RU2544401C2 - Adaptive control system for fuel injectors and igniters - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: engines and pumps.

SUBSTANCE: invention can be used in ICE control and fuel feed systems. Proposed are system and methods of ICE adjustment on the basis of monitored conditions inside engine combustion chamber (pressure or light emission). In some cases, this system monitors the areas inside combustion chamber to identify or define satisfactory condition to apply ionising voltage to fuel injector so that combustion is initiated during said satisfactory condition. In some cases, this system monitors the conditions in said combustion chamber to define is monitored conditions indicates the need in adjustment of combustion parameter to regulate ionisation level in said combustion chamber.

EFFECT: simplified control, expanded range of used fuels, lower fuel consumption and level of harmful emission.

20 cl, 2 tbl, 9 dwg

Description

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

The following disclosure generally relates to integrated fuel injectors and ignitors and related components for storage, injection and ignition of various fuels.

BACKGROUND

Gasoline engines are usually designed in such a way as to save production costs, as a result of which intentional design imperfections and losses are allowed in terms of the control method and the need to control (restrict) the air supply to the engine and from the point of view of the production of homogeneous air-fuel mixtures that are delivered to the combustion chambers. Gasoline engines operate at design operating speeds, or design revolutions per minute, and in the design torque range with stoichiometric air / fuel proportions to form a homogeneous mixture that can be ignited by a spark anywhere in the combustion chamber. The power produced is controlled by adjusting the flow rate to reduce air intake and correspondingly reduce (limit) the amount of fuel added. In modern engines, which provide some reduction in toxic emissions, fuel is proportional in response to the amount of vacuum in the intake system so that a homogeneous composition with excess air or “lack of fuel” relative to the stoichiometric air / fuel ratio for complete combustion is provided.

Most engines using a uniform composition are operated with an adjustable restriction (restraint) of air intake into the intake system and with electronically controlled fuel injectors that supply fuel to each place or to each intake pipe, where the intake valve controlled by a mechanical cam is located. Therefore, it is the inlet valve controlled by a mechanical cam that provides the final schedule of the entrance to each combustion chamber of the resulting homogeneous air-fuel mixture.

At idle (the lowest number of revolutions per minute supported) and during engine deceleration, which produce the highest vacuum conditions at the inlet, approximately 14.7 mass parts of air are mixed with slightly less than one mass part of the fuel (or approximately 14.7 : 1) to form a homogeneous composition with the least amount of released energy during combustion. When accelerating and moving to a higher number of revolutions per minute, more air is supplied into the intake system and more fuel can be added to maintain approximately a 14.7: 1 ratio of air / fuel in a uniform composition that is supplied to maintain power or switch to a higher power.

Maintaining vacuum in the engine intake system requires significant power, which can be taken from the output power that the engine can provide. In all operating modes, including idling, moving at the same speed and acceleration, significant engine power is spent on spurious losses, including the power required to maintain vacuum at the inlet.

Diesel engines do not inhibit the entry of air into the combustion chambers, which provides the advantage of eliminating the loss of output power that is required to maintain the vacuum of the intake system. Air / fuel ratios for diesel engines at full load are between 17: 1 and 29: 1. At idle or in the absence of load, this ratio can exceed 145: 1. Inside the combustion chamber of a direct-injection diesel engine, the local air / fuel ratios vary. Since diesel fuel injection is designed to deliver liquid fuel in the form of jets or drops, it may not be possible initially to uniformly mix the fuel with air.

Ignition and sustained combustion can only occur after “atomization”, in which high-speed jets of liquid fuel droplets evaporate by introducing additional hot air to break up large molecules into smaller components that can be oxidized to release enough heat to produce a continuous chain reaction.

Injection of diesel fuel under high pressure results in better atomization to reduce the amount of fuel that does not end the oxidation process and as a result allows various pollutants, including visible smoke particles, to exit the combustion chamber. Recent progress has provided increased fuel injection pressures, which generate more heat in the pump system and require more power to be taken from the engine output to meet the needs for fuel transfer and fuel recirculation to cool the high pressure fuel delivery circuits.

The characteristics of the combustion of diesel fuel as a result of evaporation and chemical crushing of droplets in heated air under pressure are a function of variables, such as: compression ratio, barometric pressure, boost pressure, temperature of the air entering the combustion chamber, temperature of compressed air after heat loss to the piston, cylinder and head, injection start schedule, injection pressure, size, number and orientation of injection holes, duration of injection, injector flow curve, etc.

These specific values of the degree of compression, barometric pressure, boost pressure, air temperature at the beginning of compression and the temperature of the compressed air after heat loss to the components of the piston, cylinder and cylinder head, an electronic schedule of the beginning of direct injection of diesel fuel can be adjusted to meet the torque or load requirements on the engine. In high-speed diesel engines for cars, optimized injection at start-up, idle, or no external load occurs between about 2 ° of the crankshaft before top dead center and 4 ° after top dead center in some cases to provide faster starting.

During part-load, the start of diesel supply can occur between approximately 8 ° before top dead center and 4 ° after top dead center. Due to the considerable time of "diesel delay" required for the evaporation and crushing of droplets of diesel fuel and depending on the temperature and pressure of the air, which, in turn, depend on the speed and degree of compression, as well as due to the resulting heat loss on the components of the piston, cylinder and cylinder heads, the start time of diesel injection should be rescheduled. To produce maximum torque for full load, the start of diesel injection can start 8-16 ° ahead of top dead center, and the duration of combustion at maximum fuel supply varies between approximately 40 ° and 70 ° of crankshaft rotation.

Initiating diesel fuel injection too early during the compression stroke causes significant combustion when the piston still rises, reducing the production of effective torque and reducing thermal efficiency due to large heat losses on the components of the piston, cylinder and cylinder head. This leads to increased fuel consumption and engine maintenance. However, this mode of operation can be intentionally provided to increase the heat supply to catalytic reactors and other downstream equipment. A sharp increase in cylinder pressure during compression also increases bearing and ring wear and engine noise. For comparison, if the start of diesel injection is too late, the effective torque also decreases, and incomplete combustion occurs with an increase in the emission of unburned hydrocarbons.

In more popular engines using a uniform composition, with the injection of gasoline through the fuel channel, the amount of fuel injected is directly proportional to the degree of air containment and the time during which the injector is open or open. For comparison, a modern diesel injector will more narrowly vary the mass flow rate of diesel fuel as a function of the difference between the injection pressure and the pressure of the combustion chamber, the density of the fuel, which depends on temperature, and the dynamic compressibility of the fuel.

In order to operate with the variables mentioned above and in attempts to reduce problematic emissions, electronically controlled and operated diesel fuel injectors can provide multiple injection periods for various compromises and purposes, which include the following.

The first injection is of short duration to reduce the rate of increase of the combustion pressure, which can reduce the noise of the combustion and to some extent reduce the production of nitrogen oxides (NOx) during the tough operation of the diesel engine, in which combustion takes place with a rapid increase in pressure.

The second injection of the majority of the delivered fuel, carried out further, to ensure the main phase of the injection.

The third injection, which can be added in an attempt to introduce less used air to reduce soot emissions by initiating afterburning to destroy otherwise rapidly cooling hydrocarbons that did not completely burn out as a result of the first and second injection.

The fourth injection, carried out later for a period of up to 180 ° crankshaft rotation, to provide late post-injection, which serves to reheat without generating power, in particular, to activate accumulative NOx catalytic converters and / or to sufficiently increase the average temperature of the exhaust gas for “burning out” "Collected hydrocarbon particles in a process called" regeneration "in a ceramic particle filter.

Typical amounts of injected diesel fuel range from about 1 cubic millimeter for a first injection or pre-injection to about 50 cubic millimeters for a full load. The injection time is 1-2 milliseconds.

