Patent Grant
8656895
As an engine's compression ratio is increased, while maintaining a particular bore-to-stroke ratio, the surface to volume ratio at top dead center (TDC) increases, the temperature increases, and the pressure increases. This has three major consequences: 1) heat transfer from the combustion chamber increases, 2) combustion phasing becomes difficult, and 3) friction and mechanical losses increase. Heat transfer increases because the thermal boundary layer becomes a larger fraction of the overall volume as the aspect ratio (i.e., the ratio of the bore diameter to the length of the combustion chamber) at TDC gets smaller. Both combustion phasing and achieving complete combustion present challenges because of the small volume realized at TDC. Increased combustion chamber pressure directly translates to increased forces acting on components of the engine. These large forces may overload both the mechanical linkages within the engine (e.g., piston pin, piston rod, crank shaft) and the pressure-energized rings, thus causing increased friction, wear, and/or failure.
A primary challenge associated with linear piston engines is efficiently converting the kinetic energy of a piston to mechanical work and/or electrical energy. The space between the piston and the cylinder wall, referred to herein as a “clearance gap,” is critical in maintaining piston alignment, preventing piston-wall contact and associated friction losses, and controlling gas leakage past the piston (e.g., blow-by). The clearance gap may be affected by imbalanced forces acting on the piston, thermally induced expansion or contraction (e.g., solid deformation), changing engine conditions, or other relevant factors. Management of the clearance gap, piston temperature, cylinder temperature, or combinations thereof, may be desired in some applications.
In some embodiments, a piston engine may include a piston and cylinder assembly, which may include a fluid bearing in the clearance gap between a bore of a cylinder and a piston assembly. The piston assembly may be capable of translating axially within the bore, and a piston face may contact a combustion section of the cylinder, facing one end of the cylinder. At least one bearing element may provide a flow of a bearing fluid into the clearance gap between the bore and the piston assembly to form the fluid bearing. In some embodiments, the bearing element may be a part of the piston assembly, providing a flow of bearing fluid radially outward, and the piston assembly may include fluid passages to direct the bearing fluid. In some embodiments, the bearing element may be a part of the cylinder, providing a flow of bearing fluid radially inward, and the cylinder may include fluid passages to direct the bearing fluid. A bearing element may include holes, an effusive surface, any other suitable fluid outlet, or any combination thereof to provide the bearing fluid to the clearance gap.
In some embodiments, a piston engine may include a piston and cylinder assembly including a piston having a self-centering feature, and a cylinder. The piston may be configured to translate axially within a bore of the cylinder. In some embodiments, the piston may be a part of a piston assembly that translates axially within the bore of the cylinder. The cylinder may include a combustion section capable of containing combustion products. Blow-by gas from the combustion section may flow axially away from the combustion section, past a piston face, through a clearance gap between the piston and the cylinder. The self-centering feature may provide a self-centering force on the piston using the flow of blow-by gas. The self-centering feature may be a step, one or more slotted pockets, a tapered portion, any other suitable feature, or any combination thereof.
In some embodiments, a piston engine may include a piston assembly having one or more heat pipes. The piston assembly may be configured to translate axially within a bore of the cylinder. The cylinder may include a combustion section capable of containing combustion products, and accordingly a piston face of the piston assembly may experience elevated temperatures. In some embodiments, the heat pipe may be in thermal contact with the piston face, and may be capable of transferring heat from the piston face to a heat receptacle. A first portion of the heat pipe may receive heat from the piston face, and a second portion of the heat pipe may transfer the heat to a heat receptacle. The heat pipe may include a fluid such as, for example, water, ethanol, ammonia, or sodium, which may undergo a vapor-liquid phase transition.
In some embodiments, a piston engine may include a cylinder liner configured to be positioned coaxially within a cylinder of a piston engine. The cylinder liner may include an inner face that is capable of forming a clearance gap with a piston assembly that is capable of translating axially within the cylinder liner. The cylinder liner may also include an outer face that interfaces with the cylinder of the piston engine. The interface between the outer face and the cylinder may include a fluid passage that may act as a conduit for a pressure controlled fluid. The cylinder liner may be configured to radially contract or expand based at least in part on the pressure controlled fluid, and thus the clearance gap may be adjusted.
In some embodiments, a piston engine may include one or more fluid passages configured to provide localized, selective, fast-response, or otherwise controlled heating or cooling to a cylinder. A flow rate, temperature, pressure, or combination thereof of a fluid supplied to the fluid passages may be adjusted by a control system to control a temperature of the piston engine. In some embodiments, a cylinder may include one or more localized heating sources such as, for example, one or more electric heaters, which may be controlled by a control system to provide localized heating.
