KR102019278B1 - Multi-fuel systems for internal combustion engines - Google Patents

Abstract

In a multi-fuel system for a diesel engine, natural gas is mixed with the diesel fuel and conditioned in the mixing chamber before being injected into the combustion chamber of the engine. Computerized controllers are used to determine and control the ratio of diesel fuel and natural gas fuel, the mixing and conditioning of these fuels, and the supply of filtered blow-by gas.

Description

Multi-fuel systems for internal combustion engines

The present invention relates generally to fuel systems for internal combustion engines. More specifically, the present invention relates to a multi fuel system for an internal combustion engine using both diesel and natural gas.

There are an estimated 300 million vehicles on US roads. Every day the average American drives almost an hour by car. In addition, about 70% of goods shipped from the United States travel in commercial vehicles. Clearly, cars are an integral part of everyday life in the United States. The same is true in most countries around the world. The world's dependence on cars creates a similar dependency on the fuel sources that power these cars. Most vehicles on the road today are fueled with gasoline or diesel fuel. Most commercial vehicles are fueled by diesel fuel.

Dependence on fossil fuels causes many problems. Diesel fuel prices fluctuate daily, but there is a clear upward trend in fuel prices. There is no indication that these fuel prices will fall in the near future. The air pollution problem inherent in the operation of gasoline fuel and diesel fuel internal combustion engines is well known. Such air pollutants include carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter, ozone, sulfur dioxide and lead. All of these pollutants are known to cause ozone decay and acid rain in the environment, as well as various human health problems. Many people speculate that air pollution is the gradual and irreversible cause of global warming.

For this reason, various emission control devices are currently in use and may be required by federal regulations to reduce the amount of pollutants released into the atmosphere by internal combustion engines. These emissions control devices meet various air quality standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), including the Clean Air Act. Each state also has its own environmental protection regulations and methods of enforcement. The California's Air Resources Board (CARB) is the strictest regulatory body in the country for pollution. The emission standards set by CARB are stricter than the federal EPA requirements, particularly with regard to smog hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxide emissions. Sixteen other states have adopted or are adopting California's stringent emission standards.

However, the exhaust gas control device may remove only a part of the pollutants and degrade over time. In addition, the exhaust gas control device also prevents the engine from operating at maximum efficiency. In addition, these exhaust gas control devices are somewhat limited in their ability to remove contaminants and significantly increase the cost of automobiles.

In addition, exhaust or combustion of the blow-by gas contributes to the exhaust gas. In diesel engines, oil is used to lubricate the crankshaft and connecting rod bearings. The crankcase is mainly filled with air and oil. Intake manifolds accept and mix fuel and air from separate sources. The fuel / air mixture in the intake manifold is sucked into the combustion chamber and compressed and ignited by the spark plug in the combustion chamber or by the movement of the piston shaft. The piston ring disposed around the outer diameter of the piston in the piston cylinder is intended to seal unburned and combusted fuel and air injected into the combustion chamber from the crankcase, but the piston ring cannot completely seal the piston cylinder. The waste gas thus enters the crankcase, which is generally referred to as a "blow-by" gas.

Blow by gas consists mainly of contaminants such as hydrocarbons (unburned fuel), carbon dioxide and / or water vapor, all of which are harmful to the engine crankcase. The capture of blow-by gas in the crankcase allows contaminants to condense and accumulate over time in the engine crankcase. Condensed contaminants form sludge and corrosive acids inside the crankcase. This reduces the ability of the engine oil in the crankcase to lubricate the cylinder and the crankshaft. Degraded oils that fail to properly lubricate crankshaft components can be a factor in engine wear and failure as well as engine performance degradation.

A crankcase ventilation system has been developed for evacuating blow-by gas from positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) valves to an intake manifold that is recirculated. However, such blow-by gas removed from the crankcase often contains a relatively high level of lubricating oil and the like, which enters the air intake manifold and thus enters the combustion chamber to increase the contamination generated by the vehicle.

This issue is particularly a problem for diesel engines because they burn much diesel fuel that is much oilier and heavier than gasoline. Thus, the blow by gas produced by the crankcase of the diesel engine is much oilier and heavier than gasoline blow by gas. Of course, the combustion of diesel blow-by-gas causes greater pollution concerns.

Recently, a vast amount of natural gas has been discovered in the United States. Natural gas is also used as fuel for internal combustion engines. Natural gas can emit less combustion pollutants and reduce engine operating costs without complicated exhaust control devices. The use of natural gas is expected to reduce global fossil fuel consumption.

