Caterpillar Inc.

Jeff Allen Howard

Jonathan Richard Chittenden

Viorel Petrariu

John W Milem

Nathan Atterberry

Aaron Ness

Sri Harsha Uddanda

Brian R Bell

David James Lin

Brett A Zook

Lucas Allen Burger

Hua Xu

Robert Jay Maxson

Gary N Boyer

Michael D Gough

Timothy B James

Todd A Rezac

A cylinder head in a cylinder head assembly includes an upper deck, a fire deck, gas exchange conduits, and a coolant cavity extending peripherally around the gas exchange conduits. The cylinder head also includes an igniter socket having an igniter post, and a radially outward sleeve step continuously circumferential of an igniter bore center axis. A cooling moat is formed between the igniter post and the sleeve step. The coolant cavity includes a valve bridge through-channel and a valve bridge part-way channel each fluidly connected to the igniter socket to provide coolant flow into and out of the cooling moat passively.

Passive igniter cooling in cylinder head assembly

A cylinder head casting in a cylinder head assembly includes a coolant cavity upper surface and a coolant cavity lower surface forming a coolant cavity. The coolant cavity lower surface is contoured to form an igniter-support prominence and cast-in coolant channels through the igniter-support prominence to feed a flow of coolant through a cooling moat extending circumferentially around an igniter post supporting an igniter sleeve. The igniter sleeve abuts the cylinder head, radially outward of the igniter post, at a first contact location and a second contact location in an alternating arrangement with a first coolant feed opening and a second coolant feed opening. Related methodology relating to making a cylinder head is also disclosed.

Cylinder head assembly and cylinder head having igniter cooling moat

A piston comprises a crown portion with a contoured bowl having a reentrant surface extending from the top squish surface that connects to a lower sidewall surface that connects to a swirl pocket surface disposed adjacent the bottom bowl surface.

Piston bowl for improved combustion stability

A system and method for automatically calibrating an engine operating with a first fuel and a second fuel includes comparing each of a plurality of engine operating parameters with a corresponding limit, determining whether any of the plurality of engine operating parameters has exceeded its corresponding limit and, while none of the plurality of engine operating parameters has exceeded its corresponding limit, automatically and incrementally advance start of injection timing.

Automatic calibration system and method for a dual fuel internal combustion engine

A natural gas engine system may have an engine having at least one cylinder. The engine may also have an intake manifold configured to deliver air for combustion to the cylinder and an exhaust manifold configured to discharge exhaust from the cylinder. The natural gas engine system may have a generator coupled to the engine. The generator may be configured to generate electrical power for an electrical load. The natural gas engine system may have a fuel source configured to supply natural gas for combustion in the engine, and an air tank in fluid communication with the intake manifold and the exhaust manifold. Further, the natural gas engine system may have a controller. The controller may be configured to direct a first amount of air from the air tank to the exhaust manifold and a second amount of air from the air tank to the intake manifold.

Natural gas engine system with improved transient response

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West Lafayette, IN, United States of America

Jeff Allen Howard