Southwest Research Institute

Other

Charles Edward Roberts, Jr

Rudolf Hermann Stanglmaier

Darius Mehta

Ryan C Roecker

Lee Gene Dodge

Daniel William Stewart

Thomas W Ryan, Iii

Rainer J Rothbauer

Christopher James Chadwell

Terrence Francis Alger, Ii

Kevin L Hoag

Chad P Koci

Andrew C Matheaus

Jess Witman Gingrich

Cary A Henry

David Pratt Branyon

Jayant V Sarlashkar

Terrence F Alger, Iii

Junmin Wang

Robert Wayne Burrahm

Daniel W Dickey

John Thomas Kubesh

Thomas E Briggs, Jr

Christopher L Wray

Timothy Joseph Callahan

Chad H Stovell

James Corwin Snyder

Jeffrey A Leet

Matthew E Schulman

Scott J Schneider

Combustion engines, and more particularly, integrating a supercritical fluid passageway into a cylinder head and/or cylinder block of an engine, and preferably, a combustion engine. Both a combustion engine system and a method of cooling a cylinder head in an internal combustion engine, utilizing supercritical fluid, are disclosed.

Techniques for engine cooling using supercritical fluids and a combustion engine system implementing the same

Heat transfer jackets with various passage configurations for cooling or heating equipment. For the equipment of interest, one or more regions of maximum heat transfer are identified. For these regions, the cooling jacket is configured with at least one of the following heat transfer passage geometries: impinging jets, curved blades, columns, dimpled interface, organic, or turbulator. The passage geometries are then manufactured using additive manufacturing.

Manufacture of heat transfer jackets

An exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system for an internal combustion engine having dedicated EGR and operating at a lean air-fuel ratio. In such engines, one or more cylinders is operable as a dedicated EGR cylinder, such that all of the exhaust produced by the dedicated EGR cylinder(s) may be recirculated to the engine's main (non dedicated) cylinders. Because the engine is lean burn, its exhaust aftertreatment system has a NOx-reducing device. An EGR loop is configured to recirculate EGR from the dedicated EGR cylinder(s) to the engine's intake manifold. A diversion line connects the EGR loop to the exhaust aftertreatment system, thereby delivering EGR as syngas for the NOx-reducing device. The syngas is used either directly as a reductant or to a catalyst that reduces the syngas to ammonia for use as a reductant.

Internal combustion engine having dedicated cylinder(s) for generation of both EGR and exhaust aftertreatment reductant for NOx-reducing catalyst

A method of adjusting a load-bearing capacity of a hydrodynamic plain journal bearing for a journal is provided comprising providing a hydrodynamic plain journal bearing having a circumference, wherein a load-bearing capacity of the journal bearing varies around the bearing circumference; providing the hydrodynamic plain journal bearing in a journal bearing support structure, wherein the support structure supports the hydrodynamic plain journal bearing around the journal; and rotating the hydrodynamic plain journal bearing within the support structure to change a position of the load-bearing capacity of the journal bearing relative to the journal.

Variable area journal bearing

A piston for a direct injection engine is provided, the piston having a bowl at an upper end, the bowl forming a portion of a combustion chamber. The bowl includes an inner surface that defines a volume configured to receive a fuel-air mixture, the inner surface of the bowl including at least one surface feature as a target for the fuel spray, the surface feature angled 20&#xb0; to 80&#xb0; from the piston face. The surface feature may protrude from the inner surface of the bowl or may be recessed into the inner surface. Such surface features may reduce soot and improve fuel-air mixing.

Piston bowl with spray jet targets

An aspect of the present disclosure relates to a fluid bearing having an adjustable effective surface area and a method of adjusting the load carrying capacity of a fluid bearing. The fluid bearing may include a bore defining a central longitudinal axis and lubricating fluid provided within the bore. The fluid bearing may also include a bearing including a bearing surface, wherein at least a portion of the bearing is positioned within the bore. An adjustable effective bearing surface area may also be provided. The method includes adjusting effective bearing surface area of the bearing.