Most automotive diesel engines use a common fuel delivery line to deliver each diesel injector. This provides a separation of the functions of fuel compression and fuel injection, and therefore a system with a common discharge pipe is usually able to supply fuel with a wider range of injection schedules and pressure values than previous systems with combined mechanical compression and schedule selection operations.

The high pressure pump compresses the fuel for delivery via a common discharge line. The main control of the fuel injection pipe and the pressure control valve maintain the fuel pressure at the level set by the electronic control unit (ECU). The pressure of the common discharge pipe, which is maintained, serves each injector. An electronic computer (ECU) receives input from sensors about fuel pressure, engine speed, camshaft position, gas pedal displacement, boost pressure, intake air temperature and engine coolant temperature. Depending on the application, additional sensors can report vehicle speed, exhaust temperature, oxygen concentration in the exhaust, catalytic backpressure and backpressure of the particulate trap.

In many cases, diesel engines with a common discharge pipe still require glow plugs to preheat the air so that they can start in cold weather. In addition to controlling the glow plugs, the additional functions of the ECU are the adjustment of the boost pressure created by a mechanical supercharger or a turbocharger driven by exhaust gases, the degree of exhaust gas recirculation and, in some engines, adjustable inlet flaps to induce a swirl or otherwise impulse the intake air stream.

High pressure pumps deliver diesel at approximately 1,600 bar (23,500 psi) through a common discharge pipe system. Such pumps are driven by a crankshaft and in many cases have a radial piston design. The components of these very high pressure pumps are lubricated by carefully filtered diesel fuel. A typical pump requires the motor to deliver up to approximately 4 kW of usable output.

Fuel pressure is usually controlled by a solenoid valve, in which the valve opening varies by pulse-width modulation at a frequency of 1 kHz. While the pressure control valve is not activated, the internal spring maintains a fuel pressure of approximately 100 bar (1,500 psi). While the valve is activated, the force exerted by the electromagnetic plunger helps the spring, reducing the useful opening of the valve to increase the pressure of the delivered fuel. Fuel pressure control valves can also act as a mechanical pressure damper to reduce the high frequency fluctuations in fuel pressure generated by the pump.

Two approaches to reducing diesel engine emissions are popular: exhaust gas recirculation and the addition of urea in the exhaust system to provide hydrogen-induced reduction of nitrogen oxides that were produced by the combustion chamber.

Exhaust gas recirculation delivers a portion of the exhaust gas to be mixed with a dose of intake air to reduce exhaust nitrogen oxides. This reduces the concentration and availability of oxygen in the combustion chamber, the peak temperature of combustion and the temperature of the exhaust gas. It also significantly reduces engine volumetric efficiency. The recycle rate can reach 50% during parts of the working environment.

Recirculation causes many of the same trade-offs of efficiency that air containment produces when an engine using a uniform composition is used.

Oxidizing catalytic converters of unburned fuel are used to reduce emissions of hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide by reacting components of unburned fuel with oxygen, which is preheated from the combustion chamber. Unburned fuel components such as carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons that exit through the exhaust valve of the combustion chamber oxidize to form water and carbon dioxide. To quickly reach its operating temperature, this type of catalytic converter is installed near the engine.

Storage catalytic converters are also used to eliminate nitrogen oxides that are produced during the combustion process. This type of reactor destroys NOx by increasing the exposure time by storing them (nitrogen oxides) for periods of 30 seconds to several minutes. Nitrogen oxides combine with metal oxides on the surface of the NOx storage tank to form nitrates when the air / fuel ratio represents a fuel shortage with fuel burning with excess oxygen.

However, such NOx storage is only short-term, and when nitrogen oxides block access to additional nitrogen oxides, the “polarized” catalytic converter must be completely updated by the process of releasing and converting the stored NOx into diatomic nitrogen and oxygen molecules. Such a complete upgrade requires the engine to run on a rich mixture for a short period. By way of explanation, the engine should run on a rich fuel mixture with an air / fuel ratio of approximately 13.8: 1 for a time sufficient to allow newly arriving NOx to temporarily combine with metal oxides on the surfaces of the NOx storage.

Determining when a full update should occur, and then determining when it has been sufficiently completed, is a complex task and there is a chance of false signals. One approach is to use a model that derives and calculates the amount of nitrogen oxides stored based on the temperature of the catalytic converter. Another approach is the special NOx sensor located downstream of the storage catalytic converter to detect the loss of efficiency of metal oxides in the storage unit. A sufficient complete update is determined either by a model-based approach or by an oxygen sensor located downstream of the catalyst bed. A change in the signal from a high oxygen content to a low oxygen content may indicate approaching the end of a full update operation.

In order to ensure that the NOx storage catalytic system operates efficiently from cold start or lightly loaded engine mode, an electric resistive heater is often provided to heat the exhaust gas. This creates another spurious loss of power and increases the fuel consumption of the engine to generate electricity, store it in the battery and dissipate the stored energy in a way that does not ensure efficient engine operation. In addition, this is another product requiring expensive maintenance.

Another type of parasitic loss and operating cost relates to the use of a reducing agent, such as liquefied urea, for treating exhaust with the aim of reducing NOx in the exhaust gases of a diesel engine. In this approach, a reducing agent, such as a urea liquid solution, is added to the exhaust in relatively small amounts. The hydrolyzing catalytic converter dissociates urea into ammonia, which releases hydrogen to react with NOx to form nitrogen and water. This system can be effective enough to reduce NOx emissions, so that air / fuel ratios that are lower than normal can be used, which can result in increased fuel economy, which offsets part of the urea feed system and operating costs. The urea tank is equipped with means for signaling the need for refilling when necessary to ensure the reduction of nitrogen oxides in the exhaust.

These and other limitations exist in the operation of gasoline and diesel engines.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional side view of an injector / igniter configured in accordance with some embodiments.

2 shows a side view of a system configured according to some embodiments.

3A-3D illustrate several representative layered fuel injection schemes that can be injected by injectors configured according to some embodiments.

4 is a block diagram illustrating a suitable system for adaptive ionization control according to some embodiments.

5 is a block diagram illustrating an adaptive control system according to some embodiments.

6 shows a longitudinal sectional view of an adaptively controlled injector / igniter according to one embodiment.

FIG. 7 shows an end view of an adaptively controlled injector / ignitor of FIG. 6 configured in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a flowchart for burning fuel inside a combustion chamber according to some embodiments.

9 is a flowchart illustrating a flowchart for adjusting the degree of ionization within a combustion chamber according to some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following documents are fully incorporated by reference into this application:

US Patent Application No. 12/841170, filed July 21, 2010, entitled "INTEGRATED FUEL INJECTORS AND IGNITORS AND APPROPRIATE USES AND MANUFACTURING METHODS",

U.S. Patent Application No. 12/804510, filed July 21, 2010, titled “DRIVING ASSEMBLIES OF A FUEL INJECTOR AND APPROPRIATE METHODS FOR USE AND MANUFACTURE”,

US Patent Application Serial No. 12/841146, filed July 21, 2010, entitled “IGNITORS OF AN INTEGRATED FUEL INJECTOR WITH CONDUCTOR CABLE BLOCKS”,

US Patent Application No. 12/841149, filed July 21, 2010, entitled "FORMING A FUEL DOSE IN A COMBUSTION CAMERA WITH MULTIPLE DRIVE MECHANISMS AND / OR IONIZATION CONTROL",

application for US patent No. 12/841135, filed July 21, 2010 and entitled "CERAMIC INSULATOR AND METHODS OF ITS USE AND MANUFACTURE",

