Efficient engine combustion system with multiple combustion modes

Abstract

An efficient engine combustion system with multiple combustion modes, includes a valve actuating mechanism, a pre-combustion chamber, and a main combustion chamber. The valve actuating mechanism is a fully variable valve mechanism; an intake valve and an exhaust valve are driven by high-pressure oil; ignition is implemented by means of an ignition apparatus of the pre-combustion chamber; and a spark plug and a single-hole fuel injector are mounted in the pre-combustion chamber, a bottom end of which is provided with a flame jet hole. The continuous variable of valve timing and real-time adjustment of valve lift are realized by the control of a three-position four-way servo valve, driven by the high-pressure oil and monitored by a displacement sensor. The efficient engine combustion system with multiple combustion modes employs different combustion modes under different engine conditions, so as to ensure optimal thermal efficiency under different operating condition regions.

Claims

1. An efficient engine combustion system with multiple combustion modes, comprising: a pre-combustion chamber and a main combustion chamber arranged in an engine, wherein first and second injectors are mounted on a cylinder head of the engine, the first injector is mounted in the pre-combustion chamber and configured to provide mixed gas with equivalent ratio for the pre-combustion chamber, and the second injector is mounted in the main combustion chamber or on an intake port according to different engine structures, and configured to provide mixed gas for the main combustion chamber, a valve actuating mechanism, wherein the valve actuating mechanism is a fully variable valve mechanism, and wherein an intake valve and an exhaust valve of the valve actuating mechanism are arranged on the cylinder head of the engine and are driven by high-pressure oil to provide continuous variable of valve timing and real-time adjustment of valve lift in a range of 0-10 millimeters (mm); an ignition apparatus for the pre-combustion chamber configured to provide ignition; a spark plug and a single-hole fuel injector installed in the pre-combustion chamber; and a flame jet hole is arranged in a bottom end of the pre-combustion chamber; wherein the system is configured to employ, for start-up, idle and low load operating conditions an equivalent spark ignition (SI) combustion mode in which the single-hole fuel injector installed in the pre-combustion chamber does not inject fuel, wherein the system is configured to employ, for partial load operating conditions, a lean-burn spark-assisted compression ignition (SACI) combustion mode, in which the single-hole fuel injector in the pre-combustion chamber injects fuel during an upward movement of a piston to realize stoichiometric combustion in the pre-combustion chamber, wherein the system is configured to employ, for medium and high load operating conditions, a lean-burn SI mode in which the single-hole fuel injector in the pre-combustion chamber injects fuel during the upward movement of the piston; wherein the system is configured to employ, for full load operating conditions, the equivalent SI mode in which the single-hole fuel injector in the pre-combustion chamber does not inject fuel, wherein the intake valve and the exhaust valve are respectively connected with an intake port and an exhaust port, wherein an intake valve spring and an exhaust valve spring are respectively arranged on the intake valve and the exhaust valve, and each of the intake valve spring and the exhaust valve spring is connected with a respective hydraulic piston with an ejector rod, wherein opening and closing of the intake valve and the exhaust valve are performed by the respective hydraulic pistons, wherein each hydraulic piston is arranged in a respective one of two hydraulic cylinders, and a displacement sensor is arranged on each hydraulic cylinder and configured to measure valve lift, wherein an upper oil inlet pipe and a lower oil inlet pipe are both arranged on each hydraulic cylinder, and a one-way throttle valve is arranged on each of the upper oil inlet pipe and the lower oil inlet pipe, so that hydraulic oil is throttled in a forward direction and normally communicated in a reverse direction in pipes of the upper oil inlet pipe and the lower oil inlet pipe, and wherein the one-way throttle valve is connected with two holes of a three-position four-way servo valve, and other two holes of the three-position four-way servo valve are respectively connected with a high-pressure liquid source and a low-pressure liquid source through pipes.

2. The efficient engine combustion system with multiple combustion modes according to claim 1, wherein the high-pressure liquid source has a pressure in a range of 0-7 MPa and the low-pressure liquid source has a pressure of 1 bar.

3. The efficient engine combustion system with multiple combustion modes according to claim 1, wherein the spark plug and the single-hole fuel injector are both installed in a pre-combustion chamber housing, and an electrode of the spark plug, a bottom end of the single-hole fuel injector and an internal cavity of the pre-combustion chamber housing form the pre-combustion chamber; and the pre-combustion chamber housing is installed on the engine cylinder head by threads.

4. The efficient engine combustion system with multiple combustion modes according to claim 1, wherein an injection hole of the single-hole fuel injector is obliquely arranged so as to reduce wall impingement of a fuel spray injected in the pre-combustion chamber.