In some embodiments, a clearance gap between a coaxial piston assembly and a cylinder of a piston engine may be controlled. At least one indicator such as for example, temperature, pressure, a work interaction, and/or other suitable indicators of the clearance gap may be detected using one or more sensors. A control response may be determined by processing equipment based at least in part on the indicator. The processing equipment may use a control interface to provide a control signal to at least one auxiliary system of the piston engine based at least in part on the control response. At least one auxiliary system may adjust the clearance gap based at least in part on the control signal.
The above and other features of the present disclosure, its nature and various advantages will be more apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
The present disclosure is directed towards managing the clearance gap and/or other properties of a piston engine. While discussed in the context of free piston engines, the techniques and arrangements disclosed herein can be applied to non-free piston engines, or other suitable mechanical systems. Herein, the term “piston engine” shall refer to both free and non-free piston engines.
A piston engine, operating using any suitable thermodynamic cycle, may include a piston and cylinder assembly to realize displacement work. The piston and cylinder may be separated by a relatively small clearance gap, and the piston translates axially within a bore of the cylinder. In some embodiments, the piston may be included as part of a “piston assembly,” which may also include one or more piston seals (e.g., piston rings), bearing elements, frames, piston rods, translators and/or other components, which may be capable of moving in concert as a substantially rigid assembly, at least partially within the bore. The clearance gap may be constant or varied along the radial perimeter of the piston assembly, or component thereof (e.g., the clearance may be described by a thickness value, a profile or field of values, and/or a symmetry metric). The cylinder may include a combustion section, into which oxidizer (e.g., air, vitiated air, oxygen) and fuel (e.g., a gaseous or liquid hydrocarbon fuel) may be supplied separately, or as a pre-mixed mixture, for combustion. Expansion of the hot combustion products causes displacement of the piston. Work may be extracted from the piston's motion using a mechanical linkage (e.g., using a piston rod and crankshaft assembly), an electromagnetic interaction (e.g., using a linear electromagnetic machine (LEM) having a translator and stator as described in the present disclosure), a gas linkage (e.g., using two pistons interacting via an intermediate gas volume), any other suitable work extraction technique, or any combination thereof. Compression of the air and/or fuel by the piston-cylinder assembly may also be achieved using the motion of the piston. In some embodiments, compression work may be provided by a gas driver, a LEM, or both.
Cylinder 140 may include portion 132 in which combustion, gas expansion, and exhaust may occur, portion 168 in which electromagnetic work interactions may occur, and portion 178 in which gas driving and gas springing may occur. Portions 132, 168, and 178 may depend on the configuration of cylinder 140, as well as the position of piston assembly 110 within bore 134 of cylinder 140. Stator 162, used to extract electromagnetic work from motion of translator 116, may be included as part of cylinder 140, as shown in
During an expansion stroke of piston assembly 110 within cylinder 140, due to combustion of an oxidizer and fuel in combustion section 130, translator 116 may translate through stator 162. The motion of translator 116 relative to stator 162 may generate an electrical current, and corresponding electrical work. LEM 160 may include a permanent magnet machine, an induction machine, a switched reluctance machine, any other suitable electromagnetic machine, or any combination thereof. For example, translator 116 may include a permanent magnet, and stator 162 may include a wire coil which may conduct an induction current generated by the motion of translator 116.
Cylinder 240 may include portion 232 in which combustion, gas expansion, and exhaust may occur, and portion 278 in which gas driving and gas springing may occur. Portion 268 may be included separate from cylinder 240, and may include LEM 260 for which electromagnetic work interactions may occur. Portions 232, 268, and 278 may depend on the configuration of cylinder 240, as well as the position of piston assembly 210 within bore 234 of cylinder 240. Stator 262, used to extract electromagnetic work from motion of translator 216, may be, but need not be, separate from cylinder 240, as shown in
Cylinder 340 may include portion 332 in which combustion, gas expansion, and exhaust may occur. Cylinder 341 may include portion 378 in which gas driving and gas springing may occur. Portion 368 may be included between cylinders 340 and 341, and may include a LEM for which electromagnetic work interactions may occur. Portions 332, 368, and 378 may depend on the configuration of cylinders 340 and 341, as well as the position of piston assembly 310 within bores 334 and 335 of respective cylinders 340 and 341. Stator 362, used to extract electromagnetic work from motion of translator 316, may be, but need not be, separate from cylinders 340 and 341, as shown in
Further details regarding piston engines such as piston engine 100, 200, 300, and 400, and their operation and characteristics, are included in Simpson et al. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/953,270, Simpson et al. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/953,277, Simpson et al. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/102,916, and Roelle et al. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/028,053, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein their entireties.
In some embodiments, a piston may include one or more features which provide self-centering relative to a cylinder of a piston engine.
