Fuel regulator for natural gas fired co-generation unit
AssigneeChapeau, Inc.
InventorsRichard L. Sorter, Gerald H. Dorn
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A natural gas fuel regulator for a natural gas fueled internal combustion engine for driving a co-generation plant, which allows exhaust recycled gas combustion while maintaining lower head temperatures to reduce thermal NOx emissions. The gas regulator has a modulation chamber, which modulates incremental pressure changes from the carburetion system to allow the engine to respond to load changes without the necessity for dynamic control feed back valve. In one aspect, a non-diaphragm venturi fuel/air-mixing unit with post turbo charger throttle adjustment is downstream of the natural gas fuel regulator to provide lean burn, low thermal NOx operation of the co-generation unit from no load to full load electrical generation.
Claims20
A natural gas fuel regulator device for delivering natural gas to a fuel intake system of a natural gas fired internal combustion engine comprising:
- a) a gas metering element for receiving gas from a source and metering the flow of said gas in response to a change in pressure from said fuel intake system,
- b) a fuel regulating element for setting the flow of fuel to said fuel intake system;
- c) a pressure-modulating chamber between said gas metering element and said fuel regulating element for modulating said pressure within said regulator to dampen the amplitude of pressure changes from said fuel intake system.
A natural gas fuel regulator device for regulating natural gas flow to the carburetion system of a natural gas fired internal combustion engine comprising:
- a) a gas metering element having a housing defining a divided chamber having a first receiving chamber portion in communication with natural gas from a source, and a second chamber portion, and having a valve between said first receiving chamber portion and said second chamber portion for metering gas through said gas metering element in response to pressure changes in said second chamber portion;
- b) a fuel trim element having a housing defining a divided chamber having a first chamber portion and a second exiting chamber portion in communication with said carburetion system wherein said carburetion system communicates pressure changes to said second exiting chamber in response to change in said internal combustion engine speed and having a valve between said first chamber portion and said exit chamber portion for maintaining a flow of said gas through said fuel trim element, and
- c) a pressure-modulating element defining a pressure-modulating chamber, the inlet side of which communicates with the second chamber portion of said gas metering element and the exit side of which communicates with the first chamber portion of said fuel trim element such that the pressure-modulating chamber is effective to dampen the amplitude of pressure changes from said carburetion system.
A method for regulating natural gas fuel flow to the carburetion system of a natural gas fired internal combustion engine comprising:
- a) metering said gas from a natural gas fuel source in response to modulated pressure changes in said carburetion system;
- b) modulating said pressure from said carburetion system by means of a modulating chamber to produce said modulated pressure changes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.