Method and apparatus for improved combustion engine

• US 5,394,852 A
• Filed: 09/05/1991
• Issued: 03/07/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Advanced Green Innovations, LLC
• Original Assignee: Emergent Corp (NTT DATA Group Corp.)
• Inventors: McAlister, Roy E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cross, E. Rollins
• Assistant Examiner(s): SOLIS, ERICK R
• Application Number:
  US07/755,323
• Time in Patent Office: 1,279 Days
• Field of Search: 123/DIG. 12, 123/3, 123/494, 123/497, 123/435, 123/527, 60/309, 73/119 A
• US Class Current: 123/494
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 2043/106 Hydrogen obtained by electrolysis
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 2075/125 Direct injection in the combustion chamber for spark ignition engines, i.e. not in pre-combustion chamber
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 2275/14 Direct injection into combustion chamber
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 3/06 with compression ignition compression ignition engines using air or gas for blowing fuel into compressed air in cylinder F02B13/02
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 43/08 Plants characterised by the engines using gaseous fuel generated in the plant from solid fuel, e.g. wood
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 43/10 Engines or plants characterised by use of other specific gases, e.g. acetylene, oxyhydrogen
• CPC Class Codes: F02F 2001/241 specially adapted to pent roof shape of the combustion chamber
• CPC Class Codes: F02F 2007/0092 Transparent materials
• CPC Class Codes: F02G 5/00 Profiting from waste heat of combustion engines, not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 27/02 by catalysts
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 31/08 the gases being exhaust gases adding exhaust gases to the air intake passage F02M26/00
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 31/10 by hot liquids, e.g. lubricants or cooling water
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 57/06 the devices being sparking plugs
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 61/08 the valves opening in direction of fuel flow F02M61/047 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 63/0007 using electrically actuated valves injection valves F02M51/06
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/12 Improving ICE efficiencies
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/30 Use of alternative fuels, e.g. biofuels

Abstract

A process for operating a combustion engine which comprises the steps of thermoelectrochemiclly regenerating waste heat rejected by the combustion engine by adding waste heat to an electrolysis cell, generating hydrogen by an amount of electricity that is reduced as a result of additions of waste heat and using the hydrogen as a stratified-charge combustant within each combustion chamber of the engine.

Claims

1. An internal combustion engine, said engine including:

a fuel injector for directly injecting fuels selected from the group consisting of liquid hydrocarbons and gaseous fuels including methane and hydrogen into a combustion chamber of the engine, said fuel injector having sensing means located within an injector housing for sensing information from fuel injection and combustion chamber events selected from the group consisting of compression, fuel pressure, fuel flow period, ignition, combustion, expansion, exhaust, and intake;

said engine further including control means for adjusting operation of said engine responsive to said sensed information.

2. A combustion engine as in claim 1 wherein said means for controlling is an adaptive controller for optimizing events selected from the group consisting of:

minimization of oxides of nitrogen formation, thermal efficiency, power production, engine smoothness, and control of combustion temperature.

3. A combustion engine as in claim 1 wherein said sensing means is a piezoelectric transducer.

4. A combustion engine as in claim 1 wherein said sensing means is a fiber optic transducer to detect said events by transducer operations selected from the group consisting of:

intensity, frequency, phase, and polarization.

5. A combustion engine as in claim 1 wherein said sensing means is a capacitance transducer.

6. A combustion engine as in claim 1 wherein said sensing means measures natural frequency of said events.

7. A combustion engine as in claim 1 wherein said fuel injector includes a suitable means for igniting fuel as it enters said combustion chamber.