Visteon Global Technolgoies, Inc.

Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Min Xu

Michael Raymond Salemi

Harry Richard Mieney

Daniel L Varble

Youssef Kazour

David Lee Porter

Grant Chen

A fuel injector nozzle assembly includes an injector body including a valve seat with a supply passage through which fuel flows generally along a supply axis. The valve seat presents an upper surface which is adapted to engage a valve to seal the supply passage. A nozzle plate is mounted onto the valve seat and includes a plurality of orifice holes therein through which fuel flows. The valve seat further includes a first edge protrusion protruding into the fuel flow for generating a first separation of the fuel flow, thereby creating a plurality of small eddies which are entrained within the fuel flowing adjacent thereto. A turbulence cavity is defined by the nozzle plate and the valve seat wherein fuel flows into the turbulence cavity through the supply passage and out from the turbulence cavity through the plurality of orifice holes.

Fuel injector nozzle assembly

A fuel injector includes a valve body and a valve seat positioned at a lower end of the valve body. A needle assembly is positioned within an inner bore of the valve body, the needle assembly including a needle body and an armature connected to an upper end of the needle body. A pair of guides are integrally formed with the valve body for guiding the needle assembly. The pair of guides includes an upper guide and a lower guide; the upper guide guiding the armature and the lower guide guiding the needle body.

Needle alignment fuel injector

A fuel injector nozzle assembly includes an injector body including a valve seat with a supply passage through which fuel flows generally along a supply axis. A nozzle plate is mounted onto the valve seat and includes a plurality of orifice holes therein through which fuel flows. A turbulence cavity is defined by the nozzle plate and the valve seat wherein fuel flows into the turbulence cavity through the supply passage and out from the turbulence cavity through the plurality of orifice holes. A plurality of obstructions are located within the turbulence cavity directly in front of the orifice holes and are adapted to create turbulence eddies within the flow entering the orifice holes.

Fuel injector nozzle assembly with induced turbulence

A fuel injector nozzle assembly includes an injector body including a valve seat with a supply passage through which fuel flows generally along a supply axis. A nozzle plate having a top surface and a bottom surface is mounted onto the valve seat. The top surface includes a recess formed therein whereby fuel flows into the recess from the supply passage. A plurality of swirl chambers are formed within the top surface, each having a conical orifice extending from the swirl chamber to the bottom surface of the nozzle plate. A plurality of channels interconnect each of the swirl chambers to the recess, wherein the channels meet the swirl chambers offset from a center of the swirl chambers.

Fuel injector swirl nozzle assembly

Minimizing fuel injector opening time greatly improves fuel efficiency and performance. Pre-charging the fuel injector solenoid is an inexpensive means of reducing opening time. The solenoid is pre-charged to a level that is slightly below a current level that would move an armature located near the solenoid for a known period. A larger current is then applied to the solenoid which moves the armature quickly to an open position. A current is then applied that is less than the pre-charging or valve-opening current to hold the armature in a open position. Finally, all current is removed from the solenoid, allowing the armature to return to a closed position.

Pre-charging strategy for fuel injector fast opening

A low pressure direct injection engine system for a vehicle includes an engine having a plurality of cylinders each including a piston wherein the cylinders and a top portion of the pistons define a plurality of combustion chambers. A fuel injector is mounted in fluid communication with each of the combustion chambers. Each fuel injector has a nozzle which is adapted to generate a fine fuel spray with droplet sizes of 25 micro-meters SMD and 45 micro-meters DV90 and low penetration at fuel pressure of roughly 2 MPa. A low pressure fuel delivery system is adapted to deliver fuel from a fuel tank within the vehicle to the fuel injectors, and an igniter is mounted within the combustion chamber which is adapted to ignite the fuel within the combustion chamber.