Due to the limited distribution of natural gas retail suppliers for vehicles in the current transportation infrastructure, it is impractical to produce vehicles fueled solely with gaseous fuels such as natural gas due to range limitations. Instead, it is more practical to supplement the vehicle with both liquid fuel, such as diesel fuel, and gaseous fuel, such as natural gas.

Therefore, there is a continuing need for a system capable of burning not only diesel fuel but also diesel fuel mixed with natural gas to reduce exhaust gas of diesel combustion engines. In order to reduce the complexity and cost of the system and to retrofit existing diesel engines, there is a need for a system that does so with as few modifications as possible to existing fuel intake systems and configurations. There is also a need for a system that filters the blow-by gas of the diesel engine crankcase to reduce the environmental impact of the blow-by gas entering the combustion chamber while maintaining a clean and filtered lubricant in the crankcase. The present invention fulfills this need and provides other related advantages.

The present invention relates to a multi-fuel engine system. The multi-fuel engine system starts with a diesel engine having a diesel tank fluidly connected to the combustion chamber by a first supply line. The diesel engine may comprise a fuel injector rail and a fuel injector extending into the combustion chamber, in which case the first supply line is fluidly connected to the combustion chamber via the fuel injector rail and the fuel injector. The fuel injector is responsive to the microcontroller described below.

The engine preferably has a plurality of combustion chambers corresponding to any number of the plurality of pistons in the engine. In addition to the plurality of pistons and combustion chambers, the engine may also include a plurality of fuel injectors extending from the fuel injector rails to each combustion chamber.

The system also has a fuel injector rail and a natural gas tank fluidly connected to the combustion chamber by a second supply line that can pass through the fuel injector if present. The natural gas tank is preferably made of puncture resistant material or carbon fiber. The natural gas tank and the second supply line are preferably pressurized.

The system also has a mixing chamber arranged to connect with the first and second supply lines, the mixing chamber mixing diesel fuel from the diesel tank with natural gas from the natural gas tank to form a multi-fuel mixture before the combustion chamber. . The microcontroller is connected to sensors that monitor the operating characteristics of diesel engines, in particular engine temperature, battery charge, engine RPM, acceleration rate, exhaust characteristics or PCV valve position.

The mixing chamber reacts to the microcontroller to selectively control the formation of the multi-fuel mixture. The mixing chamber preferably processes the multi-fuel mixture by expansion, aeration, pressurization, heating or cooling performed in response to a signal from the microcontroller. The mixing chamber preferably mixes diesel fuel and natural gas in a ratio of 1: 1 in pure diesel, and also in response to a signal from the microcontroller.

The diesel tank preferably comprises a diesel level sensor wirelessly connected to the microcontroller. The natural gas tank also preferably has a natural gas level sensor wirelessly connected to the microcontroller. The microcontroller is configured to selectively regulate the formation of the multi-fuel mixture in response to signals from the diesel level sensor and the natural gas level sensor. The microcontroller is preferably configured to increase diesel fuel in the mixing chamber in response to increased torque, increased load or increased altitude of the engine. The increased torque, increased load or increased altitude of the engine are determined by analyzing the operating characteristics of the diesel engine by sensors.

The system preferably includes a blow-by-gas system comprising a PCV valve arranged to connect with a recirculation line extending from the crankcase of the diesel engine to the mixing chamber. The blow by gas system further includes an oil filter in the recirculation line between the crankcase and the PCV valve.

The system may also include a display device wirelessly connected to the microcontroller, the diesel level sensor and the natural gas level sensor. The display device may be configured to display the level of diesel fuel in the diesel tank, the level of natural gas in the natural gas tank, and the ratio of diesel fuel to natural gas in the multi-fuel mixture in the mixing chamber. The display device may be a smartphone or a monitor mounted on a manifold board. The display device can be configured to receive user input and send control signals to the microcontroller. The control signal can manually adjust the formation of the multi fuel mixture. User input may be received by touch screen, button or voice recognition.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate by way of example the principles of the invention.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the present invention. In the drawing:
1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle having a multi-fuel system of the present invention.
2 is a schematic diagram of an engine including a multi-fuel system of the present invention.
3 is a schematic diagram of a fuel injector rail and a fuel injector of a multi-fuel system of the present invention.
4 is a schematic diagram of a multi-fuel system of the present invention.
5 is a schematic diagram of a multi-fuel system of the present invention having a microcontroller operatively connected to multiple sensors and a PCV valve.
6 is a schematic diagram of the general functionality of the multi-fuel system of the present invention.
7 is an elevational view of the blow-by filter showing the arrangement of the intake, exhaust and oil discharge ports.
FIG. 8 is an enlarged side view of the area indicated by the circle 8 of FIG. 7 showing the closed upper end of the canister of the blow-by filter.
FIG. 9 is an enlarged exploded view taken from the circle 9 of FIG. 7 showing the bottom of the canister of the blow-by filter.
10 is a cut away side view of a blow-by filter showing a filtering assembly with multiple layers of metal mesh of different gauges.
11 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a multi-fuel system of the present invention.

