Westport Power Inc.

Westport Research Inc.

Adrian J Post

Tim Lennox

Gregory Charles Harper

Alain M J Touchette

S Michael Baker

Bradley D Douville

David Mumford

Philip G Hill

Thomas Brook

Michael C Wickstone

Alain Michel Touchette

Brad Douville

Timothy N Lennox

Mark A Epp

Michael Wickstone

A cryogenic storage tank comprises a partition that divides a cryogen space into a main storage space and an auxiliary space. A valve disposed inside the cryogen space is associated with a first fluid passage through the partition. The valve comprises a valve member that is actuatable by fluid forces within the cryogen space. A second fluid passage through the partition comprises a restricted flow area that is dimensioned to have a cross-sectional flow area that is smaller than that of a fill conduit such that there is a detectable increase in back-pressure when the main storage space is filled with liquefied gas.

Storage tank for a cryogenic fluid with a partitioned cryogen space

An apparatus for delivering two fuels to a direct injection internal combustion engine comprises a liquid-fuel supply rail, a gaseous-fuel supply rail, a drain system with a shared drain rail for collecting both liquid fuel and gaseous fuel, and a venting device for venting gaseous fuel collected by the drain rail. The method comprises separately delivering a liquid fuel at injection pressure to an injection valve through a liquid-fuel rail, and actuating the liquid-fuel injection valve to introduce liquid fuel directly into the combustion chamber. The method further comprises delivering a gaseous fuel at injection pressure to an injection valve through a gaseous-fuel rail and actuating the gaseous-fuel injection valve to introduce gaseous fuel directly into the combustion chamber. The method further comprises collecting in a drain rail liquid fuel and gaseous fuel from the liquid-fuel injection valve and the gaseous-fuel injection valve, directing liquid fuel to a storage vessel, and directing gaseous fuel to a vent pipe.

Method and apparatus for delivering two fuels to a direct injection internal combustion engine

A high-pressure fuel system supplies gaseous fuel to an internal combustion engine. Gaseous fuel pressure within the system is at least 17 MPa during normal operation. The system comprises a number of components and conduits and at least one resilient member for sealing at an interface between two components. The resilient member consists essentially of thermoplastic polyurethane. A corresponding method provides sealing between components containing gaseous fluids at pressures that can be above 17 MPa, in which the gaseous fluids routinely undergo rapid reductions in pressure. The method comprises disposing a resilient member, which consists essentially of thermoplastic polyurethane, at an interface between the components. Gas pressure fluctuations can occur during operation of the components or when the high-pressure gas is vented from the components upon shut down of the high-pressure system. A particularly suitable application for the present method is high-pressure gaseous fuel supply systems for internal combustion engines.

High pressure gaseous fuel supply system for an internal combustion engine and a method of sealing connections between components to prevent leakage of a high pressure gaseous fuel

A dual fuel injection valve separately and independently injects two different fuels and comprises a dual needle assembly with a hollow open-ended outer needle and an inner needle disposed within the hollow interior. A cap cooperates with the outer needle to cover the open end, and the outer needle and the cap together comprise the inner valve body. The outer and inner needles are each movable independently from each other between respective open and closed positions. A spring disposed between the cap and the inner needle contributes to biasing the inner needle in the closed position. The cap can be joined to the outer needle, whereby the cap can provide a limit to the movement of the inner needle. In another embodiment the cap can be detached from the outer body, allowing the spring to space the cap away from the outer needle, assisting with biasing the outer needle closed.

Dual fuel injection valve and method of operating a dual fuel injection valve

A dual fuel injection valve separately and independently injects two different fuels into a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine. A first fuel is delivered to the injection valve at injection pressure and a second fuel is either raised to injection pressure by an intensifier provided within the injection valve, or delivered to the injection valve at injection pressure. Electronically controlled valves control hydraulic pressure in control chambers disposed within the injection valve. The pressure of the hydraulic fluid in these control chambers is employed to independently actuate a hollow outer needle that controls the injection of the first fuel. Disposed within the outer needle is an inner needle that controls the injection of the second fuel. The outer needle closes against a seat associated with the injection valve body and the inner needle closes against a seat associated with the outer needle.

The invention relates to an apparatus and method for supplying high pressure gaseous fuel from a storage vessel to a vehicle's internal combustion engine. More particularly, the invention is a fuel supply system with three main components: the storage vessel; an intensifier; and, an accumulator vessel. Fuel passages connect each one of the components directly with the other two components. The intensifier has a plurality of compression chambers and one of the compression chambers can be by-passed when the intensifier is operating in a low capacity mode, depending upon the pressure in the storage vessel. The intensifier operates continuously. When no fuel compression is required, the intensifier runs in an idle mode with the respective inlets and outlets of the compression chambers connected by fuel passages, thus preventing any fuel compression. The loading to the intensifier actuating mechanism is balanced in all modes of operation.

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Vancouver, Canada

Adrian J Post