5. The efficient engine combustion system with multiple combustion modes according to claim 1, wherein the pre-combustion chamber is in communication with the main combustion chamber through jet holes, wherein a number of the jet holes is six, seven, or eight, wherein an aperture of the jet holes is in a range of 1-2 millimeters (mm), and wherein the jet holes are configured to enable flame to be jetted from the pre-combustion chamber to the main combustion chamber so as to improve a combustion rate in the main combustion chamber.

6. The efficient engine combustion system with multiple combustion modes according to claim 3, wherein an injection hole of the single-hole fuel injector is obliquely arranged so as to reduce wall impingement of a fuel spray injected in the pre-combustion chamber.

7. The efficient engine combustion system with multiple combustion modes according to claim 3, wherein the pre-combustion chamber is in communication with the main combustion chamber through jet holes, wherein a number of the jet holes is six, seven, or eight, and an aperture of the jet holes is in a range of 1-2 millimeters (mm); and wherein the jet holes are configured to enable flame to be jetted from the pre-combustion chamber to the main combustion chamber so as to improve a combustion rate in the main combustion chamber.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing the structure of the present disclosure.

(2) FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an ignition apparatus in the pre-combustion chamber.

(3) FIG. 3 is a diagram showing control of combustion modes under different operating conditions.

(4) FIG. 4 is a graph of valve lift curves required for different combustion modes.

(5) FIG. 5 is a graph of in-cylinder pressure for different combustion modes.

(6) Reference numerals: 1-piston, 2-intake valve, 3-intake port, 4-intake valve spring, 5-lower oil inlet pipe, 6-hydraulic piston, 7-upper oil inlet pipe, 8-hydraulic cylinder, 9-displacement sensor, 10-one-way throttle valve, 11-one-way throttle valve, 12-three-position four-way servo valve, 13-high pressure oil pipe, 14-low pressure oil pipe, 15-pre-combustion chamber housing, 16 three-position four-way servo valve, 17-displacement sensor, 18-one-way throttle valve, 19-hydraulic cylinder, 20-one-way throttle valve, 21-hydraulic piston, 22-exhaust valve spring, 23-exhaust port, 24-spark plug, 25-single-hole fuel injector, 26-exhaust valve, 27-thread, 28-injection hole, 29-fuel spray, 30-pre-combustion chamber, and 31-jet hole

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

(7) The disclosure will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(8) The disclosure discloses an efficient engine combustion system with multiple combustion modes, which combines a fully variable valve mechanism and a pre-combustion chamber jet ignition apparatus, and further adopts different combustion modes according to different loads so as to achieve optimal combustion under various loads. The detailed description includes implementations of a fully variable valve mechanism, a pre-combustion chamber jet ignition apparatus, and a controlling method for multi-combustion modes, and is further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(9) Embodiment of a Fully Variable Valve Mechanism

(10) As shown in FIG. 1, an intake valve 2 and an exhaust valve 26 are installed on a cylinder head, and the intake valve 2 and the exhaust valve 26 are respectively connected with an intake port 3 and an exhaust port 23, and the intake valve 2 and the exhaust valve 26 are respectively installed with an intake valve spring 4 and an exhaust valve spring 22, and the opening and closing of the intake valve 2 and the exhaust valve 26 are performed by hydraulic pistons 6 and 21 with ejector rods, and the hydraulic pistons 6 and 21 are respectively installed in hydraulic cylinders 8 and 19, and the hydraulic cylinders 8 and 19 are respectively provided with displacement sensors 9 and 17 for measuring a valve lift. The hydraulic cylinder 8 is connected with an upper oil inlet pipe 7 and a lower oil inlet pipe 5, and the upper oil inlet pipe 7 and the lower oil inlet pipe 5 are respectively provided with one-way throttle valves 10 and 11, so that hydraulic oil is throttled in the forward direction and normally communicated in the reverse direction in the upper oil inlet pipe 7 and the lower oil inlet pipe 5. The one-way throttle valves 10 and 11 are respectively connected with two holes of a three-position four-way servo valve 12, and the other two holes of the three-position four-way servo valve are respectively connected with a high-pressure oil pipe 13 and a low-pressure oil pipe 14. The high-pressure oil pipe 13 and the low-pressure oil pipe 14 are respectively connected with a high-pressure liquid source and a low-pressure liquid source.