As shown in the accompanying drawings, for purposes of illustration, the present invention is present in dual diesel and natural gas systems for diesel combustion engines. According to one embodiment of the invention, the diesel engine system is converted to a multi-fuel engine operating on a combination of diesel fuel and natural gas fuel. In a preferred embodiment, the multi-fuel system operates on diesel as the first fuel and natural gas as the second fuel is combined with diesel to reduce the exhaust gas. The system of the present invention also allows a user to fuel much less than it would cost to fuel a standard diesel engine, potentially causing a dramatic increase in engine efficiency.

According to the invention, existing diesel engines can be retrofitted with as little modification as possible to standard diesel engines. For example, the only additions required for a standard diesel engine are tanks for natural gas and fuel lines, mixing chambers for mixing fuel, microcontrollers, and PCV valves and blow-by-gas filters in one embodiment. Calibrated fuel injectors can be used, but these are not needed and no further changes are required to the actual engine.

Referring to FIG. 1, a dual fuel system is generally referred to herein by reference numeral 10. The vehicle 12 is shown with an engine 14, a fuel injector rail 24 and four fuel injectors 26. In general, fuel injection systems have replaced the old carburetor systems. The carburetor supplies fuel to the engine based on the intake, and the fuel injection system supplies fuel via direct injection spray. The amount of fuel injected into the combustion chamber of the engine can correspond to the amount of air entering the engine, so that the fuel injection system makes the engine much more efficient.

In general, fuel injection systems operate with only one type of fuel. The dual fuel system of the present invention functions with standard diesel as well as natural gas fuels. The dual fuel system 10 can be retrofitted into an existing vehicle or installed in a new vehicle at a factory. The vehicle 12 shown in FIG. 1 is merely illustrative and illustrative. It will be appreciated that the system 10 of the present invention may be used in a variety of vehicles and may also be used with a diesel engine that is not actually part of the vehicle.

The system 10 of the present invention requires a separate natural gas tank 18 as well as a standard diesel tank 16. The natural gas tank 18 may be made of carbon fiber or of other materials that are puncture resistant and capable of carrying the material under pressure.

Typically, the vehicle is mounted such that the natural gas tank 18 is mounted in a sufficiently large space of the vehicle, the undercarriage of the vehicle 12, or in another location suitable so that the tank 18 does not impair the safety and functionality of the vehicle 12. Is improved.

2, a partial cross-sectional view and schematic view of a typical engine is shown. As the intake cam shaft 42 is pulled up, air is received into the combustion chamber 38 through the intake manifold 30. This creates the vacuum needed to inhale the air. When the intake cam shaft 42 is lowered, fuel is injected into the combustion chamber 38 by the fuel injector 26. The fuel injector 26 basically acts as a nebulizer so that the fuel is easily ignited by a glow plug 40 as the piston 32 is lifted by the crankshaft 36 and compresses the fuel to the ignition point. To generate a fine spray. The resulting combustion presses the piston 32 into the crankcase 34 and in turn rotates the crankshaft 36. At this point, the exhaust camshaft 44 is pulled through the exhaust manifold 46 to create the vacuum necessary to exhaust the combustion chamber 38.

The fuel injector 26 is provided by the fuel supply line 50 from the expansion and mixing chamber 20 from which the diesel fuel 52 from the tank 16 and / or the natural gas 54 from the tank 18 is supplied. . Typically, the engine will operate on either diesel fuel from supply line 52 alone or a combination of diesel fuel from line 52 and natural gas from line 54.

