Managing fuel oil mixture in engines

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9926887-B2
Application number	US-201514819667-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 6, 2015
Priority date	Aug 6, 2015
Publication date	Mar 27, 2018
Grant date	Mar 27, 2018

Abstract

A fuel tank containing a fuel and oil mixture is managed to determine if the fuel and oil mixture contains the correct ratio for a motor. The fuel tank containing a fuel and oil mixture is monitored. A fuel to oil ratio is selected for the motor. A combined viscosity of the fuel and oil mixture is calculated with respect to the fuel to oil ratio, and the temperature of the fuel and oil mixture. The combined viscosity is used to determine a predetermined range of the combined viscosity. The viscosity of the fuel and oil mixture within the fuel tank is measured as a measured viscosity. If the measured viscosity of the fuel and oil mixture does not correspond with the predetermined range, then a user may be alerted that the measured viscosity does not correspond with the predetermined range.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for determining a fuel to oil mixture ratio comprising:
selecting a fuel to oil ratio of a first motor for a fuel and oil mixture within a fuel tank, wherein the first motor is a two stroke motor and the fuel is ignited by a spark plug in the first motor;
calculating a combined viscosity of the fuel and oil mixture at the fuel to oil ratio and a first temperature;
determining, in response to calculating, a predetermined range of the combined viscosity;
measuring a measured viscosity of the fuel and oil mixture within the fuel tank; and
alerting a user that the measured viscosity of the fuel to oil mixture does not correspond with the predetermined range of the combined viscosity.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining that the viscosity of the fuel and oil mixture does not correspond with the predetermined range.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
adding an additional portion of fuel to the fuel and oil mixture.

4. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
adding an additional portion of oil to the fuel and oil mixture.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein calculating the combined viscosity of the fuel and oil mixture comprises:
inputting a first fuel viscosity of the fuel;
inputting a first oil viscosity of the oil;
measuring the first temperature of the fuel and oil mixture; and
determining the combined viscosity of the fuel and oil mixture.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the combined viscosity of the fuel and oil mixture is determined from a lookup table.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined range includes an upper limit of the measured viscosity of the fuel and oil mixture.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined range includes a lower limit of the measured viscosity of the fuel and oil mixture.

9. A computer program product for determining a fuel to oil mixture ratio comprising a computer readable storage medium having a computer readable application stored therein, wherein the computer readable application, when executed on a computing device, causes the computing device to:
select a fuel to lubricating oil ratio of a first motor for a fuel and lubricating oil mixture within a fuel tank wherein the first motor is a two stroke motor and the fuel is ignited by a spark plug in the first motor, and wherein the fuel is gasoline;
calculate a combined viscosity of the fuel and lubricating oil mixture at the fuel to lubricating oil ratio and a first temperature;
determine, in response to calculating, a predetermined range of the combined viscosity;
measure a measured viscosity of the fuel and lubricating oil mixture within the fuel tank; and
alert a user that the measured viscosity of the fuel to lubricating oil mixture does not correspond with the predetermined range of the combined viscosity.

10. The computer program product of claim 9 , wherein the computer program is further configured to:
determine that the viscosity of the fuel and lubricating oil mixture does not correspond with the predetermined range.

11. The computer program product of claim 10 , wherein the computer program is further configured to:
instruct a fuel pump to add an additional portion of fuel to the fuel and lubricating oil mixture until the measured viscosity corresponds with the combined viscosity.

12. The computer program product of claim 10 , wherein the computer program is further configured to:
instruct an oil pump to add an additional portion of lubricating oil to the fuel and lubricating oil mixture until the measured viscosity corresponds with the combined viscosity.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Czaplewski Sarah K
• Kuczynski Joseph
• Wertz Jason T
• Zhang Jing

Classifications

• F01M3/02

  with variable proportion of lubricant to fuel, lubricant to air, or lubricant to fuel-air-mixture · CPC title

• F02D19/0636

  by estimation, i.e. without using direct measurements of a corresponding sensor · CPC title

• F02M25/00 Primary

  Engine-pertinent apparatus for adding non-fuel substances or small quantities of secondary fuel to combustion-air, main fuel or fuel-air mixture (adding secondary air to fuel-air mixture F02M23/00; adding exhaust gases F02M26/00; fuel-injection apparatus operating simultaneously on two or more fuels or on a liquid fuel and another liquid F02M43/00) · CPC title

• G01N33/2835

  Specific substances contained in the oils or fuels · CPC title

• F02D19/0649

  Liquid fuels having different boiling temperatures, volatilities, densities, viscosities, cetane or octane numbers · CPC title