In some embodiments, any or all of self-centering features 1012, 1112, and 1212, feature 912, and other suitable self-centering features or other features may be combined. For example, a piston assembly may include a taper, a step, and a series of grooves (e.g., a labyrinth) to provide centering. Self-centering features may be used near a piston face in contact with a combustion section, gas driver section, gas spring section, any other suitable piston face that allows blow-by gas to flow past the piston face, or any combination thereof. For example, referencing piston engine 300 of
In some embodiments, a non-contact bearing may be used between a piston and a corresponding cylinder. A non-contact bearing may include, for example, an aerostatic bearing, a hydrostatic bearing, or other suitable non-contact bearing that may be moving or stationary. Non-contact bearings may include a thin film of fluid that separates the piston and cylinder wall, reducing friction and associated work losses. In some embodiments, the use of aerostatic bearings may allow for oil-less operation of the piston and cylinder assembly of a piston engine, and accordingly the piston engine need not require an auxiliary oil system, which may simplify some aspects of the engine architecture. In some embodiments, non-contact bearings may include oil as the bearing fluid. The bearing fluid may include, for example, air, nitrogen, exhaust, oil, liquid water, water vapor, liquid CO2, gaseous CO2, hydraulic fluid, any other suitable fluid, or any combination thereof. The fluid used in the fluid bearing may be supplied through a piston assembly, a cylinder, or both.
Although shown as holes in
In some embodiments, blow-by gas may be routed to reduce or prevent flow of blow-by gas in the portion of a clearance gap adjacent to the bearing element. For example, blow-by gas may by routed through the cylinder, piston assembly, or both, so that the flow of blow-by gas does not substantially alter the flow of bearing fluid in the clearance gap. Some alterations of bearing gas flow by other flows such as, for example, blow-by gas, may adversely affect the ability of the bearing fluid to prevent piston-cylinder contact. Routing of the blow-by gas may, for example, allow the bearing fluid exhaust pressure to be relatively far below the fluid feed pressure (e.g., allow a larger pressure drop of the bearing fluid), which may provide desired flow and bearing characteristics.
In the illustrated embodiments, bearing fluid 1874 is supplied to conduit 1870, to which conduit 1872 is connected via seal 1871. Seal 1871, as illustrated in
In the illustrated embodiments, at least a portion of the fluid of gas spring 1976 is supplied to passage 1916 as bearing fluid via valve 1970 (e.g., as shown by arrow 1974), located in piston face 1902. Valve 1970 may include an active or passive valve, or other suitable ported device, that provide control of fluid flow in one or more directions. For example, valve 1970 may include a reed valve, ball valve, needle valve, ball check valve, diaphragm check valve, a static flow restriction within a conduit providing different resistances for different flow directions, any other suitable valve, an electronic controller or other active positioning system, any other suitable device, or any combination thereof. Passage 1916 feeds bearing fluid 1974 to bearing elements 1912 and 1913, from which bearing fluid flows into fluid bearings within a clearance gap between piston assembly 1910 and cylinder 1920. In some embodiments, valve 1970 may be a check valve. Accordingly, as piston assembly 1910 translates along axis 1950, and as fluid is supplied and/or removed from gas spring 1976 via ports 1990 (e.g., which may include one or more valves), the pressure in gas spring 1976 may reach the cracking pressure, and the fluid may flow through valve 1970 into passage 1916. The cracking pressure of valve 1970 may be any suitable value, and in some embodiments, may be actively adjustable. In some embodiments, valve 1970 may be actively controllable, and the flow in either direction may be controlled by controlling an orifice or other flow restriction of valve 1970.
In some embodiments, a bearing element may be an integral part of a piston. For example, a piston may have a collection of machined passages and holes that provide bearing fluid to a clearance gap. In some such embodiments, the piston may, but need not, be a part of a piston assembly. A bearing element may include a graphite element, a metal element with machined features, a sintered metal element, a porous ceramic element, a nonporous ceramic element, any other suitable element of a suitable material, or any combination thereof.
In some embodiments, the temperature of a piston (or assembly thereof), cylinder, or both may be controlled or otherwise managed. Temperature management of a piston (or assembly thereof) and/or a cylinder may aid in maintaining or otherwise managing a clearance gap, by managing thermal deformation of one or more components of a piston engine.
In some embodiments, one or more heat pipes may be used to affect heat transfer of a piston assembly. A heat pipe may include a fluid conduit configured to aid in heat transfer to and from, for example, components of a piston engine. The piston face of a piston assembly may experience elevated temperatures due to combustion. The use of a heat pipe may aid in transferring heat away from the piston face, any other suitable portion of a piston assembly, or any other suitable component, to reduce the operating temperature of the component. For example, a heat pipe may transfer heat from a piston face to a heat receptacle such as a bearing element, a clearance gap, a surface of the bore of the cylinder, a piston rod cooled by a coolant, any other suitable heat receptacle, or any combination thereof.