A hose or fuel supply line 28 interconnects the diesel and natural gas tanks 16, 18 with the mixing and expansion chamber 20. Referring to FIG. 3, the diesel fuel supply from the tank 16 is shown with its supply line 52 connected to the mixing and expansion chamber 20. Similarly, natural gas supply tank 18 is shown with supply line 54 connected to mixing and expansion chamber 20. In the expansion and mixing chamber 20, the fuel is vented and conditioned as needed for proper mixing and use. The proportion of each fuel supplied can vary depending on engine parameters. The fuel may be heated or cooled in the mixing chamber 20. The mixed and conditioned fuel is sent via line 50 directly to an engine, such as the illustrated fuel injector rail 24 having a hole 56 leading to the fuel injector 26 itself. The electronic control unit (ECU) 58 informs the fuel injector 26 of the fuel injection timing and the fuel injection amount. The ECU 58 is typically part of the computer control system of the vehicle. It is also contemplated by the present invention that the mixed fuel is delivered to the intake manifold 30 which is mixed with a portion of the air for introduction into the cylinder and combustion chamber 38.

4, a schematic diagram of the system of the present invention is shown. Feeds of diesel fuel 16 and natural gas fuel 18 are fed to expansion and mixing chamber 20. Microcontroller 60 with sensor input is used to determine the ratio of diesel fuel to natural gas fuel at any given time. Conditioning of the mixed fuel, such as aeration, pressurization, heating or cooling, is also controlled by the microcontroller 60. The microcontroller 60 may be a microcontroller separate from the ECU 58, but may also include an ECU 58 or a modified ECU 58.

5, controller 58 and / or 60 have sensor inputs for making these decisions. The sensor may include an engine temperature sensor 62, a battery sensor 64, a PCV valve sensor 66, an engine RPM sensor 68, an accelerometer sensor 70, and an exhaust sensor 72. Other sensors generally found in vehicles and providing data and signals to the ECU 58 may also be used. Indeed, the data from the sensors can be supplied directly to the microcontroller 60 or the ECU 58, and the ECU 58 supplies the data to the microcontroller 60.

As shown in FIG. 11, another embodiment of a system may include wireless features for various components. Each of the diesel fuel supply unit 16 and the natural gas fuel supply unit 18 may include fuel level sensors 16a and 18a. In addition, each fuel supply 16, 18 may include wireless antennas 16b, 18b configured to convey information obtained by fuel level sensors 16a, 18a. Fuel level sensors 16a and 18a may communicate information to a dash-mounted monitor or display device, such as smartphone 116. The purpose of this wireless configuration is to allow aftermarket installation of the system so that there is no need to wire directly to the engine or OEM system of the vehicle.

The microcontroller 60 may also include an antenna 60a that enables wireless communication. Microcontroller 60 wirelessly receives fuel level information from sensors 16a and 18a and uses that information to determine diesel fuel for natural gas fuel introduced into mixing chamber 20 based on each remaining amount. You can control the rate. The monitor or smartphone 116 mounted on the instrument panel also receives a manual input, such as a touch screen, a button or similar input device, to provide a control signal to manually control the ratio of diesel fuel to natural gas in the mixing chamber 20. It can transmit to the microcontroller 60. The instrument panel mounted monitor or smartphone 116 may be equipped with an application that provides a graphical user interface that allows manual control of the fuel ratio. The same app can also be programmed to respond to voice commands to control the change in fuel ratio without requiring physical manipulation.

The system may also use engine sensors 62-72 to detect engine conditions such as increased torque, increased load or increased altitude. In this case, the microcontroller 60 can adjust the ratio of diesel fuel and natural gas fuel to be a more advantageous mixture. These engine conditions benefit from higher amounts of diesel fuel in the mixture. The system may be configured to automatically switch fuel ratios based on detection of one or more of increased torque, increased load, and / or increased altitude.

Referring again to FIG. 3, it will be appreciated that the present invention contemplates the use of a unique fuel injector rail 24 designed to supply the combined and mixed diesel and natural gas fuel to the combustion chamber of the engine's cylinder. In this case, it is still contemplated that a single fuel injector 26 will be used in each combustion chamber of each cylinder of the engine to supply the already premixed fuel feed. It is also contemplated by the present invention to use existing fuel intake and injection systems to change the engine as little as possible to minimize the complexity and cost of retrofitting the vehicle or engine of the engine.

4 and 5, in a particularly preferred embodiment, the PCV valve 74 controlled by the microcontroller 60 is drawn from the engine crankcase 34 and blown off of the blow-by gas supplied to the engine for combustion. Adjust the flow This can be done, for example, by adjusting the engine vacuum in the combustion engine via digital control of the PCV valve 74. Data obtained from the sensors 62-72 by the controller 58 and / or 60 can be used to regulate the PCV valve 74 as well as the oil filter 76.

