Caterpillar Inc.

Craig A Kroeger

Scott F Shafer

Dennis D Feucht

Mylvaganam Arulraja

Jeffrey J Krieger

Ziedonis I Krauja

An engine assembly includes a valve assembly which selectively enables exhaust gas to be recirculated from an engine exhaust outlet to an engine air inlet. The valve assembly is positionable between a first valve position and a second valve position. The engine exhaust outlet is isolated from the engine air inlet when the valve assembly is positioned in the first valve position. The engine exhaust outlet is in fluid communication with the engine air inlet when the valve assembly is positioned in the second valve position. Operational pressure generated by the injector oil pump of the engine assembly is used to move the valve assembly from the first valve position to the second valve position. A method of controlling a flow of engine exhaust in an internal combustion engine is also disclosed.

Exhaust gas recirculation valve powered by pressure from an oil pump

Conventional direct-injection internal combustion engines having a fuel injector with multiple fuel spray orifices will not completely ignite and burn relatively lower-cetane-number alternative fuels such as 100 percent methanol or ethanol. That is because the fuel spray injection pattern, per se, usually cannot carry or propagate a flame to all the injected fuel which is typically made up of individual fuel streams which are separated by sectors of fuel-deficient intake air. The present fuel combustion system (10) includes a multiple-orifice fuel injector (22), a baffle (138) having a concave surface (146), and a fuel ignition-initiating device (22) such as glow plug positioned generally in spaced relation between the fuel injector (22) and the concave surface (146). The baffle (138) intercepts and temporarily maintains a stoichiometric preselected portion (34,38) of at least one, and preferably two, fuel streams (102,106) in ignitable proximity to the fuel ignition-initiating device (26) to positively start a localized flame (42) of burning fuel. The baffle (138) controlledly reflects and rapidly directs the resultant expanding flame (42) of burning fuel to all of the remaining fuel streams (110) so that they are interconnectedly bridged with the flame (42) and thereby positively ignited.

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Metamora, IL, United States of America

Craig A Kroeger