A heat pipe may include a fluid conduit, which may be filled with a suitable fluid such as, for example, water, ethanol, ammonia, sodium, or any other suitable fluid or mixture. The latent heat associated with a phase transition of the fluid is generally much greater than the transfer of sensible energy due to a temperature difference. Additionally, the phase transition of the fluid may occur at a substantially constant or otherwise limited temperature (which may depend on pressure and any impurities present), which may aid in reducing relatively large temperature gradients within the piston engine. The heat pipe may be arranged as part of the piston assembly, in thermal contact with the piston face of the piston assembly. In some embodiments, linear motion of a piston assembly having a heat pipe may aid in transporting the fluid within the heat pipe, thus aiding in heat transfer from a piston face to a relatively cooler portion of the piston engine.
It will be understood that the phrase “thermal contact” between components shall refer to the capability of operative heat transfer between the components. For example, a heat pipe may be arranged in contact with a piston face, and may transfer heat from the piston face, and thus may be in “direct” thermal contact with the piston face. In a further example, a heat pipe may be in contact with a piston frame, which may be in contact with a piston face, and the heat pipe may transfer heat from the piston frame, which may transfer heat from the piston face, and thus the heat pipe may be in “indirect” thermal contact with the piston face.
In some embodiments, multiple heat pipes may be included on a diameter near the perimeter of a piston assembly to aid in transferring heat from a piston face to a clearance gap and an inner cylinder wall. In an illustrative example, six to twelve heat pipes may be oriented axially, arranged on a diameter near the perimeter of a piston assembly, although any suitable number of heat pipes may be used in such an annular arrangement. In some embodiments, an annular heat pipe may be included in a piston assembly to aid in transferring heat to the clearance gap. For example, an annular void within a piston assembly may be filled with a suitable fluid and sealed during operation.
In some embodiments, fluid supplied to any of ports 2250 may be used to cool piston assembly 2210, or portions thereof. For example, heat from a piston face of piston assembly 2210 may be transported to a piston rod of piston assembly 2210, and fluid supplied to any of ports 2250 may convectively cool a piston rod of piston assembly 2210.
In some embodiments, fluid bearings may aid in cooling of a piston assembly, cylinder, components thereof, any other suitable components of a piston engine, or any combination thereof. A bearing fluid may be supplied to a bearing element, which may direct the bearing fluid to a suitable clearance gap of a piston-cylinder assembly. The bearing fluid may aid in cooling at least a portion of the piston-cylinder assembly as it flows through the clearance gap. In some embodiments, the bearing fluid may flow substantially away from a combustion section through a clearance gap, and accordingly may carry heat away from the combustion section thus reducing the temperature of one or more components of the piston engine. In some embodiments, convection of bearing fluid through a clearance gap of a piston engine may increase the effective heat transfer rate between a piston face and another portion of a piston assembly and/or a cylinder. In some embodiments, one or more heat pipes may be included in a piston assembly having a bearing element. The one or more heat pipes may aid in maintaining the bearing element, or a portion of the bearing element thereof, nearly isothermal, which may aid in controlling thermal expansion and associated changes in a clearance gap. In some embodiments, the use of one or more heat pipes, coolant passages, bearing elements, any other suitable components, or any combination thereof, may aid in maintaining or otherwise managing a clearance gap, by managing thermal deformation of one or more components of a piston engine.
In some embodiments, a clearance gap between a free piston and a cylinder may be controlled or otherwise managed. In some embodiments, a deformable cylinder liner may be used to adjust the clearance gap by adjusting the bore in which a piston assembly moves. In some embodiments, a liner fluid may be used to apply pressure to the deformable cylinder liner, which may deform based on a pressure difference between the faces of the cylinder liner. Liner fluid may include, for example, water, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, oil, hydraulic fluid, fuel (e.g., diesel fuel), any other suitable fluid, or any suitable combination thereof.
In some embodiments, flow of a liner fluid may be used to provide cooling for a deformable cylinder liner. For example, a pressure-controlled and flow-controlled liner fluid may be used to provide convective heat transfer away from a deformable cylinder liner (e.g., near a combustion section) to the liner fluid. Cooling with the use of a liner fluid may be used in concert with, or in place of, cooling with the use of coolant passages and/or heat pipes (e.g., as shown in
In some embodiments, a cylinder may be configured to undergo a thermal deformation corresponding to a controlled temperature, or change thereof, of the cylinder, such as, for example, those described in the context of FIGS. 22 and 27-30. A controlled temperature, or change thereof, may correspond to a localized spatial region of the cylinder. The use of a coolant, a heating fluid, a throttled fluid, an electric resistance heater, any other suitable component or feature for controlling temperature, or any combination thereof may allow a control system to control one or more properties of a piston engine such as, for example, a clearance gap.
