초록 ▼

A hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine that uses liquid hydrocarbon fuel and hydrogen gas as fuel, which improves mixability of liquid hydrocarbon fuel and hydrogen gas and reduces the number of parts required for a fuel supply that supplies the two types of fuel. The hydrogen-fueled internal

A hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine that uses liquid hydrocarbon fuel and hydrogen gas as fuel, which improves mixability of liquid hydrocarbon fuel and hydrogen gas and reduces the number of parts required for a fuel supply that supplies the two types of fuel. The hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine includes a fuel injection device injecting hydrocarbon fuel; a fuel supply supplying hydrocarbon fuel to the fuel injection device; and a microbubble generation device generating microbubbles of hydrogen gas and mixing the generated microbubbles of hydrogen gas into liquid hydrocarbon fuel in the fuel supply. The hydrogen gas microbubbles are supplied, for instance, to a fuel supply path and fuel tank, which constitute the fuel supply.

대표청구항 ▼

The invention claimed is: 1. A hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine that uses liquid hydrocarbon fuel and hydrogen gas as fuel, comprising: a fuel injection device that injects the hydrocarbon fuel; fuel supply means for supplying the hydrocarbon fuel to the fuel injection device; and a micro

The invention claimed is: 1. A hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine that uses liquid hydrocarbon fuel and hydrogen gas as fuel, comprising: a fuel injection device that injects the hydrocarbon fuel; fuel supply means for supplying the hydrocarbon fuel to the fuel injection device; and a microbubble generation device that generates microbubbles of hydrogen gas and mixes the generated microbubbles of hydrogen gas into the liquid hydrocarbon fuel in the fuel supply means, wherein the generated microbubbles of hydrogen are individual bodies of gas, suspended in the liquid hydrocarbon fuel, that have an outer diameter of less than 100 microns. 2. The hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the microbubble generation device is positioned so as to add microbubbles of hydrogen gas to hydrocarbon fuel in a fuel supply path that constitutes the fuel supply means. 3. The hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the microbubble generation device is positioned so as to directly add microbubbles of hydrogen gas to hydrocarbon fuel located in a fuel tank that constitutes the fuel supply means. 4. The hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine according to claim 1, further comprising: hydrogen addition amount determination means for determining an amount of hydrogen gas to be mixed into hydrocarbon fuel by the microbubble generation device in accordance with an operating state of the internal combustion engine and at least one of a pressure or a temperature of the hydrocarbon fuel, wherein the operating state of the internal combustion engine includes a determination of engine load and an air-fuel ratio. 5. The hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine according to claim 4, further comprising: control means for controlling at least one of a pressure or a temperature of the hydrocarbon fuel to be supplied to the fuel injection device by the fuel supply means in accordance with a hydrogen gas addition amount that is determined by the hydrogen addition amount determination means. 6. The hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine according to claim 1, further comprising: hydrogen generation means for generating hydrogen gas from a liquid hydrogen compound, wherein the hydrogen generation means generates only the amount of hydrogen gas to be mixed into hydrocarbon fuel by the microbubble generation device. 7. A hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine that uses liquid hydrocarbon fuel and hydrogen gas as fuel, comprising: a fuel injection device that injects the hydrocarbon fuel; fuel supply device that supplies the hydrocarbon fuel to the fuel injection device; and a microbubble generation device that generates microbubbles of hydrogen gas and mixes the generated microbubbles of hydrogen gas into liquid hydrocarbon fuel in the fuel supply device, wherein the generated microbubbles of hydrogen are individual bodies of gas, suspended in the liquid hydrocarbon fuel, that have an outer diameter of less than 100 microns. 8. The hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine according to claim 7, further comprising: hydrogen addition amount determination device that determines an amount of hydrogen gas to be mixed into hydrocarbon fuel by the microbubble generation device in accordance with an operating state of the internal combustion engine and a pressure of the hydrocarbon fuel, wherein the operating state of the internal combustion engine includes a determination of engine load and an air-fuel ratio. 9. The hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine according to claim 8, further comprising: a controller that controls a pressure of the hydrocarbon fuel to be supplied to the fuel injection device by the fuel supply device in accordance with a hydrogen gas addition amount that is determined by the hydrogen addition amount determination device. 10. The hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein a pressure difference between an internal pressure of a microbubble and an external pressure of the microbubble is equal to four times a surface tension of the microbubble divided by the diameter of the microbubble. 11. The hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the microbubble generation device is a swirling device that creates swirling flows of the hydrogen gas and the hydrocarbon fuel and includes an empty space at a rotation center, such that the hydrogen gas is divided into the microbubbles by shearing forces generated in the empty space. 12. The hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the microbubble generation device is an ultrasonic device that ultrasonically vibrates the hydrogen gas to create the microbubbles. 13. The hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the fuel including the microbubbles of hydrogen is injected into the internal combustion engine. 14. A hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine that uses liquid hydrocarbon fuel and hydrogen gas as fuel, comprising: a fuel injection device that injects the hydrocarbon fuel; fuel supply device that supplies the hydrocarbon fuel to the fuel injection device; and a first microbubble generation device that generates a first plurality of microbubbles of hydrogen gas and mixes the generated first plurality of microbubbles of hydrogen gas into the liquid hydrocarbon fuel that flows in a fuel supply path; a second microbubble generation device that generates a second plurality of microbubbles of hydrogen gas and mixes the generated second plurality of microbubbles of hydrogen gas into the liquid hydrocarbon fuel that is located in a fuel tank, wherein the first and second pluralities of microbubbles of hydrogen are individual bodies of gas, suspended in the liquid hydrocarbon fuel, that have an outer diameter of less that 100 microns. 15. The hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine according to claim 4, wherein the operating state includes a low or medium engine load and a stoichiometric or lean air-fuel ratio, then the hydrogen is not supplied to the internal combustion engine, and wherein the operating state includes a high engine load, then the hydrogen is supplied to the internal combustion engine. 16. The hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine according to claim 8, wherein the operating state includes a low or medium engine load and a stoichiometric or lean air-fuel ratio, then the hydrogen is not supplied to the internal combustion engine, and wherein the operating state includes a high engine load, then the hydrogen is supplied to the internal combustion engine.