Fuel supply system for internal combustion engine and methods of using the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9482195-B2
Application number	US-201313804548-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 14, 2013
Priority date	Mar 14, 2013
Publication date	Nov 1, 2016
Grant date	Nov 1, 2016

Abstract

A number of variations of the invention may include a fuel supply system for an internal combustion engine and/or method, wherein heat is exchanged from gaseous fuel in a gaseous fuel line and at least one of a liquid fuel in a liquid fuel feed line or a liquid fuel return line which are connected to an injection fuel rail of an internal combustion engine. In a number of variations, a regulator or throttling valve is provided in the gaseous fuel line to expand gas flowing therein and reduce the temperature of the gas to further cool the liquid fuel flowing in the liquid fuel feed line or the liquid fuel return line. Another variation may include a method comprising exchanging heat from gaseous fuel in a gaseous fuel line and a liquid fuel in a liquid fuel feed line or a liquid fuel return line which are connected to an injection fuel rail of an internal combustion engine. Another variation may further include throttling the flow through the gaseous fuel line to adiabatically expand the gas flowing and reduce the temperature of the gas to further cool the liquid fuel flowing in the liquid fuel feed line or the liquid fuel return line.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a storage tank constructed and arranged to store a liquid fuel therein, wherein the fuel is a gas at standard room temperature and pressure;
a combustion engine having a plurality of combustion chambers, a liquid injection fuel rail connected to the combustion engine, and a plurality of liquid fuel injectors coupled to the liquid injection fuel rail;
a liquid fuel feed line constructed and arranged to have a portion thereof extending into the storage tank a distance sufficient to be submerged in the liquid fuel when the liquid fuel is carried in the storage tank and connected to the liquid injection fuel rail to deliver the liquid fuel thereto;
a liquid fuel return line connected to the liquid injection fuel rail and the storage tank to recirculate the liquid fuel from the liquid injection fuel rail back into the storage tank;
a gaseous line connected to the storage tank to remove the gas from the storage tank and a throttling valve connected to the gaseous line, wherein the gaseous line and the throttling valve are constructed and arranged to expand the gas flowing through the gaseous line to reduce the temperature of the gas and to provide a cooled gas stream;
wherein the gaseous line is connected to a heat exchanger, and at least one of the liquid fuel feed line or liquid fuel return line is connected to the heat exchanger so that heat is exchanged between the liquid fuel in the liquid fuel feed line or liquid fuel return line and the cooled gas stream wherein the throttling valve is directly upstream of the heat exchanger to provide the cooled gas stream entering the heat exchanger.

2. A system as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the gaseous line is connected to the combustion engine to deliver the gas to the combustion engine.

3. A system as set forth in claim 2 , wherein the gaseous line is connected to an oxidant inlet manifold connected to the combustion engine to deliver the gas into the combustion engine.

4. A system as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the liquid fuel return line is connected to the heat exchanger.

5. A system as set forth in claim 1 further comprising one or more vapor injectors.

6. A system as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a vent line connected to the gaseous line.

7. A system as set forth in claim 6 , wherein the vent line is connected to the combustion engine to deliver the gas thereto.

8. A system as set forth in claim 6 , wherein the vent line is connected to an oxidant inlet manifold connected to the engine combustion chambers.

9. A system as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a pressure regulator connected to the gaseous line to regulate the pressure therein.

10. A system as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a vent line directly connected to the storage tank to vent the gas therefrom to the atmosphere.