In some embodiments, two or more of the foregoing approaches may be combined. Self-centering features, fluid bearings, heat pipes, coolant passages, deformable cylinder liners, and any other suitable component or feature, may be suitably combined in implementing a piston engine, in accordance with the present disclosure.
For example,
In a further example,
In some embodiments, a combination of one or more approaches may require one or more additional considerations. For example, in some embodiments, a piston assembly may include a self-centering feature configured to provide a self-centering force using blow-by gas, and a bearing element configured to provide a bearing fluid to a clearance gap. The self-centering feature thus may require some blow-by gas to flow along the clearance gap to provide the self-centering force. Under some conditions, flow of blow-by gas in the clearance gap may affect the performance of the bearing element by altering the flow pattern of the bearing fluid in the clearance gap. Accordingly, in some embodiments having a bearing element behind the self-centering feature (relative to the combustion section), blow-by gas may be routed away from the clearance gap after traversing the portion of the clearance gap adjacent to the self-centering feature, but before entering the portion of the clearance gap adjacent to the bearing element. Further, in some arrangements, a bearing element may include a self-centering feature, and a collection of holes for directing bearing fluid that may extend to the piston face. Accordingly, in some such embodiments, no routing of the blow-by gas away from the clearance gap need be used. The previous examples may optionally be applied to a gas driver section in addition to or instead of a combustion section.
In some embodiments, one or more aspects of the operation of a piston engine may be controlled or otherwise managed to affect a temperature, clearance gap, any other suitable property of the piston engine, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, controlling a temperature, pressure, or other suitable property of a piston engine may aid in managing a clearance gap of the piston engine. For example, relatively large temperature differences may cause deformation such as expansion of some components of a piston engine, which may affect a clearance gap. Controlling temperature differences and/or temperature fields may aid in reducing deformation, and accordingly may aid in managing the clearance gap. Managing a clearance gap may include managing any other suitable property that may affect a clearance gap.
Control system 3310 may include processing equipment 3312, communications interface 3314, sensor interface 3316, control interface 3318, any other suitable components or modules, or any combination thereof. Control system 3310 may be implemented at least partially in one or more computers, terminals, control stations, handheld devices, modules, any other suitable interface devices, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the components of control system 3310 may be communicatively coupled via a communications bus 3311, as shown in
Sensor(s) 3330 may include any suitable type of sensor, which may be configured to sense any suitable property or aspect of piston engine 3340. In some embodiments, sensor(s) may include one or more sensors configured to sense an aspect and/or property of a system of auxiliary systems 3320. In some embodiments, sensor(s) 3330 may include a temperature sensor (e.g., a thermocouple, resistance temperature detector, thermistor, or optical temperature sensor) configured to sense the temperature of a component of piston engine 3340, a fluid introduced to or recovered from piston engine 3340, or both. In some embodiments, sensor(s) 3330 may include one or more pressure sensors (e.g., piezoelectric pressure transducers) configured to sense a pressure within a section of piston engine 3340 (e.g., a combustion section, or gas driver section), of a fluid introduced to or recovered from piston engine 3340, or both. In some embodiments, sensor(s) 3330 may include one or more force sensors (e.g., piezoelectric force transducers) configured to sense a force within piston engine 3340 such as a tensile, compressive or shear force (e.g., which may indicate a friction force or other relevant force information). In some embodiments, sensor(s) 3330 may include one or more current and/or voltage sensors (e.g., an ammeter and/or voltmeter coupled to a LEM of piston engine 3340) configured to sense a voltage, current, work output and/or input (e.g., current multiplied by voltage), any other suitable electrical property of piston engine 3340 and/or auxiliary systems 3320, or any combination thereof.
Control interface 3318 may include a wired connection (e.g., using IEEE 802.3 ethernet, or universal serial bus interface), wireless coupling (e.g., using IEEE 802.11 “Wi-Fi”, Bluetooth, or other RF communication protocol), optical coupling, inductive coupling, any other suitable coupling, or any combination thereof, for communicating with one or more of auxiliary systems 3320. In some embodiments, control interface 3318 may include a digital to analog converter to provide an analog control signal to any or all of auxiliary systems 3320.
