Method and systems for a direct fuel injection injector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11859586-B2
Application number	US-202117244118-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 29, 2021
Priority date	Apr 29, 2021
Publication date	Jan 2, 2024
Grant date	Jan 2, 2024

Abstract

A fuel injector includes an injector body with a fuel chamber configured to receive fuel from a fuel line, an injector tip provided at an end of the injector body, and one or more nozzle assemblies provided in the injector tip. The one or more nozzle assemblies have a fuel channel in fluid communication with the fuel chamber, a premixing tube fluidly connected to the fuel channel, and a port fluidly connected to the premixing tube. The premixing tube has an orifice providing an outlet for the injector tip.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fuel injector, the fuel injector comprising:
an injector body with a bore, wherein the bore is a fuel chamber configured to received fuel from a fuel line;
an injector tip at an end of the injector body;
one or more nozzle assemblies provided in the injector tip, wherein each of the one or more nozzle assemblies comprises:
a fuel channel in fluid communication with the fuel chamber, wherein the fuel channel extends from an inner surface of a conical end of the fuel chamber;
a premixing tube fluidly connected to the fuel channel; and
a port extending from an outer surface of the injector tip to the premixing tube, wherein at the outer surface of the injector tip, the port comprises an inlet for air,
wherein the premixing tube comprises an orifice at an end distal to the port, wherein the orifice is an outlet for the injector tip; and

a needle ball movably disposed in the bore, wherein the needle ball has a closed position and an open position, and wherein in the closed position, the needle ball contacts and seals the conical end of the fuel chamber to stop a dripping of a fuel.

2. The fuel injector of claim 1 , wherein the port is a flat tube.

3. The fuel injector of claim 1 , wherein the fuel channel and the premixing tube are coaxial.

4. The fuel injector of claim 3 , wherein the port extends perpendicularly from the premixing tube.

5. The fuel injector of claim 1 , wherein the injector tip is cylindrical.

6. The fuel injector of claim 5 , wherein the outer surface has a conical shape.

7. The fuel injector of claim 1 , wherein the premixing tube has a diameter larger than a diameter of the fuel channel and a thickness of the port.

8. A combustion system comprising:
an engine block with a cylinder;
a piston configured to move up and down inside a main chamber of the cylinder; and
a fuel injector mounted to the engine block and in fluid communication with the main chamber, the fuel injector comprising:
an injector tip of the injector body in fluid communication with the main chamber, wherein the injector tip has a conical outer surface;
one or more nozzle assemblies provided in the injector tip, wherein each of the one or more nozzle assemblies comprises:
a fuel channel in fluid communication with a fuel chamber;
a port opening at an inlet formed along the conical outer surface of the injector tip to be in fluid communication with the main chamber; and
a premixing tube configured to receive fuel from the fuel channel and air from the port, wherein the premixing tube mixes the fuel and the air to form an air-fuel premixed fuel, and wherein the premixing tube comprises an orifice providing an outlet for the injector tip; and

a needle ball movably disposed in the bore, wherein the needle ball has a closed position and an open position, and wherein in the closed position, the needle ball contacts and seals a conical end of the fuel chamber to stop a dripping of a fuel,
wherein the fuel injector injects the air-fuel premixed fuel into the main chamber.

9. The combustion system of claim 8 , wherein the orifices of the one or more nozzle assemblies are in fluid communication with the main chamber to inject the air-fuel premixed fuel into the cylinder.

10. The combustion system of claim 8 , wherein a cylinder head of the cylinder comprises a tunnel to receive the fuel injector.

11. The combustion system of claim 10 , further comprising a second fuel injector positioned in an intake passage of the cylinder head configured to inject an air-fuel premixed fuel into the main chamber.

12. The combustion system of claim 11 , wherein the fuel injector and the second fuel injector are connected to a fuel line to deliver fuel from a fuel supply.

13. The combustion system of claim 11 , further comprising a control system configured to control injection rate of the fuel injector and the second fuel injector to deliver the air-fuel premixed fuel into the main chamber.

14. A method comprising:
spraying fuel into a premixing tube of a fuel injector from a fuel chamber of the fuel injector via a fuel channel extending from an inner surface of a conical end of the fuel chamber;
drawing in air into the premixing tube via a port of the fuel injector, the port extending from an inlet formed at an outer surface of a fuel injector tip to the premixing tube, wherein the air enters the inlet of the port from a main chamber of an engine block;
mixing the fuel and the air within the premixing tube to form an air-fuel premixed fuel;
injecting the air-fuel premixed fuel into the main chamber from an orifice of the premixing tube, wherein the orifice provides an outlet of the fuel injector tip;
controlling the spraying fuel into the premixing tube via a needle ball disposed in the fuel chamber; and
stopping a dripping of the fuel by moving the needle ball to contact and seal the conical end of the fuel chamber.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
forming an air to fuel mixture ratio of the air-fuel premixed fuel equal to or more than 2.

16. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
trapping and recirculating the air into the port via a conical shape of the outer surface of the fuel injector tip.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
cooling the air in the port before the air enters the premixing tube.

18. The method of claim 14 , wherein drawing in air is at least partially performed by providing the premixing tube with a diameter larger than a diameter of the fuel channel and larger than a thickness of the port to create a low-pressure wake zone in the premixing tube.

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Yu Xin

Classifications

• F02M61/10 Primary

  Other injectors with elongated valve bodies, i.e. of needle-valve type · CPC title

• F02B17/005 Primary

  having direct injection in the combustion chamber · CPC title

• F02M53/08

  with air cooling · CPC title

• F02M61/1806

  characterised by the arrangement of discharge orifices, e.g. orientation or size · CPC title

• F02B2275/14

  Direct injection into combustion chamber · CPC title