High Swirl Engine

• US 20110041799A1
• Filed: 08/20/2010
• Published: 02/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cleeves Engines, Inc. (Pinnacle Engines, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cleeves Engines, Inc. (Pinnacle Engines, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cleeves, James M., Willcox, Michael A., Jackson, Simon D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,194,288 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 123/307
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 1/02 with positive ignition with non-timed positive ignition F02B9/06
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 25/08 Engines with oppositely-moving reciprocating working pistons
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 31/06 Movable means, e.g. butterfly valves
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 75/28 Engines with two or more pistons reciprocating within same cylinder or within essentially coaxial cylinders arranged oppositely relative to main shaft F02B75/24
• CPC Class Codes: F02F 1/186 for use in engines with two or more pistons reciprocating within same cylinder
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 35/10262 Flow guides, obstructions, deflectors or the like for generating a charge motion in the cylinder F02B31/00; for re-atomising condensed fuel or homogenising fuel-air mixture F02M29/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/12 Improving ICE efficiencies

Abstract

An internal combustion engine can include a combustion volume within a cylinder of an internal combustion engine. The combustion volume can be defined at least by a cylinder wall and a first piston in the cylinder. A swirl port can deliver a fluid into the combustion volume via a swirl port outlet such that the delivered fluid is directed around a periphery of the cylinder with a fluid velocity disposed at a predetermined angle away from tangential to a curve of the cylinder wall to generate a swirling motion in the combustion volume.

Claims

1. An internal combustion engine, comprising:

a combustion volume within a cylinder of an internal combustion engine that is defined at least by a cylinder wall and a piston in the cylinder; and

a swirl port that delivers a fluid into the combustion volume via a swirl port outlet such that the delivered fluid is directed around a periphery of the cylinder with a fluid velocity disposed at a predetermined angle away from tangential to a curve of the cylinder wall to generate a swirling motion in the combustion volume, the swirling motion occurring at a swirl rate quantified by a swirl number that indicates a number of revolutions around the cylinder made by the fluid during a cycle of the piston.

2. An internal combustion engine as in claim 1, comprising:

a spark source that ignites the fluid in the combustion volume.

3. An internal combustion engine as in claim 1, wherein an inlet of the swirl port has a first cross sectional flow area and a swirl port outlet region that comprises the swirl port outlet has a second cross sectional flow area that decreases with distance from the inlet, and wherein the swirl port outlet does not change in size with distance from the inlet.

4. An internal combustion engine as in claim 1, further comprising a sleeve valve that comprises the swirl port, the sleeve valve being disposed at least partially around the cylinder, wherein the swirl port comprises a tube of decreasing cross sectional area.

5. An internal combustion engine as in claim 1, further comprising a fuel injector that delivers fuel to the combustion volume for a fuel delivery duration that is matched to the swirl rate to evenly distribute the delivered fuel throughout the combustion volume, wherein the internal combustion engine is configured to operate as a diesel engine.

6. An internal combustion engine as in claim 1, further comprising a spark source and a fuel injector that delivers fuel to the combustion volume with injection timing that is matched to the swirl rate to evenly distribute the delivered fuel throughout the combustion volume, wherein the internal combustion engine is configured to operate as a direct injection spark ignited engine.

7. An internal combustion engine as in claim 6, wherein the fuel injector is directed to create a richer fuel mixture region nearer the cylinder wall than a center of the cylinder.

8. An internal combustion engine as in claim 6, wherein the fluid comprises air, the spark source is positioned at the periphery of the cylinder, and the fuel injector injects the fuel such that droplets of the fuel are mixed with the delivered fluid so that the centripetal force induced by the swirl motion forces the droplets to the periphery of the cylinder to create a mixture gradient that comprises a more fuel rich region at the periphery for ignition by the spark source.

9. An internal combustion engine as in claim 1, wherein the swirl number is equal to a tangential velocity of the fluid as it exits the swirl port outlet into the cylinder divided by the circumference of the cylinder and by a crankshaft rotation rate of a crankshaft of the engine.

10. An internal combustion engine as in claim 9, wherein the tangential velocity is equal to the cosine of an exit angle of the fluid passing through the swirl port outlet into the cylinder times a flow velocity of the fluid in the swirl port.

11. A method comprising:

delivering a fluid into a combustion volume within a cylinder of an internal combustion engine via a swirl port, the combustion volume being defined at least by a cylinder wall and a piston in the cylinder,

directing the delivered fluid around a periphery of the cylinder with a fluid velocity disposed at a predetermined angle away from tangential to a curve of the cylinder wall; and

generating, by the directing of the delivered fluid, a swirling motion in the combustion volume prior to ignition of the fluid, the swirling motion occurring at a swirl rate quantified by a swirl number that indicates a number of revolutions around the cylinder made by the fluid during a cycle of the piston.

12. A method as in claim 11, comprising igniting the fluid in the combustion volume by a spark generated by a spark source within the combustion volume.

13. A method as in claim 11, wherein an inlet of the swirl port has a first cross sectional flow area and a swirl port outlet region that comprises the swirl port outlet has a second cross sectional flow area that decreases with distance from the inlet, and wherein the swirl port outlet does not change in size with distance from the inlet.

14. A method as in claim 11, further comprising a sleeve valve that comprises the swirl port, the sleeve valve being disposed at least partially around the cylinder, wherein the swirl port comprises a tube of decreasing cross sectional area.

15. A method as in claim 11, further comprising delivering fuel to the combustion volume with a fuel injector for a fuel delivery duration that is matched to the swirl rate to evenly distribute the delivered fuel throughout the combustion volume, wherein the internal combustion engine is configured to operate as a diesel engine.

16. A method as in claim 11, further comprising operating the internal combustion engine as a direct injection spark ignited engine, the operating comprising:

delivering fuel to the combustion volume with a fuel injector with injection timing that is matched to the swirl rate to evenly distribute the delivered fuel throughout the combustion volume; and

igniting the distributed fuel with a spark source.

17. A method as in claim 16, wherein the fuel injector is directed to create a richer fuel mixture region nearer the cylinder wall than a center of the cylinder.

18. A method as in claim 16, wherein the fluid comprises air, the spark source is positioned at the periphery of the cylinder, and the fuel injector injects the fuel such that droplets of the fuel are mixed with the delivered fluid so that the centripetal force induced by the swirl motion forces the droplets to the periphery of the cylinder to create a mixture gradient that comprises a more fuel rich region at the periphery for ignition by the spark source.

19. A method as in claim 11, wherein the swirl number is equal to a tangential velocity of the fluid as it exits the swirl port outlet into the cylinder divided by the circumference of the cylinder and by a crankshaft rotation rate of a crankshaft of the engine.

20. A method as in claim 19, wherein the tangential velocity is equal to the cosine of an exit angle of the fluid passing through the swirl port outlet into the cylinder times a flow velocity of the fluid in the swirl port.