Common rail system with leak containment and detection

An internal combustion engine, comprising:

• a plurality of cylinders;
• plural fuel injectors, each said cylinder associated with one of the fuel injectors;
• a single-walled high pressure common rail including a main body and plural members extending from the main body, each member having a high pressure passage leading to the main body;
• plural double-walled fuel line segments, each said segment having a high pressure fuel line, a jacket surrounding the high pressure fuel line portion, a low pressure passage between the high pressure fuel line and the jacket, a first end fluidly connected to a respective one of the fuel injectors, and a fuel line connector including a main body housing a portion of the high pressure fuel line such that an end portion of the high pressure fuel line protrudes from a first end of the main body and a second end of the main body is sealingly connected to the jacket to thereby extend the low pressure passage into the fuel line connector;
• plural leakage drain connectors, a portion of each leakage drain connector being positioned longitudinally intermediate a respective one of the fuel line connectors and a respective one of the plural members of the single-walled high pressure common rail, and each said leakage drain connector sealingly connected at a first end portion thereof to one of the members and sealingly connected at a second end portion thereof to one of the plural fuel line connectors, such that the protruding end portion of the high pressure fuel line sealingly engages with the high pressure passage of the member and the low pressure passage of the fuel line connector extends through the leakage drain connector to an opening at an outer surface of the leakage drain connector;
• and
• a fuel drain line fluidly coupled to each of said openings of the plural leakage drain connectors.

A connector for connecting a single-walled high pressure common rail to a double-walled fuel line, said connector comprising:

• a main body comprising:
• a first opening substantially aligned along a longitudinal axis of the main body and configured to sealingly attach to a member extending from a single-walled high pressure common rail;
• a second opening opposite the first opening and configured to sealingly attach to a connector of a double-walled high pressure fuel line such that the high pressure portion of the double-walled fuel line seals with the member to form a continuous high pressure passage;
• and
• at least one third opening that opens toward a direction substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal axis;
• and
• a fuel collection manifold around the main body and having a channel between the third opening and an outer surface of the fuel collection manifold such that a low pressure passage for fuel leaking from the double-walled fuel line extends from the channel through the third opening.

A leak containment system, comprising:

• a single-walled high pressure accumulator including a high pressure cavity;
• a double-walled line including a high pressure line, a jacket surrounding the high pressure line, an annular region between the high pressure line and the jacket, and a line connector housing a portion of the double-walled line and configured to fluidly attach the double-walled line to the single-walled high pressure accumulator;
• a drain line;
• a leakage drain connector having a first end sealingly attached to the single-walled high pressure accumulator, a second end sealingly attached to the line connector, and a side portion fluidly connected to the leakage drain line, said leakage drain connector housing a portion of the high pressure line;
• a leakage detector fluidly coupled to the drain line;
• a continuous high pressure passage including the high pressure cavity fluidly connected to the high pressure line;
• and
• a continuous low pressure passage including the annular region, the drain line, and interior regions of the leakage drain connector and the line connector outside the housed high pressure line.