Common rail supplementary atomizer for piston engines

The combination of a piston internal combustion engine with a common rail supplementary atomizer;

• wherein said piston internal combustion engine comprises:
• a crankshaft;
• at least one piston and cylinder, each said piston and cylinder enclosing a cylinder gas volume;
• an exhaust system for discharging burned exhaust gas from said cylinder gas volume;
• wherein said common rail supplementary atomizer comprises:
• a contactor chamber for contacting slurry fuel with atomizing gas, and comprising an upper portion and a lower portion, these portions being flow connected together;
• a common rail distribution system for injecting slurry fuel into each cylinder gas volume, said common rail being free flow connected to the bottom of the lower portion of said contactor chamber;
• a source of slurry fuel comprising non gaseous fuel particles suspended in a continuous liquid water phase;
• a source of atomizing gas, at least some portions of which are at least moderately soluble, and preferably highly soluble, in liquid water;
• slurry fuel pump and driver means for transferring slurry fuel, from said source of slurry fuel, into said contactor chamber, and into said upper portion of said contactor chamber;
• slurry fuel level sensor means for sensing the level of slurry fuel within said contactor chamber;
• slurry fuel pump and driver control means for controlling the rate of transfer of slurry fuel, from said source of slurry fuel, into said contactor chamber, responsive to said slurry fuel level sensor, and operative to;
• keep the lower portion of said contactor chamber full of slurry fuel, and, keep the level of slurry fuel below the upper portion of said contactor chamber;
• wherein said slurry level sensor means, and said slurry pump and driver control means, can be any one of the options:
• hand sensor and control means;
• automatic sensor and control means;
• and, a combination of hand and automatic sensor and control means;
• whereby slurry fuel flows downward through said contactor chamber into said lower portion thereof and into said common rail distribution system and is injected therefrom into said cylinder gas volumes of said internal combustion engine;
• atomizing gas transfer means for transferring atomizing gas, from said source of atomizing gas, into said contactor chamber, and into the bottom of the lower portion of said contactor chamber, and thus below the level of slurry fuel within said contactor chamber;
• contactor chamber pressure sensor and control means for maintaining the gas pressure, in said upper portion of said contactor chamber, essentially constant about an average contactor chamber pressure, less than an upper set value of contactor chamber gas pressure, and greater than a lower set value of contactor chamber pressure, and comprising:
• a sensor of contactor chamber pressure;
• gas exit flow restrictor means for discharging a restricted exit flow of undissolved atomizing gas from the top of the upper portion of said contactor chamber and into the atmosphere as a receiver of discharged atomizing gas;
• back pressure control means for adjusting the gas flow area of said gas flow restrictor means, responsive to said contactor chamber pressure sensor, and operative to;
• increase said gas flow area when sensed contactor chamber pressure exceeds said upper set value of contactor chamber pressure, and to decrease said gas flow area when sensed contactor chamber pressure is less than said lower set value of contactor chamber pressure;
• wherein said average contactor chamber pressure is controlled to be sufficiently greater than the pressures prevailing in said cylinder gas volumes of said internal combustion engine, as to assure adequate slurry fuel primary atomization into slurry droplets when injected into said cylinder gas volumes;
• wherein said contactor chamber pressure sensor and control means can be any one of the options:
• hand sensor and control means;
• automatic sensor and control means;
• and a combination of hand and automatic sensor and control means;
• and further wherein the pressure prevailing, within said common rail distribution system, is essentially the same as said contactor chamber pressure, and is essentially fully applied along essentially the full length of the slurry fuel flow path within said common rail distribution system, up to said cylinder gas volume;
• whereby atomizing gas flows, from said source of atomizing gas, into said contactor chamber, below the level of slurry fuel therein, and rises, as bubbles, countercurrent to the downward flow of slurry fuel therethrough, and portions of said atomizing gas are dissolved into the water portion of said slurry fuel, which becomes partially saturated with soluble portions of said atomizing gas;
• and further whereby said flow of slurry fuel, with dissolved portions of atomizing gas, flows into said common rail distribution system, and is injected into the cylinder gas volumes of said piston internal combustion engine, where, at the lower pressures prevailing in said cylinder gas volume, said dissolved atomizing gas expands out of solution from the water portion of said slurry fuel, and separates the fuel particles, within each slurry droplet, into separated fuel particles, thus increasing the fuel surface available for fuel burning, and hence the rate and completedness of fuel combustion within each cylinder gas volume of said piston internal combustion engine.

