Caterpillar Inc.

Patrick J Seiler

Jaswinder Singh

Eric Lee Schroeder

Michael Bardell

Yongxian Gu

Christopher Ronald Gehrke

David Ginter

Paul Wang

Martin Leo Willi

Andrew J Loetz

Michael R Bochart

Adam Joseph Clute

Andrew Neaville

Geetika Dilawari

Michael Todd Graziano, Jr

Ryan Mchael Snodgrass

Zachary S Engstrom

A gaseous fuel engine system includes a hydrogen fuel supply, an engine housing having an intake port extending to a cylinder, and an intake runner. The intake runner includes a valve mount attached to a conduit and having a valve mounting face, and a gaseous fuel admission valve is mounted upon the valve mounting face. A hydrogen fuel passage extends from the valve mount through the conduit and is oriented angularly to at least one of a clamping face of the intake runner or the valve mounting face. Related apparatus and methodology is also disclosed.

Intake runner for gaseous fuel engine, system, and method

Operating a gaseous fuel engine system includes combusting a mixture containing a gaseous hydrogen fuel and air in a cylinder of an engine, varying an operating parameter of the engine to which a crown surface temperature of a piston within the cylinder is responsive, and populating a temperature model based on a value of the varied operating parameter. Operating a gaseous fuel engine system further includes operating an oil spray apparatus to spray oil onto the piston based on the populated temperature model, and maintaining the crown surface temperature of the piston between a high temperature limit and a pre-ignition mitigation temperature limit based on the operating of the oil spray apparatus. Related apparatus and control logic is also disclosed.

Optimized piston temperature control in gaseous fuel hydrogen engine system

Operating a gaseous fuel engine system includes detecting preignition in one or more of a plurality of cylinders based on a monitored cylinder pressure during combustion of a gaseous fuel such as a gaseous hydrogen fuel. Operating a gaseous fuel engine system also includes reducing a fuel injection amount for the one or more of the plurality of cylinders to a derated fuel injection amount that is based on a timing of the detected preignition. Fuel injection amount may be reduced to a greater relative extent if detected preignition is early, and to a lesser relative extent if detected preignition is later, in an engine cycle. Related apparatus and control logic is also disclosed.

Preignition mitigation strategy for gaseous fuel engine

Operating a gaseous hydrogen fuel engine includes controlling an injection timing of a gaseous hydrogen fuel injected into a flow of pressurized intake air so as to produce a leading cooling flow of pressurized intake air into a cylinder in an engine, a trailing purging flow through an intake conduit, and a middle flow of both pressurized intake air and gaseous hydrogen fuel into the cylinder. Undesired combustion such as preignition and/or backfire can be limited. Related apparatus and control logic is also disclosed.

Gaseous fuel engine system and operating method for same

Operating a gaseous fuel engine system includes spark-igniting a gaseous hydrogen fuel and air in a prechamber sparkplug to ignite a main charge containing gaseous hydrogen fuel and air in a cylinder. Operating the gaseous fuel engine system also includes determining a preignition condition and conveying cooling air to the prechamber sparkplug based on the preignition condition to limit preignition of gaseous hydrogen fuel and air in the prechamber sparkplug. Related apparatus and control logic is also disclosed.

Gaseous fuel engine and operating strategy for limiting preignition in prechamber sparkplug

An internal combustion engine includes low and high pressure turbochargers connected in series. An engine cylinder has an intake valve that fluidly connects a main chamber of the engine cylinder with an outlet of the high pressure compressor through an intake passage. An exhaust gas recirculation passage is fluidly interconnected between exhaust and intake conduits. A pre-chamber encloses a spark plug and is fluidly open with the main chamber of the engine cylinder. A first fluid path extends from the intake passage directly to the pre-chamber, and a second fluid path extends from the intermediate passage directly to the pre-chamber.

System and method for staged pre-chamber purging

Components for reducing oil sticking on surfaces of an internal combustion engine are disclosed. The engine may include an engine block with a piston cylinder, a piston moveable in reciprocal motion within the piston cylinder, and a cylinder head mounted on the engine block. The engine block, the cylinder head, and the piston may define a combustion chamber. The engine may include an intake conduit mounted to the cylinder head, an intake valve port defined by the cylinder head, and an intake valve mounted in reciprocally movable fashion to the cylinder head for placing the intake valve port in fluid communication with the combustion chamber. The engine may include a first oleophobic coating provided on portions of the intake valve, and a valve seat insert secured to the cylinder head. The valve seat insert may define an oil passage in fluid communication with the intake valve port.

Methods for reducing oil sticking on surfaces of internal combustion engines

An exhaust system for an internal combustion engine includes an EGR cooler having a heat exchange surface exposed to a flow of exhaust, and a second heat exchange surface. A coolant heat exchanger is fluidly connected to a coolant outlet of the EGR cooler and a coolant pump is fluidly connected to a coolant inlet of the EGR cooler. A condensate collector collects condensate from exhaust, and a condensate pump pumps condensate from the condensate collector to a sprayer to spray condensate onto the second heat exchange surface to vaporize the condensate for discharging out through an outgoing exhaust conduit of the exhaust system.

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Peoria, IL, United States of America

Patrick J Seiler