US Patent Application No. 12/804509, filed July 21, 2010, entitled "METHOD AND SYSTEM OF THERMOCHEMICAL REGENERATION FOR PROVIDING OXYGEN-CONTAINING FUEL, FOR EXAMPLE, IN COOLED FUEL, FUEL INJECTORS"

application for US patent No. 12/804508, filed July 21, 2010 and titled "METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR REDUCING THE FORMATION OF NITROGEN OXIDES DURING BURNING IN ENGINES",

US Patent Application No. 12/581825, filed October 19, 2009 and entitled "SYSTEM FOR STORAGE, DOSING AND IGNITION OF MULTIPLE FUELS",

US Patent Application No. 12/653085, filed December 7, 2009, entitled "INTEGRATED FUEL INJECTORS AND IGNITORS AND APPROPRIATE METHODS FOR USE AND MANUFACTURE",

Application for US patent No. 12/006774 (for which US patent No. 7628137 was obtained), filed January 7, 2008 and entitled "SYSTEM FOR STORAGE, DOSING AND IGNITION OF MULTI FUELS",

PCT Application No. PCT / US09 / 67044, filed December 7, 2009 and entitled "INTEGRATED FUEL INJECTORS AND IGNITORS AND APPROPRIATE METHODS FOR USE AND MANUFACTURE",

provisional application for US patent No. 61/237425, filed August 27, 2009 and titled "PRODUCTION OF OXYGEN-CONTAINING FUEL",

provisional application for US patent No. 61/237466, filed August 27, 2009 and called "SPRAYER OF SEVERAL FUEL SPECIES",

provisional application for US patent No. 61/237479, filed August 27, 2009 and titled "ENERGY FULL SPECTRUM",

provisional application for US patent No. 61/304403, filed February 13, 2010 and entitled "ENERGY OF THE FULL SPECTRUM AND RESOURCE INDEPENDENCE", and

provisional application for US patent No. 61/312100, filed March 9, 2010 and titled "SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROTECTING HIGH VOLTAGE HIGH VOLTAGE, FOR EXAMPLE, FOR USE WITH A FUEL INJECTOR."

This application is incorporated in its entirety by reference to a US patent application filed simultaneously with this application on October 27, 2010 and entitled “INTEGRATED FUEL INJECTORS / IGNITORS SUITABLE FOR LARGE ENGINES AND APPLICABLE USES FOR APPLICATION OF APPLICATIONS AND APPLICATIONS 8039US) and “FUEL INJECTOR SUITABLE FOR INJECTION OF SEVERAL DIFFERENT FUELS INSIDE THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER” (number assigned by patent attorney 69545-8054US).

GENERAL REPRESENTATION

The present disclosure describes devices, systems and methods for burning fuel inside a combustion chamber. The disclosure also describes devices, systems, and methods for controlling ionization within a combustion chamber, as well as corresponding systems, assemblies, components, and methods. For example, several embodiments described below are directed to adaptively controlling ionization within a combustion chamber based on various conditions inside the combustion chamber and / or based on various conditions in areas near or near the injector / igniter inside the combustion chamber. Certain details are set forth in the following description and FIGS. 1-9 to provide a thorough understanding of various embodiments. However, other details describing well-known structures and systems, often related to internal combustion engines, injectors, ignitors, and / or other aspects of fuel combustion systems, are not set forth below to avoid overly complicating the description of various embodiments. Thus, it must be understood that the details set forth below are provided to describe the following embodiments in such a way that is sufficient to enable a person skilled in the art to make and use the disclosed embodiments. The details and advantages described below, however, may not be necessary for the practical implementation of certain implementation options.

Many of the details, sizes, angles, shapes, and other features shown in the figures are merely features of specific embodiments of the disclosure. Accordingly, other embodiments may have other details, dimensions, angles, and features without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. In addition, those skilled in the art should understand that other embodiments of the disclosure may be practiced without some of the details described below.

The reference in this document to "one implementation option" or "implementation option" means that the specific feature, structure or characteristic described in relation to this implementation option is included in at least one implementation option. Thus, the use of the expressions “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places in this document does not necessarily mean that they all refer to the same embodiment. Further, specific features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more other embodiments. The headings provided herein are for convenience only and do not interpret the scope or meaning of the disclosure disclosed.

SUITABLE SYSTEMS AND COMPONENTS

Figure 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional side view of an integrated injector / ignitor 110 (“injector" 110) configured in accordance with one embodiment. The injector 110 shown in FIG. 1 is configured to inject various fuels into the combustion chamber 104, adaptively adjust the circuit and / or frequency of fuel injections or injections based on the combustion parameters and conditions in the combustion chamber 104, and also with the ability to be controlled by an adaptive control system and / or receive commands from an adaptive control system that controls ionization within the combustion chamber 104. Injector 110 can optimize fuel injection for quick ignition and complete combustion. In addition to fuel injection, injector 110 includes at least one integrated flammable element that is configured to ignite the injected fuel. As such, the injector 110 can be used to convert standard internal combustion engines so that they are able to work with several types of different fuels. Although several of the features of the illustrated injector 110 are shown schematically for purposes of illustration, several of these schematically shown features are described in detail below with reference to various features of the embodiments. Accordingly, the position, size, orientation, etc. the schematically illustrated components of the injector of FIG. 1 are not intended to limit the present disclosure. In addition, further details regarding suitable injectors can be found in US Patent Application No. 12/653085, filed December 7, 2009, and entitled “INTEGRATED FUEL INJECTORS AND IGNITORS, AND APPROPRIATE METHODS FOR USE AND USE WHEREOF”, in this document in full.

In the illustrated embodiment, the injector 110 includes a housing 112 having a middle portion 116 extending between the base portion 114 and the exhaust portion 118. The exhaust portion 118 passes at least partially through the passage in the cylinder head 107 so as to fit the exhaust end portion 119 part 118 at the border with the combustion chamber 104. The injector 110 also includes a passage or channel 123 passing through the housing 112 from the base portion 114 to the exhaust portion 118. The channel 123 is configured to allow fuel to flow through the housing 112. The channel 123 is also configured to allow other components, such as driving means 122, pass through the housing 112 along with the measuring components and / or energy converting and energy supplying components of the injector 110. In some embodiments, the drive means 122 may be a cable or rzhen which has a first end portion which is operatively connected to the feed regulating device 120 or supply valve 120, which is carried or end portion 119 of the outlet portion 118. As such, the supply valve 120 is located near the boundary with the combustion chamber 104. Although not shown in FIG. 1, in some embodiments, the injector 110 may include more than one supply valve as well as at least one check valve located near the combustion chamber 104 and elsewhere in the housing 112.

According to yet another feature of the illustrated embodiment, the driving means 122 also includes a second end portion operably connected to the drive 124. The second end portion may also be connected to a controller or processor 126. As described in detail with reference to various embodiments, the controller 126 and / or the actuator 124 is configured to quickly and accurately drive the driving means 122 for injecting fuel into the combustion chamber 104 through the supply valve 120. For example, in some embodiments, the supply valve 120 may move outward (e.g., to the combustion chamber 104), and in other embodiments, the supply valve 120 may move inward (e.g., from the combustion chamber 104) to dispense fuel and control fuel injection. In addition, in some embodiments, the actuator 124 can stretch the drive means 122 to hold the supply valve 120 in a closed or pressed position, and the drive 124 can release the drive means 122 to allow the fuel valve 120 to inject fuel, and vice versa. The actuator 124 may be driven by a controller, as well as other force generating components (e.g., acoustic, electromagnetic, and / or piezoelectric components) to provide the desired frequency and injection pattern of the injected fuel.

In some embodiments, the driving means 122 may include at least one measuring and / or transmitting component for determining parameters and conditions of the combustion chamber. For example, the driving means 122 may be formed from fiber optic cables, insulated transducers integrated inside the rod or cable, or may include other sensors for detecting and transmitting data from the combustion chamber. Although not shown in FIG. 1, in other embodiments and as described in detail below, the injector 110 may include other sensors or monitoring means located at various places on the injector 110. For example, the housing 112 may include optical fibers integrated within the material of the housing 112, or housing material 112 itself may be used to transmit combustion data to at least one controller. In addition, the supply valve 120 may be configured to act as a sensor or carry sensors in order to transmit combustion data to one or more controllers related to the injector 110. This data may be transmitted by wireless, wired, optical or other means. communication. Such feedback allows extremely fast and adaptive adjustments to optimize factors and characteristics of fuel injection, including, for example, fuel pressure, fuel injection initiation schedule, fuel injection duration for multilayer or layered doses, single, multiple or continuous plasma ignition or capacitor discharges, etc.

Such feedback and adaptive adjustment by the controller 126, drive 124, and / or drive means 122 also provide the ability to optimize output parameters such as power output, fuel economy, and minimizing or eliminating polluting emissions including nitrogen oxides. U.S. Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006/0238068, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety, describes suitable drives for driving ultrasonic transducers in injector 110 and other injectors described herein.

The injector 110 may also include control ignition and delivery of the device, or a cover 121 (shown or shown by dashed lines in FIG. 1), which or which is supported by the end portion 119 near the passage 107. The cover 121 at least partially closes or surrounds the supply valve 120 . Cover 121 may also be configured to protect certain components of injector 110, such as sensors or other monitoring components. Cover 121 may also act as a flammable catalyst, a catalyst carrier, a thermally insulated heat-retaining thermal stimulator for igniting a fuel, and / or a first electrode for igniting an injected fuel. In addition, cap 121 may be configured to influence the shape, pattern, and / or phase of the injected fuel. The supply valve 120 may also be configured to influence these properties of the injected fuel. For example, in some embodiments, cap 121 and / or supply valve 120 may be configured to rapidly gasify fuel flowing through these components. In particular, the cover 121 and / or the supply valve 120 may include surfaces having sharp edges, catalysts or other features that produce gas or steam from a rapidly entering liquid fuel or a mixture of liquid fuel and solid fuel. The acceleration and / or frequency of driving the supply valve 120 can also gasify the injected fuel quickly. During operation, this rapid gasification forces the steam or gas discharged from the exhaust portion 118 to burn out more quickly and more fully. In addition, such fast gasification can be used in various combinations with the overheating of liquid fuels and plasma or acoustic shocks of propagating fuel inlets. In other embodiments, the frequency of movement of the supply valve 120 may induce plasma propagation to advantageously affect the shape and / or pattern of the injected fuel. US patent application No. 672636 (US patent 4122816), the mention of which means its full inclusion in this document, describes suitable actuators for initiating the propagation of plasma using the injector 110 and other injectors described herein.

According to yet another aspect of the illustrated embodiment, and as described in detail below, at least a portion of the housing 112 is made of at least one dielectric material 117 suitable to allow high-energy ignition to burn various fuels, including raw fuels or low specific energy fuels. These dielectric materials 117 may provide sufficient high voltage electrical insulation to produce, isolate and / or deliver a spark or plasma for ignition. In some embodiments, the housing 112 may be made of one dielectric material 117. In other embodiments, however, the housing 112 may include at least two dielectric materials. For example, at least a segment of the middle portion 116 may be made of a first dielectric material having a first dielectric strength, and at least a segment of the outlet portion 118 may be made of a dielectric material having a second dielectric strength that is greater than the first dielectric strength. With a relatively high second dielectric strength, the second dielectric material can protect the injector 110 from thermal and mechanical damage, spoilage, electrical tracking, etc. Examples of suitable dielectric materials as well as arrangements of these materials on the housing 112 are described in detail below.

In addition to dielectric materials, injector 110 may also be connected to a source of electricity or high voltage so as to generate an ignition act for the combustion of the injected fuels. The first electrode may be connected to a power source (for example, a voltage generating and / or voltage multiplying source, such as a capacitive-discharge, inductive or piezoelectric system) via at least one conductor passing through the injector 110. The area of the outlet 118, valve 120 filing and / or cover 121 can act as a first electrode to generate an ignition event (e.g., ignition by spark, plasma, compression, high-energy capacitive discharge, extended induction actively produced by a spark and / or direct current plasma or high-frequency plasma in combination with the application of ultrasound for the fast induction, implementation and completion of combustion) with the corresponding second electrode of the cylinder head 107. As described in detail below, the first electrode can be configured for reliability and long life. In other embodiments, the injector 110 may be configured to allow energy conversion from the combustion chamber and / or use of heat or energy waste through thermochemical regeneration to drive at least one component of the injector 110 from energy from the combustion events.

2 is a side view illustrating operating conditions of a portion of an internal combustion system 200 having a fuel injector 210 configured in accordance with some embodiments. In the depicted embodiment, the schematically shown injector 210 is only a pictorial illustration of an injector type that is configured to inject and ignite various fuels into the combustion chamber 202 of the internal combustion engine 204. As shown in FIG. 2, a combustion chamber 202 is formed between a head containing an injector 210 and valves movable by the piston 201 and the inner surface of the cylinder 203. In other embodiments, however, the injector 210 may be used in other operating conditions with other types combustion chambers and / or energy-transmitting devices, including various paddle, axial and radial piston expanders, as well as many types of rotary combustion engines. As described in more detail below, the injector 210 includes several features that not only allow the injection and ignition of various fuels into the combustion chamber 202, but also allow the injector 210 to adaptively inject and ignite these different fuels in accordance with various conditions or requirements of combustion and / or adaptively modifying ionization levels inside the combustion chamber 202. For example, injector 210 includes at least one insulating material that is configured to provide high energy ignition for burning various types of fuel, including raw fuels or low specific energy fuels. These insulating materials are also configured to withstand the aggressive conditions required for the combustion of various types of fuel, including, for example, high voltage, fatigue loads, impacts, oxidation and corrosion damage.

According to another aspect of the illustrated embodiment, the injector 210 may also include means for determining various properties of the combustion processes in the combustion chamber 202 (for example, properties of fuel penetration into the air, ignition, combustion process, combustion chamber 202, engine 204, etc.). In response to these defined conditions, the injector 210 can adaptively optimize fuel injection and ignition characteristics, modify ionization levels, etc., in order to provide increased fuel efficiency and power output, reduce noise, engine knock, heat loss and / or vibration to increase the life of the engine and / or vehicle. In addition, the injector 210 also includes propulsion components for injecting fuel into the combustion chamber 202 to provide certain flow or jet circuits 205, as well as a specific phase of the injected fuel. For example, the injector 210 may include at least one valve located near the boundary of the combustion chamber 202. The driving components of injector 210 provide accurate, high-frequency valve operation to control at least the following parameters: fuel injection initiation and completion schedule; frequency and duration of repeated fuel injections; and / or schedule and selection of ignition events.

3A-3D illustrate several fuel injection circuits 305 (individually identified first through fourth circuits 305a-305d) that may be provided with an injector configured in accordance with embodiments. As specialists in this field should understand, the illustrated circuits 305 represent only some implementation options. Accordingly, the present disclosure is not limited to the circuits 305 shown in FIGS. 3A-3D, and in other implementations, injectors may provide surge circuits that are different from the depicted surge circuits 305. Although the circuits 305 shown in FIGS. 3A-3D have different shapes and configurations, these circuits 305 have a common property: they have successive fuel layers 307. The individual layers 307 of the respective circuits 305 provide the advantage of a relatively large ratio of area to volume of injected fuel. These large area-to-volume ratios provide higher rates of combustion of fuel doses, as well as assist in uncoupling and acceleration of complete combustion of fuel doses. Such quick and complete combustion provides several advantages over slower burning of fuel doses. For example, slower burning of fuel doses requires earlier ignition, causes significant heat loss on the surface of the combustion chamber, and produces more resistance or loss of output torque to overcome the early increase in pressure from earlier ignition during the compression cycle of the engine. This prior art combustion is also characterized by polluting emissions (e.g., carbon-rich hydrocarbon particles, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, rapidly cooled and unburned hydrocarbons, etc.), as well as harmful heating and degradation of lubricating films on the cylinder wall, piston, rings, followed by wear of the pistons, rings, cylinder walls, valves and other components of the combustion chamber.