Auxiliary systems 3320 may include a cooling system 3322, a pressure control system 3324, a gas driver control system 3326, and/or any other suitable control system 3328. Cooling/heating system 3322 may include a pump, fluid reservoir, pressure regulator, bypass, radiator, fluid conduits, electric power circuitry (e.g., for electric heaters), any other suitable components, or any combination thereof to provide cooling, heating, or both to piston engine 3340. Pressure control system 3324 may include a pump, compressor, fluid reservoir, pressure regulator, fluid conduits, any other suitable components, or any combination thereof to supply (and optionally receive) a pressure controlled fluid to piston engine 3340. Gas driver control system 3326 may include a compressor, gas reservoir, pressure regulator, fluid conduits, any other suitable components, or any combination thereof to supply (and optionally receive) a driver gas to piston engine 3340. In some embodiments, other system 3328 may include a valving system such as, for example, a cam-operated system or a solenoid system to supply oxidizer and/or fuel to piston engine 3340.
User interface 3315 may include a wired connection (e.g., using IEEE 802.3 ethernet, or universal serial bus interface, tip-ring-seal RCA type connection), wireless coupling (e.g., using IEEE 802.11 “Wi-Fi”, Infrared, or Bluetooth), optical coupling, inductive coupling, any other suitable coupling, or any combination thereof, for communicating with one or more of user interface systems 3350. User interface systems 3350 may include display 3352, keyboard 3354, mouse 3356, audio device 3358, any other suitable user interface devices, or any combination thereof. Display 3352 may include a display screen such as, for example, a cathode ray tube screen, a liquid crystal display screen, a light emitting diode display screen, a plasma display screen, any other suitable display screen that may provide graphics, text, images or other visuals to a user, or any combination of screens thereof. In some embodiments, display 3352 may include a touchscreen, which may provide tactile interaction with a user by, for example, offering one or more soft commands on a display screen. Display 3352 may display any suitable information regarding piston engine 3340 (e.g., a time series of a property of piston engine 3340), control system 3310, auxiliary systems 3320, user interface system 3350, any other suitable information, or any combination thereof. Keyboard 3354 may include a QWERTY keyboard, a numeric keypad, any other suitable collection of hard command buttons, or any combination thereof. Mouse 3356 may include any suitable pointing device that may control a cursor or icon on a graphical user interface displayed on a display screen. Mouse 3356 may include a handheld device (e.g., capable of moving in two or three dimensions), a touchpad, any other suitable pointing device, or any combination thereof. Audio device 3358 may include a microphone, a speaker, headphones, any other suitable device for providing and/or receiving audio signals, or any combination thereof. For example, audio device 3358 may include a microphone, and processing equipment 3312 may process audio commands received via user interface 3315 caused by a user speaking into the microphone.
In some embodiments, control system 3310 may be configured to provide manual control, by receiving one or more user inputs. For example, in some embodiments, control system 3310 may override automatic control setting based on sensor feedback, and base a control signal to auxiliary system 3320 on one or more user inputs to user interface system 3350. In a further example, a user may input a set-point value for one or more control variables (e.g., temperatures, pressures, flow rates, work inputs/outputs, or other variables) and control system 3310 may execute a control algorithm based on the set-point value.
In some embodiments, operating characteristics (i.e., a collection of desired property values of piston engine 3340 or auxiliary systems 3320) may be pre-defined by a manufacturer, user, or both. For example, particular operating characteristics may be stored in memory of processing equipment 3312, and may be accessed to provide one or more control signals. In some embodiments, one or more of the operating characteristics may be changed by a user. Arrangement 3300 may be used to maintain, adjust, or otherwise manage those operating characteristics.
Step 3402 may include detecting a clearance gap indicator using sensor(s) 3330. The clearance gap indicator may be a temperature (e.g., of a coolant, hating fluid, cylinder, piston, or other component, or portion thereof), pressure, force, distance (e.g., a clearance gap), work interaction (e.g., electromagnetic work output), material (e.g., blow-by or property thereof) any other suitable detectable property, or any combination thereof. Sensor interface 3316 may receive, condition, and/or pre-process the clearance gap indicator from sensor(s) 3330, and output a sensor signal to processing equipment 3312. In some embodiments, a clearance gap indicator may be stored and correlated to one or more operating conditions of a piston engine. For example, cylinder temperature may be correlated with fuel flow, and stored as a mathematical expression or table. Accordingly, step 3402 may include detecting the one or more operating conditions of the piston engine, and recalling a stored cylinder temperature value, which may be used for further processing.
Step 3404 may include processing equipment 3312 determining a control response based at least in part on the detected clearance gap indicator of step 3402. Processing equipment 3312 may receive the sensor signal from sensor interface 3316, and perform one or more processing functions on the sensor signal. Processing functions may include inputting the sensor signal values in an equation or other mathematical expression, using the sensor signal values in a look-up table or other database, any other suitable processing, or any combination thereof. Processing equipment 3312 may determine a control response based on output of the one or more processing functions. For example, a calculated value may be compared to a pre-defined threshold to determine a suitable control response. In a further example, one or more calculated values may inputted into a control algorithm (e.g., a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control algorithm), and one or more control signal values may be determined.
