Internal combustion engine system

Abstract

The present invention provides an internal combustion engine system which uses a blended fuel of gasoline and ethanol, operates with high efficiency, and can inhibit nitrogen oxide and the like from being discharged. The internal combustion engine system comprises: a fuel tank 3 that accommodates a blended fuel having an octane number of 80 to 100, which has been prepared by blending gasoline having the octane number of 30 to 85 and ethanol into a weight ratio between 9:1 and 6:4; separating means 4 for adding water to the blended fuel to separate the blended fuel into the gasoline and an ethanol-water mixture liquid; reforming means 8 for reforming one part of the ethanol-water mixture liquid to produce a mixture liquid of diethyl ether and water; and fuel injectors 10a, 10b and 10c which independently inject each of the gasoline, the ethanol-water mixture liquid and the mixture liquid of diethyl ether and water. The internal combustion engine system conducts spark ignition combustion when a load is high, and conducts homogeneous charge compression ignition combustion when the load is low.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a system block diagram showing a configuration example of an internal combustion engine system according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic drawing showing a region expressed by a required load and a rotating speed of the internal combustion engine system, in which spark ignition combustion or homogeneous charge compression ignition combustion is conducted;

FIG. 3 is a system block diagram showing one configuration example of the moisture-collecting means which is used in an internal combustion engine system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a system block diagram showing another configuration example of the moisture-collecting means which is used in an internal combustion engine system shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is a system block diagram showing still another configuration example of the moisture-collecting means which is used in an internal combustion engine system shown in FIG. 1.

Claims

1. An internal combustion engine system which can switch back and forth between spark ignition combustion and homogeneous charge compression ignition combustion, comprising: a fuel tank that accommodates a blended fuel having a research octane number of 80 to 100, which has been prepared by blending gasoline having the research octane number of 30 to 85 and ethanol into a weight ratio between 9:1 and 6:4;a separating means for adding water to the blended fuel to separate the blended fuel into the gasoline and an ethanol-water mixture liquid;a reforming means for extracting one part of the ethanol-water mixture liquid, and reforming ethanol contained in the ethanol-water mixture liquid into diethyl ether to produce a mixture liquid of diethyl ether and water; andrespective fuel injectors which independently inject the gasoline, the ethanol-water mixture liquid and the mixture liquid of diethyl ether and water.

2. The internal combustion engine system according to claim 1, further comprising conducting the spark ignition combustion when the load is high, and conducting the homogeneous charge compression ignition combustion when the load is low.

3. The internal combustion engine system according to claim 2, further comprising injecting the gasoline produced by the separating means and the ethanol-water mixture liquid produced by the separating means, into the engine independently through the respective fuel injectors, at such a ratio that the mixed fuel acquires a research octane number suitable for the operating state, when the engine conducts the spark ignition combustion.

4. The internal combustion engine system according to claim 3, further comprising injecting only the gasoline produced by the separating means into the engine through the fuel injector, when starting the engine.

5. The internal combustion engine system according to claim 2, further comprising injecting the gasoline produced by the separating means and the ethanol-water mixture liquid produced by the separating means, into then engine independently through the respective fuel injectors, at such a ratio that the mixed fuel acquires a research octane number suitable for the operating state, when the engine conducts the homogeneous charge compression ignition combustion.

6. The internal combustion engine system according to claim 2, further comprising injecting the ethanol-water mixture liquid produced by the separating means and the mixture liquid of diethyl ether and water produced by the reforming means, into the engine independently through the respective fuel injectors, at such a ratio that the mixed fuel acquires a research octane number suitable for the operating state, when the engine conducts the homogeneous charge compression ignition combustion.

7. The internal combustion engine system according to claim 2, further comprising injecting the gasoline produced by the separating means and the mixture liquid of diethyl ether and water produced by the reforming means into the engine independently through the respective fuel injectors, at such a ratio that the mixed fuel acquires a research octane number suitable for the operating state, when the engine conducts the homogeneous charge compression ignition combustion.

8. The internal combustion engine system according to claim 1, further comprising a moisture-collecting means which condenses moisture contained in the exhaust gas, collects the water and supplies the water to the separating means.