Patent Application
20150211462
This invention generally relates to nozzles suitable for use in a fuel injector for an internal combustion engine. The invention is further applicable to fuel injectors incorporating such nozzles. This invention also relates to methods of making such nozzles, as well as methods of making fuel injectors incorporating such nozzles. The invention further relates to methods of using nozzles and fuel injectors in vehicles.
There are three basic types of fuel injector systems. Those that use port fuel injection (PFI), gasoline direct injection (GDI), and direct injection (DI). While PFI and GDI use gasoline as the fuel, DI uses diesel fuel. Efforts continue to further develop fuel injector nozzles and fuel injection systems containing the same so as to potentially increase fuel efficiency and reduce hazardous emissions of internal combustion engines, as well as reduce the overall energy requirements of a vehicle comprising an internal combustion engine.
The present invention is directed to fuel injector nozzles. In one exemplary embodiment, the fuel injector nozzle comprises an inlet face; an outlet face opposite the inlet face; and at least one nozzle through-hole comprising (i) a single inlet opening on the inlet face connected to multiple outlet openings on the outlet face by a cavity defined by an interior surface, or (ii) multiple inlet openings on the inlet face connected to a single outlet opening on the outlet face by a cavity defined by an interior surface.
The present invention is further directed to fuel injectors. In one exemplary embodiment, the fuel injector comprises any one of the herein-disclosed nozzles of the present invention incorporated therein.
The present invention is even further directed to fuel injection systems. In one exemplary embodiment, the fuel injection system comprises any one of the herein-disclosed nozzles or fuel injectors of the present invention incorporated therein.
The present invention is also directed to methods of making nozzles. In one exemplary embodiment, the method of making a nozzle of the present invention comprises making any of the herein-described nozzles.
In another exemplary embodiment, the method of making a nozzle of the present invention comprises: forming at least one nozzle through-hole within the fuel injector nozzle such that the at least one nozzle through-hole extends from an inlet face to an outlet face opposite the inlet face of the nozzle, the at least one nozzle through-hole comprising (i) a single inlet opening on the inlet face connected to multiple outlet openings on the outlet face by a cavity defined by an interior surface, or (ii) multiple inlet openings on the inlet face connected to a single outlet opening on the outlet face by a cavity defined by an interior surface.
The present invention is also directed to methods of making fuel injectors for use in an internal combustion engine of a vehicle. In one exemplary embodiment, the method of making a fuel injector comprises incorporating any one of the herein-described nozzles into the fuel injector.
The present invention is further directed to methods of making fuel injection systems of an internal combustion vehicle. In one exemplary embodiment, the method of making a fuel injection system of a vehicle comprises incorporating any one of the herein-described nozzles or fuel injectors into the fuel injection system.
The present invention is even further directed to methods of using fuel injection systems of an internal combustion vehicle. In one exemplary embodiment, the method of using a fuel injection system comprises: introducing two or more fuel components into a nozzle of a fuel injection system such that each fuel component independently enters separate inlet openings of a single nozzle through-hole and exits a single outlet opening of the single nozzle through-hole so as to mix the two or more fuel components from the two or more fuel reservoirs as the fuel components travel through the nozzle.
The invention may be more completely understood and appreciated in consideration of the following detailed description of various embodiments of the invention in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:
In the specification, a same reference numeral used in multiple figures refers to the same or similar elements having the same or similar properties and functionalities.
The disclosed nozzles represent improvements to nozzles disclosed in (1) International Patent Application Publication WO2011/014607, which published on Feb. 3, 2011, and (2) International Patent Application Serial No. US2012/023624 (3M Docket No. 67266WO003 entitled “Nozzle and Method of Making Same”) filed on Feb. 2, 2012, the subject matter and disclosure of both of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety. The disclosed nozzles provide one or more advantages over prior nozzles as discussed herein. For example, the disclosed nozzles can advantageously be incorporated into fuel injector systems to improve fuel efficiency. The disclosed nozzles can be fabricated using multiphoton, such as two photon, processes like those disclosed in International Patent Application Publication WO2011/014607 and International Patent Application Serial No. US2012/023624. In particular, multiphoton processes can be used to fabricate various microstructures, which can at least include one or more hole forming features. Such hole forming features can, in turn, be used as molds to fabricate holes for use in nozzles or other applications.
