Device for dispensing a liquid additive into a fuel circulation circuit for an internal combustion engine, vehicle comprising such a device, and method for using said device

• US 9,938,943 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2012
• Issued: 04/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Filtrauto (CIR SpA - Cie Industriali Riunite), Rhodia Operations (Solvac SA)
• Original Assignee: Filtrauto (CIR SpA - Cie Industriali Riunite), Rhodia Operations (Solvac SA)
• Inventors: Harle, Virginie, Lallemand, Michael, Seguelong, Thierry, Monsallier, Guy
• Primary Examiner(s): MOULIS, THOMAS N
• Application Number:
  US14/236,546
• Publication Number:
  US 20140238349A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,086 Days
• Field of Search: 123444, 123445, 123469, 123 1 A, 123198 A
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 19/12 peculiar to engines working with non-fuel substances or with anti-knock agents, e.g. with anti-knock fuel
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/0611 Fuel type, fuel composition or fuel quality
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0025 Controlling engines characterised by use of non-liquid fuels, pluralities of fuels, or non-fuel substances added to the combustible mixtures
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 25/10 adding acetylene, non-waterborne hydrogen, non-airborne oxygen, or ozone
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 37/0047 Layout or arrangement of systems for feeding fuel fuel injection apparatus characterised by their conduits and venting means F02M55/00; fuel injection apparatus having a common rail F02M63/0225; arrangement of fuel conduits of low pressure fuel injection apparatus F02M69/462
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 37/0082 Devices inside the fuel tank other than fuel pumps or filters electrical pumps submerged in fuel tanks F02M37/10, jet pumps F02M37/025

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for dispensing a liquid additive into a fuel circulation circuit (2) for an internal combustion engine, in particular for an engine equipping a vehicle, said device comprising:

• • a tank (26) containing the additive,
  • an enclosure (24) communicating with the fuel circulation circuit (2) and inside which the tank (26) containing the additive is inserted,
  • means for injecting additive connected to the tank (26) and the fuel circulation circuit (2) and making it possible to dispense the additive in the fuel circulation circuit (2), and
  • control means for controlling the injection means.

Claims

1. A device for dispensing a liquid additive in a fuel circulation circuit for an internal combustion engine equipping a vehicle, said device comprising:

a tank containing the liquid additive,

an enclosure communicating with the fuel circulation circuit and inside which the tank containing the additive is inserted, at least one movable sealing wall between said enclosure and said tank providing a sealing separation and maintaining an identical pressure between the additive in the tank and the fuel in the enclosure,

an injector connected to the tank and the fuel circulation circuit and making it possible to dispense the liquid additive in the fuel circulation circuit, said injector including a dispensing channel connecting the tank and the fuel circulation circuit, and

a controller of the injector,

further comprising pressure sensors measuring the pressure at an additive dispensing orifice positioned at one end of the dispensing channel situated at the fuel circulation circuit, and at an inlet orifice for the fuel positioned upstream from the dispensing orifice in the circulation circuit, a pressure difference between the orifices constituting a parameter representative of the use of the vehicle or the evolution of the additive flow rate or the travel conditions,

the controller being associated with;

an analyzer of at least one parameter representative of the use of the vehicle;

or

an analyzer of the travel conditions of vehicle, or

an analyzer of the evolution of the quantity of fuel contained in a fuel tank, said tank being accessible to a user so as to add fuel, and/or

an analyzer of the quality of the fuel, and/or

an analyzer of the polluting emissions resulting from the combustion of the fuel in the engine and/or

an analyzer of the quality of the regeneration of a particle filter positioned in the exhaust line of the engine, and/or

an analyzer of the type of additive used, and/or

an analyzer of the evolution of the additive flow rate dispensed in the fuel circulation circuit, and/or

an analyzer of climate conditions,

to monitor the operation of the injector.

2. The dispensing device according to claim 1 wherein the injector includes a valve for closing off the dispensing channel, the valve being suitable for completely or partially closing off the dispensing channel.

3. The dispensing device according to claim 1 further including a temperature sensor intended to indicate the temperature of the fuel in the fuel circulation circuit, in particular near the dispensing channel, or of the additive, the temperature of the additive or the fuel constituting a parameter representative of the evolution of the additive flow rate or the use of the vehicle or climate conditions.

4. The dispensing device according to claim 1 further including a temperature sensor outside the vehicle, the outside temperature constituting a parameter representative the climate conditions.

5. The dispensing device according to claim 1 further including a sensor detecting the turning on of the vehicle or an element belonging to the fuel circulation circuit, the turning on constituting a parameter representative of the use of the vehicle.

6. The dispensing device according to claim 1 further including a noise sensor positioned near the engine, the detection of noise by the sensor constituting a parameter representative of the use of the vehicle.

7. The dispensing device according to claim 1 further including a GPS system or a movement sensor, the detection of movement by the location means or the movement sensor constituting a parameter representative of the use of the vehicle or the travel conditions of the vehicle.

8. The dispensing device according to claim 1 wherein the average speed or instantaneous speed of the vehicle constitutes a parameter representative of the travel conditions of the vehicle.

9. The dispensing device according to claim 1 wherein the temperature of the exhaust gases constitutes a parameter representative of the travel conditions of the vehicle.

10. The dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the evolution of the pressure in the circulation circuit, in particular in a high-pressure circuit of the vehicle made up of a high-pressure pump and a shared injection ramp, constitutes a parameter representative of the travel conditions of the vehicle.

11. The dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the evolution of the air flow rate supplying the combustion chamber of the engine constitutes a parameter representative of the travel conditions of the vehicle.

