Systems and method for controlling auto-ignition

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11143090-B2
Application number	US-201815889662-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 6, 2018
Priority date	Feb 26, 2014
Publication date	Oct 12, 2021
Grant date	Oct 12, 2021

Abstract

Various methods and systems are provided for maintaining combustion stability in a multi-fuel engine. In one example, a system comprises a first fuel system to deliver liquid fuel to at least one cylinder of an engine, a second fuel system to deliver gaseous fuel to the at least one cylinder, and a controller. The controller is configured to supply the gaseous fuel to the at least one cylinder, inject the liquid fuel to the at least one cylinder thereby to ignite the liquid fuel and the gaseous fuel in the at least one cylinder via compression-ignition, and adjust an amount of the gaseous fuel relative to an amount of the liquid fuel based on a measured parameter associated with auto-ignition of end gases subsequent to the compression-ignition of the liquid fuel.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
at least one fuel system configured to supply liquid fuel and gaseous fuel to at least one cylinder of an engine; and
a controller storing non-transitory instructions executable to:
initiate compression ignition of the gaseous fuel and intake air by controlling injection of the liquid fuel to the at least one cylinder, the gaseous fuel and liquid fuel provided to the at least one cylinder at a substitution ratio;
wherein the controller is further configured, in response to a measured parameter associated with auto-ignition of end gases after the compression ignition resulting from the injection of the liquid fuel to the at least one cylinder, to adjust the substitution ratio; and
retard an injection timing of the injection of the liquid fuel in response to the measured parameter.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the substitution ratio comprises a ratio of the gaseous fuel to the liquid fuel provided to the at least one cylinder, and wherein the controller is configured to adjust the substitution ratio by decreasing the substitution ratio which includes decreasing an amount of the gaseous fuel relative to an amount of the liquid fuel, and wherein the measured parameters comprise vibration of the engine.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the controller is further configured to monitor cylinder output resulting from combustion of the gaseous fuel at the substitution ratio; and
the controller is further configured, responsive to the cylinder output differing from an expected output by more than a threshold amount, to indicate degradation of a gas admission valve configured to supply the gaseous fuel to the at least one cylinder.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the controller is further configured, responsive to the cylinder output being greater than the expected output, to decrease one or more of an amount of the gaseous fuel or an amount of the liquid fuel supplied to the at least one cylinder, and responsive to the cylinder output being still greater than the expected output subsequent to the one or more of the amount of the gaseous fuel or the amount of the liquid fuel being decreased, to indicate the gas admission valve is open by more than a desired amount and deactivate the supply of gaseous fuel.

5. The system of claim 3 , wherein the controller is further configured, responsive to the cylinder output being less than the expected output, to increase an amount of the liquid fuel supplied to the at least one cylinder until the cylinder output equals the expected output, and wherein the cylinder output comprises one or more of engine power or exhaust gas temperature, and wherein an injection of the liquid fuel comprises a stratified injection of liquid fuel.

6. A vehicle comprising the system of claim 1 .

7. A system, comprising:
a first fuel system operable to deliver liquid fuel to a plurality of cylinders in an engine, the first fuel system comprising a first fuel tank, a common fuel rail, and a plurality of fuel injectors, each fuel injector configured to inject liquid fuel to a respective cylinder of the plurality of cylinders;
a second fuel system operable to deliver gaseous fuel to the plurality of cylinders, the second fuel system comprising a second fuel tank and a plurality of gas admission valves, each gas admission valve configured to supply gaseous fuel to a respective cylinder of the plurality of cylinders; and
a controller configured to, for each cylinder of one or more of the plurality of cylinders:
initiate compression ignition of the gaseous fuel and intake air by controlling injection of the liquid fuel to the respective cylinder, the gaseous fuel and liquid fuel provided to the respective cylinder at a first substitution ratio;
in response to a measured parameter associated with auto-ignition of end gases after the ignition resulting from the injection of the liquid fuel to the respective cylinder, retarding an injection timing of the liquid fuel to the respective cylinder; and
in response to the measured parameter associated with auto-ignition still being present after retarding the injection timing, to adjust the first substitution ratio by adjusting at least one of an amount of the gaseous fuel or an amount of the liquid fuel to a second substitution ratio different than the first substitution ratio.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein adjusting at least one of the amount of the gaseous fuel or an amount of the liquid fuel to the second ratio comprises increasing the amount of liquid fuel relative to the amount of gaseous fuel.

9. The system of claim 7 , wherein:
the controller is further configured to monitor a cylinder output resulting from combustion of the gaseous fuel at the first or second substitution ratios; and
the controller is further configured, responsive to the cylinder output differing from an expected output by more than a threshold amount, to indicate degradation of a gas admission valve configured to supply the gaseous fuel to the respective cylinder.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the controller is further configured, responsive to the cylinder output being greater than the expected output, to decrease one or more of an amount of the gaseous fuel or an amount of the liquid fuel supplied to the respective cylinder, and responsive to the cylinder output being still greater than the expected output subsequent to the one or more of the amount of the gaseous fuel or the amount of the liquid fuel being decreased, to indicate the gas admission valve is open by more than a desired amount and deactivate the supply of gaseous fuel.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the controller is further configured, responsive to the cylinder output being less than the expected output, to increase an amount of the liquid fuel supplied to the respective cylinder until the cylinder output equals the expected output, and wherein the cylinder output comprises one or more of an engine power or an exhaust gas temperature.

12. The system of claim 7 , wherein the first fuel tank is on a first vehicle, and the second fuel tank is on a second, fuel tender vehicle that is coupled to the first vehicle.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the controller and the engine are on the first vehicle.

14. A vehicle comprising the system of claim 7 .

Assignees

• Transp Ip Holdings Llp
• Transp Ip Holdings Llc

Inventors

• Yerace Daniel
• Klingbeil Adam Edgar
• Mischler James Robert

Classifications

• F02D41/401 Primary

  Controlling injection timing (F02D41/402 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F02D19/105

  operating in a special mode, e.g. in a liquid fuel only mode for starting · CPC title

• Y02T10/30

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

• F02D29/02

  peculiar to engines driving vehicles; peculiar to engines driving variable pitch propellers · CPC title

• F02D41/008

  Controlling each cylinder individually · CPC title