Clean Air Power, Inc.

Clean Air Partners, Inc.

Hoi-Ching Wong

Niels J Beck

Kresimir Gebert

A liquid primary fuel is ignited by HCCI with the assistance of the early injection of a liquid pilot fuel. Pilot fuel injection and/or ignition are preferably controlled so as to permit the injected pilot fuel to become thoroughly distributed through and mixed with the primary fuel/air charge in the combustion chamber and vaporized prior to ignition. Pilot fuel having a lower autoignition temperature will be ignited by compression ignition, followed by the ignition of the homogeneous mixture of the primary fuel and air. HCCI combustion of the primary fuel is facilitated by 1) selection of the properties of the primary and pilot fuels and 2) obtaining a homogenous mixture of primary fuel and air by injecting primary fuel into the engine's intake air stream in the form of finely atomized droplets having a mean diameter in the micron range.

Multi-fuel compression ignition engine

A control system for a dual fuel engine that can operate in either dual fuel mode or in diesel only mode includes two controllers. One controller controls operation of the gaseous fuel supply system, and the other controls the liquid fuel supply system. Each controller receives signals from sensors monitoring particular engine operation characteristics and is able to transmit the data it collects to the other controller by way of a broadband communications link such as a controller area network (CAN). When the engine is operating in dual fuel mode, one controller directly controls the gaseous fuel supply and also controls the liquid fuel supply by its control of the other controller. When the engine is operating in diesel only mode, the other controller controls all aspects of engine operation. A method of controlling operation of a dual fuel engine is also disclosed.

Dual fuel engine having multiple dedicated controllers connected by a broadband communications link

Pilot fuel injection and/or ignition are controlled in a pilot ignited, gas-fueled, compression ignition engine so as to maintain a relationship Dp/Di of <1, where Dp is the duration of the pilot injection event and Di is the ignition delay period as measured from the start of initiation of pilot fuel injection (Tp) to the start of pilot fuel autoignition (Ti). Dp/Di is less than 1 when a mixing period Dm exists between the end of pilot fuel injection and the start of autoignition. This mixing period permits the injected pilot fuel to become thoroughly distributed through and mixed with the gaseous fuel/air charge in the combustion chamber and vaporized prior to ignition, resulting in improved premixed burning of a heterogeneous mixture of the pilot fuel, the gaseous fuel, and air and dramatically reduced NOx emissions. Dp/Di (or a characteristic of it such as Di or Dm) preferably is maintained within a predetermined range on a cycle-by-cycle, full speed and load range basis so as to maximize ignition intensity under all engine operating condition. The resultant maximization of pilot ignition intensity can generate instantaneous power on the order of 200 kW/l of engine displacement.

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San Diego, CA, United States of America

Hoi-Ching Wong