Module for managing mass flow and dampening pressure pulsations in a gaseous fuel supply line
AssigneeWestport Power Inc.
InventorsDerek S. Newcombe, Buerebista Ursu, Gregory A. Batenburg
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A module for managing mass flow and dampening pressure pulsations in the supply line of a gaseous fuelled internal combustion engine comprises a hollow body defining an expanded volume that is fluidly connected directly to a pressure sensor and a temperature sensor. The module is placed along the supply line of a gaseous fuel engine between a fuel pressure increasing device and the fuel rail that supplies fuel to the engine. The module can comprise a filter that filters the impurities from the gaseous fuel supplied to the engine and an overpressure protection device that can vent some of the gaseous fuel from the module to protect it from over-pressurization.
Claims32
A multifunctional module for managing mass flow and dampening pressure pulsations in a gaseous fuel supply line of an internal combustion engine, said module comprising:
- (a) a hollow body having an inlet and an outlet, said hollow body defining an expanded volume through which fuel flows between said inlet and said outlet,
- (b) a pressure sensor mounted on said body, said pressure sensor measuring the pressure within said expanded volume, and
- (c) a temperature sensor mounted on said body, said temperature sensor measuring the temperature from within said expanded volume,
- wherein said module is located along said gaseous fuel supply line between a pressure increasing device and a fuel rail of said engine such that a gaseous fuel supplied from said pressure increasing device flows through said module before it is supplied to said fuel rail and wherein respective pressure and temperature measurements taken by said pressure and temperature sensors are communicated to a controller which stops or activates said pressure increasing device to maintain a pressure within said module within a predetermined pressure range.
A multifunctional module for managing mass flow and dampening pressure pulsations in a gaseous fuel supply line of an internal combustion engine, said module comprising:
- (a) an elongated hollow body having an inlet and an outlet, said hollow body defining an expanded volume through which fuel flows between said inlet and said outlet,
- (b) a pressure sensor mounted on said body, said pressure sensor measuring the pressure within said expanded volume,
- (c) a temperature sensor mounted on said body, said temperature sensor measuring the temperature from within said expanded volume,
- (d) a filter of a cylindrical shape disposed within said hollow body in direct fluid communication with said outlet such that a gaseous fuel entering said module through said inlet flows through said filter before exiting said module through said outlet, and
- (e) a pressure relief valve mounted on said body, said pressure relief valve being in direct fluid communication with said expanded volume, upstream of said filter,
- wherein said hollow body can be disassembled into a main elongated part and two end parts when said module is not being used and wherein said pressure sensor, said temperature sensor and said pressure relieve valve are mounted on one of said end parts that is provided with said module's inlet and said filter is mounted on another end part of said body that is provided with said outlet.
A fuel supply line of an internal combustion engine for supplying a gaseous fuel from a fuel tank through a pressure increasing device to a fuel rail that delivers fuel to a fuel injector of said engine, said fuel supply line comprising a multifunctional module for managing mass flow and dampening pressure pulsations in said gaseous fuel, said module being located along said fuel supply line whereby said gaseous fuel that flows between said pressure increasing device and said fuel rail must flow through said module which has a hollow body defining an expanded volume that is fluidly connected to (a) a pressure sensor which measures pressure within said expanded volume, and to (b) a temperature sensor which measures temperature within said expanded volume and respective pressure and temperature measurements taken by said pressure and temperature sensors are communicated to a controller which stops or activates said pressure increasing device to maintain a pressure within said module within a predetermined pressure range.
A method of managing mass flow and dampening pressure pulsations generated by a pressure increasing device in a gaseous fuel supply line of an internal combustion engine, the method comprising:
- (a) increasing the pressure of a gaseous fuel with a pressure increasing device;
- (b) delivering said gaseous fuel to an inlet of a multifunctional module having a hollow body which defines an expanded volume, whereby said gaseous fuel flows through said expanded volume and exits said module through an outlet;
- (c) measuring the pressure and temperature from within said expanded volume and communicating said pressure and temperature measurements to a controller,
- (d) at the end of an intake stroke of said pressure increasing device, and before commanding a discharge stroke, calculating a predicted pressure within said expanded volume at the end of the next discharge stroke, if said discharge stroke is commanded, and
- (e) suspending operation of said pressure increasing device if said predicted pressure is higher than a predetermined maximum pressure Pmax.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.