Patent Grant
8495990
The present disclosure relates generally to a pre-injection fuel atomization system for a combustion engine. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a pre-injection fuel atomization system for a combustion engine that increases fuel efficiency and lowers emissions.
Combustion engines burn approximately 20% of the liquid fuel that is injected into the combustion chamber. The remaining fuel is discarded through the engine's exhaust, resulting in low fuel efficiency and high emissions.
Rising fuel prices, along with a desire for energy independence, has prompted many to seek ways of improving fuel efficiency in combustion engines. Many modern engines have fuel injector systems and some have proposed modifications to these systems, such as exciting the fuel molecules with sonic waves generated by a piezoelectric current. Others have proposed reforming the fuel by forming cavitation bubbles.
One proposal is to use fuel in a supercritical fluid state by pressurizing and heating the fuel to the characteristic supercritical point.
Many additives have been suggested to add to the fuel such as low molecular weight polymers. Additives particularly are problematic because they interfere with the catalytic converter used by larger engines in automobiles to reduce emissions.
While these units may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present disclosure as disclosed hereafter.
In the present disclosure, where a document, act or item of knowledge is referred to or discussed, this reference or discussion is not an admission that the document, act or item of knowledge or any combination thereof was at the priority date, publicly available, known to the public, part of common general knowledge or otherwise constitutes prior art under the applicable statutory provisions; or is known to be relevant to an attempt to solve any problem with which the present disclosure is concerned.
While certain aspects of conventional technologies have been discussed to facilitate the present disclosure, no technical aspects are disclaimed and it is contemplated that the claims may encompass one or more of the conventional technical aspects discussed herein.
An object of an example embodiment of the present disclosure is to provide a system that increases fuel efficiency. Accordingly, an example embodiment of the present disclosure is a pre-injection fuel atomization system that decreases the droplet size of the fuel thereby increasing fuel efficiency by increasing surface are of the droplets.
Another object of an example embodiment of the present disclosure is to provide a system that decreases emissions from fuel consumption. Accordingly, an example embodiment of the present disclosure is a pre-injection fuel atomization system that decreases the droplet size of the fuel resulting in a more complete combustion and therefore cleaner burn and decreased emissions.
A further object of an example embodiment of the present disclosure is to provide a system that is more economical by decreasing the amount of fuel spent per mile or per time period. Accordingly, an example embodiment of the present disclosure is a pre-injection fuel atomization system that increases fuel efficiency thereby decreasing the amount of fuel spent per mile or per time period.
Herein is disclosed a pre-injection fuel atomization system for a combustion engine that reduces the droplet size of the incoming fuel at the air intake, creating an aerosol that is injected by the fuel injectors into the combustion chambers. The system uses reverse piezo electricity that directs a square wave signal from an ignition system to a crystal in a transducer transforming the wave into mechanical energy, causing the crystal to deform between convex and concave conformations at MHz frequencies. The crystal vibrations atomize the fuel into an aerosol. The droplet size is reduced to a range of 0.8 microns (μm) to around 0.1 microns (μm), providing more surface area available for faster vaporization and more efficient combustion. The smaller lighter droplets burn faster, more completely and thus more cleanly. The fuel droplets are maintained in a stoichiometric ratio to oxygen in the air so that burning is complete and clean. Any ethanol fuel, if present, rapidly burns off first. Any larger heavier droplets burn at a normal rate as they are injected into the fuel injector and concurrently cool the exhaust valves so that all temperatures within the system stay within normal operating ranges so that related systems such as the fuel injectors, catalytic converters and other system do not have to be adjusted.
The present disclosure addresses at least one of the foregoing disadvantages described hereinabove. However, it is contemplated that the present disclosure may prove useful in addressing other problems and deficiencies in a number of technical areas. Therefore, the claims should not necessarily be construed as limited to addressing any of the particular problems or deficiencies discussed hereinabove. To the accomplishment of the above, this disclosure may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Attention is called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only. Variations are contemplated as being part of the disclosure.
In the drawings, like elements are depicted by like reference numerals. The drawings are briefly described as follows.
The present disclosure now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show various example embodiments. However, the present disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the example embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these example embodiments are provided so that the present disclosure is thorough, complete and fully conveys the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art.