(11) Similarly, the hydraulic cylinder 19 is connected with an upper oil inlet pipe and a lower oil inlet pipe, wherein the upper oil inlet pipe and the lower oil inlet pipe are respectively provided with one-way throttle valves 20 and 18, and the one-way throttle valves 20 and 18 are respectively connected with two holes of a three-position four-way servo valve 16, and the other two holes of the three-position four-way servo valve 16 are respectively connected with a high-pressure liquid source and a low-pressure liquid source through a high-pressure oil pipe and a low-pressure oil pipe. The high-pressure liquid source is provided by a high-pressure oil pump, wherein a pressure of the high-pressure liquid source is adjustable within the range of 0-7 MPa, and the high-pressure liquid source is mainly used for driving the opening and closing of the valves. The low-pressure liquid source comes from a tank and a pressure of the low-pressure liquid source is 1 bar.

(12) For the sake of simplicity, the following will only take the hydraulic cylinder 8 on one side of the fully variable valve mechanism as an example to describe the main operation principle thereof: 1) when the intake valve needs to be opened, the three-position four-way servo valve 12 receives a control signal and acts, so that the upper oil inlet pipe 7 is communicated with a high-pressure liquid source, and the lower oil inlet pipe 5 is communicated with a low-pressure liquid source, and the hydraulic piston 6 is pushed under the action of high-pressure oil, enabling the valve to be opened against the elastic force of a spring, and the higher the pressure of the high-pressure liquid source is, the faster the opening speed is. And 2) when the intake valve 2 reaches a required lift and needs to be maintained at an open state, under the control of the three-position four-way servo valve 12, the upper oil inlet pipe 7 and the lower oil inlet pipe 5 are both disconnected from the high-pressure liquid source and the low-pressure liquid source, so that the oil pressure in the hydraulic cylinder is unchanged to maintain the valve lift. And 3) when the intake valve needs to be closed, under the control of the three-position four-way servo valve 12, the lower oil inlet pipe 5 is communicated with a high-pressure liquid source, and the upper oil inlet pipe 7 is communicated with a low-pressure liquid source, and the hydraulic pressure pushes the hydraulic piston 6 to move upwards, and the intake valve 2 is closed under the action of the hydraulic pressure and the elastic force of the intake valve spring 4. To avoid excessive impact at a moment when the valve is closed, the opening degree of the one-way throttle valve 11 should be smaller than the opening degree of the one-way throttle valve 10. The displacement sensor 9 can measure and monitor the opening and closing timing of the intake valve and the valve lift in real-time, and feed them back to an electronic control unit. Similarly, the process of opening, maintaining and closing the exhaust valve is the same as that of the intake valve, mainly controlled by the three-position four-way servo valve 16, and performed by the hydraulic piston 21, the hydraulic cylinder 19 and the one-way throttle valves 18 and 20.

(13) Embodiment of the Jet Ignition Apparatus of the Pre-Combustion Chamber

(14) As shown in FIG. 2, a spark plug 24 and a single-hole fuel injector 25 are mounted on the pre-combustion chamber housing 15, at the bottom end of which a flame jet hole 31 is provided, and the pre-combustion chamber housing 15 is mounted on the engine cylinder head by means of a thread 27. The electrode of the spark plug, the bottom end of the single-hole fuel injector 25 and the cavity in the pre-combustion chamber housing form a pre-combustion chamber 30, wherein the pre-combustion chamber is communicated with the main combustion chamber through the jet hole 31, and the number of the jet holes is 6-8, and the aperture of the jet holes is 1 mm-2 mm. The jet hole 31 enables a jet flame ejected from the pre-combustion chamber to the main combustion chamber to increase a combustion rate in the main combustion chamber. In addition, the single-hole fuel injector 25 installed in the pre-combustion chamber housing 15 is a small-flow single-hole fuel injector, and the injection hole 28 thereof are obliquely arranged so as to minimize wall impingement of an fuel spray 29 injected in the pre-combustion chamber.

(15) In addition to the single-hole fuel injector 25 installed in the pre-combustion chamber, another main injector having a larger flow rate is installed in the main combustion chamber or on the intake port to provide a required mixed gas for the main combustion chamber. Because the pre-combustion chamber and the main combustion chamber both have injector, the mixed gas in the engine can be flexibly controlled in practical work, and even when the main combustion chamber is in lean-burn, the mixed gas in the pre-combustion chamber can be ensured to be an equivalent mixed gas so as to ensure the stability of ignition and initial flame propagation.

(16) The existence of the pre-combustion chamber ensures the stability of spark ignition and initial flame propagation, and when the flame in the pre-combustion chamber passes through the jet hole, a remarkable flame acceleration phenomenon can be generated, so that the combustion rate in the main combustion chamber is increased, and the fuel consumption of the engine can be obviously reduced, and the thermal efficiency is improved.

(17) The combustion modes of the disclosure under different operating conditions are shown in FIG. 3, wherein the engine adopts different combustion modes under different operating conditions so as to achieve high thermal efficiency as much as possible.