11. A system as set forth in claim 9 , wherein the regulator is upstream of the heat exchanger.

12. A system comprising:
a storage tank connected and arranged to store a liquid fuel therein, wherein the liquid fuel is a gas at standard room temperature and pressure;
a combustion engine having a plurality of combustion chambers defined therein, a liquid injection fuel rail and a plurality of liquid fuel injectors coupled to the liquid injection fuel rail;
a liquid fuel feed line constructed and arranged so that a portion extends into the storage tank a distance sufficient to be submerged in the liquid fuel when liquid fuel is carried in the storage tank and connected to the liquid injection fuel rail to deliver liquid fuel thereto;
a liquid return line connected to the liquid injection fuel rail and to the storage tank to recirculate the liquid fuel from the liquid injection fuel rail back into the storage tank;
a gaseous line connected to the storage tank to remove the gas therefrom;
a heat exchanger having at least one of the liquid fuel feed line or the liquid fuel return line connected thereto, and wherein the gaseous line is connected to the heat exchanger so that heat is exchanged between the liquid fuel in the liquid fuel line or the liquid fuel return line and the gas flowing in the gaseous line and wherein the gaseous line contains a throttling valve directly upstream of the heat exchanger constructed and arranged to expand the gas flowing in the gaseous line thereby cooling the gas and lowering the temperature thereof to provide a cooled gas stream entering the heat exchanger.

13. A system as set forth in claim 12 , wherein the gaseous line is connected to the combustion engine to deliver the gas to the combustion engine.

14. A system as set forth in claim 13 further comprising a regulator connected to the gaseous line upstream of the heat exchanger and constructed and arranged to expand and cool the gas flowing in the gaseous line.

15. A method comprising exchanging heat from a gaseous fuel in a gaseous fuel line and a liquid fuel in a liquid fuel feed line or a liquid fuel return line which are connected to an injection fuel rail of an internal combustion engine wherein the gaseous fuel line contains a throttling valve directly upstream of a heat exchanger constructed and arranged to expand the gas flowing in the gaseous fuel line thereby cooling the gas and lowering the temperature thereof to provide a cooled gas stream entering the heat exchanger.

16. A method as set forth in claim 15 further comprising throttling the flow through the gaseous fuel line to adiabatically expand the gaseous fuel and reduce the temperature of the gaseous fuel to further cool the liquid fuel flowing in the liquid fuel feed line or the liquid fuel return line.

17. A method of refueling a fuel tank of a fuel system for a combustion engine comprising:
providing a liquid fuel delivery line connected to a fuel tank constructed and arranged to draw liquid fuel therefrom, a gaseous fuel line connected to the fuel tank to remove a gaseous fuel therefrom and a heat exchanger connected to the liquid fuel delivery line and the gaseous fuel line wherein the gaseous fuel line contains a throttling valve directly upstream of the heat exchanger constructed and arranged to expand the gas flowing in the gaseous fuel line thereby cooling the gas and lowering the temperature thereof to provide a cooled gas stream entering the heat exchanger;
refueling the fuel tank with the liquid fuel, and selectively removing the gaseous fuel from the fuel tank during refueling through the gaseous line, and removing the liquid fuel from the fuel tank through the liquid fuel delivery line so that heat is exchanged between the gaseous fuel flowing in the gaseous fuel line and the liquid fuel flowing in the liquid fuel delivery line.

18. A method as set forth in claim 17 wherein the liquid fuel delivery line is constructed and arranged to flow the liquid fuel after heat exchange back into the fuel tank.

19. A method as set forth in claim 17 wherein the liquid fuel delivery line is constructed and arranged to flow the liquid fuel through a fuel rail connected to a combustion engine and after heat exchange back into the fuel tank.

20. A method as set forth in claim 17 further comprising operating the combustion engine during the refueling.

21. A method of operating a fuel supply system for an internal combustion engine comprising: delivering a liquid fuel through a liquid fuel feed line to an injection fuel rail on an internal combustion engine and back to a fuel tank through a liquid fuel return line and selectively removing a gas from the f

Assignees

• Gm Global Tech Operations Llc

Inventors

• Archer Mark D
• Carter Nicholas
• Hurley Richard W
• Edsell Jon D

Classifications

• F02M41/00 Primary

  Fuel-injection apparatus with two or more injectors fed from a common pressure-source sequentially by means of a distributor · CPC title

• F02M21/06

  Apparatus for de-liquefying, e.g. by heating · CPC title

• F02M21/0218 Primary

  Details on the gaseous fuel supply system, e.g. tanks, valves, pipes, pumps, rails, injectors or mixers · CPC title

• F02M21/0287

  characterised by the transition from liquid to gaseous phase (F02M21/06 takes precedence); Injection in liquid phase; Cooling and low temperature storage · CPC title

• Y02T10/32

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic