WO2013141179A1 - オイルセパレータ及び気体燃料供給装置 - Google Patents

オイルセパレータ及び気体燃料供給装置 Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2013141179A1
WO2013141179A1 PCT/JP2013/057549 JP2013057549W WO2013141179A1 WO 2013141179 A1 WO2013141179 A1 WO 2013141179A1 JP 2013057549 W JP2013057549 W JP 2013057549W WO 2013141179 A1 WO2013141179 A1 WO 2013141179A1
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WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
thermistor
oil
drain tank
detection
gaseous fuel
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/JP2013/057549
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English (en)
French (fr)
Japanese (ja)
Inventor
秀行 福田
準 ▲高▼崎
啓視 小田
鈴木　雅雄
菰田　孝夫
Original Assignee
愛三工業 株式会社
トヨタ自動車 株式会社
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by 愛三工業 株式会社, トヨタ自動車 株式会社 filed Critical 愛三工業 株式会社
Priority to IN1951MUN2014 priority Critical patent/IN2014MN01951A/en
Priority to EP13764607.1A priority patent/EP2829704B1/en
Priority to CN201380015064.2A priority patent/CN104254680B/zh
Publication of WO2013141179A1 publication Critical patent/WO2013141179A1/ja

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Classifications

    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
    • F02B—INTERNAL-COMBUSTION PISTON ENGINES; COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL
    • F02B43/00—Engines characterised by operating on gaseous fuels; Plants including such engines
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
    • F02D—CONTROLLING COMBUSTION ENGINES
    • F02D19/00—Controlling engines characterised by their use of non-liquid fuels, pluralities of fuels, or non-fuel substances added to the combustible mixtures
    • F02D19/02—Controlling engines characterised by their use of non-liquid fuels, pluralities of fuels, or non-fuel substances added to the combustible mixtures peculiar to engines working with gaseous fuels
    • F02D19/026—Measuring or estimating parameters related to the fuel supply system
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
    • F02M—SUPPLYING COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL WITH COMBUSTIBLE MIXTURES OR CONSTITUENTS THEREOF
    • F02M21/00—Apparatus for supplying engines with non-liquid fuels, e.g. gaseous fuels stored in liquid form
    • F02M21/02—Apparatus for supplying engines with non-liquid fuels, e.g. gaseous fuels stored in liquid form for gaseous fuels
    • F02M21/0218—Details on the gaseous fuel supply system, e.g. tanks, valves, pipes, pumps, rails, injectors or mixers
    • F02M21/0227—Means to treat or clean gaseous fuels or fuel systems, e.g. removal of tar, cracking, reforming or enriching
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
    • F02D—CONTROLLING COMBUSTION ENGINES
    • F02D19/00—Controlling engines characterised by their use of non-liquid fuels, pluralities of fuels, or non-fuel substances added to the combustible mixtures
    • F02D19/06—Controlling engines characterised by their use of non-liquid fuels, pluralities of fuels, or non-fuel substances added to the combustible mixtures peculiar to engines working with pluralities of fuels, e.g. alternatively with light and heavy fuel oil, other than engines indifferent to the fuel consumed
    • F02D19/0602—Control of components of the fuel supply system
    • F02D19/0613—Switch-over from one fuel to another
    • F02D19/0615—Switch-over from one fuel to another being initiated by automatic means, e.g. based on engine or vehicle operating conditions
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
    • F02D—CONTROLLING COMBUSTION ENGINES
    • F02D19/00—Controlling engines characterised by their use of non-liquid fuels, pluralities of fuels, or non-fuel substances added to the combustible mixtures
    • F02D19/06—Controlling engines characterised by their use of non-liquid fuels, pluralities of fuels, or non-fuel substances added to the combustible mixtures peculiar to engines working with pluralities of fuels, e.g. alternatively with light and heavy fuel oil, other than engines indifferent to the fuel consumed
    • F02D19/0639—Controlling engines characterised by their use of non-liquid fuels, pluralities of fuels, or non-fuel substances added to the combustible mixtures peculiar to engines working with pluralities of fuels, e.g. alternatively with light and heavy fuel oil, other than engines indifferent to the fuel consumed characterised by the type of fuels
    • F02D19/0642—Controlling engines characterised by their use of non-liquid fuels, pluralities of fuels, or non-fuel substances added to the combustible mixtures peculiar to engines working with pluralities of fuels, e.g. alternatively with light and heavy fuel oil, other than engines indifferent to the fuel consumed characterised by the type of fuels at least one fuel being gaseous, the other fuels being gaseous or liquid at standard conditions
    • F02D19/0647—Controlling engines characterised by their use of non-liquid fuels, pluralities of fuels, or non-fuel substances added to the combustible mixtures peculiar to engines working with pluralities of fuels, e.g. alternatively with light and heavy fuel oil, other than engines indifferent to the fuel consumed characterised by the type of fuels at least one fuel being gaseous, the other fuels being gaseous or liquid at standard conditions the gaseous fuel being liquefied petroleum gas [LPG], liquefied natural gas [LNG], compressed natural gas [CNG] or dimethyl ether [DME]
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01F—MEASURING VOLUME, VOLUME FLOW, MASS FLOW OR LIQUID LEVEL; METERING BY VOLUME
    • G01F23/00—Indicating or measuring liquid level or level of fluent solid material, e.g. indicating in terms of volume or indicating by means of an alarm
    • G01F23/22—Indicating or measuring liquid level or level of fluent solid material, e.g. indicating in terms of volume or indicating by means of an alarm by measuring physical variables, other than linear dimensions, pressure or weight, dependent on the level to be measured, e.g. by difference of heat transfer of steam or water
    • G01F23/24—Indicating or measuring liquid level or level of fluent solid material, e.g. indicating in terms of volume or indicating by means of an alarm by measuring physical variables, other than linear dimensions, pressure or weight, dependent on the level to be measured, e.g. by difference of heat transfer of steam or water by measuring variations of resistance of resistors due to contact with conductor fluid
    • G01F23/246—Indicating or measuring liquid level or level of fluent solid material, e.g. indicating in terms of volume or indicating by means of an alarm by measuring physical variables, other than linear dimensions, pressure or weight, dependent on the level to be measured, e.g. by difference of heat transfer of steam or water by measuring variations of resistance of resistors due to contact with conductor fluid thermal devices
    • G01F23/247—Indicating or measuring liquid level or level of fluent solid material, e.g. indicating in terms of volume or indicating by means of an alarm by measuring physical variables, other than linear dimensions, pressure or weight, dependent on the level to be measured, e.g. by difference of heat transfer of steam or water by measuring variations of resistance of resistors due to contact with conductor fluid thermal devices for discrete levels
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02T—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION
    • Y02T10/00—Road transport of goods or passengers
    • Y02T10/10—Internal combustion engine [ICE] based vehicles
    • Y02T10/30—Use of alternative fuels, e.g. biofuels

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to an oil separator for separating oil contained in a gaseous fuel such as compressed natural gas (CNG) supplied to an injector of an internal combustion engine from the gaseous fuel, and a gaseous fuel supply including the oil separator. Relates to the device.
  • a gaseous fuel such as compressed natural gas (CNG) supplied to an injector of an internal combustion engine from the gaseous fuel
  • CNG compressed natural gas
  • gaseous fuel such as CNG contains impurities such as mist oil mixed in the process of compressing the gaseous fuel to a high pressure. Therefore, an oil separator that separates impurities such as oil from the gaseous fuel and guides the separated gaseous fuel to the injector is provided in the gaseous fuel supply device that supplies gaseous fuel from the gaseous fuel storage tank to the injector of the internal combustion engine. Is provided.
  • Patent Document 1 discloses an example of an oil separator.
  • the oil separator is provided with a separation unit that separates oil from the gaseous fuel that flows from the storage tank, and a drain tank that stores oil separated from the gaseous fuel by the separation unit.
  • the drain tank is disposed vertically below the separation part, and a tip of a drain pipe extending downward from the separation part is located inside the drain tank.
  • the oil separator is provided with a detection mechanism for detecting the position of the oil level in the drain tank.
  • This detection mechanism includes a float having an insertion hole through which a drain pipe is inserted, and a detection sensor disposed on the float.
  • the detection mechanism described in Patent Document 1 the load accompanying the movement of the float along the vertical direction in accordance with the increase or decrease of the amount of oil stored in the drain tank is applied to the wiring of the detection sensor provided in the float. Will work. Therefore, it is necessary to devise the arrangement of the wiring of the detection sensor so that the wiring of the detection sensor is not disconnected by such a load. Further, the detection mechanism described above requires a moving body such as a float and a member for guiding the movement of the moving body, and the configuration for detecting the amount of stored oil becomes complicated.
  • An object of the present invention is to provide an oil separator and a gaseous fuel supply device capable of detecting the amount of oil stored in a drain tank with a simple configuration.
  • a separation unit that separates oil contained in a gaseous fuel from a gaseous fuel, a drain tank that stores the separated oil, and a drain tank
  • An oil separator including a detection mechanism for detecting the amount of oil stored is provided.
  • the separation unit is arranged in an upper region in the vertical direction in the drain tank.
  • the detection mechanism is fixed to a side wall of the drain tank so as to be positioned below the separation portion in the vertical direction inside the drain tank.
  • the position of the liquid level in the drain tank is detected by the detection mechanism before the oil stored in the drain tank comes into contact with the separation portion arranged in the upper region in the vertical direction of the drain tank. It becomes possible.
  • the signal connected to the detection mechanism is equivalent to the amount that the position of the detection mechanism corresponding to the sensor does not move compared to the case where the sensor is installed on the float. Wiring such as wires is difficult to break. For this reason, it is possible to simplify measures for disconnection of wiring.
  • the detection mechanism is arranged at a position that satisfies at least one of the following two conditions.
  • the detection mechanism is arranged at a position satisfying both of the following two conditions.