Fuel is delivered to a fuel holding chamber 100 from a fuel pump and is transferred to a transducer chamber 200, the transducer chamber in fluid communication with the fuel holding chamber. A transducer, described hereinbelow, in the transducer chamber produces an aerosol of fuel by reverse piezoelectricity from a resonating crystal that increases the kinetic energy of the fuel. The aerosol is further transferred to an engine fuel injection (EFI) system. In this disclosure, an aerosol is a suspension of particles in air, the particles having the equivalent kinetic energy, and in equilibrium with, the pressure of the suspending air. In this disclosure, the particles are microscopic droplets of liquid fuel.
The crystal in the transducer receives an electrical signal from a controller 20 and the crystal vibrates at a frequency about 1.7 MHz, the crystal in the transducer deforming between convex and concave conformations. The controller is in electrical communication with an ignition system of the combustion engine, the ignition system producing a square wave signal. The crystal advantageously exploits the square wave signal from the ignition system to control the crystal deformation, the crystal deforming in response to the square wave signal, converting the signal to mechanical energy. The frequency is optimum for atomizing a plurality of fuel hydrocarbons having a range of seven to twelve carbon (C7 to C12) atoms that make up typical fuel used in internal combustion engines. The vibrations caused by the deformation atomize the fuel into an aerosol having a droplet size generally ranging from 0.8 microns to below 0.1 microns, having a small unquantifiable but not insignificant portion of the aerosol below 0.1 microns, 0.1 micron established as the droplet size in the portion below a threshold that can be accurately quantified by current technology.
Reducing the droplet size creates the aerosol having a significantly increased surface area per volume of fuel. Increased surface area allows for more rapid vaporization and combustion, thereby increasing the fuel efficiency of the fuel.
It is well known to those of ordinary skill that increasing surface area increases a chemical reaction rate for a reaction such as combustion of fuel with oxygen in the present discussion. Fuel only burns in a gaseous state so increasing the surface area of a droplet increases the rate of evaporation, increasing fuel vapor. Reducing the droplet size to increase surface area thereby increases the rate of evaporation and the rate of reaction thus producing better fuel economy and a cleaner burning, thereby reducing emissions. In conventional EFI systems, only the surface of the large droplet evaporates, leaving behind a portion of the droplet in a liquid state, which is exhausted in an unburnt state.
The controller 20 regulates a flow rate of fuel into the fuel holding chamber 100 and further regulates the flow rate and a volume of fuel from the fuel holding chamber 100 into the transducer chamber 200. The controller is in electrical communication with an ignition system. As it is well known to those of ordinary skill, the ignition system controls the distribution of fuel into a fuel-injection system through a square wave signal. Ignition systems are well known to those of ordinary skill.
The controller exploits the square wave signal from the ignition system to control the pre-injection fuel atomization system, so that the atomization system produces the atomized fuel aerosol as needed in the fuel-injection system. The controller further controls the fuel flow rate and fuel volume to the transducer so that all hydrocarbons are completely atomized into the aerosol when in communication with the transducer without overwhelming the transducer.
Fuel enters the chamber through a fuel inlet port 108, the amount determined by the controller signally the ignition system and is transferred through the fuel outlet port 110 as demanded to maintain the predetermined amount of fuel at the transducer. Air enters the chamber through the air port 106 to maintain atmospheric pressure and aid in the transfer from the fuel holding chamber to the transducer chamber.
In one embodiment, the transducer chamber 200 is at atmospheric pressure as the aerosol forms in the transducer, droplets larger than 0.8 μm drop back to the transducer for reprocessing into droplets having a size in the range of the aerosol, the larger droplets transported by a harvest line as explained hereinbelow. The larger droplets typically have a higher molecular weight distribution. The lighter, smaller droplets naturally float to the top of the chamber and are delivered to the next process, the embodiments of which are described hereinbelow.
The air vortex moves the larger droplets having a higher molecular weight fraction towards the walls of the chamber and falling back to the transducer in the bottom portion of the chamber, the larger droplets as a non-limiting example in the fraction having a particle size around 0.8 microns. In one embodiment, the larger droplets exit the top portion into a harvesting line 404 and remix with the fuel passing through a fuel hose 30 from the fuel holding chamber 100 into the combined chamber 400 to encounter the transducer. The reprocessing in the transducer forms the smaller droplet size, gradually reducing the quantity of larger droplets in the fuel, the smaller droplet having a greater surface area per volume, burning more efficiently and thereby, the fuel overall burning more efficiently.
It is understood by those of ordinary skill, that a plurality of transducer chambers in parallel configuration are possible, each separately in communication with the fuel holding chamber and manifold chamber. The number of transducer chambers varies according to the size of the engine for which the system is providing fuel.
