System including duel fuel injection engine and method of operation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9938944-B2
Application number	US-201514951700-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 25, 2015
Priority date	Nov 25, 2015
Publication date	Apr 10, 2018
Grant date	Apr 10, 2018

Abstract

A system 10 and method of operating the system 10 are disclosed. The system 10 includes a compressor 20, a combustion engine 30, and an input system 60. The compressor 20 is configured to mix and compress a liquid hydrocarbon fuel 15 and a first hydrocarbon gas fuel 17, thereby to form a liquid fuel mixture 21. The combustion engine 30 is disposed downstream of the compressor 20 and includes a dual fuel injection system 40 and a combustion chamber 50. The dual fuel injection system 40 includes a nozzle 42 that is configured to inject the liquid fuel mixture 21 into the combustion chamber 50 of the combustion engine 30. The input system 60 is fluidly connected with the combustion engine 30, and configured to inject air 62 and a second hydrocarbon gas fuel 64 into the combustion chamber 50.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a compressor configured to mix and compress a liquid hydrocarbon fuel and a first hydrocarbon gas fuel, thereby dissolving at least a portion of the first hydrocarbon gas fuel in the liquid hydrocarbon fuel to form a liquid fuel mixture;
a combustion engine disposed downstream of the compressor, comprising a dual fuel injection system comprising a nozzle configured to inject the liquid fuel mixture into a combustion chamber of the combustion engine; and
an input system fluidly connected with the combustion engine, and configured to inject air and a second hydrocarbon gas fuel into the combustion chamber.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the input system comprises a port injection system configured to inject a gas fuel mixture of air and the second hydrocarbon gas fuel into the combustion chamber.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the input system comprises a pre-mixer configured to mix the air and the second hydrocarbon gas fuel.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein an exhaust outlet of the combustion chamber is fluidly connected to the input system, and configured to circulate at least a portion of an exhaust gas stream to the input system.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the liquid hydrocarbon fuel comprises diesel.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first hydrocarbon gas fuel and the second hydrocarbon gas fuel comprises methane.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein both the first hydrocarbon gas fuel and the second hydrocarbon gas fuel comprise methane.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the liquid fuel mixture comprises 1 wt % to 50 wt % of the first hydrocarbon gas fuel.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the dual fuel injection system further comprises a liquid hydrocarbon fuel conduit fluidly connecting a liquid hydrocarbon fuel source to the nozzle via a control valve.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the nozzle is configured to inject the liquid fuel mixture into the combustion chamber at a flow rate in a range from 0.01% to 100% of a nominal flow rate.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the combustion engine is configured to operate at a substitution rate in a range from 50 wt % to 99 wt % of the liquid hydrocarbon fuel.

12. A system, comprising:
a compressor configured to mix and compress diesel and a first methane gas, thereby dissolving at least a portion of the first methane gas in the diesel to form a liquid fuel mixture;
a combustion engine disposed downstream of the compressor, comprising a dual fuel injection, system comprising a nozzle configured to inject the liquid fuel mixture into a combustion chamber of the combustion engine; and
an input system fluidly connected with the combustion engine, and comprising a pre-mixer configured to mix air and a second methane gas to produce a gas fuel mixture, wherein the input system is configured to inject the gas fuel mixture into the combustion chamber.

13. A method, comprising:
mixing and compressing a liquid hydrocarbon fuel and a first hydrocarbon gas fuel in a compressor, thereby dissolving at least a portion of the first hydrocarbon gas fuel in the liquid hydrocarbon fuel to form a liquid fuel mixture;
injecting the liquid fuel mixture into a combustion chamber of a combustion engine through a nozzle of a dual fuel injection system of the combustion engine; and
injecting air and a second hydrocarbon gas fuel into the combustion chamber through an input system fluidly connected with the combustion engine.

14. The method of claim 13 , comprising compressing the liquid hydrocarbon fuel and first hydrocarbon gas fuel in the compressor at a pressure in a range from 5 MPa to 250 MPa.

15. The method of claim 13 , further comprising maintaining a temperature of the compressor in a range from −160° C. to 200° C. during one or both of the mixing and the compressing steps.

16. The method of claim 13 , further comprising pre-mixing air and the second hydrocarbon gas fuel in a pre-mixer of the input system to form a gas fuel mixture upstream of the combustion chamber, and injecting the gas fuel mixture into the combustion chamber.

17. The method of claim 13 , wherein the step of injecting the liquid fuel mixture into the combustion chamber comprises injecting the liquid fuel mixture comprising 1 wt % 50 wt % of the first hydrocarbon gas fuel.

18. The method of claim 13 , wherein the liquid fuel mixture is injected into the combustion chamber at a flow rate in a range from 0.01% to 100% of a nominal flow rate.

19. The method of claim 13 , further comprising operating the combustion engine at a substitution rate in a range from 50 wt % to 99 wt % of the liquid hydrocarbon fuel.

20. The method of claim 13 , further comprising circulating at least a portion of an exhaust gas stream from the combustion engine into the input system.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Gonzalez Salazar Miguel Angel
• Becquin Guillaume

Classifications

• F02M43/04

  Injectors peculiar thereto · CPC title

• F02B2201/064

  Liquid and gas · CPC title

• F02B43/10

  Engines or plants characterised by use of other specific gases, e.g. acetylene, oxyhydrogen · CPC title

• F02B2043/103

  Natural gas, e.g. methane or LNG used as a fuel · CPC title

• F02M43/02 Primary

  Pumps peculiar thereto · CPC title