  • the oil in the drain tank touches the separation part when the vehicle travels on the slope. Can be suppressed. Further, when the condition (B) is satisfied and the position of the liquid level in the drain tank cannot be detected by the detection mechanism, the oil in the drain tank can be used during sudden acceleration, sudden deceleration, and sudden turning of the vehicle. Can be prevented from touching the separation part.
  • the voltage applied to the first thermistor is applied to the second thermistor when each thermistor is not immersed in the oil without supplying the gaseous fuel that has passed through the separator.
  • the voltage applied to the first thermistor is higher than the voltage applied to the second thermistor. It is preferable.
  • the position of the liquid level in the drain tank can be detected by comparing the voltages applied to the thermistors.
  • the heat dissipation amount of the first thermistor is larger than the heat dissipation amount of the second thermistor, and the first and second thermistors are in the liquid.
  • the heat dissipation amount of the first thermistor is preferably smaller than the heat dissipation amount of the second thermistor.
  • the detection mechanism may be a mechanism having a detection thermistor that self-heats by power feeding.
  • a detection thermistor is preferably configured such that its thermal diffusion coefficient becomes a value corresponding to the flow rate of the gaseous fuel flowing in the drain tank.
  • the voltage fuel applied to the detection thermistor in a state where the gaseous fuel that has passed through the separation portion is not supplied to the injector, and the gaseous fuel is injected into the injector.
  • the voltage applied to the thermistor for detection in a state where the voltage is supplied to the detector does not change much.
  • the detection accuracy may be lowered when the heat dissipation amount of the thermistor is small. Therefore, it is preferable that the thermistor is supported by the drain tank with a heat insulating material interposed between the thermistor and the peripheral wall of the communication hole formed in the side wall of the drain tank. As a result, the heat generated in the thermistor is prevented from moving to the side wall of the drain tank by the heat insulating material, so that the detection accuracy of the position of the liquid level in the drain tank can be improved.
  • the monitoring process for monitoring the amount of oil stored in the drain tank based on the detection result by the detection mechanism may be performed when the vehicle is traveling, but is preferably performed when the vehicle is stopped.
  • the amount of oil stored in the drain tank is monitored based on the difference in voltage applied to each of the supplied thermistors.
  • the monitoring process is preferably performed when the gaseous fuel that has passed through the separation unit is not supplied to the injector. Thereby, when the engine operation using the gaseous fuel is not executed, the position of the liquid level in the drain tank can be detected by executing this monitoring process.
  • a monitoring process for monitoring the amount of oil stored in the drain tank based on a change mode of the voltage applied to the detection thermistor being fed This is preferably performed at the start of supply of gaseous fuel that has passed through the separation unit to the injector.
  • the position of the liquid level in the drain tank can be detected based on the amount of change in voltage after the start of the supply of gaseous fuel.
  • the monitoring process is performed after an elapsed time from the start of power supply to the thermistor exceeds a specified time. In this case, the monitoring process is executed after the thermistor sufficiently generates heat. Therefore, the detection accuracy of the position of the liquid level in the drain tank can be improved as compared with the case where the monitoring process is performed immediately after the power supply to the thermistor is started.
  • FIG. 2 shall correspond with the perpendicular direction when a vehicle is located on the road surface parallel to a horizontal surface.
  • an injector 14 that injects CNG supplied from a gaseous fuel supply device 13 into an intake passage 12 of an internal combustion engine 11 that can use compressed natural gas (CNG) as gaseous fuel.
  • CNG compressed natural gas
  • the air-fuel mixture composed of CNG and intake air injected from the injector 14 burns in the combustion chamber 16 of the cylinder 15, whereby the piston 17 reciprocates and the crankshaft (not shown) rotates in a predetermined rotation direction.
  • the gaseous fuel supply device 13 is provided with a high-pressure fuel pipe 22 connected to a CNG tank 21 for storing CNG.
  • the gaseous fuel flowing in the high-pressure fuel pipe 22 is regulated to a prescribed fuel pressure by a regulator 23 having an oil separator, and the regulated gaseous fuel is supplied to the delivery pipe 24. Then, CNG supplied from the delivery pipe 24 is injected into the intake passage 12 from the injector 14.
  • the control device 25 of the gaseous fuel supply device 13 has a microcomputer constructed with electronic components such as a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM, and monitors the amount of oil stored in the drain tank provided in the regulator 23. ing. When the control device 25 determines that the amount of oil stored in the drain tank exceeds the specified amount, the control device 25 turns on the warning lamp 26 to notify the vehicle occupant of that fact.
  • an electromagnetic shut-off valve 32 into which CNG flows from the CNG tank 21 is connected to the body 31 of the regulator 23 of the present embodiment.
  • the electromagnetic shut-off valve 32 allows supply of CNG to the delivery pipe 24 when electric power is supplied to the electromagnetic coil 321. In this case, CNG that has passed through the electromagnetic shut-off valve 32 flows into the body 31.
  • the electromagnetic shut-off valve 32 prohibits the supply of CNG to the delivery pipe 24.
