Liquid fuel injection device with pressure-swirl atomizers

Abstract

A liquid fuel injection device for internal combustion engines provides an elongate peripheral injector housing defining a cylindrical medial chamber with a fluid plenum having a fluid inlet at a first end and plural fluid exit ports at a second end that is carried within a combustion chamber of an engine cylinder. The plural exit ports are spacedly arrayed in both circumferential and axial directions and may be angularly oriented in the injector housing. The medial chamber of the injector housing rotatably carries an atomizer casement defining an internal chamber with plural circumferentially spaced inlet orifices at a first end which communicates with the fluid plenum of the first end of the injector housing and plural spray orifices at the second end. Each spray orifice of the atomizer casement carries a pressure swirl atomizer with output orifice arrayed to communicate with at least one of the exit ports defined in the second end of the injector housing at at least one rotary position of the atomizer casement relative to the injector housing. A first species of injection device provides electrically powered mechanism for rotating the atomizer casement relative to the injector housing and a second species provides pressurized fuel powered mechanism for such rotation. Both species allow adjustment of fuel injection timing and flow rate independently of each other.