GB2287507A - I.c.engine compressed gas supply - Google Patents
I.c.engine compressed gas supply Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2287507A GB2287507A GB9404497A GB9404497A GB2287507A GB 2287507 A GB2287507 A GB 2287507A GB 9404497 A GB9404497 A GB 9404497A GB 9404497 A GB9404497 A GB 9404497A GB 2287507 A GB2287507 A GB 2287507A
- Authority
- GB
- United Kingdom
- Prior art keywords
- gas supply
- compressed gas
- plenum chamber
- engine
- capillary tube
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
Links
Classifications
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
- F02M—SUPPLYING COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL WITH COMBUSTIBLE MIXTURES OR CONSTITUENTS THEREOF
- F02M67/00—Apparatus in which fuel-injection is effected by means of high-pressure gas, the gas carrying the fuel into working cylinders of the engine, e.g. air-injection type
- F02M67/02—Apparatus in which fuel-injection is effected by means of high-pressure gas, the gas carrying the fuel into working cylinders of the engine, e.g. air-injection type the gas being compressed air, e.g. compressed in pumps
- F02M67/04—Apparatus in which fuel-injection is effected by means of high-pressure gas, the gas carrying the fuel into working cylinders of the engine, e.g. air-injection type the gas being compressed air, e.g. compressed in pumps the air being extracted from working cylinders of the engine
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Fuel-Injection Apparatus (AREA)
Abstract
A compressed gas supply for internal combustion fuel engine injectors comprises one-way valves 20 in the combustion chambers 12 of the engine for bleeding a small proportion of the charge compressed in the combustion chambers into a plenum chamber 30. A capillary tube 32 communicates at one end with the plenum chamber 30 and has at its other end an outlet 38 from which gases can be supplied at a pressure substantially lower than the pressure within the plenum chamber, the capillary tube 32 acting as an engine temperature dependent flow regulator. <IMAGE>
Description
COMPRESSED GAS SUPPLY
The present invention relates to a compressed gas supply system for an internal combustion engine which may be used for example for an air-assisted or an air-driven fuel injector.
Air-assisted and air driven fuel injectors have been proposed to produce a finely atomised spray of fuel.
However, such injectors require a source of compressed gas.
Previously, mechanically driven compressors were used for this purpose but apart from their additional cost such compressors set a lower limit on the idling speed because the air used for atomisation bypassed the intake throttle.
To mitigate the foregoing disadvantages, a compressed gas supply for an internal combustion engine has been proposed that comprises a one-way valve in at least one of the combustion chambers of the engine for bleeding a small proportion of the compressed charge into a plenum chamber and a pressure regulating valve for drawing gas at a lower pressure from the plenum chamber.
In the latter proposal, it is desirable to provide a regulating valve that can allow for the temperature of the engine. One should draw a greater mass of gas during cold starts and warming up of the engine to improve atomisation.
However, when the engine is warm, a lesser mass of gas is sufficient to achieve good mixture preparation and continuing to extract gas at the same rate as during cold operation would be wasteful of energy. The provision of a regulating valve that can vary with engine temperature in this way adds to the complexity and the cost of the regulating valve.
According to the present invention, there is provided a compressed gas supply for an internal combustion engine, comprising a one-way valve in at least one of the combustion chambers of the engine for bleeding a small proportion of the charge compressed in the combustion chamber into a plenum chamber and a capillary tube communicating at one end with the plenum chamber and having at its other end an outlet from which gases can be supplied at a pressure substantially lower than the pressure within the plenum chamber, the capillary tube acting as a temperature dependent flow regulator.
The invention therefore is based on the use of a capillary tube to regulate the pressure drawn from the plenum chamber, which is at a pressure substantially equal to the peak pressure in the combustion chambers. Such a means of dropping the pressure from typically 2000 psi to between 15 and 75 psi, has the advantage of not using any moving parts and automatically permitting higher gas flow rates when the engine is cold because the viscosity of the gases flowing through the cold capillary tube is lower.