  • the regulator 23 is provided with a pressure reducing valve 33 for reducing the CNG flowing into the body 31 through the electromagnetic shut-off valve 32 to a specified fuel pressure.
  • the CNG decompressed by the pressure reducing valve 33 flows into a bottomed cylindrical drain tank 35 attached to the lower end of the body 31 through a passage 34 formed in the body 31.
  • the drain tank 35 is attached to the body 31 so that its opening is closed.
  • an annular element 36 is provided as a separation part for separating oil from CNG flowing into the drain tank 35 through the passage 34.
  • the element 36 is made of a nonwoven fabric that allows passage of gas such as CNG while restricting passage of liquid such as oil. Then, the CNG that has passed through the element 36 is guided to the delivery pipe 24 through a supply path (not shown) formed in the body 31. On the other hand, the oil separated from the CNG by the element 36 flows downward from the element 36 and is stored in the drain tank 35.
  • an opening 352 for communicating the inside and outside of the drain tank 35 is formed on the lower end side of the side wall 351 of the drain tank 35, and this opening 352 is closed by a manual valve 37.
  • the valve 37 is removed from the drain tank 35 and the opening 352 is released, the oil in the drain tank 35 is discharged to the outside through the opening 352.
  • the gaseous fuel supply device 13 of the present embodiment is provided with a detection device 38 for detecting the amount of oil stored in the drain tank 35.
  • the detection device 38 includes a detection mechanism 41 including a first thermistor 411 and a second thermistor 412 arranged at the same position in the vertical direction, and an electric circuit 42 for supplying electric power to the thermistors 411 and 412. is doing.
  • a communication hole 353 is formed below the element 36 to communicate the inside and outside of the drain tank 35.
  • the detection mechanism 41 is inserted into the communication hole 353 so that the tips of the thermistors 411 and 412 are positioned in the drain tank 35.
  • an O-ring 39 as a heat insulating material having an airtight action and a heat insulating action is interposed between the outer peripheral face of the detection mechanism 41 and the peripheral face of the communication hole 353.
  • Each thermistor 411, 412 is arranged with a predetermined interval (for example, 10 mm) and is configured by an element that self-heats when supplied with power.
  • the first thermistor 411 is a thermistor in which the heat dissipation constant during self-heating in liquid (in oil) is much larger than the heat dissipation constant during self-heating in air.
  • the first thermistor 411 includes a glass-enclosed thermistor having a resistance value of “2 k ⁇ ” at “25 ° C.” and a B constant (B25 / 50) of “3500 K”.
  • the heat dissipation constant in the air of this thermistor is “2.3 W / ° C.”, and the heat dissipation constant in the liquid is “5.7 W / ° C.”.
  • the second thermistor 412 is a thermistor for detecting a reference temperature for determining whether the heat generation temperature of the first thermistor 411 is high or low.
  • the second thermistor 412 may be a chip thermistor having a resistance value of “20 k ⁇ ” at “25 ° C.” and a B constant of “3930 K”.
  • the electric circuit 42 includes a power supply 421 of “DC24V”.
  • a current limiting resistor Rs connected in series to the first thermistor 411 is provided.
  • the resistance value of the current limiting resistor Rs is, for example, “500 ⁇ ”, and the current value flowing through the first thermistor 411 is limited by the voltage drop caused by the current limiting resistor Rs.
  • the power supply path to the second thermistor 412 includes a first resistor Ra and a second resistor Rb connected in series to the second thermistor 412, and a second thermistor 412. And a third resistor Rc connected in parallel with each other.
  • the resistance value of the first resistor Ra is “22 k ⁇ ”
  • the resistance value of the second resistor Rb is “2 k ⁇ ”
  • the resistance value of the third resistor Rc is “22 k ⁇ ”. It is.
  • the electric circuit 42 of the present embodiment includes the voltage Va at the first position P1 between the current limiting resistor Rs and the first thermistor 411 in the power supply path to the first thermistor 411, and the second thermistor.
  • a voltmeter 422 for detecting a potential difference ( Va ⁇ Vc) between the voltage Vc at the second position P2 between the first resistor Ra and the second resistor Rb in the power supply path to 412 ing.
  • the electric circuit 42 is provided with a switching element (not shown) that is turned on when power is supplied to the thermistors 411 and 412 and is turned off when power is not supplied.
  • the voltage Va at the first position P1 corresponds to the voltage applied to the first thermistor 411
  • the voltage Vc at the second position P2 corresponds to the voltage applied to the second thermistor 412. .
  • each thermistor 411, 412 is installed in the environment where gas hardly flows, when each thermistor 411, 412 is in gas, ie, each thermistor 411, 412 is immersed in oil. If not, the heat dissipation amount of the first thermistor 411 is larger than the heat dissipation amount of the second thermistor 412. Therefore, the resistance value of the first thermistor 411 decreases, and the voltage Va at the first position P1 decreases. As a result, as shown by the broken line in FIG. 5, the potential difference Vsub becomes a negative value.