The combination of a piston internal combustion engine with a common rail supplementary atomizer:

• wherein said piston internal combustion engine comprises:
• a crankshaft;
• at least one piston and cylinder, each said piston and cylinder enclosing a cylinder gas volume;
• an exhaust system for discharging burned exhaust gas from said cylinder gas volume;
• wherein said common rail supplementary atomizer comprises:
• a contactor chamber for contacting gas dissolving fluid with atomizing gas, and comprising an upper portion and a lower portion, these portions being flow connected together;
• a common rail distribution system for injecting gas dissolving fluid into each cylinder gas volume, said common rail being free flow connected to the bottom of the lower portion of said contactor chamber;
• a source of gas dissolving fluid, at least some portions of which are a combustible non gaseous fuel and at least portions of which are capable of dissolving some gases;
• a source of atomizing gas, at least some portions of which are soluble, in at least portions of said gas dissolving fluid;
• gas dissolving fluid pump and driver means for transferring gas dissolving fluid from said source of gas dissolving fluid, into said contactor chamber, and comprising a gas dissolving fluid flow divider for dividing said transferring gas dissolving fluid into two separate flows of gas dissolving fluid, one said separate flow of gas dissolving fluid being transferred into said upper portion of said contactor chamber, the other said separate flow of gas dissolving fluid being transferred into said lower portion of said contactor chamber;
• gas dissolving fluid level sensor means for sensing the level of gas dissolving fluid within said contactor chamber;
• gas dissolving fluid pump and driver control means for controlling the rate of transfer of gas dissolving fluid from said source of gas dissolving fluid into said contactor chamber, responsive to said gas dissolving fluid level sensor, and operative to;
• keep the lower portion of said contactor chamber full of gas dissolving fluid, and, keep the level of gas dissolving fluid below the upper portion of said contactor chamber;
• wherein said gas dissolving fluid level sensor means, and said gas dissolving fluid pump and driver control means, can be any one of the options:
• hand sensor and control means;
• automatic sensor and control means;
• and, a combination of hand and automatic sensor and control means;
• whereby gas dissolving fluid flows, from said source of gas dissolving fluid, into said contactor chamber, in two separate flows, that one separate flow into the upper portion of said contactor chamber flowing downward through said contactor chamber to rejoin, and blend with that other separate flow into the lower portion of said contactor chamber, and this combined gas dissolving fluid flows into said common rail distribution system, and is injected therefrom into said cylinder gas volumes of said internal combustion engine;
• atomizing gas transfer means for transferring atomizing gas, from said source of atomizing gas, into said contactor chamber, at a level within said contactor chamber well below the level at which one said separate flow of gas dissolving fluid is transferred into said upper portion of said contactor chamber, and at a level within said contactor chamber above the level at which said other separate flow of gas dissolving fluid is transferred into said lower portion of said contactor chamber;
• contactor chamber pressure sensor and control means for maintaining the gas pressure, in said upper portion of said contactor chamber, essentially constant, about an average contactor chamber pressure, less than an upper set value of contactor chamber gas pressure, and greater than a lower set value of contactor chamber gas pressure, said control means being responsive to said contactor chamber pressure sensor, and operative to adjust the difference quantity of, the flow rate of atomizing gas into said contactor chamber, minus the flow rate of atomizing gas in gaseous form out of said contactor chamber, increasing said difference quantity when said sensed contactor pressure is less than said lower set value, and decreasing said difference quantity when said sensed contactor chamber pressure is greater than said upper set value;
• wherein said average contactor chamber pressure is controlled to be sufficiently greater than the pressure prevailing in said cylinder gas volumes, of said internal combustion engine, as to assure adequate gas dissolving fluid primary atomization into droplets when injected into said cylinder gas volumes;
• wherein said contactor chamber pressure sensor and control means can be any one of the options:
• hand sensor and control means;
• automatic sensor and control means;
• and a combination of hand and automatic sensor and control means;
• and further wherein the pressure prevailing, within said common rail distribution system, is essentially the same as said contactor chamber pressure, and is essentially fully applied along essentially the full length of the gas dissolving fluid flow path within said common rail distribution system, up to said cylinder gas volume;
• whereby atomizing gas flows, from said source of atomizing gas, into said contactor chamber, countercurrent to said downward flow of said one separate flow of gas dissolving fluid, which was transferred into said upper portion of said contactor chamber, and at least portions of said atomizing gas are dissolved into a portion of that one separate flow of gas dissolving fluid, and this one separate flow of gas dissolving fluid becomes at least partially saturated with soluble portions of said atomizing gas;
• and further whereby said one separate flow of gas dissolving fluid, transferred into the upper portion of said contactor chamber, and becoming at least partially saturated with atomizing gas therein, is subsequently blended with that other separate flow of gas dissolving fluid, transferred into the lower portion of said contactor chamber, and not contacted with atomizing gas, and this recombined flow of gas dissolving fluid is less than saturated with atomizing gas;
• and further whereby said recombined flow of gas dissolving fluid, with dissolved portions of atomizing gas, flows into said common rail distribution system, and is injected into the cylinder gas volumes of said piston internal combustion engine, where, at the lower pressures prevailing in said cylinder gas volume, said dissolved atomizing gas expands out of solution from said gas dissolving fluid, and breaks up the gas dissolving fluid droplets, thus increasing the surface available for fuel burning, and hence the rate and completeness of fuel combustion within each cylinder gas volume of said piston internal combustion engine.

