Internal combustion engine

Abstract

An internal combustion engine includes one main combustion chamber for the combustion of a first combustion mixture, one pre-combustion chamber for each respective main combustion chamber for the combustion of a second combustion mixture, a first fuel gas mixer for providing the first combustion mixture, a second fuel gas mixer for providing the second combustion mixture, an air feed line and a synthesis gas feed line, a first mixture line connected to the first fuel gas mixer and the main combustion chamber, and a second mixture line connected to the second fuel gas mixer and the pre-combustion chamber. The first fuel gas mixer is connected to the synthesis gas feed line for the admixing of synthesis gas, and an open or closed loop control device is provided for open or closed loop controlling mixing ratios of fuel, air and synthesis gas in the first combustion mixture and/or second combustion mixture.

Claims

1. An internal combustion engine comprising: at least one main combustion chamber for the combustion of a first combustion mixture, at least one pre-combustion chamber for each respective main combustion chamber for the combustion of a second combustion mixture, a first fuel gas mixer for providing the first combustion mixture, the first fuel gas mixer being connected to a first fuel feed line and a first air feed line, a second fuel gas mixer for providing the second combustion mixture, the second fuel gas mixer being connected to a second fuel feed line, a second air feed line, and a synthesis gas feed line, a first mixture line connected to the first fuel gas mixer and the main combustion chamber, a second mixture line connected to the second fuel gas mixer and the pre-combustion chamber, the pre-combustion chamber having at least one passage opening into the main combustion chamber, and the first fuel gas mixer being connected to the synthesis gas feed line for the admixing of synthesis gas, a reformer for producing synthesis gas, an outlet of the reformer being connected to the synthesis gas feed line, wherein both the first fuel feed line connected to the first fuel gas mixer and the second fuel feed line connected to the second fuel gas mixer are configured and arranged to bypass the reformer, and an open or closed loop control device for open or closed loop controlling mixing ratios of fuel, air and synthesis gas in at least one of the first combustion mixture and the second combustion mixture, the open or closed loop control device being connected to at least one of the first fuel gas mixer the second fuel gas mixer.

2. The internal combustion engine as set forth in claim 1, further comprising at least one volume flow measuring device in at least one of (i) one or more of the fuel feed lines, (ii) one or more of the air feed lines, (iii) an exhaust gas line, (iv) a steam feed line, and (v) the synthesis gas feed line, the at least one volume flow measuring device being connected to the open or closed loop control device.

3. The internal combustion engine as set forth in claim 2, wherein the open or closed loop control device is configured to calculate desired mixing ratios on the basis of volume flows, and the at least one volume flow measuring device being configured to measure the volume flows, and the open or closed loop control device being further configured to open or closed loop control the mixing ratios of fuel, air, and synthesis gas in the first fuel gas mixer and in the second fuel gas mixer in accordance with the desired mixing ratios.

4. The internal combustion engine as set forth in claim 3, wherein the open or closed loop control device is configured to calculate the desired mixing ratios to achieve the desired fuel gas composition by a reformer transfer function.

5. The internal combustion engine as set forth in claim 1, wherein a compressor is arranged in the second mixture line.

6. The internal combustion engine as set forth in claim 1, wherein an inlet of the reformer is connected to at least one of a branch of the first fuel feed line and a branch of the second fuel feed line, and the inlet of the reformer is connected to at least one of the first air feed line and the second air feed line.

7. The internal combustion engine as set forth in claim 6, wherein the reformer is further connected to at least one of (i) a steam feed line and (ii) an exhaust gas line.

8. The internal combustion engine as set forth in claim 1, wherein said open or closed loop control device is configured to independently adjust the mixing ratios of fuel, air and synthesis gas for the first combustion mixture and the second combustion mixture based on an operating point of an internal combustion engine.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further advantages and details of the invention will be apparent from the Figures and the associated specific description. In the Figures:

(2) FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of an internal combustion engine according to the invention, and

(3) FIG. 2 is a diagram to illustrate the optimum operating point of an internal combustion engine according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(4) FIG. 1 shows the circuitry of an internal combustion engine-reformer installation. The Figure shows the main combustion chamber 1, the pre-combustion chamber 2 and the reformer 3. Air L is fed to the internal combustion engine 30 by the air feed lines 5, fuel is fed to the engine from a fuel reservoir T by the fuel feed lines 4 and synthesis gas S is fed to the engine by the synthesis gas feed line 6. The first fuel gas mixer 24 and the second fuel gas mixer 25 mix therefrom the first combustion mixture BG1 and the second combustion mixture BG2, respectively. The first combustion mixture BG1 is fed to the main combustion chamber 1 by the first mixture line 10 and the second combustion mixture BG2 is fed to the pre-combustion chamber 2 by way of the second mixture line 10. When the second combustion mixture BG2 is ignited in the pre-chamber 2, an ignition flare passes through the passage opening 33 and ignites the first combustion mixture BG1 in the main combustion chamber 1. In addition, the internal combustion engine 30 can have a compressor 26 in the second mixture line 10 and a turbocharger 27. The exhaust gas A of the internal combustion engine 30 is discharged by way of the exhaust line 9.

