Fuel system having dual fuel pressure regulator

• US 8,936,009 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2012
• Issued: 01/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Inventors: Puckett, Daniel R., Steffen, Joshua W., Lombardi, Frank J., Grant, Steven T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kamen, Noah
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Long T
• Application Number:
  US13/665,534
• Publication Number:
  US 20140116523A1
• Time in Patent Office: 811 Days
• Field of Search: 123/525, 123/526, 123/527, 123/531, 123/1.A, 137/565.72, 137/544, 137/565.16, 137/495, 137/408, 137/479, 137/12, 137/505
• US Class Current: 123/525
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 19/0673 Valves; Pressure or flow regulators; Mixers
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 19/10 peculiar to compression-ignition engines in which the main fuel is gaseous
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/30 Use of alternative fuels, e.g. biofuels
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/0379 By fluid pressure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7782 With manual or external control for line valve
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7793 With opening bias [e.g., pressure regulator]

Abstract

A pressure regulator is disclosed having a body, a valve seat dividing a cavity of the body into first and second portions, and an end stop movable against a bias to selectively engage the valve seat and isolate the first and second portions. The pressure regulator may also have a first inlet port in the first portion, a first outlet port in the second portion and in fluid communication with the first portion via the valve seat, and a second inlet port in the second portion. The fuel system may also have a valve element in the second portion and movable against a spring bias based on a pressure difference between an open position and a restricted position against the end stop. The fuel system may additionally have an actuator biased to urge the valve element toward the second position and selectively actuated to move away from the valve element.

Claims

1. A pressure regulator, comprising:

a body;

a cavity formed in the body;

a valve seat dividing the cavity into a first cavity portion and a second cavity portion;

an end stop disposed within the first cavity portion and movable to selectively engage the valve seat and substantially isolate the first cavity portion from the second cavity portion, the end stop being biased against the valve seat;

a liquid fuel inlet port disposed in the first cavity portion;

a first outlet port disposed in the second cavity portion and in selective fluid communication with the first cavity portion via the valve seat;

a gaseous fuel inlet port disposed in the second cavity portion;

a valve element disposed in the second cavity portion and movable based on a pressure difference between the liquid and gaseous fuel inlet ports to any position between a first fully open position at which fluid is allowed to flow from the liquid fuel inlet port through the first outlet port substantially unrestricted by the valve element, to a second fully restricted position against the end stop at which fluid flow from the liquid fuel inlet port through the first outlet port is blocked by the end stop, wherein the valve element is biased toward the second position; and

an actuator biased to urge the valve element toward the second position and selectively actuated to move away from the valve element.

2. The pressure regulator of claim 1, further including a second outlet port disposed in the second cavity portion and in selective fluid communication with the first cavity portion via the valve element and the valve seat.

3. The pressure regulator of claim 2, wherein the valve element has a passage formed therein fluidly connecting opposing ends of the second cavity portion.

4. The pressure regulator of claim 1, wherein fluid at the liquid fuel inlet port is substantially isolated from fluid at the gaseous fuel inlet port.

5. The pressure regulator of claim 1, wherein the biasing force of the actuator is variable.

6. The pressure regulator of claim 1, wherein the bias acting on the actuator is greater than the bias acting on the valve seat.

7. The pressure regulator of claim 6, wherein the bias acting on the actuator is about twenty times the bias acting on the valve seat.

8. A fuel system, comprising:

a first supply of liquid fuel;

a second supply of gaseous fuel;

a fuel injector configured to receive liquid and gaseous fuel from the first and second supplies;

a pressure regulator in parallel fluid communication with the first and second fuel supplies, the pressure regulator being configured to selectively regulate a pressure of the liquid fuel based on a pressure of the gaseous fuel;

a pump configured to pressurize and direct liquid fuel from the first supply to the regulator;

a liquid fuel accumulator disposed between the pressure regulator and the injector; and

a pressure relief valve fluidly connected between an output of the pump, the liquid fuel accumulator, and the first supply.

9. The fuel system of claim 8, wherein the pressure relief valve is configured to selectively relieve liquid fuel from the output of the pump or the liquid fuel accumulator to the first supply.

10. The fuel system of claim 9, wherein:

the pump is a transfer pump;

the fuel system further includes a high-pressure pump configured to receive low-pressure feed from the transfer pump; and

the pressure relief valve is fluidly connected to the output of the transfer pump at a location upstream of the high-pressure pump.

11. The fuel system of claim 10, wherein the pressure regulator is further configured to selectively block pressure regulation of the liquid fuel by the gaseous fuel.

12. The fuel system of claim 10, further including a metering valve disposed between the transfer pump and the high-pressure pump and configured to selectively adjust an output of the high-pressure pump based on a desired pressure of the liquid fuel in the liquid-fuel accumulator.

13. The fuel system of claim 12, further including a leak passage fluidly connecting an outlet of the pressure regulator with the first supply.

14. The fuel system of claim 12, wherein:

the metering valve is a first metering valve; and

the fuel system further includes;

a high-pressure gas accumulator fluidly connected between the second supply and the pressure regulator;

a low-pressure accumulator fluidly connected between the high-pressure accumulator and the pressure regulator; and

a second metering valve fluidly connected between the high- and low-pressure accumulators.

15. The fuel system of claim 14, further including a variable output pump fluidly connected between the second supply and the high-pressure accumulator.

16. The fuel system of claim 14, wherein the low-pressure accumulator has a first outlet connected to the pressure regulator and a second outlet connected to the fuel injector.

17. A method of regulating fuel pressures for an engine, comprising:

directing pressurized liquid fuel from a first supply to an injector of the engine;

directing gaseous fuel from a second supply to the injector in parallel with the liquid fuel;

selectively regulating a pressure of the liquid fuel based on a pressure of the gaseous fuel;

selectively regulating the pressure of the liquid fuel independent of the pressure of the gaseous fuel; and

selectively relieving high pressure from a liquid fuel accumulator or from a liquid fuel pump to the first supply.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein selectively regulating the pressure of the liquid fuel independent of the pressure of the gaseous fuel includes:

substantially isolating the liquid fuel from the gaseous fuel upstream of the injector; and

metering liquid fuel from the first supply to the injector at a location downstream of the liquid fuel pump.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein selectively regulating the pressure of the liquid fuel based on the pressure of the gaseous fuel includes:

directing the liquid and gaseous fuels through a regulator; and

selectively leaking an amount of the liquid fuel back to the first supply based on the pressure of the gaseous fuel in the regulator.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein:

directing gaseous fuel from the second supply to the injector includes directing gaseous fuel from a high-pressure accumulator through a low-pressure accumulator to the injector; and

selectively restricting a flow of gaseous fuel from the high-pressure accumulator to the low-pressure accumulator.