12. The dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the evolution of the fuel flow rate in the circulation circuit constitutes a parameter representative of the evolution of the additive flow rate.

13. The dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the evolution of the emissions of NOx, soot or other carbon particles or the NOx/soot or NOx/particle ratios constitute parameters representative of the polluting emissions resulting from the combustion of the fuel.

14. The dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the evolution of the quality or quantity of oil allowing lubrication of the engine constitutes a parameter representative of the evolution of the quality of the regeneration of the particle filter positioned in the exhaust line of the engine.

15. The dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein it includes GPS system indicating the geographical area in which the vehicle is located, the location of the vehicle provided by the location system constituting a parameter representative of the quality of the fuel marketed in the geographical area.

16. The dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the parameters representative of the combustion of the fuel in the cylinders of the engine constitute a parameter representative of the quality of the fuel.

17. The dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the fuel consumption of the engine constitutes a parameter representative of the travel conditions of the vehicle.

18. The dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the additive may be a particle filter regenerating additive with a base of a rare earth or a metal chosen from groups IIA, IVA, VIIA, VIII, IB, IIB, IIIB and IVB of the periodic table.

19. The dispensing device according to claim 18, wherein the additive assumes the form of a colloidal dispersion.

20. The dispensing device according to claim 19, wherein the particles of the colloidal dispersion have a base of cerium or iron.

21. The dispensing device according to claim 18, wherein the additive is a combination of a colloidal particle dispersion that includes an organic phase and at least one amphiphilic agent and a detergent.

22. The dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the additive is an additive allowing the improvement of the dispensing of fuel in the engine or the improvement of the running performance of the engine or the improvement of the running stability of the engine.

23. The dispensing device according to claim 22, wherein the additive is a combination of a detergent additive and a lubrication additive.

24. A motor vehicle comprising:

a fuel circulation circuit for an internal combustion engine of the vehicle, and

a dispensing device according to claim 1 for injecting the liquid additive in the fuel circulation circuit.

25. A method for using a dispensing device according to claim 1, comprising using the dispensing device for injecting the liquid additive in the fuel circulation circuit, wherein the dispensing of the liquid additive is stopped when the engine of the vehicle is no longer running or when the vehicle is stopped.

26. A method for using a dispensing device according to claim 2, comprising using the dispensing device for injecting the liquid additive in the fuel circulation circuit, wherein the additive dispensing is activated when the valve is powered on.

27. A method for using a dispensing device according to claim 1, comprising using the dispensing device for injecting the liquid additive in the fuel circulation circuit, wherein the dispensing of additive is activated when a pressure difference greater than 2 mbar is measured between the additive dispensing orifice positioned at one end of the dispensing channel and the fuel inlet orifice positioned upstream in the circulation circuit on the other hand.

28. A method for using a dispensing device according to claim 3, comprising using the dispensing device for injecting the liquid additive in the fuel circulation circuit, wherein the additive dispensing is activated when the temperature of the fuel circulating in the circulation circuit or of the additive is above a threshold value representative of a running engine, for example greater than 15°

C.

29. A method for using a dispensing device according to claim 3, comprising using the dispensing device for injecting the liquid additive in the fuel circulation circuit, wherein the additive dispensing is stopped when the outside temperature or the temperature of the additive or the temperature of the fuel in the fuel circulation circuit are below a minimum threshold temperature or above a maximum threshold temperature, said minimum and maximum threshold temperatures being defined for a given additive, the minimum threshold temperature being able to correspond to a value for which the viscosity of the additive reaches a threshold value and the maximum threshold temperature being able to correspond to the vaporization value of the additive.

30. A method for using a dispensing device according to claim 2, comprising using the dispensing device for injecting the liquid additive in the fuel circulation circuit, wherein the injection is discontinuous and in that the frequency or opening time of the valve or the solenoid valve type depends on information collected by the controller, the dispensing of additive being done so as to preserve a constant additive concentration in the fuel or to inject the additive in the fuel circulation circuit only when necessary.

31. The method according to claim 30, wherein the dispensing frequency or the dispensing duration of the additives depend either on the usage time of the vehicle or on the number of kilometers traveled by the vehicle or the fuel consumption of the vehicle.

32. The method according to claim 3, comprising using the dispensing device for injecting the liquid additive in the fuel circulation circuit, wherein the frequency or duration of additive dispensing depend on the temperature of the fuel or the additive, or on the pressure between the additive dispensing orifice positioned at one end of the dispensing channel and the fuel inlet orifice positioned upstream in the circulation circuit.

33. A method for using a dispensing device according to claim 1, comprising using the dispensing device for injecting the liquid additive in the fuel circulation circuit, wherein the additive is injected each time fuel is added in the fuel tank, the volume of said additive being able to be fixed or variable, the variable volume being determined based on the quantity of fuel added.

34. A method for using a dispensing device according to claim 1, comprising using the dispensing device for injecting the liquid additive in the fuel circulation circuit, wherein the additive is injected when the analysis of the polluting emissions resulting from the combustion of the fuel indicates that the gases or particles emitted diverge from the theoretical expected value.

35. A method for using a dispensing device according to claim 1, comprising using the dispensing device for injecting the liquid additive in the fuel circulation circuit, wherein the additive is injected before regenerating the particle filter.

36. A method for using a dispensing device according to claim 1, comprising using the dispensing device for injecting the liquid additive in the fuel circulation circuit, wherein an additional quantity of additive is injected before the regeneration of the particle filter when the previous regeneration was not of good quality.

37. The dispensing device according to claim 5 wherein the element belonging to the fuel circuit is a fuel filter.