US 7,007,639 B1Granted

Air injection engine

AssigneeD-J Engineering, Inc.

InventorClint Allen Luttgeharm

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Abstract

An internal combustion engine of the present invention features separate compression and expansion cycles. The engine includes a separate compressor device which pressurizes air by a ratio greater than 15 to 1, at least one two stroke combustion cylinder and a compressed air conduit for transferring compressed air from the compressor to the at least one combustion cylinder. An air injection valve injects the compressed air into the combustion cylinder during the second half portion of the return stroke of the combustion cylinder. The compressed air is mixed with fuel and combusted for expansion during a power stroke. In this engine compression occurs only to a minor degree in the combustion cylinder. Accordingly, the compression ratio of the present engine may be significantly higher or lower than the volumetric expansion ratio of the combustion cylinder thus resulting in corresponding increases in either power density or thermodynamic efficiency respectively.

Claims14

Dependent claims

In combination with an internal combustion engine of the type including at least one combustion chamber which oscillates between a minimum volume and a maximum volume during alternating expansion portions and contraction portions of successive cycles for causing powered rotation of a crank shaft, a system for injecting compressed air into said combustion chamber comprising:

(a) a compressed air source in communication with said combustion chamber, said compressed air source including a compressor and a compressed air conduit communicating between said compressor and said combustion chamber and said compressed air conduit further comprises (i) a reservoir for accumulating and storing said compressed air, (ii) a heat rejecting portion for cooling said compressed air, (iii) an outlet portion for conveying pressurized air to said combustion cylinder, (iv) a hot conduit for conveying uncooled compressed air to said outlet portion and (v) a cool conduit for conveying cooled pressurized air from the heat rejection portion to said outlet portion and at least one valve communicating between one of said hot conduit and said cool conduit for adjusting the proportion of cooled compressed air and uncooled compressed air for adjusting the temperature of the pressurized air in said outlet portion.

An internal combustion engine, comprising;

(a) at least one combustion cylinder including a cylinder and a reciprocating piston, said reciprocating piston oscillating within said cylinder in cycles which include a power stroke in which said piston moves from a top dead center position to a bottom dead center position and a return stroke in which said piston moves from said bottom dead center position to said top dead center position, said power stroke further divided into a first half portion and a second half portion and said return stroke further divided into a first half portion and a second half portion,
(b) a compressor for producing compressed air,
(c) a compressed air conduit communicating between said compressor and said combustion cylinder, said compressed air conduit including a reservoir for accumulating and storing said compressed air, (ii) a heat rejecting portion for cooling said compressed air, (iii) an outlet portion for conveying pressurized air to said combustion cylinder, (iv) a hot conduit for conveying uncooled compressed air to said outlet portion and (v) a cool conduit for conveying cooled pressurized air from said heat rejection portion to said outlet portion and at least one valve communicating between one of said hot conduit and said cool conduit for adjusting the proportion of cooled compressed air and uncooled compressed air for adjusting the temperature of the pressurized air in said outlet portion,
(d) an injection valve for opening and closing communication between said outlet portion of said compressed air conduit and said at least one combustion cylinder thereby intermittently allowing passage of a volume of compressed air into said combustion cylinder,
(e) a fuel injector for injecting fuel into said volume of compressed air,
(f) an exhaust means for releasing exhaust from said combustion cylinder,
(g) a timing system for:
(i) opening said injection valve when said piston of said at least one combustion cylinder is generally in said second half portion of said return stroke to transfer said volume of compressed air into said combustion cylinder,
(ii) activating said fuel injector after said compressed air valve has opened to inject fuel into said volume of compressed air to produce a combustible fuel—air mixture for subsequent combustion and expansion during said power stroke, and,
(iii) opening said exhaust means after said piston has entered said second portion of said power stroke to allow escape of exhaust gases.

7 more elements

An internal combustion engine, comprising;

(a) at least one combustion cylinder including a cylinder and a reciprocating piston, said reciprocating piston oscillating within said cylinder in cycles which include a power stroke in which said piston moves from a top dead center position to a bottom dead center position and a return stroke in which said piston moves from said bottom dead center position to said top dead center position, said power stroke further divided into a first half portion and a second half portion and said return stroke further divided into a first half portion and a second half portion, said at least one combustion cylinder further including a crankshaft mechanically coupled to said piston,
(b) a compressor for producing compressed air mechanically coupled to a compressor shaft, said crankshaft of said at least one combustion cylinder and said compressor shaft operatively associated such that the ratio of their speeds of rotation is adjustable for adjustment of the effective compression ratio of said engine,
(c) a compressed air conduit communicating between said compressor and said combustion cylinder,
(d) an injection valve for opening and closing communication between said compressed air conduit and said at least one combustion cylinder thereby intermittently allowing passage of a volume of compressed air into said combustion cylinder,
(e) a fuel injector for injecting fuel into said volume of compressed air,
(f) an exhaust means for releasing exhaust from said combustion cylinder,
(g) a timing system for
(i) opening said injection valve when said piston of said at least one combustion cylinder is generally in said second half portion of said return stroke to transfer said volume of compressed air into said combustion cylinder,
(ii) activating said fuel injector after said compressed air valve has opened to inject fuel into said volume of compressed air to produce a combustible fuel—air mixture for subsequent combustion and expansion during said power stroke, and,
(iii) opening said exhaust means after said piston has entered said second portion of said power stroke to allow escape of exhaust gases.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/777,796Filed 12 Feb 2004 · us provisional application
Priority: 12 Feb 2003
Granted: 7 Mar 2006
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification15 codes

F01L 5/14
Slide valve-gear or valve-arrangements: characterised by the provision of valves with reciprocating and other movements
F01L 7/02
Rotary or oscillatory slide valve-gear or valve arrangements: with cylindrical, sleeve, or part-annularly shaped valves
F02B 21/00
Engines characterised by air-storage chambers
F02B 23/101
With separate admission of air and fuel into cylinder: the injector being placed on or close to the cylinder centre axis, e.g. with mixture…