To maintain the capillary at the same temperature as the engine, it can be heated by the water jacket of the engine but the same effect can be achieved by forming the plenum chamber within the body of the engine and housing the capillary tube within the plenum chamber.
There is always a pressure drop across a tube that depends on the diameter of the tube, its length and the viscosity of the fluid flowing through it. One can achieve the same pressure drop either by reducing the diameter or extending the length of the tube. In the present invention, a wide range of tube lengths and diameters can achieve the desired effect but other factors place limits on these dimensions.
In particular, a very narrow tube could easily be blocked and it would be difficult to calibrate the tube to give identical flow for different engines, taking into account the inevitable manufacturing tolerances. A very long and relatively wide tube on the other hand is difficult to package within the engine.
To meet these conflicting requirements, it is desirable to form the capillary tube as a coil thereby permitting a long tube of sufficient diameter to be wrapped into the space available within the plenum chamber.
The tube may be of uniform diameter throughout its length but alternatively it is possible for it to be stepped to permit a gradual transition towards the end connected to the supply outlet.
The invention will now be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, which is a section through en engine formed with a compressed gas supply of the invention.
In the drawing, a cylinder head 10 having four combustion chambers 12 is formed with a long gallery 30 that constitutes a plenum chamber. The gallery 30 is connected to each of the four combustion chambers by a respective small bore drilling 24 having at its end within the combustion chamber a countersunk recess for receiving a one-way valve 20. Each one-way valve comprises a ball 22 held in place by a cap that is press fitted into the countersunk recess. The cap has a small communication hole that is sealed off by the ball 22 to isolate the combustion chamber 12 from the plenum chamber 30 when the pressure in the plenum chamber is the higher. The ball 22 is however unseated by the pressure of the combustion chamber to permit gas flow through the communication hole into the plenum chamber 30 when the pressure in the combustion chamber is the higher.In this way the pressure within the plenum chamber 30 is maintained at or near the peak pressure in the combustion chambers 12 by bleeding off just enough gases to compensate for the flow taken from the plenum chamber 30.
The plenum chamber 30 is closed to the atmosphere by a nut40 through which passes an outlet 38 of a long tube 36, the tube diameter is stepped along its length being formed by a coiled capillary 32 at its inner end and having an intermediate portion 34. Because the capillary 32 is coiled, it can be of a very substantial length and its diameter may therefore be sufficiently large to avoid the risk of it being blocked by impurities in the gases drawn from the combustion chambers.
In operation, gases are drawn from the outlet 38 and supplied to the fuel injectors of an air-assisted or an air-driven fuel injection system. The rate at which gases can be drawn will vary with the viscosity of the gases flowing through the capillary tube 32. The viscosity itself depends on the temperature of the capillary tube 32 which is substantially the same as the engine temperature because of its being housed within the body of the engine. The capillary tube 32 thus acts as an automatic temperature dependent regulator that has no moving parts.
The described construction has many advantages in terms of easy construction and assembly in the techniques used in manufacture need not differ from the manner in which oil galleries and water coolant passages are formed in a conventional engine. Additionally the regulator can be readily extracted for servicing or cleaning.
When the gases drawn from the compressed gas supply of the present invention are used in an air-assisted fuel injection system, they offer the advantage of providing an internal recirculating loop downstream of the intake throttle that does not interfere with the breathing of the engine. For this reason higher flow rates can be used without affecting the engine idling speed.
Claims (8)
1. A compressed gas supply for an internal combustion engine, comprising a one-way valve in at least one of the combustion chambers of the engine for bleeding a small proportion of the charge compressed in the combustion chamber into a plenum chamber and a capillary tube communicating at one end with the plenum chamber and having at its other end an outlet from which gases can be supplied at a pressure substantially lower than the pressure within the plenum chamber, the capillary tube acting as a temperature dependent flow regulator.
2. A compressed gas supply as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plenum chamber is formed within the body of the engine and the capillary tube is housed within the plenum chamber.
3. A compressed gas supply as claimed in claim 2, wherein the capillary tube is wound into a compact coil.
4. A compressed gas supply as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the capillary tube is stepped to permit a gradual transition towards its end at the supply outlet.