Low pressure direct injection engine system

A stratified exhaust gas re-circulation (EGR) engine uses an exhaust port per cylinder for exhausting exhaust gases and to re-circulate exhaust gas. The EGR valve may be phased from the exhaust stroke to the intake stroke. The EGR valves that control the exhaust gas re-circulation ports may be on a separate camshaft from the other valves. The EGR ports and an intake port for each of the cylinders may be helical or tangential ports that stratified the exhaust gas and the air in the cylinder. The engine may be a direct injection or a port fuel injection engine with one or more exhaust manifolds. The exhaust gas re-circulation ports may be controlled by a single flow valve or each port may have a separate flow valve. The intake ports may be controlled by a single flow valve or each intake port may have a separate flow valve.

Electronic flow control for a stratified EGR system

A four-stroke reciprocating internal combustion engine that uses stratified exhaust gas recirculation to improve combustion is disclosed. The engine includes at least one combustion chamber defined by a cylinder, a reciprocating piston contained within the cylinder, and a cylinder head. Each combustion chamber is in fluid communication with at least one intake port and at least one exhaust port. At least one intake port includes an associated intake valve, an intake flow motion generating device and an associated intake flow direction control device for creating an intake fluid flow near the center of the cylinder. At least one exhaust port includes an exhaust valve that opens during the intake stroke at part load, an exhaust flow motion generating device and an associated exhaust flow direction control device for creating an exhaust fluid flow near the outer periphery of the combustion chamber during the intake stroke at part load. An engine controller processes signals from at least one sensor and outputs a control signal to a variable valve lift and timing system for operating each intake valve and each exhaust valve such that an exhaust residual flow is inducted through at least one exhaust port into the combustion chamber and air or an air/fuel mixture is simultaneously inducted through at least one intake port into the combustion chamber. If air is inducted into chamber, fuel is directed into the air in the chamber. The engine produces a stratified exhaust gas and air-fuel mixture that includes recirculated exhaust gas which rotates about the cylinder axis and remains substantially along an interior wall of the cylinder and a stoichiometric air-fuel mixture which rotates about the cylinder axis and occupies a portion of the piston surface and the remaining portion of the combustion chamber. Because of the stoichiometric operation of the engine, conventional three-way catalysts can be used for emission control.

Stratified exhaust gas recirculation strategy for internal combustion engine

A direct injection fuel injector and method of operation wherein high fuel pressure exerting an opening force on an injection valve is slightly overbalanced by a return spring tending to close the valve. A first solenoid acts to open the valve against the excess return spring force and a second solenoid acts to close the valve when the first solenoid is de-energized. Rapid valve closing is provided by energizing the second solenoid before de-energizing the first solenoid, the force of the second solenoid when the valve is open being insufficient to overcome the force of the first solenoid holding the valve open. Thus, the second solenoid magnetic force is fully developed and quickly closes the injection valve when the first solenoid is de-energized. Various additional features are disclosed.

Fuel injector and method

A direct injection fuel injector spray nozzle assembly and method of operation wherein the nozzle assembly comprises a three hole swirler with a central valve guide, a convergent swirl chamber, a conical nozzle valve and a conical valve seat. High pressure fuel at, for example, 10 MPa is delivered to the injector and passes through internal passages with a negligible pressure drop until reaching the nozzle assembly. The size, configuration and orientation of the swirl chamber and swirler holes are selected to achieve a desired swirl intensity at the nozzle exit. At least 30 percent and preferably about half of the fuel pressure, 5 MPa, is consumed in passing through the swirler holes and developing the swirl motion. The remaining pressure drop of at least 30 percent, preferably half, 5 MPa, occurs at the sealing point of the valve head against the valve seat. The outwardly opening conical injection valve and seat, together with the high pressure, combine to provide essentially separate control of the elements of fuel droplet size, spray penetration and spray angle. Swirl intensity adjusted by varying the swirler hole locations can serve as a primary control factor for spray penetration. The cone angles of the valve and seat act as a primary control for spray angle. Droplet size is directly affected by the valve opening which determines the liquid sheet thickness of fuel passing through the spray nozzle, as well as by the fuel pressure drop through the nozzle.

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Canton, MI, United States of America

Min Xu