it should be understood that the term “nozzle” may have a number of different meanings in the art. In some specific references, the term nozzle has a broad definition. For example, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2009/0308953 A1 (Palestrant et al.), discloses an “atomizing nozzle” which includes a number of elements, including an occluder chamber 50. This differs from the understanding and definition of nozzle put forth herewith. For example, the nozzle of the current description would correspond generally to the orifice insert 24 of Palestrant et al. In general, the nozzle of the current description can be understood as the final tapered portion of an atomizing spray system from which the spray is ultimately emitted, see e.g., Merriam Webster's dictionary definition of nozzle (“a short tube with a taper or constriction used (as on a hose) to speed up or direct a flow of fluid.” Further understanding may be gained by reference to U.S. Pat. No. 5,716,009 (Ogihara et al.) issued to Nippondenso Co., Ltd. (Kariya, Japan). In this reference, again, fluid injection “nozzle” is defined broadly as the multi-piece valve element 10 (“fuel injection valve 10 acting as fluid injection nozzle . . . ”—see col. 4, lines 26-27 of Ogihara et al.). The current definition and understanding of the term “nozzle” as used herein would relate, e.g., to first and second orifice plates 130 and 132 and potentially sleeve 138 (see FIGS. 14 and 15 of Ogihara et al.), for example, which are located immediately proximate the fuel spray. A similar understanding of the term “nozzle” to that described herein is used in U.S. Pat. No. 5,127,156 (Yokoyama et al.) to Hitachi, Ltd. (Ibaraki, Japan). There, the nozzle 10 is defined separately from elements of the attached and integrated structure, such as “swirler” 12 (see FIG. 1(II)). The above-defined understanding should be understood when the term “nozzle” is referred to throughout the remainder of the description and claims.
The disclosed nozzles include one or more nozzle through-holes strategically incorporated into the nozzle structure, wherein at least one nozzle through-hole comprises (i) a single inlet opening on an inlet face of the nozzle connected to multiple outlet openings on an outlet face of the nozzle by a cavity defined by an interior surface, or (ii) multiple inlet openings on the inlet face connected to a single outlet opening on the outlet face by a cavity defined by an interior surface. The one or more nozzle through-holes provide one or more of the following properties to the nozzle: (1) the ability to provide variable fluid flow through a single nozzle through-hole or through multiple nozzle through-holes (e.g., the combination of increased fluid flow through one or more outlet openings and decreased fluid flow through other outlet openings of the same nozzle through-hole or of multiple nozzle through-holes) by selectively designing individual cavity passages (i.e., cavity passages 153′ discussed below) extending along a length of a given nozzle through-hole), (2) the ability to provide multi-directional fluid flow relative to an outlet face of the nozzle via a single nozzle through-hole or multiple nozzle through-holes, (3) the ability to provide multi-directional off-axis fluid flow relative to a central normal line extending perpendicularly through the nozzle outlet face via a single nozzle through-hole or multiple nozzle through-holes, and (4) the ability to mix two or more fuel components entering multiple inlet openings and exiting a single outlet opening of a single nozzle through-hole.
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In some embodiments, at least one of nozzle through-holes 15/16 has an inlet opening 151/161 axis of flow, a cavity 153/163 axis of flow and an outlet opening 152/162 axis of flow, and at least one axis of flow is different from at least one other axis of flow. As used herein, the “axis of flow” is defined as the central axis of a stream of fuel as the fuel flows into, through or out of nozzle through-hole 15/16. In the case of a nozzle through-hole 15 having multiple inlet openings 151, multiple outlet openings 152 or both, the nozzle through-hole 15 can have a different axis of flow corresponding to each of the multiple openings 151/152.
In some embodiments, inlet opening 151/161 axis of flow may be different from outlet opening 152/162 axis of flow. In other embodiments, each of inlet opening 151/161 axis of flow, cavity 153/163 axis of flow and outlet opening 152/162 axis of flow are different from one another. In other embodiments, nozzle through-hole 15/16 has a cavity 153/163 that is operatively adapted (i.e., dimensioned, configured or otherwise designed) such that fuel flowing therethrough has an axis of flow that is curved.
Examples of factors that contribute to such differences in axis of flow may include, but are not be limited to, any combination of: (1) a different angle between (i) cavity 153/163 and (ii) inlet face 11 and/or outlet face 14, (2) inlet openings 151/161 and/or cavities 153/163 and/or outlet openings 152/162 that not being aligned or parallel to each other, or are aligned along different directions, or are parallel but not aligned, or are intersecting but not aligned, and/or (3) any other conceivable geometric relationship two or three non-aligned line segments could have.