  • the position of the liquid level in the drain tank 35 can fluctuate. For example, when the slope of the road surface on which the vehicle travels is steep, the uppermost position of the liquid level is positioned on the upper side in the vertical direction than when the slope is gentle. In addition, when the acceleration / deceleration acting on the vehicle is large, such as when the vehicle is accelerating, decelerating, or turning, the uppermost position of the liquid level is positioned higher in the vertical direction than when the acceleration / deceleration is small. become.
  • the oil stored in the drain tank 35 may touch the element 36.
  • the oil touching the element 36 may be guided to the delivery pipe 24 together with the CNG passing through the element 36.
  • the detection mechanism 41 is installed at a position that satisfies the following two conditions.
  • First condition The oil in the drain tank 35 does not touch the lower end in the vertical direction of the element 36 when the gradient of the road surface on which the vehicle travels is the assumed maximum gradient value ⁇ max (for example, 22 °). Be in position.
  • Second condition When the acceleration / deceleration generated when the vehicle travels is an assumed acceleration / deceleration maximum value Gmax (for example, 0.6 G), the oil in the drain tank 35 touches the lower end of the element 36 in the vertical direction. The position should not be.
  • a boundary line L1 indicated by a broken line in FIG. 6 is a line indicating whether or not the oil in the drain tank 35 touches the element 36. That is, when the road surface gradient is “zero” and the vehicle is stopped, the oil storage amount becomes the maximum storage amount KSmax larger than the specified amount KS so that the oil in the drain tank 35 touches the element 36. Become. On the other hand, when the acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle is the maximum acceleration / deceleration value Gmax, the oil in the drain tank 35 comes into contact with the element 36 when the oil storage amount exceeds the specified amount KS.
  • the detection mechanism 41 is attached to the side wall 351 of the drain tank 35 at a position where it is possible to detect the time when the amount of stored oil exceeds the specified amount KS.
  • control device 25 determines whether or not the ignition switch of the vehicle has been turned off, that is, whether or not the engine operation has been stopped (step S10).
  • step S10 power supply to the electromagnetic shut-off valve 32 of the regulator 23 is prohibited, and CNG does not flow into the drain tank 35.
  • step S10 If the engine operation is stopped (step S10: YES), the control device 25 controls the electric circuit 42 to start power feeding to the thermistors 411 and 412 (step S11). Subsequently, the control device 25 determines whether or not an elapsed time from the start of power feeding to the thermistors 411 and 412 has passed a specified time Tth (for example, 60 seconds) (step S12).
  • the specified time Tth is a time set to determine whether or not each thermistor 411 and 412 can sufficiently generate heat.
  • the control device 25 determines whether or not the acquired potential difference Vsub is a positive value (step S15).
  • the control device 25 turns on the notification flag FLG1 (step S16).
  • the electric circuit 42 is controlled to end the power supply to the thermistors 411 and 412 (step S17). Thereafter, the control device 25 ends this processing routine.
  • Information about whether the notification flag FLG1 is on or off is stored in a non-volatile memory provided in the control device 25.
  • step S15 when the potential difference Vsub is not a positive value (step S15: NO), since it can be determined that the thermistors 411 and 412 are not immersed in oil, the control device 25 turns off the notification flag FLG1 (step S19). Then, the process proceeds to step S17 described above.
  • step S10 when the engine is operating (step S10: NO), the CNG that has passed through the regulator 23 (that is, the element 36) is supplied to the injector 14, and therefore the control device 25 does not execute the monitoring process. Then, the control device 25 determines whether or not the notification flag FLG1 is on based on the information stored in the nonvolatile memory (step S20). When the notification flag FLG1 is off (step S20: NO), the control device 25 once ends this processing routine without executing the notification processing. On the other hand, when the notification flag FLG1 is on (step S20: YES), the control device 25 performs a notification process for turning on the warning lamp 26 (step S21), and once ends this processing routine.
  • CNG that has flowed from the CNG tank 21 into the high-pressure fuel pipe 22 is supplied to the delivery pipe 24 via the regulator 23.
  • the CNG is reduced to a prescribed fuel pressure when passing through the electromagnetic shut-off valve 32 and the pressure reducing valve 33, and flows into the drain tank 35.
  • the oil contained in the CNG is separated from the CNG by the element 36 located in the upper region in the drain tank 35.
  • the CNG that has passed through the element 36 is guided to the delivery pipe 24.
  • CNG containing almost no oil is supplied to the injector 14, and malfunction of the injector 14 due to the adhesion of oil is less likely to occur.
  • the oil separated from the CNG by the element 36 is stored in the drain tank 35.
  • the amount of oil stored in the drain tank 35 gradually increases in this way, and the liquid level gradually increases in the drain tank 35.
  • the drain tank 35 is provided with a detection mechanism 41 for detecting the position of the liquid level.
  • the detection mechanism 41 is installed at a position that satisfies the above conditions. Therefore, when the vehicle is stopped on a road surface parallel to the horizontal plane, when each thermistor 411, 412 constituting the detection mechanism 41 is not immersed in oil, that is, when the potential difference Vsub is a negative value, Even if the vehicle suddenly accelerates or turns sharply, the possibility that the oil in the drain tank 35 contacts the element 36 located in the upper region in the drain tank 35 is very low. Further, even when the vehicle travels on the slope, the oil stored in the drain tank 35 is difficult to touch the element 36.