(18) 1) For start-up, idle and low load operating conditions (region I in FIG. 3), a conventional equivalent SI combustion mode is employed in this region to ensure combustion stability. Since the throttle valve is cancelled, this condition requires a small valve lift to control a total amount of gas entering the cylinder, and in this case, the valve lift is shown as I in FIG. 4. Because the fuel-air mixture concentration in the combustion process is approximately a stoichiometric ratio at the time, the single-hole fuel injector in the pre-combustion chamber does not inject fuel. On this occasion, the combustion pressure in the cylinder is shown as a dotted line in FIG. 5, and the combustion pressure is similar to the combustion pressure of the conventional gasoline engine under the condition of a small load, and the difference lies in that the presence of the jet ignition apparatus makes the combustion rate higher than that of the conventional gasoline engine under a small load.

(19) 2) When the engine is operating at partial load (region II in FIG. 3), the engine is operating in a lean-burn SACI combustion mode, resulting in higher thermal efficiency. In this mode, the valve lift is shown as II in FIG. 4, with a certain degree of negative valve overlap, and a part of hot burned gas can be trapped in the cylinder, so that the in-cylinder mixed as has a higher thermodynamic state. In the combustion mode, the gas in the pre-combustion chamber is a homogeneous gas, wherein the gas in the main combustion chamber is rarefied gas, and the single-hole fuel injector 25 in the pre-combustion chamber injects fuel during the upward movement of the piston 1 to realize stoichiometric combustion in the pre-combustion chamber. When the flame is accelerated and emitted from the jet hole of the pre-combustion chamber, the mixed gas in the main combustion chamber is subjected to spontaneous combustion in a high initial thermodynamic state under the heating and pressurizing action of the jet flame, namely a CI combustion stage in the SACI mode. Although there is spontaneous combustion, due to the low load in this condition and a dilution effect of CO.sub.2, a severe pressure oscillation in the cylinder, which would occur in knocking combustion, does not arise. The case of in-cylinder combustion pressure in this combustion mode is described by dash-dotted lines in FIG. 5, and it is apparent that there are two distinct stages of heat release rate, the SI stage and the CI stage, respectively. And in this region, as the load increases, the negative valve overlap becomes smaller so that the SI ratio increases and the CI ratio decreases.

(20) 3) When the engine operates under the conditions of medium-high load and full load (regions III and IV in FIG. 3), the negative valve overlap is almost zero and the engine operates in the full SI combustion mode again. The difference between region III and region IV is that the engine adopts the lean-burn SI mode in region III and the equivalent SI mode in region IV, so that the thermal efficiency of the engine can be improved as much as possible on the premise of ensuring power output. It should be noted that whether lean-burn in region III or equivalent-burn in region IV, the variation of the equivalence ratio is only for the main combustion chamber. However, the equivalence ratio of the pre-combustion chamber is always maintained approximately the stoichiometric ratio to ensure a stable and reliable ignition process and formation of an initial flame kernel. That is, the injector in the pre-combustion chamber injects a certain amount of fuel during the upward movement of the piston in the lean-burn SI mode of region III, and the injector in the pre-combustion chamber does not inject fuel in the equivalent SI mode of region IV. In the region III and the region IV, the engine adopts III and IV valve lift curves shown in FIG. 4, and the load of the engine is mainly controlled by the injection quantity of the main combustion chamber and the closing time of the intake valve. The equivalent ratio of the main combustion chamber is determined by the injection quantity of the pre-combustion chamber, and the air quality actually entering the cylinder is determined by the closing time of the intake valve. The load control of an SI engine without a throttle valve can be realized by the cooperation of the injection quantity of the main combustion chamber and the closing time of the intake valve. In-cylinder combustion cylinder pressure at medium-high load is shown by a solid line in FIG. 5, wherein the combustion pressure is slightly lower than that in the SACI mode, and the combustion phase is further retarded, so that knockings at full load conditions are avoided.

(21) For vehicles operating in urban conditions for a long time, most of the operating conditions are in region II of FIG. 3. The SACI combustion mode of the area combines the stability of the SI mode and the high efficiency of the HCCI mode, and the advantages of energy conservation and emission reduction of the disclosure can be fully exerted. According to the disclosure, a smooth transition between different combustion modes can be realized instead of direct switching. The disclosure ensures that the engine has the optimal thermal efficiency in different working condition regions as much as possible.

(22) The disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above. The above description of specific embodiments is intended to describe and explain the technical aspects of the present disclosure, and the above specific embodiments are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure and the scope of the claims, a person of ordinary skill in the art can make many specific transformations under the inspiration of the present disclosure, which all fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.