(5) The mixing ratios for the first fuel gas mixer 24 and the second fuel gas mixer 25 are determined in the open or closed loop control device 31, the device 31 being connected to both fuel gas mixers. The connections of the open or closed loop control device 31 to all volume flow regulating valves 32 are not shown as that would be difficult in terms of the drawing and would not contribute to understanding. There is at least one respective volume flow regulating valve 32 in the fuel feed line 4, the air feed line 5, the synthesis gas feed line 6, the steam feed line 8, and the exhaust gas line 9. By the volume flows which are regulated in the volume flow regulating valves 32 and optionally by a reformer transfer function, the control unit 31 is capable of adjusting the mixing ratios so that the desired concentrations of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, methane and so forth prevail in the combustion mixtures.

(6) In this example, air and exhaust gas from the internal combustion engine 30 are fed by an air feed line 5 and an exhaust gas line 9 to the further (secondary) mixing device 18. A first substance flow is mixed therefrom in the further mixing device 18 and passed by the feed line 11.

(7) Water is fed to an evaporator 20 by a water feed line 7 from a water reservoir W by the pump 36. That evaporator 20 can be of various different configurations. A preferred embodiment is one in which the evaporator 20 is in the form of a heat exchanger in heat-coupling relationship with the exhaust gas line 9 or in the form of a heat exchanger in heat-coupling relationship with the synthesis gas line 6.

(8) A heating element 23 is arranged in the water feed line 7. This can also be in the form of a heat exchanger. In that respect, the heating element 23 can then be in heat-coupling relationship with the synthesis gas line 6 between a first cooling element 16 and a second cooling element 17, or in heat-coupling relationship with the first cooling element 16.

(9) The steam produced in the evaporator 20 is fed to the further (secondary) mixing device 19 by a steam feed line 8. Fuel is also fed to the further mixing device 19 by a fuel line 4. A second substance flow is mixed from steam and fuel in the further mixing device 19 and passed on by the second feed line 12.

(10) In addition, connected upstream of the mixing device 19 in the fuel line 4 is a pre-heating element 21 which can be in the form of a heat exchanger. In that case, the pre-heating element 21 can be in a heat-coupling relationship with the first cooling element 16, with a cooling circuit of the internal combustion engine, and/or with the synthesis gas line 6. The cooling circuit is not shown as it is well-known in the state of the art.

(11) Air and exhaust gas from the internal combustion engine 30 are fed to the further mixing device 18 by an air feed line 5 and an exhaust gas line 9. The first substance flow is mixed therefrom in the further mixing device 18 and passed on by the feed line 11.

(12) After the first feed line 11 and the second feed line 12 have passed through the first heat exchanger 13 and the second heat exchanger 14, respectively, the lines 11 and 12 open into the mixing device 28. Produced therein is a mixture which is fed to the reformer 3 by the mixture line 29. The synthesis gas feed line 6 leading out of the reformer 3 passes through the first heat exchanger 13 and the second heat exchanger 14, a bypass line 22 being provided as a bypass around the second heat exchanger 14. In addition, arranged in the synthesis gas feed line 6 is the synthesis gas cooling arrangement 15 comprising the first cooling element 16 and the second cooling element 17.

(13) The synthesis gas can be heated again by the heating element 34 in the synthesis gas feed line 6 downstream of the synthesis gas cooling arrangement. The relative moisture content of the synthesis gas can be kept at the level suited to the engine by the succession of cooling down, water separation and heating.

(14) A heat exchanger (pre-heating element) 21 is arranged in the exhaust gas line 9.

(15) In this embodiment, a compressor 35 is arranged in the air feed line 5.

(16) FIG. 2 shows the qualitative relationship, on the one hand, between the efficiency of the overall installation and, on the other hand, the combustion efficiency. In that case, the combustion efficiency increases due to admixing of synthesis gas while the efficiency of the overall installation rises upon an increase in the proportion of synthesis gas in the fuel gas. The optimum operating point is in the region between the vertical lines, which corresponds to the region in which the two graphs intersect.

(17) The invention is not limited to the present embodiment. In particular, the composition of the fuel gas can also be ascertained by direct measurement or a concurrent simulation of the reformer. Those measurement or simulation values can then be communicated to the control or regulating device for controlling or regulating the mixing ratios.