INJECTOR-IGNITION FOR AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE

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.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The FIG. 1 (prior art) is a schematic diagram that illustrates the inefficiencies in a conventional combustion process inside a spark ignition gasoline engine or a compression ignition diesel engine;

FIG. 2 (prior art) is a schematic diagram that illustrates a typical heat release profile within a high efficiency direct injection Euro-diesel engine cycle;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram that illustrates the difference between ignition in a conventional gas engine and ignition in an internal combustion engine having a fuel injector in accordance with the principles of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a heat release profile for an internal combustion engine having a fuel injector in accordance with the principles of the invention;

FIG. 5A depicts a combustion chamber for the internal combustion engine of the invention including a fuel injector mounted substantially in the center of the cylinder head;

FIG. 5B is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary ECU for controlling fuel injection in accordance with the principles of the invention;

FIG. 5C is a schematic diagram illustrating wireless communication between the ECU of FIG. 5B and a conventional gasoline pump fuel nozzle;

FIG. 6 depicts a preferred injector-ignition fuel injector constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the preferred injector-ignition fuel injector of FIG. 6 showing the fuel inlet and outlet subsystems;

FIG. 8A is a sectional view of the preferred injector-ignition fuel injector of FIG. 6, wherein the ram is in a full displacement position, whereas FIG. 8B is a sectional view of the preferred injector-ignition fuel injector of FIG. 6, wherein the ram is in a fully retracted position for allowing liquid fuel to enter the pressurization chamber; and

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of an alternative fuel injector of the invention comprising a linear fuel injector.

Claims

1. A fuel injector for dispensing fuel into a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine, the fuel injector comprising: a heated catalyzed fuel injector that dispenses the fuel substantially exclusively during a power stroke of an engine;wherein the fuel is catalyzed in a gas phase or super-critical phase only, using oxygen reduction catalysts.

2. The fuel injector 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 fuel injector of claim 1, wherein the fuel injector precisely meters substantially instantly igniting fuel at a predetermined crank angle for optimal power stroke production.

4. The fuel injector 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.

5. The fuel injector 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.

6. The fuel injector of claim 5, 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.

7. The fuel injector of claim 5, 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.

8. The fuel injector of claim 7, wherein pre-oxidation within the fuel injector comprises the use of surface catalysts disposed on injector chamber walls and oxygen sources including oxygenating agents selected from the group consisting of MTBE, ethanol, other octane and cetane boosters, and other fuel oxygenator agents.

9. The fuel injector of claim 8, wherein pre-oxidation further comprises a small amount of additional oxygen.

10. The fuel injector of claim 9, wherein the additional oxygen is taken from air or from recirculated exhaust gas.

11. The fuel injector of claim 4, 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.

12. The fuel injector of claim, 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.

13. The fuel injector 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.

14. The fuel injector of claim 13, wherein the engine employs compression heating by way of high compression ratios.

15. The fuel injector of claim 13, 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.

16. A fuel injector for dispensing fuel into a combustion chamber of a variable cycle engine in a multi-fuel vehicle, the fuel injector comprising: a heated catalyzed fuel injector that dispenses the fuel into the combustion chamber substantially exclusively during a power stroke of the variable cycle engine.

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

18. The fuel injector of claim 16, 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.

19. The fuel injector of claim 16, wherein the variable cycle engine includes a smart fueling system having an ECU in communication with a filling station fueling pump.

20. The fuel injector of claim 19, wherein the ECU includes a wireless serial communications link for wireless communication with the pump.

21. The fuel injector of claim 20, wherein: the ECU communicates to the fuel pump a precise fuel mixture and amount of fuel in the tank, andin response, the fuel pump calculates appropriate refueling mixtures that are compatible with the remaining fuel in the tank and the vehicle's operational capabilities.

22. The fuel injector of claim 19, wherein the smart fueling system is employed to offer customers one or more optimized fuel blends for refueling a multi-fuel vehicle.

23. The fuel injector of claim 19, wherein the ECU determines actual fuel performance during combustion using engine performance under load measurements, load sensors, and knock sensors.

24. The fuel injector of claim 19, 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.

25. The fuel injector of claim 19, wherein the vehicle is capable of dynamically adapting to various fuel mixtures under control of the ECU.

26. A fuel injector for dispensing fuel into a combustion chamber of an injector engine that runs on a bio-renewable flex fuel, the fuel injector comprising: a heated catalyzed fuel injector that dispenses the bio-renewable flex fuel into the combustion chamber substantially exclusively during a power stroke of the variable cycle engine.

27. The fuel injector of claim 26, wherein the flex fuel comprises a mixture of plant extract oil and small quantities of gasoline and/or ethanol.

28. The fuel injector of claim 27, wherein the plant extract oil comprises soybean oil, canola oil, rapeseed oil, sunflower seed oil, or algae and plankton extractions.

29. The fuel injector of claim 27, wherein the mixture comprises a zero net carbon flex fuel.

30. The fuel injector of claim 27, wherein the mixture contains by weight, about 65% plant oil mixed with about 25% gasoline and about 10% ethanol.

31. The fuel injector of claim 27, wherein the injector engine comprises a high compression engine.

32. The fuel injector of claim 26, wherein the bio-renewable flex fuel is catalyzed in the gas phase or super-critical phase only, using oxygen reduction catalysts.

33. The fuel injection system of claim 32, wherein the fuel injector is configured to heat the fuel in a hot section and then inject the heated catalyzed fuel using a high pressure nozzle dispersal system at 100 bar or greater.

34. The fuel injector of claim 26, wherein the vehicle includes a tank for mixing high octane and high cetane fuels in predetermined ratios.