Venturi-based purge vapor supply system for turbulent jet ignition engines

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10557403-B2
Application number	US-201815885099-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 31, 2018
Priority date	Jan 31, 2018
Publication date	Feb 11, 2020
Grant date	Feb 11, 2020

Abstract

A Venturi-based purge vapor supply system for a turbulent jet ignition (TJI) engine and its method of operation utilize an air compressor configured to output pressurized air, a vapor canister configured to store purge vapor evaporated from liquid fuel housed in a fuel tank, a purge vapor injector configured to inject a mixture of air and purge vapor into a pre-chamber of the TJI engine and an ejector tee connected between the air compressor, the vapor canister, and the purge vapor injector, the ejector tee having a Venturi-based design such that the pressurized air from the air compressor draws the purge vapor into the ejector tee and combines the air and the purge vapor to form and output the mixture of air and purge vapor to the purge vapor injector.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A Venturi-based purge vapor supply system of a turbulent jet ignition (TJI) engine, the system comprising:
an air compressor configured to output pressurized air;
a vapor canister configured to store purge vapor evaporated from liquid fuel housed in a fuel tank;
a purge vapor injector configured to directly inject a mixture of air and purge vapor into a pre-chamber of the TJI engine; and
an ejector tee connected between the air compressor, the vapor canister, and the purge vapor injector, the ejector tee having a Venturi-based design such that the pressurized air from the air compressor draws the purge vapor into the ejector tee and combines the air and the purge vapor to form and output the mixture of air and purge vapor to the purge vapor injector.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the ejector tee comprises:
a first tube connected to the air compressor;
a second tube that receives the purge vapor;
a third tube connected to the purge vapor injector; and
a nozzle disposed within the first tube and upstream from the second and third tubes,
wherein a cross-sectional area of the second tube is less than cross-sectional areas of the first and third tubes.

3. The system of claim 2 , further comprising:
a first valve disposed between the air compressor and the ejector tee, the first valve being configured to regulate a flow of the pressurized air from the air compressor to the ejector tee;
a purge pump configured to pump the purge vapor out of the vapor canister; and
a second valve disposed between the purge pump and the second tube of the ejector tee, the second valve being configured to regulate a flow of the purge vapor from the purge pump to the ejector tee.

4. The system of claim 3 , further comprising a controller configured to obtain one or more operating parameters and control at least one of the air compressor, the purge pump, and the first and second valves based on the one or more operating parameters.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the one or more operating parameters comprise an engine temperature, and wherein the controller is configured to:
detect a cold start of the TJI engine based on the engine temperature; and
actuate the air compressor and the purge pump and open the first and second valves in response to detecting the cold start.

6. The system of claim 4 , wherein the one or more operating parameters comprise a load on the TJI engine, and wherein the controller is configured to:
detect a light load operating condition of the TJI engine based on the load; and
actuate the air compressor and the purge pump and open the first and second valves in response to detecting the light load condition.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the TJI engine comprises a spark plug configured to combust the mixture of air and purge vapor in the pre-chamber, and wherein the pre-chamber defines one or more orifices configured to direct a high-pressure stream of hot gasses resulting from the combustion into a main combustion chamber of a cylinder of the TJI engine.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the TJI engine further comprises a liquid fuel injector configured to inject liquid fuel into an intake port of the cylinder, wherein the liquid fuel is combined with air drawn into the TJI engine through an induction system to form a primary air/fuel mixture.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein an amount of purge vapor and an amount of the liquid fuel collectively form a total fuel charge, and wherein the amounts of purge vapor and liquid fuel are approximately 3% and 97% of the total fuel charge, respectively.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the high-pressure stream of hot gasses from the pre-chamber ignite the primary air/fuel mixture within the main combustion chamber of the cylinder.

11. A method of operating a Venturi-based purge vapor supply system of a turbulent jet ignition (TJI) engine, the method comprising:
obtaining, by a controller, one or more engine operating parameters; and
based on the one or more engine operating parameters, controlling, by the controller, at least one of an air compressor, a purge pump, and first and second valves, the first valve being connected to the air compressor and the second valve being connected to the purge pump,
wherein the system comprises a vapor canister connected to the purge pump, and a purge vapor injector configured to directly inject a mixture of air and purge vapor into a pre-chamber of the TJI engine, and
wherein the system further comprises an ejector tee connected between the first and second valves and the purge vapor injector, the ejector tee having a Venturi-based design such that pressurized air from the air compressor draws purge vapor into the ejector tee and combines the pressurized air and the purge vapor to form and output the mixture of air and purge vapor to the purge vapor injector.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the one or more operating parameters comprise an engine temperature, and further comprising:
detecting, by the controller, a cold start of the engine based on the engine temperature; and
in response to detecting the cold start of the TJI engine, controlling at least one of the air compressor, the purge pump, and the first and second valves.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the one or more operating parameters comprise a load on the engine, and further comprising:
detecting, by the controller, a light load operating condition of the engine based on the load; and
in response to detecting the light load operating condition, controlling at least one of the air compressor, the purge pump, and the first and second valves.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the purge vapor injector is a vapor gas injector that opens outwardly towards the pre-chamber as a result of a pressure of the mixture of air and purge vapor and, after injection of the mixture of air and purge vapor into the pre-chamber, closes due to a pressure drop at its source.

15. The method of claim 11 , further comprising controlling, by the controller, a spark plug of the TJI engine to combust a desired amount of the mixture of air and purge vapor within the pre-chamber of the TJI engine.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the pre-chamber defines one or more orifices configured to direct a high-pressure stream of hot gasses resulting from the combustion into a main combustion chamber of a cylinder of the TJI engine.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising controlling, by the controller, a liquid fuel injector of the TJI engine to inject a desired amount of liquid fuel into an intake port of the cylinder, wherein the desired amount of liquid fuel is combined with a desired amount of air drawn into the TJI engine through an induction system to form a primary air/fuel charge within the main combustion chamber.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the high-pressure stream of hot gasses directed into the main combustion chamber causes the primary air/fuel charge to combust within the main combustion chamber.

Assignees

• Sager Roger C
• Dekar Joseph M
• Delleree Matthew M
• Srinivasan Akshaya
• Baradwaj Nithin V
• Fca Us Llc

Inventors

• Sager Roger C
• Dekar Joseph M
• Delleree Matthew M
• Srinivasan Akshaya
• Baradwaj Nithin V

Classifications

• F02D41/0032

  Controlling the purging of the canister as a function of the engine operating conditions · CPC title

• F02D41/064

  at cold start (F02D41/067 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F02M25/089

  Layout of the fuel vapour installation · CPC title

• F02B19/108

  with fuel injection at least into pre-combustion chamber, i.e. injector mounted directly in the pre-combustion chamber · CPC title

• F02M25/0836

  Arrangement of valves controlling the admission of fuel vapour to an engine, e.g. valve being disposed between fuel tank or absorption canister and intake manifold · CPC title