As shown in FIG. 4, the filter 76 is used to filter the blow-by gas, return the filtered oil to the crankcase 34 of the engine 14, and expand to combine with diesel and / or natural gas fuel. The filtered pure blow by gas is fed to the PCV valve 74 for combustion in the engine, such as by introducing filtered blow by gas into the chamber 20. 11 shows a PCV valve 74 that includes an antenna 74a. The state (opening and closing) of the PCV valve 74 can be wirelessly monitored by the microcontroller 60 by this antenna 74a. The microcontroller 60 may also wirelessly control the state of the PCV valve 74 based on the sensed state of the engine 14.

The oil filter 76 shown in the drawings herein is filtered by the oil itself to remove contaminants in addition to the conventional oil filter. Instead, this filter 76 is for filtering oil from blow by gas removed from the crankcase. The generally cylindrical filter 76 may be fixed in place or screwed into place as needed. Off-the-shelf may be used with a commercially available separator or oil filter or the uniquely designed filter 76 shown and described herein. Although oil from the oil can be removed so that the oil returned to the crankcase is filtered and has better efficacy and longevity, a particularly important concern in the present invention is to avoid oil or contaminants into the combustion chamber from blow-by gas. It is to remove the liquid oil, which will result in increased exhaust gas instead of reduced exhaust gas.

Referring to FIG. 6, there is shown a schematic of the engine 14 and the operation of the blow-by filter 76 with the PCV valve 74. As shown, blow-by filter 76 and PCV valve 74 are recirculation line between crankcase 34 of engine 14 and intake manifold 30 and fuel line 50 of engine 14. It is arranged to be connected with 75. In a diesel engine, the intake manifold 30 receives a mixture of fuel and air via fuel line 50 and air line 78. Fuel line 50 also provides fuel for direct injection into combustion chamber 38. In a gasoline engine, the fuel line 50 does not directly inject fuel into the combustion chamber 38, and the fuel line 50 is connected only to the intake manifold 30. The air filter 80 receives fresh air 82 delivered to the piston cylinder and combustion chamber 38 through the intake manifold 30 as the piston 32 descends from top dead center within the cylinder 84. Accept. As the piston 32 descends downward in the cylinder 84, a vacuum is created in the combustion chamber 38. Thus, the intake cam shaft 42 that rotates at a speed timed with the crankshaft 36 is designed to open the input valve 88 to apply engine vacuum to the intake manifold 30. Thus, air is sucked into the combustion chamber 38 from the intake manifold 30.

Once the piston 32 is at the bottom of the piston cylinder, the vacuum effect is over and air is no longer drawn from the intake manifold 30 into the combustion chamber 38. At this point, the piston 32 begins to move over the piston cylinder 84 again, and the air in the combustion chamber 38 is compressed. In a diesel engine, fuel is injected directly from the fuel line 50 into the combustion chamber 38. Such injection may be further assisted by more compressed air from the compressed air line 90. Compressed air line 90 is not present in the gasoline engine. When air and fuel in the combustion chamber 38 are compressed, the fuel is ignited and heated until it is combusted.

Rapid expansion of the fuel / air ignited in the combustion chamber 38 causes the piston 36 to move downward in the cylinder 84. After combustion, the exhaust cam shaft 44 opens the exhaust valve 92 to exhaust combustion gas from the combustion chamber 38 out of the exhaust manifold 46.

Typically, during the combustion cycle, excess gas is slipped by a pair of piston rings 94 mounted to the head 96 of the piston 32. These "blow by gas" enter the crankcase 34 as high pressure and hot gas. Over time, harmful exhaust gases such as hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide can condense from the gaseous state to coat the interior of the crankcase 34 and to lubricate the mechanism within the crankcase 34. 95). As noted above, the PCV valve 74 is designed to recycle these blow-by gases from the crankcase 34 to be reburned by the engine 14. This is accomplished by using a pressure difference between the crankcase 34 and the intake manifold 30. This process can be digitally adjusted by the microcontroller.

The PCV valve 74 includes a unidirectional check valve (not shown) that opens to allow blow-by gas to pass through the valve 74 when the vacuum between the intake manifold 30 and the crankcase 34 is sufficiently strong. Include. With the check valve open, the blow-by gas passes through the PCV valve 74 and is recycled through the intake manifold 30. The check valve can also be controlled by a microcontroller to increase fuel efficiency.