Fluid bearings with adjustable frictional load characteristics

An aspect of the present disclosure relates to a fluid bearing and a method of adjusting the load carrying capacity of a fluid bearing. The fluid bearing may include a bore defined in the fluid bearing and a rotatable bearing including a rotatable bearing surface. Lubricating fluid in the bore may be contacted with at least a portion of the rotatable bearing surface, wherein an effective bearing surface area is provided where the lubricating fluid contacts the rotatable bearing surface. The effective bearing surface area may be altered by either increasing or reducing the area of the rotatable bearing surface which is contacted by the lubricating fluid.

A method of stoichiometrically operating a diesel-fueled internal combustion engine. During a main (conventional) fuel injection event, fuel is injected into the cylinders. The air-fuel ratio during this main fuel injection event is stoichiometric. The cylinders are operated by either advancing the exhaust valve closing or modifying the phasing of the exhaust and intake valve lift events, to achieve a negative valve overlap period between the end of the exhaust phase and the beginning of the intake phase of the engine cycle. Fuel is injected into the cylinders during the negative valve overlap period, which results in highly reactive fuel and reduces ignition delay during the main fuel injection event.

Fuel injection during negative valve overlap for stoichiometric diesel operations

A diesel engine exhaust aftertreatment system and method of use. The system and method combine the attributes of lean or stoichiometric operation, using multiple LNTs (lean NOx traps) with one being capable of acting both as a lean NOx trap and a three-way catalyst. The engine is operated with lean air-to-fuel ratios during times that LNT treatment can efficiently reduce NOx from the exhaust gas. During times that lean NOx treatment is ineffective, the diesel engine is operated at or near a stoichiometric air-fuel ratio, so that three-way catalyst treatment can be used.

Diesel engine exhaust aftertreatment system and method of operation

A method of improving the combustion of a spark-ignition internal combustion engine. Such engines have at least one cylinder, each cylinder having a compression chamber and operated such that an air-fuel mixture introduced into the combustion chamber is ignited to cause a combustion event. An antenna is placed within the combustion chamber, and is used to apply electromagnetic energy to the combustion.

Enhanced combustion for spark ignition engine using electromagnetic energy coupling

The present disclosure is directed at the control of an effective compression ratio setting in an engine which may use a variety of fuels or fuel blends. The effective compression ratio may be selected based upon information from a fuel sensor and stored information regarding the detected fuel composition. The effective compression ratio may be adjusted for a selected cylinder by intake or exhaust valve timing.

Process and system for controlling effective compression ratios in an engine cylinder

A piston for a direct injection engine is provided, the piston having a bowl at an upper end, the bowl forming a portion of a combustion chamber. The bowl includes an inner surface that defines a volume configured to receive a fuel-air mixture, the inner surface of the bowl including a generally concave portion including a flat bottom surrounding a central protruding dome. The relatively flat bottom portion is bounded by two radial concave surface portions which are disposed below two convex separation features for the injected fuel spray. Such surface geometries may reduce soot and improve fuel-air mixing.

Piston bowl with flat bottom

A method of stoichiometrically operating a diesel-fueled internal combustion engine. A control unit is provide with stored data representing, within a range of exhaust valve timing or event modifications, an amount of fresh air flow and exhaust gas residuals resulting from each modification. During operation of the engine, the control unit is used to determine a desired amount of exhaust gas residuals for a given engine load; to access the stored data to determine a modification that will provide the desired amount of exhaust gas residuals; and to generate a control signal that will result in the desired modification.

Internal exhaust gas recirculation for stoichiometric operation of diesel engine

Methods and systems for treating NOx-containing exhaust from an internal combustion engine. An exhaust aftertreatment system has at least a PM control device and a downstream selective reduction catalyst (SCR) device. By using a bypass line to divert engine-out exhaust around the PM control device, or by introducing NO or NO2 from a non-engine source, the NO/NOx ratio into the SCR device can be controlled to a desired ratio for improved SCR efficiency.

Control of NO/NOx ratio to improve SCR efficiency for treating engine exhaust

A piston for a direct injection engine is provided, the piston having a bowl at an upper end, the bowl forming a portion of a combustion chamber. The bowl includes an inner surface and a dome that defines a volume configured to receive a fuel-air mixture, the inner surface of the bowl and the dome each including at least one surface feature as a target for the fuel spray. The surface feature may protrude from the inner surface of the bowl or may be recessed into the inner surface. Such surface features may reduce soot and improve fuel-air mixing.

Growing community of inventors

Helotes, TX, United States of America

Charles Edward Roberts, Jr