System and method for self-adjusting engine performance parameters during fuel quality variation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10823096-B2
Application number	US-201616075132-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 4, 2016
Priority date	Feb 4, 2016
Publication date	Nov 3, 2020
Grant date	Nov 3, 2020

Abstract

A system and method for self-adjusting engine performance parameters in response to fuel quality variations that includes an exhaust sensor for measuring a level of carbon dioxide present in an exhaust manifold, at least one of a knock sensor and a cylinder pressure transducer for determining a location of peak pressure and a centroid, respectively, a controller in communication with the exhaust sensor and the at least one of the knock sensor and the cylinder pressure transducer, the controller correlating a methane number of the fuel used by the engine to a brake specific carbon dioxide value calculated using the level of carbon dioxide measured by the exhaust sensor and the at least one of the centroid and the location of peak pressure, and an adjusting mechanism, wherein the adjusting mechanism adjusts an engine performance parameter based on the determined methane number.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for self-adjusting engine performance parameters in response to fuel quality variations, comprising:
sensing a level of exhaust carbon dioxide exiting an engine;
sensing at least one of a centroid of the engine and a location of peak pressure in the engine;
calculating a brake specific carbon dioxide value from the level of exhaust carbon dioxide using correlations accessed by a controller;
determining a methane number of fuel used by the engine from the determined brake specific carbon dioxide value and the at least one of the centroid and the location of peak pressure using correlations accessed by the controller;
determining an optimized air-fuel ratio from the methane number; and
adjusting at least one engine performance parameter in response to the optimized air-fuel ratio.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein calculating the brake specific carbon dioxide value from the level of exhaust carbon dioxide, determining the methane number of fuel used within the engine from the determined brake specific carbon dioxide value and the at least one of the centroid and the location of peak pressure, determining the optimized air-fuel ratio from the methane number, and adjusting at least one engine performance parameter based on the optimized air-fuel ratio are carried out by the controller.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the controller is an engine control module.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the level of exhaust carbon dioxide is measured by an exhaust sensor.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the centroid of the engine is determined by a cylinder pressure transducer.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the location of peak pressure of the engine is determined by a knock sensor.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the methane number of fuel used within the engine comprises using a table programmed into the controller which correlates the determined brake specific carbon dioxide value and the at least one of the centroid and the location of peak pressure with an associated methane number.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the optimized air-fuel ratio from the methane number comprises using a table programmed into the controller which correlates the methane number with an associated optimized air-fuel ratio.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
monitoring the methane number using the controller.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
sensing a level of inlet carbon dioxide of fuel entering the engine; and
adjusting the determined brake specific carbon dioxide value in response to the level of inlet carbon dioxide.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the level of inlet carbon dioxide is measured by an inlet sensor.

12. An engine system comprising:
a mixer configured to deliver air and fuel to the engine;
an exhaust manifold coupled to the engine to route exhaust away from the engine;
an exhaust sensor positioned to measure a level of carbon dioxide present in the exhaust within the exhaust manifold;
at least one of a knock sensor and a cylinder pressure transducer, wherein the knock sensor determines a location of peak pressure within the engine and the cylinder pressure transducer determines a centroid of the engine;
a controller in communication with the exhaust sensor and the at least one of the knock sensor and the cylinder pressure transducer, the controller being configured to access a plurality of programmable tables, wherein at least one of the plurality of programmable tables correlates a determined brake specific carbon dioxide value calculated using the level of carbon dioxide measured by the exhaust sensor and the at least one of the centroid and the location of peak pressure to a methane number of the fuel used by the engine, the controller being configured to determine the methane number using the tables; and
an adjusting mechanism, wherein the adjusting mechanism adjusts at least one engine performance parameter based on the determined methane number.

13. The engine system of claim 12 , wherein the adjusting mechanism is a fuel control valve, the fuel control valve being configured to control an amount of fuel delivered to the mixer in response to an optimized air-fuel ratio determined from the methane number by the controller.

14. The engine system of claim 13 , wherein the optimized air-fuel ratio is determined using at least one of the plurality of programmable tables, wherein the at least one of the plurality of programmable tables correlates the methane number with an associated optimized air-fuel ratio.

15. The engine system of claim 12 , wherein the controller is an engine control module.

16. The engine system of claim 12 , further comprising:
an inlet sensor positioned upstream of the engine, wherein the inlet sensor measures a level of intake carbon dioxide; and
a correcting processor, wherein the correcting processor adjusts the determined brake specific carbon dioxide value in response to the level of intake carbon dioxide measured by the inlet sensor.

17. An engine control module coupled to an engine for self-adjusting engine performance parameters in response to fuel quality variations, wherein the engine control module is configured to:
receive an exhaust carbon dioxide value from an exhaust sensor and at least one of a centroid value from a cylinder pressure transducer and a location of peak pressure value from a knock sensor;
process the exhaust carbon dioxide value and the at least one of the centroid value and the location of peak pressure value; and
control an adjusting mechanism in response to the processed exhaust carbon dioxide value and the processed at least one of the centroid value and the location of peak pressure value.

18. The engine control module of claim 17 , wherein the engine control module is configured to determine a brake specific carbon dioxide value from the exhaust carbon dioxide value.

19. The engine control module of claim 18 , wherein the engine control module is configured to determine a methane number of fuel used by the engine from the determined brake specific carbon dioxide value and the processed at least one of the centroid value and the location of peak pressure value.

20. The engine control module of claim 18 , wherein the engine control module is configured to:
receive an inlet carbon dioxide value from an inlet sensor; and
adjust the determined brake specific carbon dioxide value in response to the inlet carbon dioxide value.

Assignees

• Cummins Inc

Inventors

• Turlapati Agneya
• Bremmer Robin J
• Saad Philipe F

Classifications

• Y02T10/30

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

• F01N2900/1406

  Exhaust gas pressure · CPC title

• F01N11/002

  the diagnostic devices measuring or estimating temperature or pressure in, or downstream of the exhaust apparatus · CPC title

• F02D2200/0612

  determined by estimation · CPC title

• F02D41/0025

  Controlling engines characterised by use of non-liquid fuels, pluralities of fuels, or non-fuel substances added to the combustible mixtures · CPC title