Prometheus Applied Technologies, LLC

Woodward Governor Company

Woodward, Inc.

Mitral Technologies S.a.

Luigi P Tozzi

Maria-Emmanuella Sotiropoulou

Maria Emmanuella Sotiropoulou

Matthew Viele

Ed VanDyne

David Thomas Lepley

Suraj Nair

Jeffrey B Barrett

Kelly J Benson

Joseph M Lepley

Steven B Pirko

Ed Van Dyne

Greg Beshouri

Maria-Emmanuela Sotiropoulou

Douglas W Salter

Jeff B Barrett

Jeffery B Barrett

Ed Vandyne

Joseph Martin Lepley

In certain embodiments, devices such as Turbulence Inducers may be installed within the intake runner in the proximity of the intake ports of an internal combustion engine. Such Turbulence Inducer devices may efficiently convert the laminar flow kinetic energy upstream of the intake runner into turbulent flow kinetic energy and consequently may increase the mixing of fuels like Hydrogen and Methanol that are injected via an intake port or in-cylinder during the intake stroke of an internal combustion engine. In certain embodiments, CFD simulations and engine test results of the Turbulence Inducer with engines fueled by one or more of Hydrogen and Methanol indicate remarkable extension of the knock and LOP limits enabling combustion improvements resulting in a power output increase of approximately 5-20%. Certain embodiments may realize homogeneous mixture preparation with both, liquid as well as gaseous fuels.

Turbulence inducer for internal combustion engines

In certain embodiments, a PFI diffuser induction device may use toroidal vortex flow to thoroughly mix Hand air in the intake runner and port of a Hengine. When Henters a stream of air flow in the form of a toroidal vortex, it may tend to swallow the air into the vortex where a low-pressure region may be formed due to the swirling velocity of the vortex, which may be more effective that the typical mixing via conventional injection methods. Engine test measurements show remarkable improvements in engine combustion stability as well as engine efficiency and power output using a counterflow Toroidal Vortex Induction Diffuser to achieve high levels of fuel mixture homogeneity in combustion engines using hard-to-mix fuels like H, CHOH, CHOH and other gaseous and liquid fuels.

Toroidal vortex induction diffuser

In certain embodiments, remarkable improvements in H-ICE performance may be achieved with the combination of Active Scavenge Prechamber technology and Predictive Model-Based Spark Control to overcome the drawbacks of known combustion technologies. Improvements may be achieved by generating the flow substantially orthogonal to an electrode gap to achieve a consistent laminar flow between the two or more electrode surfaces. In certain embodiments, direction of the flow substantially orthogonal to an electrode gap may be achieved by positioning a scavenging port upstream of the electrode gap at a predeterminate angle (α) in relation to the direction of the rotational flow and at a predeterminate distance (δ) from the electrode gap. In certain embodiments, predeterminate angle (α) and predeterminate distance (δ) may depend on the average velocity of the rotational flow and the average velocity of the radial flow throughout the range of engine speeds.

Predictive model-based spark control

In certain embodiments, remarkable improvements in H-ICE performance may be achieved with the combination of Active Scavenge Prechamber technology and Predictive Model-Based Spark Control to overcome the drawbacks of known combustion technologies. In certain embodiments, advanced combustion modeling and simulations of the ignition process including the spark event, the arc-travel and stretching, and resulting flame propagation may be used to predict the relationship between the spark energy/power, the flow within the electrode gap, and the flame development (SOC) for different engines, different spark plugs and at various conditions. This information may be used to adjust the spark energy/power characteristic during the same cycle spark event, to minimize the SOC variations and to significantly reduce the propensity to combustion anomalies, such as backfire, knock and preignition, that prevent achieving high engine power densities and efficiencies.

In certain embodiments, Lube Oil Controlled Ignition (LOCI) Engine Combustion overcomes the drawbacks of known combustion technologies. First, lubricating oil is already part of any combustion engine; hence, there is no need to carry a secondary fuel and to have to depend on an additional fuel system as in the case of dual-fuel technologies. Second, the ignition and the start of combustion rely on the controlled autoignition of the lubricating oil preventing the occurrence of abnormal combustion as experienced with the Spark Ignition technology. Third, LOCI combustion is characterized by the traveling of a premixed flame; hence, it has a controllable duration resulting in a wide engine load-speed window unlike the Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition technology where the engine load-speed window is narrow. Adaptive Intake Valve Closure may be used to control in-cylinder compression temperature to be high enough to realize the consistent auto ignition of the lubricating oil mist.

