Precombustion chamber igniter and cold start control method for methanol engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12410743-B2
Application number	US-202418825364-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 5, 2024
Priority date	Nov 8, 2023
Publication date	Sep 9, 2025
Grant date	Sep 9, 2025

Abstract

A precombustion chamber igniter with a retractable electric glow plug and a cold start control method for a methanol engine are provided. The precombustion chamber igniter includes a fuel injector, a spark plug, and an electric glow plug. The electric glow plug is retractable and has two working positions, at a first position, a heating segment is wholly located in an injection chamber to provide heat energy for the injection chamber, and at a second position, the heating segment is partially located in the injection chamber and passes through a first through hole, and the rest of the heating segment is located in a main combustion chamber of an engine, to provide heat energy for the injection chamber and the main combustion chamber. In a cold start stage of the engine, the heating segment of the electric glow plug is controlled to be located at the second position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A precombustion chamber igniter, comprising a housing, a fuel injector ( 3 ), a spark plug ( 5 ), and an electric glow plug ( 4 ), wherein the fuel injector ( 3 ), the spark plug ( 5 ) and the electric glow plug ( 4 ) are arranged in the housing, and a nozzle of the fuel injector ( 3 ) and an electrode of the spark plug ( 5 ) extend into an injection chamber ( 6 );
the fuel injector ( 3 ) is configured to inject fuel into the injection chamber ( 6 ) to form a target gas mixture;
a bottom of the housing is provided with a plurality of jet holes ( 1 ) and a first through hole in a penetrating manner, and the jet holes ( 1 ) are arranged around the first through hole;
the electric glow plug ( 4 ) comprises a retractable device and a heating segment ( 7 ) located at a lower part of the electric glow plug, the heating segment ( 7 ) is able to have two working positions under a control of the retractable device, which are a first position and a second position; at the first position, the heating segment ( 7 ) is wholly located in the injection chamber to provide heat energy for the injection chamber ( 6 ), and at the second position, the heating segment is partially located in the injection chamber and passes through the first through hole, while a rest of the heating segment is located in a main combustion chamber of an engine, to provide heat energy for both the injection chamber ( 6 ) and the main combustion chamber; and a sidewall profile of the heating segment ( 7 ) is in fit with a profile of the first through hole.

2. The precombustion chamber igniter according to claim 1 , wherein the housing comprises a first housing ( 2 ) and a second housing ( 12 ) which are detachably connected to each other, and the first housing ( 2 ) and the second housing ( 12 ) are assembled to form the injection chamber ( 6 ); and a part of a sidewall of the first housing and a sidewall of the second housing are both provided with threads to be threaded to a cylinder cover of the engine.

3. The precombustion chamber igniter according to claim 1 , wherein the electric glow plug ( 4 ) is installed at a center of the housing, the spark plug and the fuel injector are respectively located on both sides of the electric glow plug, and a central axis of the electrode of the spark plug ( 5 ) and a central axis of an injection port of the fuel injector ( 3 ) form an included angle of 30°-60°.

4. The precombustion chamber igniter according to claim 1 , wherein the jet holes ( 1 ) each have a diameter of 3-6 mm, and the jet holes comprises 3 to 6 jet holes.

5. A cold start control method for a methanol engine, wherein the methanol engine comprises the precombustion chamber igniter ( 100 ) according to claim 1 ;
in a cold start stage of the engine, controlling the heating segment ( 7 ) of the electric glow plug to pass through the first through hole and thereby to be located at the second position, in which gas mixtures in the injection chamber ( 6 ) and the main combustion chamber are heated simultaneously;
after a temperature in the injection chamber ( 6 ) reaches a preset working temperature, driving, by the engine, a push rod ( 11 ) to move upwards to a compression top dead center, injecting, by the fuel injector ( 3 ), methanol into the injection chamber ( 6 ), controlling an excess air coefficient inside the injection chamber ( 6 ) between 0.8 and 1.0, wherein the fuel quickly evaporates after making contact with a heated inner wall of the injection chamber ( 6 ) and then is mixed with air to form a combustible mixture; and igniting the gas mixture in the injection chamber ( 6 ) by a spark plug at an optimal ignition angle to form a jet flame to enter the main combustion chamber, wherein a fuel injection amount from the fuel injector is determined according to a volume of the injection chamber ( 6 ), and the optimal ignition angle is determined by an operating state of the engine; and
after the methanol engine operates stably, enabling the fuel injector ( 3 ) and the spark plug ( 5 ) to continue to work and the electric glow plug not to work, and restoring the heating segment ( 7 ) of the electric glow plug ( 4 ) to the first position, i.e., retracting the heating segment ( 7 ) into the injection chamber ( 6 ).

6. The cold start control method for a methanol engine according to claim 5 , wherein a volume of the injection chamber ( 6 ) of the precombustion chamber igniter ( 100 ) is less than 5% of a volume of the main combustion chamber.

7. The cold start control method for a methanol engine according to claim 5 , wherein the housing comprises a first housing ( 2 ) and a second housing ( 12 ) which are detachably connected to each other, and the first housing ( 2 ) and the second housing ( 12 ) are assembled to form the injection chamber ( 6 ); and a part of a sidewall of the first housing and a sidewall of the second housing are both provided with threads to be threaded to a cylinder cover of the engine.

8. The cold start control method for a methanol engine according to claim 5 , wherein the electric glow plug ( 4 ) is installed at a center of the housing, the spark plug and the fuel injector are respectively located on both sides of the electric glow plug, and a central axis of the electrode of the spark plug ( 5 ) and a central axis of an injection port of the fuel injector ( 3 ) form an included angle of 30°-60°.

9. The cold start control method for a methanol engine according to claim 5 , wherein the jet holes ( 1 ) each have a diameter of 3-6 mm, and the jet holes comprises 3 to 6 jet holes.

Assignees

• Univ Tianjin

Inventors

• Zhou Lei
• Liu Zongkuan
• Zhong Lijia
• Wei Haiqiao

Classifications

• Y02T10/12

  Improving ICE efficiencies · CPC title

• F02N19/06 Primary

  by heating of combustion-air by flame generating means, e.g. flame glow-plugs · CPC title

• F02D41/064

  at cold start (F02D41/067 takes precedence) · 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

• F02D19/022

  to adjust the fuel pressure, temperature or composition · CPC title