Thus, the systems and injectors of the present disclosure provide the ability to replace standard injectors, heating candles or spark plugs (e.g., diesel fuel injectors, spark plugs for gasoline, etc.) and develop the greatest power with a wide variety of renewable fuels such as hydrogen , methane and various inexpensive fuel alcohols produced from widely available wastewater, household waste, as well as waste from agriculture and livestock. Although these renewable fuels can have about 3,000 times less specific energy compared to refined fossil fuels, the systems and injectors of the present disclosure are capable of injecting and igniting these renewable fuels so that energy is efficiently generated and total greenhouse gas production is significantly reduced or eliminated.

As described herein, in some embodiments, the ionization control system communicates with the injectors in order to control, modify, and / or adjust ionization levels within the combustion chamber. 4 shows a system 400 for adaptive ionization control. System 400 includes an adaptive control system 410 in communication with injector 425 or other components within combustion chamber 420. Other details regarding adaptive control system 410, combustion chamber 420, and injector 425 will be described later.

The systems, devices, components, and modules described herein, such as those shown in FIGS. 4-6, may include software, hardware implemented software, hardware, or any combination (s) of software, hardware implemented software software or hardware suitable for the purposes described herein. The software and other modules may be located on servers, workstations, personal computers, computerized electronic tablets, PDAs (personal digital assistants) and other devices suitable for the purposes described in this document. In other words, the software and other modules described herein may be executed by general purpose computers, for example, a server computer, a wireless device, or a personal computer. Specialists in the relevant field should understand that aspects of the system can be practically implemented with other configurations of a communication, data processing or computing system, including: devices for accessing the Internet, portable devices (including personal digital assistants (PDAs)), portable computers, all kinds of cell or mobile phones, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor or programmable consumer electronics, set-top boxes, networked personal computers, min -Computers, mainframe computers, etc. In fact, the terms "computer", "server", "host", "host system" and the like are generally used interchangeably in this document and refer to any of the above devices and systems, as well as to any data processing device. In addition, aspects of the system can be implemented in a specialized computer or a specialized data processing device that is either specially programmed or programmed, configured or configured, or constructed with the ability to execute one or more executable computers instructions described in detail in this document.

Software and other modules can be accessed through local memory, through a network, through a browser, or through an application in the context of ASP (active server pages) or through other means suitable for the purposes described herein. Examples of the proposed technology may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks or modules are performed by remote processing devices that are connected through a communications network, such as a local area network, a large-scale network, or the Internet. In a distributed computing environment, program modules can be located in both local and remote memory storage devices. The data structures described herein may include machine files, variables, programming arrays, programming structures, or any schemes or methods for storing electronic information or any combination thereof suitable for the purposes described herein. The user interface elements described herein may contain elements from graphical user interfaces, command line interfaces, and other interfaces suitable for the purposes described herein. The screen, the pictures of which are presented and described in this document, can have a different look, as is known in the prior art, and serves to enter, access information, modify, manipulate, modify, transform information and work with it.

Examples of technology can be stored or distributed on computer-readable media, which include magnetic or optical machine-readable disks, hardware-implemented or pre-programmable microcircuits (e.g., electrically erasable programmable semiconductor microcircuits), nanotechnological memory, biological memory, or other storage media. Of course, computer-implemented instructions, data structures, screen displays and other data relevant to system aspects can be distributed on the Internet or other networks (including wireless networks), in a propagating signal in a propagation medium (e.g., electromagnetic wave (s) , sound wave, etc.) for a certain period of time, or they can be provided in any analog or digital network (with packet switching, channel switching or another circuit).

5 is a block diagram illustrating an adaptive control system 410 according to some embodiments. Adaptive control system 410 includes various hardware and / or software modules configured or programmed with the ability to monitor conditions inside the combustion chamber, control the injector inside the combustion chamber, adjust ionization levels inside the combustion chamber, etc.

Adaptive control system 410 includes a monitoring module or component 510 that monitors conditions within the combustion chamber. For example, the monitoring module 510 may monitor the temperature inside the combustion chamber during combustion, the pressure inside the combustion chamber during combustion, or other conditions described herein.

Adaptive control system 410 also includes a determining module or component 520 that determines whether the condition being monitored meets a specific criterion. The determining module 520 may receive information from the monitoring module 510 related to certain conditions inside the combustion chamber, and determine that the conditions meet a predetermined or predetermined criterion corresponding to the desired or undesirable conditions inside the combustion chamber.

In response to information received from the determining module 520, the modifying module or component 530 may modify or control at least one parameter related to the combustion act. For example, modifier module 530 may transmit control information to the injector, instructing the injector to modify the application of ionizing voltage and / or current to the electrodes used to ignite the fuel inside the combustion chamber.

Adaptive control system 410 also includes a storage module or component 540 that stores information, criteria, records, algorithms and / or other information related to adaptive control of ionization levels inside the combustion chamber, as well as other modules 550 or components, such as modules that transmit information to other devices on the network, modules that provide user interaction with the adaptive control system 410 (for example, user interfaces, touch screens, etc.) and other components, which Others provide the operations and methods described herein.

6 illustrates a suitable adaptively controllable injector / igniter 600, such as an injector, which is configured to be controlled by an adaptive control system 410 to effect ionization control and ionization modification within the combustion chamber. FIG. 7 shows an end view of the injector / igniter 600 of FIG. 6. The injector 600 includes various components capable of measuring, monitoring and / or determining conditions inside or near the injector 600. For example, the injector 600 includes a light-transmitting dielectric insulation 672, which provides light-guiding transmission of emitted waves from the combustion chamber to the optoelectronic to the 662P sensor, and transmitting a varying mechanical stress signal corresponding to the pressure of the combustion chamber to the voltage sensor 662D.

The onboard 662 controller receives signals from 662D and 662P sensors to produce analogue or digital signals of fuel delivery and spark ignition to further increase efficiency, power output, smooth operation, fault tolerance, and component life. Controller 662 may record readings or sensor information to determine the time between the development of the torque of each cylinder so as to determine the positive and negative accelerations of the engine as a function of the adaptive fuel injection and spark ignition schedule, and may record dynamic data in order to determine the adjustments necessary to optimize the desired engine performance. Accordingly, the controller 662 can act as a host computer for controlling various options for the operation of the injector, as well as communicating with the adaptive control system 410 and its various modules. Of course, the injector 600 may include other components that receive control data from the adaptive control system 410.

Essentially light transmitting check valve 684 can protect the fiber optic bag or cable 660 below the flow control valve 674. In some cases, check valve 684 can be quickly closed and include a ferromagnetic element placed inside the light transmitting body. Various component geometries may facilitate the operation of check valve 684, for example, a ferromagnetic disk inside a light-transmitting disk or a ferromagnetic ball inside a light-transmitting ball, as shown. During operation, the geometries allow the non-return valve 684 to be magnetically forced to move to a closed position under normal conditions so as to be very close to the valve 674 and the end of the cable 660, as shown. When valve 674 rises to provide fuel, check valve 684 is forced to open position inside the hole that holds it, inside intersecting slots 688, which allows fuel to flow through magnetic valve seat 690 past check valve 684 and through slots 688 to allow fuel to enter inside the air inside the combustion chamber with a very large ratio of area to volume of this fuel. Accordingly, the cable 660 monitors the acts of the combustion chamber by receiving and transmitting emitted waves that pass through the check valve 684. Suitable materials for light-transmitting portions of the check valve 684 include sapphire, quartz, high-temperature polymers, ceramics, and other materials that are light-transmitting for desired wavelengths to be monitored.