5. A compressed gas supply as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the plenum chamber is connected to each combustion chamber of the engine by a drilling having a countersunk recess at its end within the combustion chamber into which recess a one-way valve is press fitted.
6. A compressed gas supply as claimed in claim 5, wherein the one-way valve comprises a ball and a cap for retaining the ball within the countersunk recess, the cap having a communication hole that is sealed off by the ball when the pressure in the plenum chamber is greater than the pressure in the combustion chamber.
7. An air-assisted or air-driven fuel injection system for an internal combustion engine incorporating a compressed gas supply as claimed in any preceding claim.
8. A compressed gas supply constructed, arranged and adapted to operate substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
Priority Applications (5)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
GB9404497A GB2287507A (en) | 1994-03-09 | 1994-03-09 | I.c.engine compressed gas supply |
EP95909027A EP0749527B1 (en) | 1994-03-09 | 1995-02-22 | Compressed gas supply |
US08/714,073 US5666928A (en) | 1994-03-09 | 1995-02-22 | Compressed gas supply |
PCT/GB1995/000366 WO1995024553A1 (en) | 1994-03-09 | 1995-02-22 | Compressed gas supply |
DE69501396T DE69501396T2 (en) | 1994-03-09 | 1995-02-22 | COMPRESSED GAS SUPPLY |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
GB9404497A GB2287507A (en) | 1994-03-09 | 1994-03-09 | I.c.engine compressed gas supply |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
GB9404497D0 GB9404497D0 (en) | 1994-04-20 |
GB2287507A true GB2287507A (en) | 1995-09-20 |
Family
ID=10751503
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
GB9404497A Withdrawn GB2287507A (en) | 1994-03-09 | 1994-03-09 | I.c.engine compressed gas supply |
Country Status (5)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US5666928A (en) |
EP (1) | EP0749527B1 (en) |
DE (1) | DE69501396T2 (en) |
GB (1) | GB2287507A (en) |
WO (1) | WO1995024553A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20030012985A1 (en) | 1998-08-03 | 2003-01-16 | Mcalister Roy E. | Pressure energy conversion systems |
CA2798870C (en) | 2012-12-17 | 2014-07-22 | Westport Power Inc. | Air-enriched gaseous fuel direct injection for an internal combustion engine |
US9255560B2 (en) * | 2013-03-15 | 2016-02-09 | Mcalister Technologies, Llc | Regenerative intensifier and associated systems and methods |
WO2014144581A1 (en) | 2013-03-15 | 2014-09-18 | Mcalister Technologies, Llc | Internal combustion engine and associated systems and methods |
Citations (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB2093113A (en) * | 1980-12-22 | 1982-08-25 | Komatsu Mfg Co Ltd | Fuel injection nozzle |
GB2195707A (en) * | 1986-09-23 | 1988-04-13 | Orbital Eng Pty | I.c. engine fuel injection by gas under pressure |
EP0315328A1 (en) * | 1987-11-05 | 1989-05-10 | General Motors Corporation | Pneumatic direct cylinder fuel injection system |
US4944277A (en) * | 1989-03-03 | 1990-07-31 | Outboard Marine Corporation | Cylinder entrapment system with an air spring |
Family Cites Families (10)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB196352A (en) * | 1922-01-18 | 1923-04-18 | Louis Auguste Charles | Fuel injection apparatus for internal combustion engines |
US1788578A (en) * | 1926-02-15 | 1931-01-13 | Hugh C Lord | Means for forming explosive mixtures |
US1921510A (en) * | 1929-08-05 | 1933-08-08 | Wasmundt Wladimir De | Two-stroke cycle internal combustion engine |
US2057164A (en) * | 1932-12-20 | 1936-10-13 | Hugh M Rockwell | Internal combustion engine |
DE833736C (en) * | 1950-06-01 | 1952-03-10 | Daimler Benz Ag | Fuel injection using compressed air |