Blow by gas is not pure fuel vapor. Rather, when unignited fuel is drawn into the crankcase 34 past the piston ring 94, fuel vapor is mixed with oil 95 to lubricate the mechanism in the crankcase 34. Over time, harmful exhaust gases such as hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide can condense out of the gaseous state and mix with oil 95 and fuel vapors. Therefore, the blow-by gas produced contains harmful impurities and is not suitable for reburn in the engine. In diesel engines, blow-by gas is much more oily because diesel fuel contains more oil than gasoline. The oily, sluggy blow-by gas is not only suitable for reburn, but also hardens the PCV valve 74, making it impossible to recycle the blow-by gas at all.

Thus, the present invention includes a filter 76 for removing impurities from the blow by gas before the blow by gas enters the PCV valve 74. Blow-by filter 76 is also sent back into crankcase 34 by return line 77 for further use of filtered engine oil 95. In one embodiment, a check valve is used to return oil into the crankcase. This prevents untreated oil from entering the oil drain port of the filter 76. A sensor can be used to detect if filter 76 is full, and the purification system can be used to rely on the OEM. Warning systems, including alarms and LED lights, can be used to inform the operator of such situations.

Blow-by filter 76 is shown in particular in FIGS. 7-10. In FIG. 7, the blow by filter 76 is shown in a side view. Blow-by filter 76 includes canister 98 having a closed top or lid 100 and a bottom 102. Canister 98 may be made of metal, plastic, or any other material or composite suitable for use in high temperature, high pressure operation. The closed top 100 of the canister 98 includes a blow by intake port 104 and a fuel vapor discharge port 106. The blow-by intake port 104 receives blow-by gas into the canister 98. As shown in FIG. 6, fuel vapor discharge port 106 discharges purified blow-by gas from the interior of canister 98 to PCV valve 74.

As shown in FIG. 7, the closed top 100 of canister 98 is generally not removable from canister 98. However, the bottom portion 102 of the canister 98 includes a removable cover 108 with a clamp 110. The removable cover 108 includes an oil drain port 112 that allows the purified oil 95 to be drained back to the crankcase 34 of the engine 14. 8 and 9 are enlarged views of regions " 8 " and " 9 " in FIG. 7, showing the top 100 and bottom 102 of oil filter canister 98. FIG. Referring to FIG. 9, the oil discharge port 112 may be offset from the center of the removable cover 108 to ascertain the angle of the blow-by filter 76 when mounted relative to the vehicle 12. The removable cover 108 provides easy access to the interior of the canister 98, so that the contents of the canister 98 can be easily cleaned and replaced.

Referring to FIG. 10, a blow-by filter 76 is shown in a cutaway side view. Here, the filtering assembly 114 is shown in detail. The filtering assembly 114 includes multiple layers of metal mesh 86 of different gauges. This metal mesh 86 layer is loaded into the canister 98 through the open end of the canister after removing the cover 108. The metal mesh 86 layer can be the same type of metal or a different type of metal. Types of metals that may be used include, but are not limited to, steel, stainless steel, aluminum, copper, brass, bronze, and the like.

In operation, unfiltered blow by gas is received by the blow by intake port 104 of the closed top 100 of the canister 98. Blow by gas begins to circulate through the layer of metal mesh 86 in canister 98. Different contaminants and impurities are captured in each layer of the metal mesh 86 depending on the gauge of the mesh and the type of metal. Larger contaminants are filtered by the larger gauge of the metal mesh 86. Smaller contaminants and impurities are filtered by the finer gauge of metal mesh 86. Likewise, some impurities may be trapped in certain types of metals. As the blow-by gas passes through the filtering assembly 114, contaminants and impurities are captured leaving behind two major byproducts: the cleaned engine oil 95 and the purified fuel vapors. The cleaned engine oil 95 eventually collects at the bottom 102 of the canister 98, where it is discharged back to the crankcase 34 of the engine 14 through the oil discharge port 112. The purified fuel vapor is discharged through the fuel vapor discharge port 106 in the closed top 100 of the canister 98 and delivered to the PCV valve 74 for recirculation through the intake manifold 30 or the engine 14. Is added to the diesel and / or natural gas fuel mixture in the expansion chamber before it is introduced into the combustion chamber 38.