  • the processing routine shown in FIG. 7 is executed. At this time, the potential difference Vsub becomes a positive value, and the notification flag FLG1 is turned on. Thereafter, when the ignition switch is turned on, the warning flag 26 provided on the vehicle is turned on because the notification flag FLG1 is turned on.
  • the notification flag FLG1 is off when the ignition switch is turned on, it is determined that the amount of oil stored in the drain tank 35 is less than the specified amount, and the warning lamp 26 does not light up.
  • the detection mechanism 41 of this embodiment is fixed to the side wall 351 of the drain tank 35. Therefore, compared to the conventional case where the sensor is installed on the float, the wiring of the thermistors 411 and 412 corresponding to the sensor is less likely to be disconnected. Further, as compared with the conventional case in which a float that moves up and down is provided in the drain tank, it is not necessary to provide a mechanism for guiding the float and the movement of the float. Therefore, the amount of oil stored in the drain tank 35 can be detected with a simple configuration. Further, since there is no moving member in the detection mechanism 41, it is possible to suppress the generation of abnormal noise from the drain tank 35.
  • the thermistors 411 and 412 constituting the detection mechanism 41 are supported on the side wall 351 of the drain tank 35 via the O-ring 39 having a heat insulating action. Therefore, it is possible to suppress heat from being transferred to the side wall 351 from the thermistors 411 and 412 that self-heated due to power feeding. Therefore, the temperature of the thermistors 411 and 412 can be quickly raised after power feeding is started, and detection of the amount of oil stored using the thermistors 411 and 412 can be started quickly.
  • the monitoring process is performed while the vehicle is stopped (specifically, when the engine operation using CNG is not performed). Therefore, as compared with the case where the monitoring process is performed while the vehicle is running, the detection accuracy of the oil storage amount in the drain tank 35 can be improved by the amount that the monitoring process is performed in a state where the liquid level is less likely to change. It becomes like this.
  • the monitoring process is performed after the engine operation is stopped in this way, the gas containing CNG hardly flows in the drain tank 35 during the execution of the monitoring process. Therefore, the monitoring process is performed in a state in which there is almost no CNG flow in the drain tank 35 and the pressure in the drain tank 35 is substantially constant. As a result, the detection accuracy of the amount of oil stored in the drain tank 35 can be improved by the amount that the monitoring process can be executed in a state where the heat dissipation coefficient of the first thermistor 411 hardly changes.
  • the monitoring process is performed after the power supply to each thermistor 411, 412 is continued for a specified time Tth or longer. That is, the monitoring process is performed after the thermistors 411 and 412 sufficiently generate heat. Therefore, the detection accuracy of the position of the oil level stored in the drain tank 35 can be improved.
  • a method of automatically lighting the vehicle when the traveling distance of the vehicle becomes a predetermined distance or more can be considered.
  • the warning lamp 26 is turned on in a state where the amount of oil stored in the drain tank 35 has not reached the specified amount, or the warning lamp 26 is not turned on even though the element 36 is immersed in oil.
  • the detection device 38 actually measures whether or not the amount of stored oil has exceeded a specified amount, and the warning lamp 26 is turned on based on the result. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the warning lamp 26 from being turned on unnecessarily or the lighting timing of the warning lamp 26 from being delayed.
  • the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the internal combustion engine can use not only CNG but also gasoline as fuel, and that the detection mechanism has only one thermistor. ing. Therefore, in the following description, parts different from those of the first embodiment will be mainly described, and the same or corresponding member configurations as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted. Shall.
  • the intake passage 12 of the internal combustion engine 11 is provided with an injector 51 for injecting gasoline as liquid fuel supplied from the gasoline supply device 50 in addition to the injector 14 for injecting CNG.
  • the gasoline supply device 50 includes a fuel pump 53 that sucks gasoline from the gasoline tank 52 and a delivery pipe 54 to which the gasoline discharged from the fuel pump 53 is pumped.
  • the gasoline supplied from the delivery pipe 54 is injected into the intake passage 12 from the injector 51. That is, the internal combustion engine 11 of the present embodiment is a bi-fuel type internal combustion engine.
  • gasoline is supplied into the combustion chamber 16 of the cylinder 15 at the start of engine operation.
  • the fuel supplied to the combustion chamber 16 is switched from gasoline to CNG.
  • Tth for example, 60 seconds.
  • the detection mechanism 41 ⁇ / b> A of the present embodiment includes a detection thermistor 413 that self-heats due to power supply, and an electric circuit 42 ⁇ / b> A for supplying power to the detection thermistor 413.
  • the electric circuit 42A includes a “DC24V” power source 421, a current limiting resistor Rs connected in series to the detection thermistor 413, and a voltmeter 422A for detecting the voltage Va applied to the detection thermistor 413. And.