The combination of a piston internal combustion engine with a common rail supplementary atomizer:

• wherein said piston internal combustion engine comprises:
• a crankshaft;
• at least one piston and cylinder, each said piston and cylinder enclosing a cylinder gas volume;
• an exhaust system for discharging burned exhaust gas from said cylinder gas volume;
• wherein said common rail supplementary atomizer comprises:
• a contactor chamber for contacting gas dissolving fluid with atomizing gas, and comprising an upper portion and a lower portion, these portions being flow connected together;
• a common rail distribution system for injecting gas dissolving fluid into each cylinder gas volume, said common rail being free flow connected to the bottom of the lower portion of said contactor chamber;
• a source of gas dissolving fluid, at least some portions of which are a combustible non gaseous fuel, at least portions of which are capable of dissolving some gases;
• a source of atomizing gas, at least some portions of which are soluble, in at least portions of said gas dissolving fluid;
• gas dissolving fluid pump and driver means for transferring gas dissolving fluid, from said source of gas dissolving fluid, into said contactor chamber, and into said upper portion of said contactor chamber;
• gas dissolving fluid level sensor means for sensing the level of gas dissolving fluid within said contactor chamber;
• gas dissolving fluid pump and driver control means for controlling the rate of transfer of gas dissolving fluid, from said source of gas dissolving fluid into said contactor chamber, responsive to said gas dissolving fluid level sensor, and operative to;
• keep the lower portion of said contactor chamber full of gas dissolving fluid and, keep the level of gas dissolving fluid below the upper portion of said contactor chamber;
• wherein said gas dissolving fluid level sensor means, and said gas dissolving fluid pump and driver control means, can be any one of the options:
• hand sensor and control means;
• automatic sensor and control means;
• and, a combination of hand and automatic sensor and control means;
• whereby gas dissolving fluid flows downward through said contactor chamber into said lower portion thereof and into said common rail distribution system and is injected therefrom into said cylinder gas volumes of said internal combustion engine;
• atomizing gas transfer means for transferring atomizing gas, from said source of atomizing gas, into said contactor chamber, and into the bottom of the lower portion of said contactor chamber and thus below the level of gas dissolving fluid within said contactor chamber;
• contactor chamber pressure sensor and control means for maintaining the gas pressure, in said upper portion of said contactor chamber, essentially constant about an average contactor chamber pressure, less than an upper set value of contactor chamber gas pressure, and greater than a lower set value of contactor chamber pressure, and comprising:
• a sensor of contactor chamber pressure;
• gas exit flow restrictor means for discharging a restricted exit flow of undissolved atomizing gas from the top of the upper portion of said contactor chamber and into the atmosphere as a receiver of discharged atomizing gas;
• back pressure control means for adjusting the gas flow area of said gas flow restrictor means, responsive to said contactor chamber pressure sensor, and operative to;
• increase said gas flow area when sensed contactor chamber pressure exceeds said upper set value of contactor chamber pressure, and to decrease said gas flow area when sensed contactor chamber pressure is less than said lower set value of contactor chamber pressure;
• wherein said average contactor chamber pressure is controlled to be sufficiently greater than the pressure prevailing in said cylinder gas volumes of said internal combustion engine, as to assure adequate gas dissolving fluid primary atomization into droplets when injected into said cylinder gas volumes;
• wherein said contactor chamber pressure sensor and control means can be any one of the options:
• hand sensor and control means;
• automatic sensor and control means;
• and a combination of hand and automatic sensor and control means;
• and further wherein the pressure prevailing, within said common rail distribution system, is essentially the same as said contactor chamber pressure, and is essentially fully applied along essentially the full length of the gas dissolving fluid flow path within said common rail distribution system, up to said cylinder gas volume;
• whereby atomizing gas flows, from said source of atomizing gas, into said contactor chamber, below the level of gas dissolving fluid therein, and rises, as bubbles, countercurrent to the downward flow of gas dissolving fluid therethrough, and portions of said atomizing gas are dissolved into said gas dissolving fluid, which becomes partially saturated with soluble portions of said atomizing gas;
• and further whereby said flow of gas dissolving fluid, with dissolved portions of atomizing gas, flows into said common rail distribution system, and is injected into the cylinder gas volumes of said piston internal combustion engine, where, at the lower pressures prevailing in said cylinder gas volume, said dissolved atomizing gas expands out of solution from said gas dissolving fluid, and breaks up the gas dissolving fluid droplets, thus increasing the surface available for fuel burning, and hence the rate and completeness of fuel combustion within each cylinder gas volume of said piston internal combustion engine.