Combustion system for an engine having a swirl inducing combustion chamber

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9091199-B2
Application number	US-201313776768-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 26, 2013
Priority date	Feb 26, 2013
Publication date	Jul 28, 2015
Grant date	Jul 28, 2015

Abstract

A combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine includes a contoured surface that defines a plurality of deflection foils. The contoured surface distributes fuel spray into portions directed toward one of the deflection foils. Each deflection foil re-directs their respective portion of the fuel spray into a combined radial path that swirls about a center of the combustion chamber. Each of the deflection foils defines a flow path and a foil axis. The flow path includes an entrance segment and an exit segment. The entrance segment directs a portion of the fuel spray radially away from the center of the combustion chamber, and the exit segment directs the portion of the fuel spray substantially tangential relative to the combined radial path of the re-directed portions of the fuel spray.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An internal combustion engine comprising:
an engine assembly defining a bore extending along a central bore axis;
a piston disposed within the bore and moveable in a reciprocating motion within the bore along the central bore axis;
wherein the piston and the engine assembly cooperate to define a combustion chamber;
a direct injection fuel system having a fuel injector for injecting a fuel spray into the combustion chamber along a path;
wherein the combustion chamber includes a contoured surface defining a plurality of deflection foils;
wherein the contoured surface receives and re-distributes the fuel spray into a plurality of portions, with each portion of the fuel spray directed toward a respective one of the plurality of deflection foils, and with each of the plurality of deflection foils re-directing their respective portion of the fuel spray into a combined radial path swirling about a center of the combustion chamber,
wherein each of the deflection foils defines a flow path for its respective one portion of the fuel spray, and a foil axis extending radially outward from the center of the combustion chamber through a center of each deflection foil;
wherein the flow path of each deflection foil includes an entrance segment forming an entrance angle with the respective foil axis of the deflection foil, and an exit segment forming an exit angle with the respective foil axis of the deflection foil; and
wherein the entrance segment of the flow path of each deflection foil is directed radially away from the center of the combustion chamber and toward a radial edge of the piston, and wherein the exit segment of the flow path of each deflection foil is directed radially inward relative to the center of the combustion chamber and away from the radial edge of the piston, and tangential relative to the combined radial path of the re-directed portions of the fuel spray.

2. The internal combustion engine as set forth in claim 1 wherein the contoured surface is defined by an axial end surface of the piston.

3. The internal combustion engine as set forth in claim 1 wherein the path of the fuel spray is parallel with the central bore axis.

4. The internal combustion engine as set forth in claim 3 wherein the path of the fuel spray includes a centerline centered at the center of the combustion chamber.

5. The internal combustion engine as set forth in claim 4 wherein the combined radial path of the re-directed portions of the fuel spray is concentric with a radial center of the piston.

6. The internal combustion engine as set forth in claim 1 wherein the exit angle is larger than the entrance angle.

7. The internal combustion engine as set forth in claim 1 wherein the entrance angle is between 7° and 20°, and wherein the exit angle is between 30° and 60°.

8. The internal combustion engine as set forth in claim 1 wherein the sum of the entrance angle and the exit angle is less than ninety degrees (90°).

9. The internal combustion engine as set forth in claim 1 wherein the flow path of each deflection foil includes a transition segment transitioning between the entrance segment and the exit segment.

10. The internal combustion engine as set forth in claim 1 wherein each of the deflection foils includes an edge wall extending parallel with the central bore axis, with the edge wall including a first wall portion re-directing the portion of fuel spray from the entrance segment of the flow path to the exit segment of the flow path, and a second wall portion for re-directing the portion of the fuel spray along the exit segment of the flow path toward and into the combined radial path of the re-directed portions of the fuel spray.

11. The internal combustion engine as set forth in claim 10 wherein the first wall portion of the edge wall includes a curved cross section perpendicular to the central bore axis.

12. The internal combustion engine as set forth in claim 10 wherein the first wall portion of the edge wall includes a linear cross section perpendicular to the central bore axis.

13. The internal combustion engine as set forth in claim 10 wherein the second wall portion of the edge wall includes a curved cross section perpendicular to the central bore axis.

14. The internal combustion engine as set forth in claim 10 wherein the second wall portion of the edge wall includes a linear cross section perpendicular to the central bore axis.

15. The internal combustion engine as set forth in claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of deflection foils re-directs their respective portion of the fuel spray in a common rotational direction about the central bore axis.

16. A combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine, the combustion chamber comprising:
a contoured surface defining a plurality of deflection foils, and shaped for distributing an injected fuel spray into a plurality of portions, with each portion of the fuel spray directed toward a respective one of the plurality of deflection foils, and with each of the plurality of deflection foils re-directing their respective portion of the fuel spray into a combined radial path swirling about a center of the combustion chamber, wherein each of the plurality of deflection foils includes:
a foil axis extending radially outward from the center of the combustion chamber through a center of each deflection foil; and
a flow path including an entrance segment forming an entrance angle with the respective foil axis of the deflection foil, an exit segment forming an exit angle with the respective foil axis of the deflection foil, and a transition segment transitioning between the entrance segment and the exit segment;
wherein the entrance angle is between 7° and 20°, and the exit angle is between 30° and 60°;
wherein the exit angle is larger than the entrance angle; and
wherein the entrance segment of the flow path of each deflection foil directs the respective portion of the fuel spray radially away from the center of the combustion chamber and toward a radial edge of the piston, and the exit segment of the flow path of each deflection foil directs the respective portion of the fuel spray radially inward relative to the center of the combustion chamber and away from the radial edge of the piston and tangential relative to the combined radial path of the re-directed portions of the fuel spray.

17. The internal combustion engine set forth in claim 1 wherein the exit segment is located radially farther from a radial center of the piston than the combined radial path.

Assignees

• Gm Global Tech Operations Inc

Inventors

• Straub Robert D

Classifications

• F02B23/0678

  Unconventional, complex or non-rotationally symmetrical shapes of the combustion space, e.g. flower like, having special shapes related to the orientation of the fuel spray jets · CPC title

• Y02T10/125

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• F02B23/0669

  having multiple fuel spray jets per injector nozzle · CPC title

• F02B23/0624 Primary

  Swirl flow · CPC title

• F02B17/005 Primary

  having direct injection in the combustion chamber · CPC title