at which the combustible mixture is ignited to cause combustion of the combustible mixture within said combustion chamber for driving said piston, wherein said fuel delivery system further includes a fuel metering device for delivering a supply of fuel for mixing with air to form the combustible mixture, a fuel delivery valve for delivering the combustible mixture to said combustion chamber at a sonic rate of flow, and compressor cylinder assembly positioned between said fuel metering device and said fuel delivery valve and comprising a compressor cylinder, a piston movable along said compression cylinder for drawing the combustible mixture into said compressor cylinder and directing the combustible mixture toward said fuel delivery valve at a sonic velocity so as to create an opening differential pressure sufficient to open said valve and enable passage of the combustible mixture therethrough at a sonic rate of flow.
A method of operating an engine capable of being run using a variety of different types of fuels including heavy fuels being one of JP5, JP8, Jet A, diesel fuel, and kerosene, and gasoline and alcohol based fuels, comprising:
- drawing fuel and air into a fuel metering device to form a combustible mixture of fuel and air;
- delivering the combustible mixture to a fuel delivery valve at a rate of flow sufficient to create an opening pressure differential sufficient to open the fuel delivery valve and cause the combustible mixture to flow through the fuel delivery valve at a sonic rate of flow such that the fuel of the combustible mixture is caused to be substantially atomized within the combustible mixture;
- dispensing the combustible mixture into a combustion chamber of the engine;
- igniting the combustible mixture with a spark igniter to cause combustion of the combustible mixture;
- and
- in response to the combustion of the combustible mixture, moving a piston in a reciprocating cycle along a cylinder of the engine to drive a crankshaft of the engine, wherein delivering the combustible mixture comprises driving an auxiliary piston so as to draw the combustible mixture of air and fuel into an auxiliary cylinder, and urging the combustible mixture from the auxiliary cylinder and into the fuel delivery valve at a sonic velocity sufficient to open the fuel delivery valve and cause the fuel to be substantially atomized into the air of the combustible mixture.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.