Step 3406 may include processing equipment 3312 providing a control signal, based at least in part on the determined control response of step 3404, to one or more of auxiliary systems 3320, using control interface 3318. The control signal may be an analog signal, a digital signal, or a combination thereof (e.g., an analog signal with a digital timing signal), which may be provided as an electrical signal (e.g., using wired cables), an electromagnetic signal (e.g., using IEEE 802.11 “Wi-Fi”, or Bluetooth receivers/transmitters), an optical signal (e.g., using fiber optic cables), inductive signal (e.g., using suitable conductive coils), or other suitable signal type.
Step 3408 may include the one or more of auxiliary systems 3320 that received a control signal at step 3406 adjusting a clearance gap, or other property, of piston engine 3340. The one or more of auxiliary systems 3320 may adjust a pressure, temperature, flow rate, flow route, current, voltage, electric power, make any other suitable adjustment, or any combination thereof based on the provided control signal. As shown by the dotted arrow in
In some arrangements, the temperature field of a cylinder and/or piston assembly, or fluid contained therein, of a piston engine may be a primary and convenient indicator of a clearance gap, and the temperature field may accordingly be actively adjusted to adjust the clearance gap. In an illustrative example, step 3402 may include detecting a temperature such as, for example, a cylinder temperature or a coolant temperature (e.g., of coolant provided to coolant passages of a cylinder of a piston engine). Step 3404 may include determining how to adjust the temperature field to maintain or otherwise manage the clearance gap, while step 3406 may include providing the corresponding control signal to the appropriate auxiliary system. For example, a cylinder temperature may be increased by reducing a coolant flow rate, which may increase a clearance gap via thermal expansion. In a further example, a cylinder temperature may be decreased by increasing a coolant flow rate, which may decrease a clearance gap via thermal contraction. In a further example, the flow of coolant or a heating fluid in more than one set of fluid passages may be adjusted to control the temperature field of zones of a cylinder (e.g., see
In some embodiments, a clearance gap indicator may be detected using sensor(s) 3330. Sensor interface 3316 may receive a raw signal from sensor(s) 3330 and provide a sensor signal to processing equipment 3312. For example, step 3502 may include detecting a cylinder temperature of piston engine 3340 using a temperature sensor such as a thermocouple positioned in contact with or near a portion of the cylinder (e.g., near a combustion section). In some circumstances, increased cylinder temperatures may indicate insufficient cooling which may affect a clearance gap. In a further example, step 3504 may include detecting a piston temperature of piston engine 3340 using a temperature sensor such as a thermocouple positioned in contact with or near a portion of a piston assembly (e.g., near a piston face). In some circumstances, increased piston temperatures may indicate insufficient cooling which may affect a clearance gap. In a further example, step 3506 may include detecting a fluid (e.g., a coolant, a heating fluid, or exhaust, which may supplied to or recovered from piston engine 3340) temperature of piston engine 3340 using a temperature sensor such as a thermocouple positioned in contact with or near the fluid (e.g., inserted in a fluid conduit using a suitable measurement port). For example, in some circumstances, increased coolant temperatures may indicate insufficient cooling which may affect a clearance gap. In a further example, step 3507 may include detecting a pressure of a combustion section, a gas driver section, a clearance gap, a coolant, a heating fluid, any other fluid of piston engine 3340, or any combination thereof using a pressure sensor such as a piezoelectric transducer positioned in contact with or near the coolant (e.g., inserted in a conduit using a suitable measurement port). In a further example, step 3508 may include detecting friction between components of piston engine 3340 using a force sensor such as a piezoelectric transducer and/or a temperature sensor such as a thermocouple positioned in contact with or near the interface of the components. In some circumstances, an increased effect of friction (e.g., a friction force, or friction-generated heat) may indicate an insufficient clearance gap. In a further example, step 3509 may include detecting one or more properties of a clearance gap of piston engine 3340. The one or more properties may include a thickness of the clearance gap (e.g., using a proximity sensor such as an induction sensor), asymmetry of the clearance gap (e.g., using multiple proximity sensors such as an induction sensors), blow-by temperature (e.g., using a temperature sensor), blow-by pressure (e.g., using a pressure sensor), blow-by composition (e.g., using a gas sensor such as an optical absorption sensor), and other suitable property, or any combination thereof. In a further example, step 3510 may include detecting a work interaction of piston engine 3340 using an electromagnetic sensor (e.g., a voltmeter, ammeter, or power meter), a pressure transducer (e.g., to detect pressure for calculating a mean effective pressure (MEP) such as indicated MEP, brake MEP, and/or friction MEP), or other suitable sensor, to provide an indication of a clearance gap. In some circumstances, a reduced work output, or increased work input requirements may indicate an insufficient and/or excessive clearance gap.
