Positive displacement radical injection system
View Patent ↗A system, comprising, a combustion chamber, and a free-radical ignition system configured to inject free radicals into the combustion chamber at an ignition timing to trigger combustion of a fuel-air mixture.
1. A system, comprising:
a combustion chamber;
a free-radical ignition system configured to receive free radicals from a combustion reaction in the combustion chamber, wherein the free-radical injection system is configured to inject the free radicals into the combustion chamber at an ignition timing to trigger combustion of a fuel-air mixture and wherein the free-radical ignition system comprises a positive displacement injector configured to force the free radicals into the combustion chamber at the ignition timing to trigger combustion of the fuel-air mixture.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the positive displacement injector comprises a rotary pump.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the positive displacement injector comprises a reciprocating pump.
4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the reciprocating pump comprises a piston pump or a diaphragm pump.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the positive displacement injector comprises a drive having a pressurized fluid source.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the positive displacement injector comprises an electronic drive.
7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the electronic drive comprises a solenoid drive, a piezoelectric drive, or a combination thereof.
8. The system of claim 1 , comprising a pre-chamber coupled to the combustion chamber, wherein the free-radical injection system is configured to receive the free radicals from the combustion chamber into the pre-chamber, and wherein the free-radical ignition system is configured to inject the free radicals from the pre-chamber into the combustion chamber at the ignition timing to trigger combustion of the fuel-air mixture.
9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the free-radical ignition system excludes a spark ignition system.
10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the free radicals comprise peroxides, aldehydes, or a combination thereof.
11. A system, comprising:
a combustion chamber configured to combust a fuel-air mixture to generate free radicals;
a pre-combustion chamber configured to receive the free radicals generated in the combustion chamber;
a positive displacement pump configured to drive the free radicals out of the pre-combustion chamber and into the combustion chamber; and
a free-radical ignition controller coupled to the positive displacement pump, wherein the free-radical ignition controller is configured to time positive displacement injection of the free radicals by the positive displacement pump into the combustion chamber to ignite the fuel-air mixture.
12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the free-radical ignition controller is configured to time the positive displacement injection of the free radicals into the combustion chamber at an ignition timing after top dead center of a piston in a cylinder.
13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the free radicals comprise peroxides, aldehydes, or a combination thereof.
14. The system of claim 11 , comprising a combustion engine having the combustion chamber, the pre-combustion chamber, the positive displacement pump, and the free-radical ignition controller.
15. A method, comprising:
receiving free radicals into a pre-combustion chamber from a combustion reaction in a combustion chamber;
positively displacing the free radicals from the pre-combustion chamber into the combustion chamber; and
igniting a fuel-air mixture in the combustion chamber via the free radicals.
16. The method of claim 15 , comprising controlling ignition timing of the fuel-air mixture by controlling timing of positively displacing the free radicals into the combustion chamber.
17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the timing of positively displacing the free radicals into the combustion chamber occurs after top dead center of a piston in a cylinder of the combustion chamber.