Caterpillar Inc.

Russell P Fitzgerald

Kenth I Svensson

Jonathan William Anders

Chad Palmer Koci

David Ginter

Glen Clifford Martin

A fuel injector includes a nozzle needle movable within an injector housing and including a flow guiding tip. The flow guiding tip includes an outer ramp surface, defining, in profile, a concave curve and a fuel trajectory line tangent to the concave curve and extending through a spray orifice inlet to direct fuel into the same. Related methodology is also disclosed.

Fuel injector nozzle assembly including needle having flow guiding tip for directing fuel flow

A fuel injector includes a nozzle body, and spray ducts coupled to the nozzle body and in spray path alignment with spray orifices therein. A nozzle check is movable within the nozzle body to open and close the spray orifices. Each of the spray ducts defines a duct center axis, and includes a center body forming, together with a duct inner surface, a spray jet passage circumferential of the duct center axis and reduced in area in a direction of spray jet advancement from the nozzle body.

Fuel injector and nozzle assembly having spray duct with center body for increased flame liftoff length

A fuel injector includes a nozzle body having spray orifices formed therein each defining a spray orifice diameter dimension (d), and a plurality of spray ducts each in spray path alignment with one of the plurality of spray orifices and including a duct outlet defining a duct exit diameter dimension (D). Each of the spray ducts defines, together with the respective one of the spray orifices, a relative spray area reduction (SAR) at the duct outlet. The ratio of D/d is at least 14, and the SAR is 80% or greater. The configuration provides reduced soot production. Related methodology is disclosed.

Fuel injector having spray ducts sized for optimized soot reduction

A fuel injector for an internal combustion engine is disclosed. The fuel injector includes a body defining an orifice. The orifice is configured to provide passage to a fuel into a combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine. The orifice includes an inlet port having a first oval shape and an outlet port having a second oval shape. The second al shape is orthogonal to the first oval shape. Moreover, a transition from the first oval shape to the second oval shape defines a stagnation plane, facilitating an exit of the fuel as a fan spray from the outlet port.

Fuel injector for internal combustion engines

A ducted combustion system includes a combustion chamber and a fuel injector in fluid connection with the combustion chamber, which includes an orifice opening from an injector tip of the fuel injector, the orifice injecting fuel into the combustion chamber as a fuel jet, the fuel jet flowing, within the combustion chamber, in a fuel flow direction. The system includes at least one duct disposed within the combustion chamber, the at least one duct being disposed such that the fuel jet, at least partially, enters one of the at least one ducts upon being injected into the combustion chamber. The at least one duct may be configured for having a flow field air stream within the duct, prior to entrance of the fuel jet, the flow field air stream having a flow direction that is substantially similar to the fuel flow direction.

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Peoria, IL, United States of America

Russell P Fitzgerald