초록 ▼

This disclosure relates a system for heating fuel supplied by a common rail fuel supply to an internal combustion engine. The system includes a high pressure fuel line, plural fuel injectors connected in series along the high pressure fuel line in the common rail, and a continuous low pressure passa

This disclosure relates a system for heating fuel supplied by a common rail fuel supply to an internal combustion engine. The system includes a high pressure fuel line, plural fuel injectors connected in series along the high pressure fuel line in the common rail, and a continuous low pressure passage including a heat exchanging portion in close proximity to the high pressure fuel line. A heated fluid source is operative to fluidly communicate with the continuous low pressure passage and circulate heated fluid to heat fuel present in the high pressure fuel line prior to, and during a cold start operation of the internal combustion engine. Other embodiments relate to a method of providing fuel to an internal combustion engine that includes sensing the temperature of fuel supplied to a fuel system and determining whether the sensed fuel temperature is greater than a predetermined value. The method includes circulating heated fluid in a continuous low pressure circuit to heat fuel present in a high pressure fuel line if the sensed fuel temperature is less than or equal to a predetermined value, and evacuating fluid for heating fuel from a portion of the continuous low pressure passage and fluidly connecting the evacuated portion of the continuous low pressure passage to a fuel leakage detection device if the sensed fuel temperature is greater than the predetermined value.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A system for heating fuel supplied by a common rail fuel supply to an internal combustion engine, comprising: a high pressure fuel line;plural fuel injectors connected in series along the high pressure fuel line in the common rail;a continuous low pressure passage including a heat exchanging port