When the filtering assembly 114 requires periodic cleaning and maintenance, the filtering assembly 114 is removed from the canister 98 by unlocking the clamp 110 and removing the cover 108 from the bottom of the canister 98. It can be easily removed from. Blow by oil filter 76 may include a seal gasket or the like for seal between canister 98 and removable cover 108 as needed to prevent leakage of oil and other contaminants. I will understand. The present invention contemplates that priming may be involved when exchanging the oil separator / filter element of the filtering assembly 114.

The computerized controller 60 monitors the filtering process of the blow by gas and the PCV valve 74, and the purified blow by gas passes through the PCV valve 74 to fuel line 50, the expansion and mixing chamber 20. Alternatively, it can be used to control whether and how much to pass directly to the air intake manifold 30 or the air line 78. As a result, the filtered blow-by gas provides a much cleaner gas that produces less undesirable exhaust gases.

While various embodiments have been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not limited except as by the appended claims.

Claims (29)

A diesel engine having a diesel tank fluidly connected to the combustion chamber by a first supply line;
A natural gas tank fluidly connected to the combustion chamber by a second supply line;
A mixing chamber arranged to be connected with the first and second supply lines, wherein the diesel fuel from the diesel tank is combined with the natural gas from the natural gas tank to form a multi-fuel mixture before the combustion chamber;
A microcontroller connected to the mixing chamber and a sensor for monitoring the operating characteristics of the diesel engine, the microcontroller having an amount of diesel fuel entering the mixing chamber from the first supply line to form the multi-fuel mixture; Selectively adjust the amount of natural gas entering the mixing chamber from the second supply line;
A diesel level sensor in the diesel tank wirelessly connected to the microcontroller, and a natural gas level sensor in the natural gas tank wirelessly connected to the microcontroller, the microcontroller from the diesel level sensor and the natural gas level sensor And selectively adjust the formation of the multi-fuel mixture in response to a signal of; And
And a blow-by-gas system including a PCV valve disposed to be connected to a recirculation line extending from the crankcase of the diesel engine to the mixing chamber.
The microcontroller is configured to increase the amount of diesel fuel entering the mixing chamber from the first supply line in response to increasing torque, increasing load or increasing altitude of the engine,
The increased torque, the increased load or the increased altitude of the engine are determined by analysis of the operating characteristics of the diesel engine by the sensor. delete delete The method of claim 1,
In response to a signal from the microcontroller, diesel fuel is combined with natural gas in the mixing chamber in a ratio of 1: 1 in pure diesel. The method of claim 1,
And the natural gas tank comprises a puncture resistant material or carbon fiber. The method of claim 1,
The natural gas tank and the second supply line are pressurized. The method of claim 1,
The operating characteristic monitored by the sensor includes engine temperature, battery charge, engine RPM, acceleration rate, exhaust characteristic and / or PCV valve position. The method of claim 1,
And said recirculation line of said blow by gas system further comprises an oil filter between said crankcase and said PCV valve. The method according to any one of claims 1 and 4 to 8,
Further comprising a fuel injector rail on the diesel engine and a fuel injector extending from the fuel injector rail to the combustion chamber,
And the fuel injector is responsive to the microcontroller. The method of claim 1,
And a display device wirelessly connected to the microcontroller, the diesel level sensor and the natural gas level sensor.
The display device is configured to display a level of diesel fuel in the diesel tank, a level of natural gas in the natural gas tank, and a ratio of diesel fuel to natural gas in the multi-fuel mixture in the mixing chamber. Multi fuel engine system. The method of claim 10,
The display device is a multi-fuel engine system, characterized in that it comprises a smart phone or dashboard mounted monitor. The method of claim 10,
And the display device is configured to receive a user input and send a control signal to the microcontroller to manually adjust the formation of the multi-fuel mixture. The method of claim 12,
And the display device is configured to receive a user input by touch screen, button or voice recognition. A multi-fuel engine system according to claim 1,
A diesel engine having a diesel tank fluidly connected to the combustion chamber by a first supply line;
A natural gas tank fluidly connected to the combustion chamber by a second supply line;
A mixing chamber arranged to be connected with the first and second supply lines—the diesel fuel from the diesel tank is combined in a ratio of 1: 1 in pure gas and natural gas from the natural gas tank before the combustion chamber Forming a multi-fuel mixture in which the multi-fuel mixture is treated by aeration, heating or cooling in the mixing chamber;
A blow-by-gas system comprising a PCV valve disposed to be connected to a recirculation line extending from the crankcase of the diesel engine to the mixing chamber;
