Internal-combustion engines – Charge forming device – Heating of combustible mixture
Patent
1993-05-21
1995-03-21
Okonsky, David A.
Internal-combustion engines
Charge forming device
Heating of combustible mixture
123557, F02M 3118, F23K 522
Patent
active
053986636
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to the combustion of liquid fuels, particularly fuels such as petrol or gasolene, diesel oil and fuel oil, in internal combustion engines.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Liquid fuels have for many years been the source of energy in internal combustion engines. The liquid fuel is inducted into the cylinder in the form of a mixture of atomised fuel droplets and air. One of the problems facing Automotive Engineers is that of ensuring even distribution of fuel within the air, and of ensuring complete combustion of the fuel within the cylinder. Incomplete combustion leads to poor fuel economy and increased pollutant exhaust emissions. However, liquid fuel has the advantage of being easily storable and having a high energy content per unit volume. It is also known to run internal combustion engines on gaseous fuels such as methane, propane, butane and hydrogen. Combustion processes tend to be improved and pollutant emissions are reduced. However, the handling and storage of compressed or liquified gases poses substantial difficulties and is hazardous. In fact, special pressurised storage vessels are required, which are generally bulky.
It is an object of the present invention to mitigate these disadvantages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an internal combustion engine, which comprises an inlet manifold for inducting air into a cylinder constituting a combustion zone for burning a liquid fuel; a heated chamber having an outlet connected to said inlet manifold and having an air inlet and a liquid fuel inlet for feeding part of the liquid fuel into the chamber; a heating means in the chamber to convert said part of the liquid fuel to the gas phase, the heating means comprising a heated cup heated to a temperature above the boiling point of the liquid fuel such that droplets of liquid fuel received in the heated cup are converted substantially instantaneously to the gas phase prior to being fed to the combustion zone.
It is preferred that the gasified fuel be fed (in admixture with air) into the inlet manifold of the engine. The remainder of the liquid fuel is fed in atomised form in conventional manner either as a mixture of air and fuel droplets via the carburettor into the inlet manifold or by direct fuel injection into the cylinder.
In a diesel engine, a minimum quantity of diesel fuel in liquid form (usually less than 20%, preferably less than 15% of the total fuel) is fed through the injectors in order to provide a correctly timed induction and ignition of fuel.
The heated cup is provided with an air inlet to allow passage of air therethrough in order to flush the gaseous fuel into the inlet manifold. In order to control the flow of air, a valve may be provided on the air inlet to a chamber containing the heated cup.
The heating means may be an electrical heater, or heating may be achieved by means of hot exhaust gas from the engine passing through a heat exchanger, or by means of a liquified petroleum gas (LPG) burner. Clearly, more heat is required to gasify higher boiling hydrocarbons. For example, the heating means is generally heated to 110.degree.-130.degree. C. for petrol, 180.degree.-220.degree. C. for petrol, 180.degree.-22.degree. C. for kerosene, and 270.degree.-330.degree. C. for diesel oil.
The invention further provides a method of improving the fuel efficiency of an internal combustion engine which comprises inducting a part of the fuel in the gaseous form, the fuel having been gasified by feeding droplets of fuel into a cup heated to a temperature above the boiling point of the liquid fuel such as to convert the fuel substantially instantaneously to the gas phase; and the remainder of the fuel being in a non-gasified form, and burning the fuel in the combustion zone of the engine.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to FIG. 1 which is a schematic diagram of an internal combustion engine wherein part of the liquid fuel
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Macy M.
Okonsky David A.
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