The disclosed nozzles 10 may comprise (or consist essentially of or consist of) any one of the disclosed nozzle features or any combination of two or more of the disclosed nozzle features. In addition, although not shown in the figures and/or described in detail herein, the nozzles 10 of the present invention may further comprise one or more nozzle features disclosed in (1) U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/678,475 (3M Docket No. 69909US002 entitled “GDI Fuel Injectors with Non-Coined Three-Dimensional Nozzle Outlet Face”) filed on Aug. 1, 2012 (e.g., outlet face overlapping features 149), (2) U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/678,356 (3M Docket No. 69910US002 entitled “Targeting of Fuel Output by Off-Axis Directing of Nozzle Output Streams”) filed on Aug. 1, 2012 (e.g., specifically disclosed nozzle through-holes 15 and/or inlet face features 118 that reduce a SAC volume of a fuel injector), (3) U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/678,305 (3M Docket No. 69912US002 entitled “Fuel Injectors with Improved Coefficient of Fuel Discharge”) filed on Aug. 1, 2012 (e.g., specifically disclosed nozzle through-holes 15 having a relatively high coefficient of discharge (COD) value), and (4) U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/678,288 (3M Docket No. 69913US002 entitled “Fuel Injectors with Non-Coined Three-dimensional Nozzle Inlet Face”) filed on Aug. 1, 2012 (e.g., a non-coined three-dimensional inlet face 11), the subject matter and disclosure of each of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
The disclosed nozzles 10 may be formed using any method as long as the resulting nozzle 10 has one or more nozzle through-holes 15 therein, and at least one nozzle through-hole 15 has (i) a single inlet opening 151 along an inlet face 11 and multiple outlet openings 152 along an outlet face 14 or (ii) multiple inlet openings 151 along an inlet face 11 and a single outlet opening 152 along an outlet face 14 as described herein. Although suitable methods of making nozzles 10 of the present invention are not limited to the methods disclosed in International Patent Application Serial No. US2012/023624, nozzles 10 of the present invention may be formed using the methods (e.g., using a multiphoton process, such as a two photon process) disclosed in International Patent Application Serial No. US2012/023624. See, for example, the method steps shown in
The distances at which a fuel stream, for each injector type (i.e., PFI, GDI, or DI), should break-up depend on a number of factors. For example, such a distance for a PFI type fuel injector system, the director plate port-to-port spacing, as well as the surface tension of the liquid fuel, can affect this distance. If the fuel stream breaks-up too far out from the nozzle, or if the individual stream velocities are too similar, the droplets may coalesce, which can have a negative effect on fuel efficiency. With the present invention, individual fuel stream speeds can be made substantially different, e.g., by changing the ratio of the inlet opening area to outlet opening area, for nozzle through-holes having larger inlet openings and smaller outlet openings.
If the goal is to have individual fuel streams converge at a point and break-up upon impact, than the distance to such a point would depend on the particulars (dimensions, configuration, and design) of the chosen internal combustion engine. In one example of a PFI application, it can be desirable for the fuel stream or spray to break-up right before the intake valve so as to allow the air coming into the combustion chamber (i.e., engine cylinder) to carry the small droplets of fuel with them into the cylinder. Smaller fuel droplets can more easily follow the flow path of the air, thus minimizing contact with portions (e.g., the back) of the valve. Allowing the fuel spray to break-up against the valve can cause carbon or coke buildup on internal surfaces. However, if the strategy is to use the back of the valve to breakup the spray, than it may be desirable to cause the fuel droplets to coalesce as soon as, or soon after, they exit the fuel injector nozzle. The coalescence of the fuel droplets can minimize momentum loss as the fuel spray travels through the air. Such reduction in momentum loss can result in the fuel droplets hitting the back of the intake valve with a higher momentum, which can cause a greater degree of fuel stream/spray break-up.
In any of the above embodiments, nozzle 10 may comprise a nozzle plate 10 having a substantially flat configuration typically with at least a portion of inlet face 11 substantially parallel to at least a portion of outlet face 14.
Desirably, nozzles 10 of the present invention each independently comprise a monolithic structure. As used herein, the term “monolithic” refers to a nozzle having a single, integrally formed structure, as oppose to multiple parts or components being combined with one another to form a nozzle.