JPS57143158A (en) * | 1981-03-02 | 1982-09-04 | Toyota Motor Corp | Electronically controlled fuel injection apparatus for internal combustion engine |
DE3321813A1 (en) * | 1983-06-16 | 1984-10-11 | Daimler-Benz Ag, 7000 Stuttgart | Fuel injection system for a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine with an atomising nozzle composed of mixture and liquid nozzle |
FR2575523B1 (en) * | 1984-12-28 | 1989-04-07 | Inst Francais Du Petrole | DEVICE AND METHOD FOR INJECTING FUEL ASSISTED BY COMPRESSED AIR OR GAS IN AN ENGINE |
CA1306394C (en) * | 1987-04-15 | 1992-08-18 | Peter William Ragg | Direct fuel injection systems |
US5390647A (en) * | 1993-06-21 | 1995-02-21 | Ford Motor Company | Air charging valve for an air forced fuel injector |
-
1994
- 1994-03-09 GB GB9404497A patent/GB2287507A/en not_active Withdrawn
-
1995
- 1995-02-22 WO PCT/GB1995/000366 patent/WO1995024553A1/en active IP Right Grant
- 1995-02-22 EP EP95909027A patent/EP0749527B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1995-02-22 DE DE69501396T patent/DE69501396T2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 1995-02-22 US US08/714,073 patent/US5666928A/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
Patent Citations (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB2093113A (en) * | 1980-12-22 | 1982-08-25 | Komatsu Mfg Co Ltd | Fuel injection nozzle |
GB2195707A (en) * | 1986-09-23 | 1988-04-13 | Orbital Eng Pty | I.c. engine fuel injection by gas under pressure |
EP0315328A1 (en) * | 1987-11-05 | 1989-05-10 | General Motors Corporation | Pneumatic direct cylinder fuel injection system |
US4944277A (en) * | 1989-03-03 | 1990-07-31 | Outboard Marine Corporation | Cylinder entrapment system with an air spring |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
EP0749527A1 (en) | 1996-12-27 |
GB9404497D0 (en) | 1994-04-20 |
EP0749527B1 (en) | 1998-01-07 |
DE69501396T2 (en) | 1998-04-16 |
WO1995024553A1 (en) | 1995-09-14 |
US5666928A (en) | 1997-09-16 |
DE69501396D1 (en) | 1998-02-12 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
CA1308615C (en) | Fuel injection systems for internal combustion engines | |
US5069189A (en) | Fuel injector system for internal combustion engine | |
CA1151481A (en) | Fuel primer and enrichment system for an internal combustion engine | |
US4771754A (en) | Pneumatic direct cylinder fuel injection system | |
US4545354A (en) | Fuel injection valve | |
JPH01503554A (en) | Fuel injection system for multi-cylinder internal combustion engines | |
RU2105161C1 (en) | Lubricating oil delivery control method and device for metered out delivery of oil | |
US4159012A (en) | Diaphragm type carburetor for a two-stroke cycle engine | |
US4625688A (en) | Fuel supplying system for internal combustion engine | |
US6186117B1 (en) | Electronic compensation system | |
EP0749527B1 (en) | Compressed gas supply | |
SU980633A3 (en) | Fuel injection device | |
US4660516A (en) | Fuel primer and enrichment system for an internal combustion engine | |
US5609137A (en) | Fuel injection apparatus for a two-stroke internal combustion engine | |
JPH0146709B2 (en) | ||
US4472326A (en) | Variable venturi-type carburetor | |
US5161372A (en) | Exhaust gas cooling valve | |
US4003358A (en) | Control system for controlling an air-fuel mixture in internal combustion engine | |
US1466085A (en) | Internal-combustion engine | |
US5131375A (en) | Fuel injection type engine | |
US5700402A (en) | Crankcase fuel injection system for two-cycle internal combustion engines | |
WO1996012095A3 (en) | Single point fuel injection system | |
FR2485628A1 (en) | DIESEL ENGINE WITH VAPORIZED FUEL INJECTION | |
JPH05202832A (en) | Internal combustion engine | |
JPS63500324A (en) | Method and fuel injection device for controlling fuel distribution in a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
WAP | Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1) |