Ammonia-rich combustion coupled dual-mode prechamber ammonia-fueled engine control system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12480453-B2
Application number	US-202418935973-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 4, 2024
Priority date	Nov 8, 2023
Publication date	Nov 25, 2025
Grant date	Nov 25, 2025

Abstract

An ammonia-rich combustion coupled dual-mode prechamber ammonia-fueled engine control system is provided, including an ammonia-fueled engine and an electronic control unit. The ammonia-fueled engine includes a combustion chamber, a dual-mode jet ignition device, and an ammonia injector. The dual-mode jet ignition device includes a prechamber, an air injector, and a fuel injector. When the engine operates, ammonia fuel is firstly injected into the combustion chamber by the ammonia injector to form a rich ammonia-air mixture with air in the combustion chamber. During a compression stroke of the engine, the rich ammonia-air mixture in the combustion chamber is entered into the prechamber through a jet hole. The air injector performs scavenging in the prechamber until a equivalence ratio of prechamber gas mixture is less than 1.0, and then the fuel injector injects fuel into the prechamber forming target mixture. Finally, the target mixture is ignited by the spark plug.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An ammonia-rich combustion coupled dual-mode prechamber ammonia-fueled engine control system, comprising an ammonia-fueled engine, and an electronic control unit (ECU), wherein the ammonia-fueled engine comprises a combustion chamber ( 2 ), a dual-mode jet ignition device ( 4 ), and an ammonia injector ( 5 ); the dual-mode jet ignition device ( 4 ) comprises a prechamber ( 13 ), an air injector ( 11 ), and a fuel injector ( 12 ); the prechamber ( 13 ) is communicated with the combustion chamber ( 2 ) through a jet hole ( 14 ) formed at a bottom of the dual-mode jet ignition device ( 4 ), and the ECU is configured to control gas injection volume/fuel injection volume and gas injection time/fuel injection time of the dual-mode jet ignition device ( 4 ) and the ammonia injector ( 5 );
when the engine operates, ammonia fuel is firstly injected into the combustion chamber ( 2 ) by the ammonia injector ( 5 ) to form a rich ammonia-air mixture with air in the combustion chamber; and a thermodynamic environment with a fuel-air equivalence ratio greater than 1 is formed in the combustion chamber ( 2 ); during a compression stroke of the engine, the ammonia fuel in the combustion chamber ( 2 ) is entered into the prechamber ( 13 ) through the jet hole ( 14 ); the ECU controls the air injector ( 11 ) to inject fresh air into the prechamber ( 13 ) to squeeze the ammonia fuel entering the prechamber out until a concentration equivalence ratio of a gas mixture in the prechamber ( 13 ) is less than 1.0, and then controls the fuel injector ( 12 ) to inject fuel into the prechamber ( 13 ); and a spark plug is ignited to form a jet flame, and then the rich ammonia-air mixture in the combustion chamber ( 2 ) is ignited to complete combustion work of the engine.

2 . The ammonia-fueled engine control system according to claim 1 , wherein, optionally, during the compression stroke of the engine, the ECU controls the air injector ( 11 ) to inject oxygen into the prechamber ( 13 ) to expand a limit.

3 . The ammonia-fueled engine control system according to claim 2 , wherein in a post-combustion stage of the engine, by means of a combustion mode with a stoichiometric fuel-air ratio, the ammonia injector ( 5 ) injects the ammonia fuel which does not exceed 5% of the total amount of the gas mixture in the combustion chamber ( 2 ) into the combustion chamber ( 2 ) to reduce NOx in the combustion chamber of the engine to generate nitrogen, thus achieving low nitrogen oxide combustion.

4 . The ammonia-fueled engine control system according to claim 2 , wherein the dual-mode jet ignition device ( 4 ) is threaded to a cylinder head, and is controlled by the ECU to perform scavenging process in the prechamber.

5 . The ammonia-fueled engine control system according to claim 2 , wherein the ammonia-fueled engine further comprises a cylinder liner ( 8 ), a cylinder head ( 7 ), and a piston ( 1 ); the cylinder liner ( 8 ), the cylinder head ( 7 ) and the piston ( 1 ) enclose to form the combustion chamber ( 2 ); an intake end, an exhaust end, the dual-mode jet ignition device ( 4 ) and the ammonia injector ( 5 ) are all arranged at a top of the cylinder head ( 7 ); and the ammonia injector ( 5 ) is configured to inject ammonia or liquid ammonia fuel into the combustion chamber ( 2 ).

6 . The ammonia-fueled engine control system according to claim 1 , wherein in a post-combustion stage of the engine, by means of a combustion mode with a stoichiometric fuel-air ratio, the ammonia injector ( 5 ) injects the ammonia fuel which does not exceed 5% of the total amount of the gas mixture in the combustion chamber ( 2 ) into the combustion chamber ( 2 ) to reduce NOx in the combustion chamber of the engine to generate nitrogen, thus achieving low nitrogen oxide combustion.

7 . The ammonia-fueled engine control system according to claim 1 , wherein the dual-mode jet ignition device ( 4 ) is threaded to a cylinder head, and is controlled by the ECU to perform scavenging process in the prechamber.

8 . The ammonia-fueled engine control system according to claim 1 , wherein the ammonia-fueled engine further comprises a cylinder liner ( 8 ), a cylinder head ( 7 ), and a piston ( 1 ); the cylinder liner ( 8 ), the cylinder head ( 7 ) and the piston ( 1 ) enclose to form the combustion chamber ( 2 ); an intake end, an exhaust end, the dual-mode jet ignition device ( 4 ) and the ammonia injector ( 5 ) are all arranged at a top of the cylinder head ( 7 ); and the ammonia injector ( 5 ) is configured to inject ammonia or liquid ammonia fuel into the combustion chamber ( 2 ).

Assignees

• Univ Tianjin

Inventors

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

Classifications

• F02D2250/36

  Control for minimising NOx emissions · CPC title

• F02D41/3017

  characterised by the mode(s) being used · CPC title

• F02D41/0002

  Controlling intake air · CPC title

• F02B19/12

  with positive ignition (engines with non-timed positive ignition, and with incandescent chambers F02B9/08) · CPC title

• F02B19/1085 Primary

  controlling fuel injection · CPC title