Fuel injection spray patterns for opposed-piston engines
AssigneeAchates Power, Inc.
InventorsKevin B. Fuqua, Fabien G. Redon, Huixian Shen, Michael H. Wahl
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A combustion chamber for an opposed-piston engine includes a squish zone defined between circumferential peripheral areas of opposing end surfaces of the pistons, a cavity defined by one or more bowls in the end surfaces, and at least one injection port that extends radially through the squish zone into the cavity. The cavity has a cross-sectional shape that imposes a tumbling motion on air flowing from the squish zone into the cavity. Opposing spray patterns of fuel are injected into the combustion chamber. In some aspects, the opposing spray patterns are injected along a major axis of the combustion chamber.
Claims28
A method for operating an internal combustion engine including at least one cylinder with an exhaust port longitudinally-separated from an intake port, a pair of pistons disposed in opposition to one another in a bore of the cylinder, and a combustion chamber defined in the bore between end surfaces of the pistons, in which charge air is admitted into the bore from the intake port as the pistons move from respective bottom dead center positions in the bore, an elongated, ellipsoidal combustion chamber is formed between bowls on the end surfaces of the pistons, a tumble component is added to the motion of the air in the combustion chamber, and spray patterns of fuel are injected into the combustion chamber in opposing radial directions of the cylinder.
A method for operating an internal combustion engine including at least one cylinder with an exhaust port longitudinally-separated from an intake port, and a pair of pistons disposed in opposition to one another in a bore of the cylinder, by admitting air into the bore through the intake port as the pistons move from respective bottom dead center positions in the bore, moving opposing bowls on the opposing end surfaces of the pistons together to define a combustion chamber having an elongated, ellipsoidal shape, causing a tumbling motion in the charge of air between opposing end surfaces of the pistons as the pistons move toward respective top dead center positions in the bore, and side-injecting opposing spray patterns of fuel into the charge air between the opposing end surfaces.
A method for operating an internal combustion engine including at least one cylinder with longitudinally-separated exhaust and intake ports, and a pair of pistons disposed in opposition for reciprocating in a bore of the cylinder, by forming a combustion chamber having an elongated, ellipsoidal shape between the end surfaces of the pistons as the pistons move toward respective top dead center positions in the bore, providing squish flows of charge air into the combustion chamber in directions that are skewed with respect to a major axis of the elongated ellipsoidal shape, generating at least one tumbling motion of charge air in the combustion chamber in response to the squish flows and swirling charge air, and injecting opposing spray patterns of fuel into the combustion chamber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.