Fuel composition and aging estimation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10801462-B2
Application number	US-201916281012-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 20, 2019
Priority date	Feb 20, 2019
Publication date	Oct 13, 2020
Grant date	Oct 13, 2020

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for estimating ethanol content in fuel, water content in fuel, and an age of the fuel in a vehicle engine. In one example, a method may include estimating fuel ethanol content, water content, or fuel age based on a resonant frequency (f) of pressure pulsations, a change in fuel rail pressure (δp), and a damping coefficient (α) of pressure pulsations in the fuel rail as estimated after a fuel injection or a pump stroke. One or more engine operating parameters may be adjusted based on the estimated fuel ethanol content, water content, and fuel age.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for an engine, comprising:
adjusting engine operation based on an estimated fuel age, the fuel age estimated based on at least two of a resonant frequency of pressure pulsations, a change in fuel rail pressure, and a damping coefficient of pressure pulsations in a fuel rail after a fuel injection or pump stroke.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, estimating a fuel ethanol content and/or a fuel water content based on each of the resonant frequency of pressure pulsations, the change in fuel rail pressure, and the damping coefficient of pressure pulsations, and adjusting engine operation based on the estimated fuel ethanol content and/or water content.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, estimating a fuel rail temperature as a function of each of the resonant frequency of pressure pulsations, the change in fuel rail pressure, and the damping coefficient of pressure pulsations.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fuel ethanol content is a percentage of ethanol in fuel in the fuel tank of an engine of a flexible-fuel vehicle and wherein the fuel water content is a percentage of water in fuel in the fuel rail.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fuel age is a function of a duration of storage of fuel in the fuel tank, and temperature and pressure of the fuel in the tank, the fuel age indicating a change in fuel constitution due to vaporization of volatile components of the fuel.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the change in fuel rail pressure is a difference in fuel rail pressure as estimated via a fuel rail pressure sensor coupled to the fuel rail, before and after the fuel injection via an injector coupled to the fuel rail or the pump stroke of a high-pressure fuel pump.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the resonant frequency of pressure pulsations is estimated based on pressure pulsations as estimated via a fuel rail pressure sensor coupled to the fuel rail immediately after the fuel injection or the pump stroke.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the damping coefficient is estimated based on one or more of fitting an exponential function to a decaying profile or envelope of the pressure pulsations, Prony analysis, and fast Fourier transform of the decaying profile.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fuel ethanol content is estimated periodically at least within a first threshold distance of travel and/or duration of travel after a refueling event and the fuel age is estimated periodically after completion of a second threshold distance of travel and/or duration of travel since an immediately previous fuel age estimation, the second threshold distance of travel and/or duration of travel being higher than the first threshold distance of travel and/or duration of travel.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein adjusting engine operations include adjusting spark timing based on the estimated fuel ethanol content and/or the fuel age, the spark timing advanced to MBT in response to an increase in fuel ethanol content.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein adjusting engine operations further include adjusting an amount of fuel injected during a cold-start based on the estimated fuel ethanol content, fuel water content, and/or fuel age, the amount of fuel injected increased during a cold-start in response to the increase in fuel ethanol and/or water content and an increase in fuel age.

12. The method of claim 2 , further comprising, adjusting injector pulse width during fuel injection based on the estimated fuel rail temperature.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, in response to one of an increase in fuel age to above a threshold age and an increase in fuel water content to above a threshold level, notifying an operator to use/change the fuel.

14. An engine method, comprising:
during a first condition,
estimating volume fractions of ethanol and water in fuel contained in a fuel tank based on each of an estimated fuel bulk modulus, an estimated fuel viscosity, and a speed of sound in fuel, and adjusting engine operation based on the estimated volume fraction of ethanol;

during a second condition,
estimating an age of the fuel contained in the fuel tank based on at least two the estimated fuel bulk modulus, the estimated fuel viscosity, and the speed of sound in fuel, and adjusting engine operation based on the age of the fuel; and

during each of the first condition and the second condition,
estimating a fuel rail temperature based on the estimated volume fraction of ethanol in fuel, volume fraction of water in fuel, or age of the fuel, and one of the estimated fuel bulk modulus, the estimated fuel viscosity, and the speed of sound in fuel.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the first condition includes completion of a refueling event on a flex-fuel vehicle, and wherein the second condition includes completion of a threshold distance of travel and/or duration of travel since an immediately previous fuel age estimation.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the fuel bulk modulus is a function of a change in pressure after a fuel pump stroke or injection event, wherein the fuel viscosity is a function of a damping coefficient of pressure pulsations in a fuel rail immediately after the fuel pump stroke or injection event, and wherein the speed of sound in fuel is a function of a resonant frequency of the pressure pulsations in the fuel rail.

17. The method of claim 13 , wherein the adjusting engine operation based on the estimated volume fraction of ethanol includes advancing spark timing to MBT in response to an increase in the volume fraction, and wherein the adjusting engine operation based on the age of the fuel includes increasing fuel injection amount during cold-start in response to an increase in fuel age.

18. An engine system, comprising:
a controller with computer readable instructions stored on non-transitory memory that, when executed, cause the controller to:
upon completion of a refueling event,
estimate a fuel ethanol content based on fuel rail pressure factors, and adjust one or more of an amount of injected fuel and spark timing based on the estimated fuel ethanol content; and
upon completion of a threshold duration since an immediately prior fuel age estimation,
estimate fuel age based on fuel rail pressure factors, and adjust one or more of the amount of injected fuel, fuel injection timing, and spark timing based on the estimated fuel age.

19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the fuel rail pressure factors include a change in fuel rail pressure responsive to a stroke of a fuel pump or injection event, a damping coefficient of pressure pulsations in a fuel rail immediately after the stroke or injection event, and a resonant frequency of the pressure pulsations in the fuel rail immediately after the stroke or injection event.

20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the fuel pump is fluidically coupled to the fuel rail, and wherein the fuel rail is one a direct injector rail and a port injector rail including a fuel rail pressure sensor.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Kiwan Rani
• Surnilla Gopichandra
• Glugla Christopher Paul
• Meinhart Mark
• Pursifull Ross Dykstra
• Hakeem Mohannad

Classifications

• Y02T10/40

  Engine management systems · CPC title

• Y02T10/30

  Use of alternative fuels, e.g. biofuels · CPC title

• F02P5/1502

  using one central computing unit · CPC title

• F02D41/3836

  Controlling the fuel pressure · CPC title

• F02D41/00

  Electrical control of supply of combustible mixture or its constituents (F02D43/00 takes precedence {; control of engine starters F02N11/08, electrical control of engine ignition timing F02P5/145}) · CPC title