It can be desirable for the thickness of a fuel injector nozzle 10 to be at least about 100 μm, preferably greater than about 200 μm; and less than about 3 mm, preferably less than about 1 mm, more preferably less than about 500 μm (or any thickness between about 100 μm and about 3 mm in increments of 1.0 μm).
Further, although not shown in the figures, any of the herein-described nozzles 10 may further comprise one or more alignment surface features that enable (1) alignment of nozzle 10 (i.e., in the x-y plane) relative to a fuel injector 101 and (2) rotational alignment/orientation of nozzle 10 (i.e., a proper rotational position within the x-y plane) relative to a fuel injector 101. The one or more alignment surface features aid in positioning nozzle 10 and nozzle through-holes 15 therein so as to be accurately and precisely directed at one or more target location it as discussed above. The one or more alignment surface features on nozzle 10 may be present along inlet face 11, outlet face 14, periphery 19, or any combination of inlet face 11, outlet face 14 and periphery 19. Further, the one or more alignment surface features on nozzle 10 may comprise, but are not limited to, a visual marking, an indentation within nozzle 10, a raised surface portion along nozzle 10, or any combination of such alignment surface features.
It should be understood that although the above-described nozzles, nozzle plates, fuel injectors, fuel injector systems, and methods are described as “comprising” one or more components, features or steps, the above-described nozzles, nozzle plates, fuel injectors, fuel injector systems, and methods may “comprise,” “consists of,” or “consist essentially of” any of the above-described components and/or features and/or steps of the nozzles, nozzle plates, fuel injectors, fuel injector systems, and methods. Consequently, where the present invention, or a portion thereof, has been described with an open-ended term such as “comprising,” it should be readily understood that (unless otherwise stated) the description of the present invention, or the portion thereof, should also be interpreted to describe the present invention, or a portion thereof, using the terms “consisting essentially of” or “consisting of” or variations thereof as discussed below.
As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” “including,” “has,” “having,” “contains”, “containing,” “characterized by” or any other variation thereof, are intended to encompass a non-exclusive inclusion, subject to any limitation explicitly indicated otherwise, of the recited components. For example, a nozzle, nozzle plate, fuel injector, fuel injector system, and/or method that “comprises” a list of elements (e.g., components or features or steps) is not necessarily limited to only those elements (or components or features or steps), but may include other elements (or components or features or steps) not expressly listed or inherent to the nozzle, nozzle plate, fuel injector, fuel injector system, and/or method.
As used herein, the transitional phrases “consists of” and “consisting of” exclude any element, step, or component not specified. For example, “consists of” or “consisting of” used in a claim would limit the claim to the components, materials or steps specifically recited in the claim except for impurities ordinarily associated therewith (i.e., impurities within a given component). When the phrase “consists of” or “consisting of” appears in a clause of the body of a claim, rather than immediately following the preamble, the phrase “consists of” or “consisting of” limits only the elements (or components or steps) set forth in that clause; other elements (or components) are not excluded from the claim as a whole.
As used herein, the transitional phrases “consists essentially of” and “consisting essentially of” are used to define a nozzle, nozzle plate, fuel injector, fuel injector system, and/or method that includes materials, steps, features, components, or elements, in addition to those literally disclosed, provided that these additional materials, steps, features, components, or elements do not materially affect the basic and novel characteristic(s) of the claimed invention. The term “consisting essentially of” occupies a middle ground between “comprising” and “consisting of”.
Further, it should be understood that the herein-described nozzles, nozzle plates, fuel injectors, fuel injector systems, and/or methods may comprise, consist essentially of, or consist of any of the herein-described components and features, as shown in the figures with or without any additional feature(s) not shown in the figures. In other words, in some embodiments, the nozzles, nozzle plates, fuel injectors, fuel injector systems, and/or methods of the present invention may have any additional feature that is not specifically shown in the figures. In some embodiments, the nozzles, nozzle plates, fuel injectors, fuel injector systems, and/or methods of the present invention do not have any additional features other than those (i.e., some or all) shown in the figures, and such additional features, not shown in the figures, are specifically excluded from the nozzles, nozzle plates, fuel injectors, fuel injector systems, and/or methods.
The present invention is further illustrated by the following examples, which are not to be construed in any way as imposing limitations upon the scope thereof. On the contrary, it is to be clearly understood that resort may be had to various other embodiments, modifications, and equivalents thereof which, after reading the description herein, may suggest themselves to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention and/or the scope of the appended claims.