A microcontroller connected to the mixing chamber and a sensor for monitoring the operating characteristics of the diesel engine, the microcontroller having an amount of diesel fuel entering the mixing chamber from the first supply line to form the multi-fuel mixture; Selectively adjust the amount of natural gas entering the mixing chamber from the second supply line, the mixing chamber responsive to the microcontroller to process the multi-fuel mixture;
A diesel level sensor in the diesel tank wirelessly connected to the microcontroller, and a natural gas level sensor in the natural gas tank wirelessly connected to the microcontroller, the microcontroller from the diesel level sensor and the natural gas level sensor And selectively adjust the formation of the multi-fuel mixture in response to a signal of; And
A display device wirelessly connected to the microcontroller, diesel level sensor and natural gas level sensor, the display device comprising: a level of diesel fuel in the diesel tank, a level of natural gas in the natural gas tank, and the multi in the mixing chamber. To indicate the ratio of diesel fuel to natural gas in the fuel mixture;
Containing
Multi fuel engine system. The method of claim 14,
And the natural gas tank comprises a puncture resistant material or carbon fiber. The method of claim 14,
The natural gas tank and the second supply line are pressurized. The method of claim 14,
The operating characteristic monitored by the sensor includes engine temperature, battery charge, engine RPM, acceleration rate, exhaust characteristic and / or PCV valve position. The method of claim 14,
And said recirculation line of said blow by gas system further comprises an oil filter between said crankcase and said PCV valve. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 18,
Further comprising a fuel injector rail on the diesel engine and a fuel injector extending from the fuel injector rail to the combustion chamber,
And the fuel injector is responsive to the microcontroller. The method of claim 14,
The display device is a multi-fuel engine system, characterized in that it comprises a smart phone or dashboard mounted monitor. The method of claim 14,
And the display device is configured to receive a user input and send a control signal to the microcontroller to manually adjust the formation of the multi-fuel mixture. The method of claim 21,
And the display device is configured to receive a user input by touch screen, button or voice recognition. A multi-fuel engine system according to claim 1,
A diesel engine having a fuel injector rail, a fuel injector extending from the fuel injector rail into the combustion chamber, and a diesel tank fluidly connected to the combustion chamber by a first supply line through the fuel injector rail and the fuel injector;
A natural gas tank fluidly connected to the combustion chamber by a second supply line;
A mixing chamber arranged to be connected with the first and second supply lines—the diesel fuel from the diesel tank is combined in a ratio of 1: 1 in pure gas and natural gas from the natural gas tank before the combustion chamber To form a multi-fuel mixture;
A microcontroller coupled to a sensor for monitoring operating characteristics of the mixing chamber, the fuel injector and the diesel engine, the microcontroller entering a mixing chamber from the first supply line to form the multi-fuel mixture Selectively adjusting the amount of fuel and the amount of natural gas entering the mixing chamber from the second supply line, the fuel injector responsive to the microcontroller to add the multi-fuel mixture to the combustion chamber;
A diesel level sensor in the diesel tank wirelessly connected to the microcontroller, and a natural gas level sensor in the natural gas tank wirelessly connected to the microcontroller, the microcontroller from the diesel level sensor and the natural gas level sensor And selectively adjust the formation of the multi-fuel mixture in response to a signal of; And
A blow-by-gas system comprising a PCV valve disposed to be connected to a recirculation line extending from the crankcase of the diesel engine to the mixing chamber.
Containing
Multi fuel engine system. The method of claim 23, wherein
The natural gas tank comprises a puncture resistant material or carbon fiber, and the natural gas tank and the second supply line are pressurized. The method of claim 23, wherein
The operating characteristic monitored by the sensor includes engine temperature, battery charge, engine RPM, acceleration rate, exhaust characteristic and / or PCV valve position. The method of claim 23, wherein
And a display device wirelessly connected to the microcontroller, the diesel level sensor and the natural gas level sensor.
The display device is configured to display a level of diesel fuel in the diesel tank, a level of natural gas in the natural gas tank, and a ratio of diesel fuel to natural gas in the multi-fuel mixture in the mixing chamber. Multi fuel engine system. The method of claim 26,
The display device is a multi-fuel engine system, characterized in that it comprises a smart phone or dashboard mounted monitor. The method of claim 26,
And the display device is configured to receive a user input and send a control signal to the microcontroller to manually adjust the formation of the multi-fuel mixture. The method of claim 28,
And the display device is configured to receive a user input by touch screen, button or voice recognition.

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