In some cases, it may be desirable to produce the highest torque with the least fuel consumption. In places such as traffic-laden streets where nitrogen oxide emissions are unacceptable, an adaptive fuel injection and ignition schedule provides maximum torque, preventing peak combustion temperatures from reaching 2200 ° C (4000 ° F). A flame temperature detector that uses a small diameter fiber optic cable 660 or a larger light-transmitting insulation 672 can be used to determine peak combustion temperatures. In these cases, insulation 672 can be made with heat and wear-resistant coatings, such as sapphire or diamond coating, on the surface facing the combustion chamber and made of heat-resistant polymer or quartz, sapphire or glass, which provides complex functions inside the injector 600 , including the light guide of the radiation produced by combustion, to the sensor 662D of the controller 662, as shown. In addition, controllers 662, 643, and / or 632 can monitor the signal from a 662D sensor in each combustion chamber to transmit conditions to an adaptive control system 410 that can adaptively adjust the fuel injection and / or spark ignition schedule to adapt ionization to desired levels.

Thus, almost any distance from the border of the combustion chamber to the place above the tightly placed valves and operating valves of the devices of a modern engine can be ensured due to the fact that the fuel control forces are transmitted to the valve 674 closed under normal conditions by an insulated cable 660 along with integrated spark ignition in the most optimal location for the spark plug or diesel injector. The configuration of the fuel injector 600 allows this injector to replace the spark plug or diesel injector to provide an accurate fuel injection schedule and adaptive spark ignition for highly efficient layering of a fuel dose with a very wide variety of fuels, including less expensive fuels, regardless of the octane number or cetane number viscosity, temperature or specific energy, and to provide adaptive ionization levels inside the combustion chamber. Engines that were previously limited to operating with fuels with a specific octane or cetane number are converted for more efficient and more durable operation using the present disclosure on fuels that are less expensive and much more environmentally friendly. In addition, it is possible to use the injector as an auxiliary fuel delivery and ignition system, or as just a spark ignition system for returning the engine to its initial operation on gasoline delivered by fuel injection systems with a carburetor or intake pipe. Similarly, it is possible to configure the injector 600 to operate with diesel fuel or alternative flammable spark fuels by combining the various various functions of fuel metering, ionization and ignition control.

Thus, the system can adaptively control the schedule of fuel injection and the schedule of spark ignition for such purposes as maximizing fuel economy, ensuring a given produced power, guaranteeing the preservation of the lubricating film on the cylinders of the combustion chamber, minimizing noise, controlling ionization levels, etc. d. In some cases, in injector 600, cable 660 can travel through valve 674 without moving until it reaches (or nearly to) the surface of the fuel supply nozzle facing the combustion chamber so as to track events in the combustion chamber through the center of slots 688, as shown. In some cases, the cable 660 may form at least one free-motion bend, such as a loop, above the load-stopping ball 635, which preferably allows the load 648 to begin to move and gain momentum before the cable 660 begins to lift, so that raise the feed control valve, and without moving it passes through the soft magnetic rod 654 to deliver the emitted waves from the combustion chamber to the sensor 640, as shown.

In some embodiments, the sensor 640 may be separate or integrated within the controller 643, as shown. For example, an optoelectronic sensor system can perform comprehensive monitoring of combustion chamber conditions, including acts of combustion, expansion, exhaust, intake, injection, and ignition of a fuel, as a function of pressure and / or radiation recorded in the combustion chamber of an engine 630, as shown. Thus, the temperature and corresponding pressure signals from the sensor 640 and / or sensor 662D and / or sensor 662P allow the controller 632 to instantly or quickly correlate the temperature and residence time at this temperature when the fuel burns, with the pressure in the combustion chamber, the position of the piston and with chemical nature of combustion products.

Such correlation is easily performed by operating an engine with a combined collection of data on the position of the piston and the pressure of the combustion chamber using the technologies disclosed in US Pat. Nos. 6,015,065; 6,446,597; 6503584; 5343699 and 5394852, as well as in application No. 60/551219, which is under consideration simultaneously with this application, and combustion chamber radiation data provided by the fiber optic package / light guide assembly / cable 660 to the sensor 640, as shown. The correlation functions, which are thus implemented, allow the radiation signal delivered by the cable 660 to the sensor 640 and the piston position data to show the pressure, temperature and combustion circuit for the combustion chamber, which is necessary for adaptive optimization of various engine functions, for example, to maximize saving fuel, power, preventing the formation of nitrogen oxides, preventing heat loss, etc. In the future, the data provided by the cable 660 and sensor 640 to the controller 643 can provide fast and adaptive control of engine functions using a very cost-effective injector.

In some embodiments, a more comprehensive adaptive injection system may include both a sensor 640 and a cable 660, and at least one pressure sensor, as is known in the art and / or disclosed in patents and applications pending simultaneously with this application, a mention which means their inclusion in this document. In some cases, the system, through at least one controller, monitors the rotational acceleration of the engine to adaptively increase fuel economy and power output. The acceleration of the engine, respectively, can be monitored in many ways, including by determining the schedule of rotation of the crankshaft or camshaft, the schedule of the distributor, the schedule of rotation of the gear tooth, piston speed, etc. Consideration of engine acceleration as a function of controlled variables, including as a function of choosing fuel types, temperature of fuel types, fuel injection schedule, injection pressure, injection repetition rate, ignition schedule and temperature map of the combustion chamber, contributes to an increase, with standard or less expensive fuels, engine performance, fuel economy, emission control, engine life, etc.

In some embodiments, the development of spark plasma ignition with an adaptive schedule to optimize the combustion of fuels with widely varying viscosities, calorific values and vapor pressures is achieved by combining the remote valve operating device 648 and valve 674 designed to be placed at or substantially near the boundary of the combustion chamber. This configuration virtually eliminates harmful pre-injection or post-injection leakage, since there is little or no free space between valve 674 and the combustion chamber. Resistance to fuel flow, usually caused by channels that indirectly deliver fuel, is prevented by positioning valve 674 at the boundary of the combustion chamber. In some embodiments, the valve 674 may be forced to move to its closed position under normal conditions with a suitable mechanical spring or compressive force on the cable or shaft 660 as a function of the force exerted by the attraction of the spring or magnetic spring to the valve seat 690, including combinations of such closing actions.

In some embodiments, pressure-sensitive performance is achieved by providing free acceleration of the load 648, followed by impact on the ball 635, which is fixed on the cable 660 in a location that is configured to quickly lift or move the ball 635. In some cases, the operating device 648 moves relative to loose to the electromagnetic pole and past the fixed cable 660, as shown. After a significant impulse has been acquired, the operating device 648 hits the ball 635 inside the spring, which is clearly visible. Ball 635 may be attached to cable 660 inside spring 636, as shown. Thus, during operation, a sharp application of a large or significantly greater force with this blow can be developed by the direct action of the solenoid valve, resulting in a relatively less inertia valve, which is closed under normal conditions, and rises sharply from the upper valve seat passage in the seat 690.