The preparation of a nozzle plate begins with the design of its through-holes using conventional computer aided design software (CAD). A drawing of the intended design is prepared in which the individual through-hole has a single aperture or opening on one end and four individual apertures or openings on the other end. The cross-sectional split between the two ends (i.e., where one cavity splits into four) occurs at approximately 70% of the through thickness. The design of the through-hole used in the nozzle plate of Example 1 is shown in
The nozzle plate of this example is designed using CAD layout software as an array of the aforementioned through-holes with a centrally positioned through-hole surrounded by additional through-holes arranged in concentric rings about the first to form a typical 2-dimensional hexagonal packing order of 37 through-holes.
The computer file containing both the through-hole design information and the positional information for through-holes within the nozzle plate array is used to execute the multi-photon exposure process within a photoresist layer, both of which are described in PCT/US2010/043628, which is incorporated herein in its entirety. Upon completion of the writing or exposure process the photoresist is “developed” by exposure to a solvent to wash away all photoresist material which was not exposed therefore not polymerized and is soluble. Once dried of any residual solvent a “master form” or “master” was obtained upon which solid forms in the shape designed as the through-holes remained.
As this example is made by a prototyping method this master form is used directly and a microstructured pattern was made electrically conductive by deposition of a thin layer of Silver applied via sputtering. This Silver-coated microstructured pattern is then electroplated with Nickel from a Nickel sulfamate solution so as to build up adequate material thickness from which the final nozzle plate will be formed.
Upon removal from the electroplating bath the Nickel plated side was subjected to an abrasive removal of material so as to remove enough material to expose the tips of the photoresist present in the microstructured features. The extent to which the material was removed was that necessary to provide openings which were of adequate size for the intended fluid mass flow rate desired of the nozzle plate, for example, to match that of a desired commercially available fuel injector.
This nozzle plate was attached to a commercially available fuel injector from which the original nozzle plate was carefully machined away. The nozzle plate of this example was carefully aligned such that the through-hole array was centered about the ball valve aperture and was laser welded onto the injector barrel to secure it to the injector. The excess material (i.e. the flange that extended beyond the barrel of the injector body) was machined away resulting in a fully functioning fuel injector. This injector was subjected to a series of tests including a leak test which ensured that the laser welding process had not distorted the ball valve seat in such a manner that the seal could not be formed and the injector leak.
Results
A fuel injector test bench available from ASNU Corporation Europe Limited (65-67 Glencoe Road, Bushey, WD23 3DP, United Kingdom) was used to collect mass flow rate information as a function of fluid supply pressure. Flo-Rite™ Fuel Injector FlowTest Fluid (1000-3FLO) recommended by ASNU for used with the equipment was used instead of gasoline. It is a hydrocarbon blend without the high flammability of gasoline and, thus for safety purposes, it is more suitable for usage in testing.
The fuel injector used with the nozzle plate of this example (Motorcraft Part Number 8S4Z9F593A) is manufactured by Robert Bosch GmbH and is suited for use in the 2.0 liter, in-line 4 cylinder Duratec™ engine manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. Results for a original equipment manufacturer's (OEM) part are provided for reference in Table 1 below.
The nozzle plate of this example has a higher count of smaller individual outlet holes and provides a comparable mass flow rate to the original equipment manufacture's (OEM) plate, and thereby, it is capable of distributing the fluid more uniformly over that area to which it is delivered. With smaller nozzle outlets produce smaller droplet sizes, which enables the fuel to be more highly atomized, resulting in a higher surface area, which has more exposure to oxygen in air and will burn more rapidly and completely than larger droplets. As a result fuel consumption and hydrocarbon emissions can be lowered.
From the above disclosure of the general principles of the present invention and the preceding detailed description, those skilled in this art will readily comprehend the various modifications, re-arrangements and substitutions to which the present invention is susceptible. Therefore, the scope of the invention should be limited only by the following claims and equivalents thereof. In addition, it is understood to be within the scope of the present invention that the disclosed and claimed nozzles may be useful in other applications (i.e., not as fuel injector nozzles). Therefore, the scope of the invention may be broadened to include the use of the claimed and disclosed structures for such other applications.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2013/053198 | 8/1/2013 | WO | 00 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61678330 | Aug 2012 | US |
