Intake runner for gaseous fuel engine, system, and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12467424-B2
Application number	US-202418766727-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 9, 2024
Priority date	Jan 23, 2023
Publication date	Nov 11, 2025
Grant date	Nov 11, 2025

Abstract

A gaseous fuel engine system includes a hydrogen fuel supply, an engine housing having an intake port extending to a cylinder, and an intake runner. The intake runner includes a valve mount attached to a conduit and having a valve mounting face, and a gaseous fuel admission valve is mounted upon the valve mounting face. A hydrogen fuel passage extends from the valve mount through the conduit and is oriented angularly to at least one of a clamping face of the intake runner or the valve mounting face. Related apparatus and methodology is also disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of operating a gaseous fuel engine system comprising:
feeding a stream of pressurized intake air in an upstream to downstream direction from an intake manifold through an intake passage formed by an intake runner that is separate from and attached to a cylinder head of a gaseous fuel engine and fluidly connected to an intake port formed in the cylinder head and extending to a plurality of intake air openings to a cylinder in the gaseous fuel engine; energizing a gaseous fuel admission valve to admit a gaseous hydrogen fuel into a fuel passage separate from the intake passage and extending through the intake runner; injecting the gaseous hydrogen fuel into the stream of pressurized intake air via a fuel passage outlet at an injection location; conveying the injected gaseous hydrogen fuel through a plurality of intake openings into the cylinder in the gaseous fuel engine; balancing a port residual fuel amount with a distribution pattern of the gaseous hydrogen fuel to the plurality of intake openings, based on the injection location; and combusting the gaseous hydrogen fuel and the pressurized intake air in the cylinder.

2 . The method of claim 1 wherein the fuel passage outlet is formed in the intake runner and located upstream of the intake port.

3 . The method of claim 2 wherein the fuel passage outlet is located in an outgoing section of the intake runner having a smaller flow area and located downstream of an incoming section of the intake runner having a larger flow area.

4 . The method of claim 3 wherein the fuel passage includes an open passage formed by material of the intake runner and the fuel passage outlet is formed in a sidewall of the outgoing section.

5 . The method of claim 1 wherein the gaseous fuel admission valve is supported on the intake runner.

6 . The method of claim 5 wherein the intake runner includes a valve mount, and the injecting the gaseous hydrogen fuel includes injecting the gaseous hydrogen fuel via an inlet to the fuel passage that is formed in the valve mount.

7 . A method of operating a gaseous fuel engine system comprising:
feeding streams of pressurized intake air from an intake manifold through a plurality of separate intake passages formed by a plurality of intake runners attached to a cylinder head of a gaseous fuel engine and arranged to feed the respective streams into a plurality of intake ports formed in the cylinder head and each extending to a respective plurality of intake openings for a plurality of cylinders in the gaseous fuel engine; energizing a plurality of gaseous fuel admission valves to admit a gaseous hydrogen fuel into a plurality of fuel passages each extending through a respective one of the plurality of intake runners; injecting the gaseous hydrogen fuel into the streams of pressurized intake air via a plurality of fuel passage outlets at a plurality of injection locations; conveying the injected gaseous hydrogen fuel through the respective plurality of intake openings into the plurality of cylinders; balancing a port residual fuel amount with a distribution pattern of the gaseous hydrogen fuel to the respective plurality of intake openings, based on the plurality of injection locations; and combusting the gaseous hydrogen fuel and the pressurized intake air in the plurality of cylinders.

Assignees

• Caterpillar Inc

Inventors

• Singh Jaswinder
• Bardell Michael
• Gu Yongxian
• Schroeder Eric L
• Seiler Patrick J

Classifications

• F02M21/0206

  Non-hydrocarbon fuels, e.g. hydrogen, ammonia or carbon monoxide · CPC title

• F02M21/0278

  Port fuel injectors for single or multipoint injection into the air intake system · CPC title

• F02M21/023

  Valves; Pressure or flow regulators in the fuel supply or return system · CPC title

• Y02T10/30

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

• F02M21/0281 Primary

  Adapters, sockets or the like to mount injection valves onto engines; Fuel guiding passages between injectors and the air intake system or the combustion chamber · CPC title