For valve 674, any suitable seat may be used, however, for use with combustion chambers of small engines, the injector may include a permanent magnet inside or as seat 690 so as to cause valve 674 to move to a closed state under normal conditions, as shown. Such a sharp shock driving of valve 674 by a load of 648 ensures guaranteed accurate fuel delivery regardless of temperature, fuel viscosity, presence of protective coating crystals (or applied pressure, which may be necessary to guarantee the desired fuel delivery speeds). Permanent magnets such as samarium-cobalt and neodymium-iron-boron easily provide the desired magnetic forces at operating temperatures up to 205 ° C (401 ° F) and ensure that valve 674 is forced to move to its closed position under normal conditions on the magnetic valve seat 690 so as to virtually eliminate free space and post-injection leakage.

For example, if the valve 674 is located with a cargo 648 for supplying (fuel) inside the insulation hole 664 to the conductive nozzle 670, then the post-injection fuel leak, which temporarily remains in the indicated free volume, may be comparable in volume with the intended dose of fuel supplied at the required time in the engine cycle. Such post-injection leakage can occur during the last stages of expansion or during the exhaust stroke and therefore will be spent, if not completely, unproductively, at the same time causing a loss of protective lubricant to the cylinder wall, unnecessary heating of the piston and increased friction due to flame build-up relative expansion, as well as overheating of the exhaust system components. Further, standard valve operating systems should be limited to pressure drops of approximately 7 atmospheres, as opposed to 700 atmospheres provided by a sharp impact of the actuator 648 on the cable 660 and, therefore, on the valve 674. Containing crystals of the protective coating with excessively complex textures and viscosities, comparable with applesauce or cottage cheese, they are easily delivered through relatively large passages to a valve 674, which is closed under normal conditions, which lies on a hole with a large diameter in the seat 690. Fast acceleration, then a sharp impact with a large inertia electromagnetic load 648 transmits a very large lifting force through a dielectric cable 660 for a sharp and guaranteed lifting of the valve 674 from a large hole in the seat 690, to open the check valve 684, which is closed under normal conditions, if any, and release the fuel mixture and a protective coating inside the combustion chamber. The same guaranteed supply, if provided without post-injection leakage or with limited post-injection leakage, can be periodically provided for fuels in any phase or mixture of phases, including hydrogen and others having a very low viscosity fuel, at temperatures of 400 ° F (204 ° C ) or higher.

Adaptive control of ionization levels in the combustion chamber

As described herein, in some embodiments, an injector, such as an injector 100 or 600, monitors conditions within the combustion chamber, transmits monitoring information to the control system, receives feedback from the control system, and adjusts operation based on the feedback. Thus, an injector receiving commands or instructions from the control system can adaptively adjust the ionization levels inside the combustion chamber to achieve the desired ionization levels, ensuring the rapid development of sustainable combustion inside the combustion chamber, among other benefits. FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate various process sequences carried out by a control system instructing such injectors, such as adaptive control system 410 or other control systems located at or away from the injectors.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a flowchart 800 for burning fuel inside a combustion chamber. At 810, the system monitors at least one area near or near the injector, such as areas near the electrodes or check valves, during specific or predetermined periods of time for the injector to operate. The system can use the monitoring module 510 in conjunction with various components of the injector that monitor the conditions, such as cable 660, insulation 672, sensors 662 and / or others.

Various areas, such as those located near the electrodes or between the electrodes, near or inside the check valves, etc., can be monitored at certain times. An example of injector areas 600 that may be monitored includes.

Areas of air in the gap between the electrodes, such as the gap between the electrodes 685 and 688, immediately before the fuel enters when it passes valves, such as 674 and / or 684.

An area of fuel that is controlled and dispensed by valve 674 to pass through a gap between electrodes, such as a gap between electrodes 685 and 688.

Areas of air and fuel in the gap between the electrodes, such as the gap between the electrodes 685 and 688.

Areas of air-fuel-air layers in the gap between the electrodes, such as the gap between the electrodes 685 and 688; and other areas.

At 820, the system detects or determines whether certain, satisfactory, and / or suitable conditions are provided in or in the monitored area. For example, the system, using the various components described herein, determines that a specific condition relating to a specific amount of fuel between two electrodes has been satisfied.

At step 830, the system applies an ionizing voltage to the electrodes at or near an area for which it is determined that it satisfies predetermined conditions. For example, the system, in response to determining that enough fuel is located in the gap between the electrodes 685 and 688, applies voltage to the electrodes, causing an ignition act and providing the desired level of ionization.

Thus, in some embodiments, the system uses a sequence of 800 operations to determine the time for at least one application of ionizing voltage to produce sufficient ionization (at or near the boundary of the combustion chamber) of the fuel area, the air and fuel area, and / or the air -fuel-air mixture.

Thus, the system can provide sufficient and effective ionization of these substances, causing a relatively faster development of sustainable combustion than can be ensured by the operation of a standard engine. By using a sequence of 800 operations, the system uses relatively less energy for such ionization than is required to sufficiently compress the air, inject fuel to very high pressures, and to operate the glow plugs when it is necessary to cause ignition after a typical exposure.

In cases where the system is powered by a diesel engine, the ionization provided in at least one of the areas described herein is sufficient to allow significant evaporation, molecular fragmentation, and molecular ionization to provide a much faster, more stable reaction with air in the combustion chamber . The moment of the start of the injection of ionized air and / or fuel occurs later or even after the top dead center, which produces relatively more work on the volume of fuel, increasing engine power and fuel efficiency in it, among other advantages.

In addition to adaptively controlling the application of ionizing voltage to provide certain events of ignition, the system can also adaptively control the levels of ionization inside the combustion chamber. In other words, the degree of ionization can adaptively increase or decrease to achieve the desired degree of accelerated completion of fuel combustion, which is delivered by one or more acts of fuel injection per engine cycle. FIG. 9 shows a flowchart illustrating a flow of 900 for adjusting the degree of ionization within a combustion chamber.

At step 910, the system monitors at least one condition within the combustion chamber. The system may use the monitoring module 510 in conjunction with various injector components that monitor conditions such as cable 600, insulation 672, sensors 662, and / or others. Examples of conditions that can be monitored include: torque produced per one British thermal unit or one kilocalorie of heat from fuel combustion that is injected in each injection event; maximum combustion temperature; pressure generated by the combustion process; and other conditions described herein.

At block 920, the system compares the conditions being monitored with the desired or ideal conditions. The system may determine that at least one condition being monitored satisfies a certain rule or limit value or does not satisfy a certain rule or limit value. For example, the system may determine that the maximum temperature is higher than a certain limit value, or that the pressure is lower than a certain limit value, and determine that some rule relating to adjusting the ionization level has been fulfilled.

At step 930, the system, in response to the definitions made at step 920, adjusts at least one parameter related to the act of combustion inside the combustion chamber, which controls the degree of ionization inside the combustion chamber. The system can increase or decrease the parameter. Examples of parameters or variables include: compression ratio; barometric pressure; boost pressure; temperature of air entering the combustion chamber; temperature of compressed air after heat loss to the piston, cylinder and head; injection start schedule; injection pressure; injection orientation and layered ionization pattern; injection duration; injector flow curve, etc.

Thus, in some cases, a relatively smaller amount of fuel and / or air can be ionized to cause a relatively earlier completion of combustion than with standard spark development in a small fraction of the total homogeneous mixture present, and, likewise, a relatively smaller amount of fuel and / or air can be ionized to cause a relatively earlier completion of diesel combustion than compression ignition. In some cases, it may be desirable to ionize all molecules or most of the fuel molecules that enter the combustion chamber in order to guarantee the most efficient use of excess air as an insulation for the accelerated combustion process.

In addition to the sequences of operations and methods described with reference to Figs. 8 and 9, the system can accelerate the completion of combustion by using certain fuels. Table 1 shows the use of various types of fuel, such as substances that can be obtained by thermochemical regeneration of some source fuel to increase the calorific value of ionized types of fuel, which (use) is controlled by the adaptive control system 410. This table shows the source fuel, new types of fuel, calorific value the ability of new fuels and the benefits of reducing the energy required to ionize new fuels compared to the original fuel.

