Abstract:
A gaseous fuel engine combines the efficiencies associated with high compression ratio engines with the attractiveness of fueling with natural gas. Each engine cylinder has an associated fuel injector positioned for direct injection and supplied with gaseous fuel from a high pressure common rail. A separate ignition prechamber is also supplied with natural gas and includes an ignition device. Hot gas generated by igniting a mixture of gaseous fuel and air in the prechamber are used to ignite a much larger charge of gaseous fuel injected into the engine cylinder from the fuel injector. The engine has a compression ratio greater than 14: to 1.
Abstract:
A fuel injector comprises a liquid fuel cavity and a gas fuel cavity disposed within an injector cavity housing a liquid needle valve stem and a gas needle valve stem, respectively. The gas needle valve stem includes a guide stem portion distal to the injector tip and a check proximal to the injector tip. A drain passage terminates in a drain annulus groove disposed in a guide cavity wall of a gas valve guide cavity. The gas valve guide cavity houses the guide stem portion defining a clearance between the guide cavity wall below the drain annulus groove and the guide stem portion. The liquid fuel from the drain passage flows to the gas needle valve stem and an inner surface of the gas fuel cavity, through the clearance. The liquid fuel drained through the clearance collects in a plurality of grooves on the check.
Abstract:
A pushrod assembly 5 may include a seal carrier 50 for a spaced seal assembly 60 and/or a seal carrier 70 for a stacked seal assembly 74, the spaced seal assembly including first and second annular seals 61, 62 separated by a spacer 63 to isolate between the seals a vented region 28 of the pushrod housing 6, the stacked seal assembly including at least two annular seals 80 stacked on the seal carrier. Each seal assembly can be removed and replaced via an access end 52, 72 of the seal carrier after detaching the access end from an adjacent component of the assembly. The seal carriers may be incorporated into a cryogenic pump 2 wherein at least one annular seal is arranged on each seal carrier to seal the pushrod assembly 5 within its housing 6.
Abstract:
A bearing arrangement for a wobble plate piston pump includes first, second, third, and fourth bearing assemblies. The first and second bearing assemblies support the drive shaft portion for rotation within the housing about the central longitudinal axis, while the third and fourth bearing assemblies support the load plate for rotation relative to the offset shaft portion of the shaft. The second bearing assembly is distally disposed from the first, the third disposed distally to second, and the fourth disposed distally to third. The fourth bearing assembly is the most distally disposed bearing assembly along the shaft.
Abstract:
A cryogenic pump comprising a shaft disposed in a bearing. The shaft rotates with respect to the bearing housing, and the shaft includes an end with an angled face. The pump includes a drive at one end of the bearing housing. A tappet passage is formed through the drive housing. A pushrod housing connects to the drive housing. The pump includes a piston and a tappet sliding within the tappet passage. The tappet has a base end disposed within the tappet passage and a rod end extending below the tappet end of the drive housing. A fluid cavity is in the tappet passage between the piston and the tappet. The pump includes a pushrod connected to the tappet. The angled face of the shaft rotates and drives the piston toward the drive housing, pushing fluid within the fluid cavity against the tappet, driving the pushrod away from the drive housing.
Abstract:
A dual fuel engine utilizes a compression ignited pilot injection of liquid diesel fuel to ignite a mixture of gaseous fuel and air in each engine cylinder. The gaseous fuel is injected at a relatively low pressure directly into the engine cylinder from a fuel injector. The liquid diesel fuel is injected directly into the engine cylinder from the same fuel injector. In-cylinder dynamic gas blending during the compression stroke can reduce potential hydrocarbon slip that could occur when unburned fuel resides in crevice volumes within the engine cylinder.
Abstract:
A pump has a pump body and at least first and second pumping elements, each pumping element including a piston defining a head-end and a rod-end. The pump receives a pressurized fluid at an inlet, and returns fluid through a drain outlet. A hydraulic distributor operates to fluidly connect the head end of an extending piston to the pressurized fluid, and the rod end of the extending piston to the drain outlet. The hydraulic distributor further connects the rod-end of a retracting piston to the drain outlet, and the rod-end of one or more retracting pistons to the drain or to a return pressure, which is lower than an extending pressure.
Abstract:
A dual fuel system for an engine is disclosed. The dual fuel system may have a first fuel supply providing a first fuel to the engine, and a second fuel supply providing a second fuel. The dual fuel system may also have a regulator configured to pass the second fuel from the second fuel supply to the engine, with the regulator also in fluid communication with the first fuel supply. The dual fuel system may further have a damper in fluid communication with the first fuel supply and an output of the regulator.
Abstract:
A dual fuel common rail system may be operated in a regular mode in which a relatively large charge of gaseous fuel is ignited by compression igniting a relatively small injection quantity of liquid diesel fuel. The dual fuel system may be operated in a single fuel limp home mode in which liquid diesel fuel is injected at higher pressures. Over pressurization of the gaseous fuel side of the fuel system due to leaked liquid fuel is avoided by regularly injecting leaked liquid fuel, but not gaseous fuel, from the gaseous nozzle outlet set during the limp home mode of operation.
Abstract:
A dual fuel injector utilizes first and second control valves to open and close first and second nozzle outlet sets to inject a first fuel and a second fuel, respectively. The first and second control valves have concentric lines of action, and include a self alignment feature with respect to a flat seat. The two fuels may differ in at least one of chemical identity, matter phase and pressure.