  • the electric circuit 42A is provided with a switching element (not shown) that is turned on when power is supplied to the detection thermistor 413 and is turned off when power is not supplied.
  • the resistance value of the current limiting resistor Rs is “500 ⁇ ” as an example.
  • the detection thermistor 413 is a thermistor having a characteristic that the heat dissipation constant during self-heating in liquid (in oil) is much larger than the heat dissipation constant during self-heating in air.
  • the thermistor 413 for detection includes a glass-enclosed thermistor having a resistance value of “2 k ⁇ ” at “25 ° C.” and a B constant (B25 / 50) of “3500 K”.
  • the detection thermistor 413 of this embodiment further has the following characteristics. That is, when the detection thermistor 413 is immersed in oil, the heat dissipation constant of the detection thermistor 413 does not change so much regardless of whether the temperature of the CNG flowing into the drain tank 35 is low or high. . Further, the heat dissipation constant of the detection thermistor 413 does not change much even if the flow rate of CNG in the drain tank 35, that is, the flow rate changes.
  • the heat dissipation constant of the detection thermistor 413 is that the temperature of the CNG flowing into the drain tank 35 is low and the temperature is high. Will change greatly. Further, the heat dissipation constant of the detection thermistor 413 changes depending on the flow rate of CNG in the drain tank 35 even if the temperature of the CNG flowing into the drain tank 35 is constant.
  • the heat dissipation constant of the detection thermistor 413 of the present embodiment increases as the flow rate of CNG increases, that is, as the flow rate increases.
  • the power supply voltage is “12 V”
  • the fuel pressure of the CNG delivery pipe 24 is “9.5 Mpa”
  • the ambient temperature of the detection thermistor 413 is “15 ° C.”.
  • the heat dissipation constant of the detection thermistor 413 is “3.5 mW / ° C.” when the flow rate of CNG in the drain tank 35 is “1.3 m 3 / h”, and the flow rate of CNG is “9.5 m. 3 / h ”, it is“ 4.3 mW / ° C. ”.
  • the detection thermistor 413 is less likely to reach a higher temperature as the flow rate of CNG is higher, that is, the flow rate is higher, and the voltage Va applied to the detection thermistor 413 is higher as the flow rate of CNG is higher, that is, the flow rate is higher. High voltage is likely to occur.
  • the control device 25 determines whether or not the monitoring flag FLG is off (step S30).
  • This monitoring flag FLG is set to “off” when the monitoring process for monitoring the amount of oil stored in the drain tank 35 has not been performed once since the ignition switch was turned on, and the monitoring process is performed. This flag is set to “ON” in the case of a break.
  • the control device 25 ends this processing routine.
  • step S30 when the monitoring flag FLG is OFF (step S30: YES), the control device 25 controls the electric circuit 42A to start power supply to the detection thermistor 413 (step S31). Subsequently, the control device 25 determines whether or not an elapsed time from the start of power supply to the detection thermistor 413 has passed a specified time Tth (for example, 60 seconds) (step S32).
  • the specified time Tth is set to a time corresponding to the time point at which the detection thermistor 413 can sufficiently generate heat and the fuel supplied to the combustion chamber 16 may be switched from gasoline to CNG. Yes.
  • step S32: NO When the elapsed time is less than the specified time Tth (step S32: NO), the control device 25 repeatedly executes the determination process of step S32 until the elapsed time becomes equal to or longer than the specified time Tth. On the other hand, when the elapsed time is equal to or longer than the specified time Tth (step S32: YES), the control device 25 determines whether or not the fuel supplied to the combustion chamber 16 has been switched from gasoline to CNG (step S33). . When gasoline is still being supplied to the combustion chamber 16 (step S33: NO), the control device 25 repeatedly executes the determination process of step S33 until CNG is supplied to the combustion chamber 16.
  • step S33 when CNG comes to be supplied to the combustion chamber 16 (step S33: YES), the control device 25 sets the voltage difference maximum value ⁇ Vmax to “zero” (step S34). Subsequently, the control device 25 sets the first voltage Va1 to the voltage Va when the fuel supplied to the combustion chamber 16 is switched from gasoline to CNG (or just before switching to CNG) (step S35). .
  • the voltage Va is a voltage applied to the detection thermistor 413.
  • step S39: NO If the elapsed time is less than the measurement time T1 (step S39: NO), the control device 25 proceeds to step S36 described above. On the other hand, when the elapsed time is equal to or longer than the measurement time T1 (step S39: YES), the control device 25 determines whether or not the voltage difference maximum value ⁇ Vmax updated in step S38 is less than the determination value Vmaxth (step S40). ).
  • the determination value Vmaxth is preferably set to a larger value as the temperature of the installation atmosphere of the detection thermistor 413 is higher. For example, when the temperature of the installation atmosphere is “25 ° C.”, the determination value Vmaxth is set to “0.6”.