Table 1 Source fuel New types of fuel New types of fuel The calorific value of the new fuel +/- energy required for ionization CH ₄ CO H ₂ 125% of CH ₄ - (smaller) NH ₃ - H ₂ 125% of NH ₃ - Petrol CO H ₂ 120% of gasoline - Diesel fuel CO H ₂ 120 diesel - Aviation fuel CO H ₂ 122% of aviation fuel - Urea (as fuel)
(NH ₂ ) ₂ CO CO H ₂ 130% of urea - CH ₃ OH + H ₂ O + nC CO H ₂ 130-200% of CH ₃ OH -

Extremely large benefits are achieved as a result of adaptive ionization of the substances listed in Table 1, including the reduction, if not elimination, of the subsystems required today for the operation of engines using a uniform composition and diesel engines. Subsystems, such as those listed in Table 2, can be eliminated with significant operational cost savings and reduced emissions.

table 2 Eliminated exhaust system components Engine Management Components Eliminated Catalytic storage Diesel Engine Hard Detector Urea Dissociation Reactor Diesel Injector (s) NOx sensor Gasoline Injector (s) Electric exhaust heater Urea Discharge Injector Recirculation valve Urea Storage Tank Recirculation pump Spark plug Recycling process control Intake rarefaction sensor Recirculation Pressure Sensor Particle collector pressure sensor Recirculation Temperature Sensor Catalytic storage pressure sensor

CONCLUSION

It should be apparent that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, dielectric strength can be changed or varied by using alternative materials and processing methods. The driving means and drive may vary depending on the fuel or the application of the injector. The cap can be used to ensure the shape and reliability of the fuel supply, while the cap can vary in size, design or position to provide different functions, performance and protection. Alternatively, the injector may vary, for example, an electrode, optics, a driving means, various catalysts, an exhaust part or a housing may be made of alternative materials or may include alternative configurations other than those shown and described without departing from the spirit of the disclosure.

Unless the context explicitly requires otherwise, in the description and claims, the words “comprise,” “comprising,” and the like should be construed in an inclusive sense, and not in an exclusive or exhaustive sense; in other words, in the sense of "includes the following, but is not limited to this." The use of words in the singular or plural also includes the plural or singular, respectively. When a union “or” in a list of two or more elements is used in the claims, this union covers all of the following interpretations: any of the elements in the list, all of the elements in the list, and any combination of elements in the list.

The various implementations described above may be combined to provide other implementations. All US patents, publications of US patent applications, US patent applications, foreign patents, foreign patent applications and non-patent publications referred to in this document and / or listed in the application data sheet are considered to be fully included in this document. Aspects of the disclosure may be modified, if necessary, to use fuel injectors and ignitors with various configurations and concepts of various patents, applications and publications in order to obtain other options for implementing the disclosure.

These and other changes may be made to the disclosure in light of the above detailed description. In general, in the following claims, the terms used should not be construed in such a way that they limit the disclosure to the specific embodiments disclosed in the description and claims, but should be construed so that all systems and methods that work according to the claims are included. Accordingly, the invention is not limited to the disclosure, but, on the contrary, its scope should be determined broadly by the following claims.

Claims (20)

1. A method of burning fuel inside a combustion chamber, which includes
monitoring the area inside the combustion chamber when using the engine;
monitoring a specific condition such as the act of combustion, expansion, exhaust, intake, injection and ignition of a fuel, as a function of the pressure and / or radiation recorded in the combustion chamber,
determining that a certain condition in the monitored area within the combustion chamber has been satisfied; and
applying an ionizing voltage to the electrodes belonging to the area being monitored in response to determining that a certain condition has been satisfied. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining that a certain condition in the monitored area inside the combustion chamber has been satisfied, includes determining that a certain amount of fuel is inside the monitored area. 3. The method according to claim 1, in which determining that a certain condition in the monitored area inside the combustion chamber has been satisfied, includes determining that a certain ratio of fuel and air takes place inside the monitored area. 4. The method according to claim 1, in which the determination that a certain condition in the monitored area inside the combustion chamber has been satisfied, includes determining that a certain amount of the air-fuel-air mixture is inside the monitored area. 5. The method according to claim 1, in which the determination that a certain condition in the monitored area inside the combustion chamber has been satisfied, includes determining that the fuel is inside the monitored area for a certain period of time. 6. A method for adjusting the level of ionization inside the combustion chamber, which includes
monitoring conditions such as the act of combustion, expansion, exhaust, intake, injection and ignition of a fuel, as a function of pressure and / or radiation recorded in the combustion chamber;
monitoring conditions during the act of combustion inside the combustion chamber;
comparing the values of the condition being monitored with satisfactory values for such the condition being monitored and
adjusting at least one parameter related to a combustion act within the combustion chamber. 7. The method according to claim 6, in which monitoring the conditions during the act of combustion inside the combustion chamber includes monitoring the torque produced per British thermal unit of heat from the combustion of fuel injected into the combustion chamber. 8. The method according to claim 6, in which monitoring the conditions during the act of combustion inside the combustion chamber includes monitoring the maximum temperature of the act of combustion. 9. The method according to claim 6, in which monitoring the conditions during the act of combustion inside the combustion chamber includes monitoring the pressure produced during the act of combustion. 10. The method according to claim 6, in which the adjustment of at least one parameter related to the act of combustion inside the combustion chamber, increases the level of ionization inside the combustion chamber. 11. The method according to claim 6, in which adjusting at least one parameter related to the act of combustion inside the combustion chamber lowers the level of ionization inside the combustion chamber. 12. The method according to claim 6, in which the adjustment of at least one parameter related to the act of combustion inside the combustion chamber, includes adjusting the pressure inside the combustion chamber. 13. The method according to claim 6, in which the adjustment of at least one parameter related to the act of combustion inside the combustion chamber, includes adjusting the temperature of the air inside the combustion chamber. 14. The method according to claim 6, in which the adjustment of at least one parameter related to the act of combustion inside the combustion chamber, includes adjusting the start time of the fuel injection into the combustion chamber. 15. The method according to claim 6, in which the adjustment of at least one parameter related to the act of combustion inside the combustion chamber, includes adjusting the pressure of the fuel injection into the combustion chamber. 16. The method according to claim 6, in which the adjustment of at least one parameter related to the act of combustion inside the combustion chamber, includes adjusting the layered ionization circuit inside the combustion chamber. 17. The method according to claim 6, in which the adjustment of at least one parameter related to the act of combustion inside the combustion chamber, includes adjusting the duration of the fuel injection into the combustion chamber. 18. A system for adjusting parameters related to the act of combustion, containing
a monitoring module that is configured to monitor conditions inside the combustion chamber, including acts of combustion, expansion, exhaust, intake, injection and ignition of the fuel, as a function of pressure and / or radiation recorded in the combustion chamber;
a determining module that is configured to determine that at least one condition to be monitored satisfies a rule related to adjusting parameters related to the combustion chamber; and
a control module that is configured to adjust at least one parameter in response to determining that at least one condition being monitored satisfies a rule. 19. The system of claim 18, wherein the monitoring module is a component of the fuel injector inside the combustion chamber; and
in which the control module transmits instructions to the fuel injector in order to force the fuel injector to regulate fuel injection into the combustion chamber. 20. The system of claim 18, wherein the monitoring module is a component of the fuel injector inside the combustion chamber; and
in which the control module transmits instructions to the fuel injector in order to force the fuel injector to regulate the ionizing voltage applied to the fuel ignition gap between the electrodes of the fuel injector.

Images