Injector-ignition for an internal combustion engine

• US 8,176,900 B2
• Filed: 05/19/2011
• Issued: 05/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EcoMotors, Inc
• Original Assignee: Transonic Combustion, Inc.
• Inventors: Cheiky, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Gimie, Mahmoud
• Application Number:
  US13/111,139
• Publication Number:
  US 20110247585A1
• Time in Patent Office: 362 Days
• Field of Search: 123/298, 123/304, 123/549, 123/558, 123/670, 123/297, 239/135, 137/334, 137/336
• US Class Current: 123/558
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 2275/14 Direct injection into combustion chamber
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 23/0624 Swirl flow
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 23/0639 the combustion space having substantially the shape of a cylinder
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 25/0225 Water atomisers or mixers, e.g. using ultrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 25/0228 Adding fuel and water emulsion
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 25/10 adding acetylene, non-waterborne hydrogen, non-airborne oxygen, or ozone
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 27/02 by catalysts
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 31/045 Fuel-air mixture
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 31/135 Fuel-air mixture
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 31/18 to vaporise fuel
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 37/0064 for engines being fed with multiple fuels or fuels having special properties, e.g. bio-fuels; varying the fuel composition controlling engines working with pluralities of fuels F02D19/06
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 53/06 with fuel-heating means, e.g. for vaporising
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 57/00 Fuel-injectors combined or associated with other devices
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 69/045 for injecting into the combustion chamber F02M69/046 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 69/047 injectors with air chambers, e.g. communicating with atmosphere for aerating the nozzles F02M69/325 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 69/18 the means being metering valves throttling fuel passages to injectors or by-pass valves throttling overflow passages, the metering valves being actuated by a device responsive to the engine working parameters, e.g. engine load, speed, temperature or quantity of air the means varying fuel pressure in a fuel by-pass passage, the pressure acting on a throttle valve against the action of metered or throttled fuel pressure for variably throttling fuel flow to injection nozzles F02M69/26
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/12 Improving ICE efficiencies

Abstract

The present invention provides a heated catalyzed fuel injector that dispenses fuel substantially exclusively during the power stroke of an internal combustion engine, wherein ignition occurs in a fast burn zone at high fuel density such that a leading surface of the fuel is completely burned within several microseconds. In operation, the fuel injector precisely meters instantly igniting fuel at a predetermined crank angle for optimal power stroke production. Specifically, the fuel is metered into the fuel injector, such that the fuel injector heats, vaporizes, compresses and mildly oxidizes the fuel, and then dispenses the fuel as a relatively low pressure gas column into a combustion chamber of the engine.

Claims

1. Apparatus for dispensing fuel into a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine, comprising:

a fuel injector that dispenses the fuel during a power stroke of an engine;

wherein the fuel is in a super-critical phase prior to injection into the combustion chamber;

wherein the fuel injector precisely meters substantially instantly igniting fuel at a predetermined crank angle for optimal power stroke production.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein ignition occurs in a fast burn zone at high fuel density such that a leading surface of the fuel is substantially completely burned within several microseconds.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the fuel is metered into the fuel injector, such that the fuel injector heats, vaporizes, compresses and mildly oxidizes the fuel, and then dispenses the fuel as a relatively low pressure gas column into the combustion chamber of the engine.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the engine includes the combustion chamber, and wherein the fuel injector is mounted approximately in the center of a cylinder head of the combustion chamber.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein a fuel column of hot gas is injected into the combustion chamber, such that a leading surface of the fuel column auto-detonates and the fuel column is radially dispensed into a swirl.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the combustion chamber comprises a lean burn environment, wherein 0.1% to 5% of the fuel is pre-oxidized in the fuel injector by employing high temperature and pressure.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein pre-oxidation within the fuel injector comprises the use of oxygen sources including oxygenating agents selected from the group consisting of MTBE, ethanol, other octane and cetane boosters, and other fuel oxygenator agents.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein pre-oxidation further comprises a small amount of additional oxygen.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the additional oxygen is taken from air or from recirculated exhaust gas.

11. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the dispensed fuel column contains 0.1% to 5% pre-combustion radicals in the form RO₂. and ROOH. , which are highly reactive, partially oxidized, cracked hydrocarbon chains from the initial fuel.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the fuel injector is mounted in place of a conventional direct diesel injector on an automotive diesel engine that operates at high compression ratios in the range of 16:

1 to 25;

1.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the engine employs compression heating by way of high compression ratios.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the fuel is selected from the group consisting of gasoline, diesel fuel, high cetane fuel, high octane fuel, heptane, ethanol, plant oil, biodiesel, alcohols, plant extracts, and combinations thereof.

10. The apparatus of 3, wherein the fuel is oxidized to provide relatively low temperature auto-ignition sites within the dispensed fuel column, which supports the initiation of surface auto-detonation and subsequent lean burn within a temperature and pressure range compatible with conventional automotive engine construction materials.

15. Apparatus for dispensing fuel into a combustion chamber of a variable cycle engine in a multi-fuel vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

a fuel injector that dispenses the fuel into the combustion chamber during a power stroke of the variable cycle engine;

wherein the variable cycle engine includes a smart fueling system having an ECU in communication with a filling station fueling pump;

wherein the fuel is in a super-critical phase prior to injection into the combustion chamber.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the variable cycle engine includes an intermixed thermal energy recovery system for providing the injection of air, water, steam or other expandable media.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the variable cycle engine is adapted to operate with a wide range of fuels including gasoline, diesel fuel, high cetane fuel, high octane fuel, heptane, ethanol, plant oil, biodiesel, alcohols, plant extracts, and combinations thereof.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the ECU includes a wireless serial communications link for wireless communication with the pump.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein:

the ECU communicates to the fuel pump a precise fuel mixture and amount of fuel in the tank, and

in response, the fuel pump calculates appropriate refueling mixtures that are compatible with the remaining fuel in the tank and the vehicle'"'"'s operational capabilities.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the smart fueling system is employed to offer customers one or more optimized fuel blends for refueling a multi-fuel vehicle.

21. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the ECU determines actual fuel performance during combustion using engine performance under load measurements, load sensors, and knock sensors.

22. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the ECU is configured to maintain a log of all fuel loadings including a precise mixture of fuels, an amount pumped into the tank, fuel consumption, observed performance, and chronological climate conditions.

23. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the vehicle is capable of dynamically adapting to various fuel mixtures under control of the ECU.

24. Apparatus for dispensing fuel into a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine, comprising:

a fuel injector that dispenses the fuel during a power stroke of an engine;

wherein the fuel is in a super-critical phase prior to injection into the combustion chamber; and

wherein the fuel is pre-oxidized in the fuel injector using ambient air prior to injection into the combustion chamber.

25. Apparatus for dispensing fuel into a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine, comprising:

a fuel injector that dispenses the fuel during a power stroke of an engine;

wherein the fuel is in a super-critical phase prior to injection into the combustion chamber; and

wherein the fuel is pre-oxidized in the fuel injector using ambient air prior to injection into the combustion chamber,

wherein the fuel is pre-oxidized using recirculated exhaust gas.

26. Apparatus for dispensing fuel into a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine, comprising:

a fuel injector that dispenses the fuel during a power stroke of an engine;

wherein the fuel is in a super-critical phase prior to injection into the combustion chamber; and

wherein the fuel is pre-oxidized in the fuel injector using ambient air prior to injection into the combustion chamber,

wherein 0.1% to 5% of the fuel is pre-oxidized in the fuel injector by employing high temperature and pressure.

27. Apparatus for dispensing fuel into a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine, comprising:

a fuel injector that dispenses the fuel during a power stroke of an engine;

wherein the fuel is in a super-critical phase prior to injection into the combustion chamber; and

wherein the fuel is pre-oxidized in the fuel injector using ambient air prior to injection into the combustion chamber,

wherein the fuel is pre-oxidized using oxygen sources including oxygenating agents selected from the group consisting of MTBE, ethanol, other octane and cetarie boosters, and other fuel oxygenator agents.