Referring to
The aerosol is formed in the transducer chamber 200 as described hereinabove. The fuel in the aerosol evaporates into a vapor state and air containing fuel vapor and oxygen, now at a stoichiometric ratio passes into a kinetic energy module 600, the module providing heat energy to maintain the stoichiometric ratio. The kinetic heat energy promotes evaporation of the suspended droplets in the aerosol, preventing the droplets from returning to a liquid state and separating into heavier droplets. The heat energy maintains the ratio by keeping the fuel in a vapor state.
In one embodiment, the heat energy is provided by an infrared heater.
In a further embodiment, the transducer is under higher pressure when the microscopic droplets of fuel are formed, increasing the kinetic energy per droplet. The higher energy droplets displace air molecules at normal atmospheric pressure at a higher rate, creating a stoichiometric fuel to oxygen ratio.
A stoichiometric ratio of oxygen to fuel is created and maintained in the aerosol by controlling the temperature relationship between the fuel droplets and air, by initially heating the air by an air heater 606 as it flows into the fuel holding chamber 100 and in the transducer chamber 200 and controlling the flow rate of the aerosol in the system by the controller 20.
The system provides a continuing source of kinetic energy by a kinetic energy module 600, the kinetic energy as heat operative for maintaining the droplets in the aerosol at a stoichiometric ratio prior to entering an internal combustion engine through an output hose 604, the stoichiometric ratio providing complete combustion of the fuel, operative for cleaning an exhaust stream by reducing hydrocarbons in the stream and increasing the efficiency of the fuel.
In one embodiment, the step of atomizing the fuel into multiplicity of droplets is performed under pressures higher than conventional pressures, thereby increasing kinetic energy in each droplet, the increased energy operative for a lower molecular weight density, the lower density droplets displacing more air molecules at atmospheric pressure in the aerosol at a higher rate, operative for achieving a stoichiometric ratio of oxygen to fuel.
In a further embodiment, the stoichiometric ratio in the aerosol is maintained by additionally regulating an orifice diameter by a valve 610 in an aerosol pathway in the system.
The stoichiometric ratio in the aerosol is further maintained by heating the air by the air heater 606, increasing the kinetic energy of air operative for controlling the temperature relationship between the fuel and the air, the kinetic energy of air increasing before atomizing the fuel into a multiplicity of microscopic droplets.
The fuel atomizes into a multiplicity of microscopic droplets by passing over the crystal in the transducer 200 vibrating at a frequency about 1.7 MHz, deforming between a plurality of convex and concave conformations.
The crystal deforms between convex and concave conformations in response to the square wave signal from the ignition system, the signal transmitted by the controller 20 to the crystal.
The crystal atomizes the fuel into microscopic droplets having a droplet size generally ranging from 0.8 microns to around 0.1 microns.
As shown in
In one embodiment shown in
Prototypes of the pre-injection fuel atomization system for a combustion engine have been installed on various vehicles for testing purposes. The following is a summary of the results. EPA is the Environmental Protection Agency and mpg is miles per gallon.
It is understood that when an element is referred hereinabove as being “on” another element, it can be directly on the other element or intervening elements may be present therebetween. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on” another element, there are no intervening elements present.
Moreover, any components or materials can be formed from a same, structurally continuous piece or separately fabricated and connected.
It is further understood that, although ordinal terms, such as, “first,” “second,” “third,” are used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another element, component, region, layer or section. Thus, “a first element,” “component,” “region,” “layer” or “section” discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings herein.
Spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper” and the like, are used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It is understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the example term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device can be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.
Example embodiments are described herein with reference to cross section illustrations that are schematic illustrations of idealized embodiments. As such, variations from the shapes of the illustrations as a result, for example, of manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances, are to be expected. Thus, example embodiments described herein should not be construed as limited to the particular shapes of regions as illustrated herein, but are to include deviations in shapes that result, for example, from manufacturing. For example, a region illustrated or described as flat may, typically, have rough and/or nonlinear features. Moreover, sharp angles that are illustrated may be rounded. Thus, the regions illustrated in the figures are schematic in nature and their shapes are not intended to illustrate the precise shape of a region and are not intended to limit the scope of the present claims.
In conclusion, herein is presented a pre-injection fuel atomization system for a combustion engine. The disclosure is illustrated by example in the drawing figures, and throughout the written description. It should be understood that numerous variations are possible, while adhering to the inventive concept. Such variations are contemplated as being a part of the present disclosure.
This application is a nonprovisional utility application of the provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/620,220 filed in the United States Patent Office on Apr. 4, 2012 and claims the priority thereof and is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
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