  • step S40: YES When the voltage difference maximum value ⁇ Vmax is less than the determination value Vmaxth (step S40: YES), since it can be determined that the detection thermistor 413 is immersed in oil, the control device 25 performs notification processing for turning on the warning lamp 26. The process is executed (step S41), and the process proceeds to the next step S42. On the other hand, when the voltage difference maximum value ⁇ Vmax is equal to or larger than the determination value Vmaxth (step S40: NO), it can be determined that the detection thermistor 413 is not immersed in the oil, and therefore the control device 25 does not execute the monitoring process. Then, the process proceeds to the next step S42.
  • step S42 the control device 25 ends the power supply to the detection thermistor 413. Then, the control device 25 sets the monitoring flag FLG to ON (step S43), and ends this processing routine.
  • the voltage Va is detected every predetermined period, and the latest voltage Va is set to the second voltage Va2. Then, a voltage difference ⁇ V between the first voltage Va1 and the second voltage Va2 is calculated.
  • the voltage Va is hardly affected even if a flow of CNG occurs in the drain tank 35. For this reason, even if CNG flows into the drain tank 35, the heat dissipation constant of the detection thermistor 413 hardly changes. Further, as apparent from FIG. 11A, the voltage Va decreases with time, so the maximum voltage difference value ⁇ Vmax is maintained at “zero”. As a result, the maximum voltage difference value ⁇ Vmax at the fourth time t14 when the measurement time T1 has elapsed is less than the determination value Vmaxth. Therefore, the warning lamp 26 is turned on.
  • the warning lamp 26 is not turned on.
  • the notification process is a method other than the lighting of the warning lamp 26 as long as the vehicle occupant can be notified that the amount of oil stored in the drain tank 35 has exceeded the specified amount. May be.
  • notification by voice may be used.
  • a monitor such as a navigation device is provided in the vehicle
  • a message stating that “the amount of oil stored in the drain tank 35 has exceeded a prescribed amount” may be displayed on this monitor. .
  • the shift range of the automatic transmission of the vehicle is the parking range (that is, the automatic transmission is park-locked), and the parking brake is applied to the vehicle.
  • the processing routine shown in FIGS. 7 and 10 may be executed when the road surface on which the vehicle travels is a road surface parallel to the horizontal plane. That is, when the road surface gradient is less than the specified gradient, the processing routines shown in FIGS. 7 and 10 may be executed.
  • a method of estimating the gradient of the road surface there is a method of estimating the gradient based on a detection signal from a longitudinal acceleration sensor provided in the vehicle.
  • the fuel supplied to the combustion chamber 16 may be switched from gasoline to CNG while the vehicle is running.
  • the monitoring process may be executed while the vehicle is traveling.
  • the vehicle may be a vehicle that may supply CNG instead of gasoline when the engine is started.
  • CNG CNG instead of gasoline
  • the internal combustion engine 11 may be a bi-fuel internal combustion engine. Then, power supply to the thermistors 411 and 412 is started when the ignition switch is turned on, and after monitoring processing using the thermistors 411 and 412, fuel supplied to the combustion chamber 16 is supplied from gasoline to CNG. You may switch to. In this case, the monitoring process may be performed while the vehicle is running as long as the engine is in operation with the supply of gasoline.
  • the separation unit may have a configuration other than the element 36 as long as the oil can be separated from the CNG.
  • the separation unit may be configured to separate oil from CNG by rotating a rotary fan.
  • a detection mechanism is a mechanism which can output the signal of the aspect which is different in the case where it is immersed in oil, and the case where it is not immersed, the structure which does not have a thermistor may be sufficient.
  • a detection mechanism for example, a mechanism provided with a capacitance type sensor can be cited.
  • the gaseous fuel may be a gaseous fuel other than CNG (for example, hydrogen gas) as long as it can be combusted in the combustion chamber 16 in the cylinder 15.
  • CNG gaseous fuel other than hydrogen gas

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
  • General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Oil, Petroleum & Natural Gas (AREA)
  • Measurement Of Levels Of Liquids Or Fluent Solid Materials (AREA)
  • Cooling, Air Intake And Gas Exhaust, And Fuel Tank Arrangements In Propulsion Units (AREA)
  • Sampling And Sample Adjustment (AREA)
PCT/JP2013/057549 2012-03-22 2013-03-15 オイルセパレータ及び気体燃料供給装置 WO2013141179A1 (ja)

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IN1951MUN2014 IN2014MN01951A (en:Method) 2012-03-22 2013-03-15
EP13764607.1A EP2829704B1 (en) 2012-03-22 2013-03-15 Oil separator and gas fuel supply device
CN201380015064.2A CN104254680B (zh) 2012-03-22 2013-03-15 油分离器及气体燃料供给装置

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JP2012-065880 2012-03-22
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JP2012163001A JP5961061B2 (ja) 2012-03-22 2012-07-23 オイルセパレータ及び気体燃料供給装置

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EP2829704B1 (en) 2017-07-05
CN104254680B (zh) 2017-03-01
JP5961061B2 (ja) 2016-08-02
JP2013224649A (ja) 2013-10-31
IN2014MN01951A (en:Method) 2015-07-10
EP2829704A1 (en) 2015-01-28
EP2829704A4 (en) 2016-04-13

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