Lube oil controlled ignition engine combustion

In certain embodiments, a time-varying spark current ignition system can be applied to improve spark plug ignitability performance and durability as compared to conventional spark ignition systems. Two performance parameters of interest are spark plug life (durability) and spark plug ignitability. In certain embodiments, spark plug life can be extended by applying a spark current amplitude as low as possible without causing quenching of the flame kernel while it is traveling within an electrode gap and/or by applying spark current of a long enough duration to allow the spark/flame kernel to clear a spark plug gap. In certain embodiments, ignitability can be improved by applying a high enough spark current amplitude to sustain the flame kernel once outside the spark plug gap and/or by applying a spark current for long enough to sustain the flame kernel once outside the spark plug gap.

Time-varying spark current magnitude to improve spark plug performance and durability

Devices and methods are disclosed for treating mitral valve regurgitation that include members that assist the valve in closing during the cardiac cycle. Such devices may include members configured to alter the shape of mitral valve annulus. In certain embodiments, one or more wires may be anchored on one extremity to an element positioned along the posterior part of the mitral annulus, in the coronary sinus, and on another extremity to an element along the anterior part of the mitral annulus, fibrous trigon. The reshaping of the mitral annulus may be accomplished by pulling the wire or wires. Reducing the length of the wire or wires may provide the displacement of the posterior leaflets towards the anterior, thereby increasing the coaptation surface for the valve leaflets and reducing the regurgitation.

Apparatus and method to reshape geometry of diseased heart valve

In certain embodiments, a unique method and pre-combustion chamber (PCC) structure may ensure very efficient flame propagation of lean fuel-air mixture in natural gas engines by reducing the amount of fuel admitted to the PCC. A PCC may include an enclosed volume of 1-3% of the main combustion chamber volume, with a spark plug and a fuel passage located opposite one or more PCC discharge nozzles to create a relatively richer fuel-air mixture with relatively lower turbulence in the spark plug region and a relatively leaner fuel-air mixture with relatively high turbulence in the nozzle region, which can be reliably and efficiently ignited, resulting in a high velocity flame jet/torch emerging from the prechamber into the main chamber. The PCC may be threaded with a 22 mm&#xd7;1.5 or &#x215e;&#x2033;-18 thread size, to allow the PCC to be screwed into a cylinder head in place of a spark plug.

Lean-burn pre-combustion chamber

In certain embodiments, a two-stage precombustion chamber may be used to reduce engine NOx levels, with fueled precombustion chambers, while maintaining comparable engine power output and thermal efficiency. One or more fuel admission points may be located in either the first prechamber stage or the second prechamber stage. A more efficient overall combustion characterized by low levels of NOx formation may be achieved by a two-stage precombustion chamber system while generating very high energy flame jets emerging from the second prechamber stage into the main combustion chamber. A first prechamber stage may be substantially smaller than a second prechamber stage. The volumes and aspect ratios of the two prechamber stages, along with the location of the electrodes within the first stage prechamber, the holes patterns, angles and the separate fueling, may be selected to create a distribution of fuel concentration that is substantially higher in the first stage prechamber compared to the second prechamber stage.

Two-stage precombustion chamber for large bore gas engines

In certain embodiments with large size prechambers and/or with prechambers that have large spark-gap electrode assemblies, a poor scavenge of the crevice volume may cause deterioration of the preignition margin, which then may limit the power rating of the engine, may cause the flow velocity field of the fuel-air mixture to be excessively uneven and may result in the deterioration of the misfire limit. One or more auxiliary scavenging ports may allow admission of fuel rich mixture to the crevice volume, thereby cooling the residual gases and preventing occurrence of preignition. More organized and powerful flow velocity fields may be obtained in the spark-gap electrode assembly region. This condition may result in a significant extension of the flammability limit and may significantly improve the combustion efficiency of the prechamber. Passive prechambers using the active scavenge concept may increase the engine power output and reduce the emission of pollutants from engine combustion.

Active scavenge prechamber

Generally, embodiments of a pre-chamber unit having a pre-combustion chamber including one or more induction ports in a configuration which achieves flow fields and flow field forces inside the pre-combustion chamber which act to direct flame growth away quenching surface of the pre-combustion chamber.

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Fort Collins, CO, United States of America

Luigi P Tozzi