Step 3512 may include processing equipment 3312 determining a control response based at least in part on any or all of the detected clearance gap indicators of steps 3502, 3504, 3506, 3508, and 3510. Processing equipment 3312 may receive the sensor signal from sensor interface 3316, and perform one or more processing functions on the sensor signal. Processing functions may include inputting the sensor signal values in an equation or other mathematical expression, using the sensor signal values in a look-up table or other database, any other suitable processing, or any combination thereof. Processing equipment 3312 may determine a control response based on output of the one or more processing functions. For example, a calculated value may be compared to a pre-defined threshold to determine a suitable control response. In a further example, one or more calculated values may inputted into a control algorithm (e.g., a PID control algorithm), and one or more control signal values may be determined.
Step 3514 may include processing equipment 3312 providing a control signal, based at least in part on the determined control response of step 3512, to one or more of auxiliary systems 3320, using control interface 3318. The control signal may be an analog signal, a digital signal, or a combination thereof (e.g., an analog signal with a digital timing signal), which may be provided as an electrical signal (e.g., using wired cables), an electromagnetic signal (e.g., using IEEE 802.11 “Wi-Fi”, or Bluetooth receivers/transmitters), an optical signal (e.g., using fiber optic cables), inductive signal (e.g., using suitable conductive coils), or other suitable signal type.
In some embodiments, the control signal of step 3514 may be received by one or more of auxiliary systems 3320, which may adjust a clearance gap, or other property, of piston engine 3340. For example, as shown by step 3516, the control signal of step 3514 may be received by cooling/heating system 3322, which may adjust a temperature of a coolant or heating fluid. Cooling/heating system 3322 may include a thermostat or other temperature regulating device, which may adjust a coolant or heating fluid temperature provided to piston engine 3340 at step 3516 according to the control signal. In a further example, step 3516 may include cooling/heating system 3322 adjusting one or more throttle properties to control a temperature of a throttled fluid. In a further example, as shown by step 3518, the control signal of step 3514 may be received by cooling/heating system 3322, which may adjust a flow rate of a coolant or heating fluid. Cooling/heating system 3322 may include a flow regulator (e.g., a metering valve or orifice), which may adjust a flow rate of coolant or heating fluid provided to piston engine 3340 at step 3518 according to the control signal. In a further example, step 3518 may include cooling/heating system 3322 adjusting one or more throttle properties to control a flow rate of a throttled fluid. In a further example, as shown by step 3520, the control signal of step 3514 may be received by cooling/heating system 3322, which may adjust a flow route of a coolant or heating fluid at step 3520. Cooling/heating system 3322 may include one or more valves, throttles, or other flow control devices which may direct and control a flow rate of coolant or heating fluid provided to piston engine 3340 to and/or from one or more fluid passages, according to the control signal. In a further example, as shown by step 3522, the control signal of step 3514 may be received by pressure control system 3324, which may adjust one or more properties of a heat pipe at step 3522. Pressure control system 3324 may include one or more valves and a fluid reservoir, and may adjust the pressure of fluid within a heat pipe of piston engine 3340 (e.g., by supplying or removing fluid from the heat pipe), according to the control signal. In a further example, as shown by step 3524, the control signal of step 3514 may be received by pressure control system 3324, which may adjust the pressure and/or flow of a liner fluid to a deformable cylinder liner of piston engine 3340. Pressure control system 3324 may include one or more valves, pumps, and a fluid reservoir, and may adjust the pressure and/or flow rate of liner fluid, and accordingly the deformation of the deformable cylinder liner of piston engine 3340 (e.g., by increasing or decreasing pressure in the liner passages) at step 3524, according to the control signal. In a further example, as shown by step 3526, the control signal of step 3514 may be received by other system 3328, which may adjust one or more properties of piston engine 3340. Other system 3328 may include any suitable components to achieve the adjustment of the one or more properties of piston engine 3340 at step 3526, based at least in part on the control signal. For example, other system 3328 may include power electronics configured to provide electric power to one or more electric resistance heaters embedded in piston engine 3340, and step 3526 may include adjusting voltage, current, or both supplied to the electric resistance heaters.
Any of the illustrative steps of flow diagrams 3400-3500 may be combined with other steps, omitted, rearranged, or otherwise altered in accordance with the present disclosure.
The foregoing is merely illustrative of the principles of this disclosure and various modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of this disclosure. The above described embodiments are presented for purposes of illustration and not of limitation. The present disclosure also can take many forms other than those explicitly described herein. Accordingly, it is emphasized that this disclosure is not limited to the explicitly disclosed methods, systems, and apparatuses, but is intended to include variations to and modifications thereof, which are within the spirit of the following claims.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/340,537, filed Dec. 29, 2011, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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| Child | 13725985 | US |