1. A system for heating fuel supplied by a common rail fuel supply to an internal combustion engine, comprising: a high pressure fuel line;plural fuel injectors connected in series along the high pressure fuel line in the common rail;a continuous low pressure passage including a heat exchanging portion in close proximity to the high pressure fuel line;a temperature sensing device operable to generate a signal indicative of a temperature of fuel present in the high pressure fuel line;an electronic controller operable to switch between a first operation mode and a second operation mode based on the value of the generated signal; aheated fluid source operative to fluidly communicate with the continuous low pressure passage and circulate heated fluid to heat fuel present in the high pressure fuel line during said first operation mode; anda fuel leakage detection device operative to fluidly communicate with the continuous low pressure passage and detect fuel leakage from the high pressure fuel line in said second operation mode. 2. The fuel supply system of claim 1, wherein the high pressure fuel line and the heat exchanging portion of the continuous low pressure passage comprises plural double walled segments, each of said segments having an inner portion comprising a segment of the high pressure fuel line and an outer low pressure line comprising a segment of the continuous low pressure passage surrounding the high pressure line. 3. A system for heating fuel supplied by a common rail fuel supply to an internal combustion engine, comprising: a high pressure fuel line;plural fuel injectors connected in series along the high pressure fuel line in the common rail;a continuous low pressure passage including a heat exchanging portion in close proximity to the high pressure fuel line;a heated fluid source operative to fluidly communicate with the continuous low pressure passage and circulate heated fluid to heat fuel present in the high pressure fuel line prior to, and during a cold start operation of the internal combustion engine;a first coupler including a plug terminating the high pressure fuel line after the last fuel injector of the series of fuel injectors and a passageway fluidly connected to the continuous low pressure passage;a second coupler having a high pressure passageway for fluidly connecting to an outlet of a high pressure fuel pump and to the inner high pressure fuel line segment of one of the double walled segments, and a low pressure passageway fluidly connecting segments of the continuous low pressure passage,wherein the high pressure fuel line and the heat exchanging portion of the continuous low pressure passage comprises plural double walled segments, each of said segments having an inner portion comprising a segment of the high pressure fuel line and an outer low pressure line comprising a segment of the continuous low pressure passage surrounding the high pressure line. 4. The fuel supply system of claim 2, wherein at least one of said fuel injectors comprises: a first port;a second port;a high pressure passageway connecting the first and second ports; anda low pressure passageway connecting the first and second ports, wherein one of the double walled segments has its inner high pressure fuel line segments sealingly connected to the high pressure passageway between the first and second ports, and its outer low pressure line segment connected the low pressure passageway between the first and second ports. 5. The fuel supply system of claim 1, wherein the heated fluid recirculating circuit comprises an electric heater for heating fluid recirculating in the continuous low pressure passage. 6. The fuel supply system of claim 5, wherein the electric heater is a block heater. 7. The fuel supply system of claim 1, wherein the heated fluid source comprises: a heated fluid reservoir having an input port fluidly communicating with the continuous low pressure passage, and an output for supplying heated fluid to said continuous low pressure passage; anda pump fluidly communicating with the output of the reservoir and operative to circulate heated fluid through said continuous low pressure passage. 8. The fuel supply system of claim 1, wherein each of the fuel injectors is associated with a flow limiter valve. 9. The fuel supply system of claim 8, wherein the flow limiter valve is included in T piece of the each fuel injector. 10. The fuel supply system of claim 1, wherein said controller is further operable to control an amount of heat supplied to heat the high pressure fuel line based on the sensed temperature. 11. The fuel supply system of claim 1, wherein in the second operation mode, the controller causes the heated fluid source to cease circulating said heated fluid. 12. The fuel supply system of claim 11, further comprising: means for purging the continuous low pressure passage of the heated fluid,wherein in the second operation mode, the controller causes the means for purging to cause the continuous low pressure passage to be purged of the heated fluid and fluidly connect to the fuel leakage detection device. 13. The fuel supply system of claim 12, wherein the fuel leakage detection device is a tell tale element. 14. The fuel supply system of claim 12, wherein the fuel leakage detection device comprises a low pressure fuel sensor. 15. A method of providing fuel to an internal combustion engine, comprising: sensing the temperature of fuel supplied to a fuel system of the internal combustion engine;determining whether the sensed fuel temperature is greater than a predetermined value;recirculating fluid through a continuous low pressure circuit to heat fuel while present in a high pressure fuel line if the sensed fuel temperature is less than or equal to a predetermined value; andevacuating the fluid for heating the fuel from a portion of the continuous low pressure passage and fluidly connecting the evacuated portion of the continuous low pressure passage to a fuel leakage detection device if the sensed fuel temperature is greater than the predetermined value. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the fuel leakage detection device comprises a low pressure fuel sensor. 17. The method of claim 15, wherein the fuel leakage detection device is a tell tale element. 18. An internal combustion engine, comprising: an engine block including plural cylinders, each said cylinder containing a piston movable in a reciprocating manner;a fuel line for supplying fuel under high pressure to plural fuel injectors, each said fuel injector controlled to deliver timed charges of atomized fuel to an associated one of the cylinders;a high pressure fuel pump fluidly communicating with the fuel line;a temperature sensing device operable to generate a signal indicative of a temperature of fuel present in the high pressure fuel line;an electronic controller operable to switch between a first operation mode and a second operation mode based on the value of the generated signal;a heated fluid recirculating circuit comprising: a heated fluid source;a feed line fluidly communicating with the heated fluid source;a heat exchanger having a low pressure passageway surrounding a portion of the fuel line and first and second ends, said first end fluidly communicating with the feed line; anda return line fluidly communicating between said second distal end and said heated fluid source, wherein in said first operation mode the electronic controller is operative to cause the heated fluid recirculating circuit to circulate heated fluid from the heated fluid source through the low pressure passageway of the heat exchanger to heat fuel under high pressure in fuel line; anda fuel leakage detection device operative to fluidly communicate with the continuous low pressure passage and detect fuel leakage from the high pressure fuel line in said second operation mode. 19. The internal combustion engine of claim 18, wherein each fuel injector includes a flow limiter valve. 20. The internal combustion engine of claim 18, wherein the heated fluid recirculating circuit includes a heated fluid reservoir connected between the feed line and the return line. 21. The internal combustion engine of claim 20, wherein the heated fluid reservoir comprises coolant present the engine block, which is heated by an engine block heating device. 22. The internal combustion engine of claim 18, further comprising: means for purging the continuous low pressure passage of the heated fluid, wherein in the second mode the controller controls the means for purging to purge the heating fluid from the low pressure passageway and fluidly connect said low pressure passageway to said fuel leakage detection device. 23. The internal combustion engine of claim 22, further comprising a low pressure pump connected to the feed line to circulate the heating fluid in the heated fluid recirculating circuit, wherein the controller is further operative to turn off the low pressure pump in the second operating mode. 24. The internal combustion engine of claim 22, wherein the heated fluid recirculating circuit comprises: a first valve in the return portion of the low pressure passageway; anda second valve in the feed portion of the low pressure passageway, wherein fluidly connecting said low pressure passageway to said fuel leakage detector involves activating the first and second valves to prevent heated fluid flow from the heated fluid source and permit detection of a leak of fuel in the fuel line by said fuel leakage detection device. 25. The internal combustion engine of claim 22, wherein the heated fluid recirculating circuit comprises: a valve in the path of the feed line;a compressed gas line fluidly communicating with the valve, wherein the controller is operative to momentarily open the valve and allow compressed gas to enter the controller to perform said purge of heating fluid from the low pressure passageway. 26. The internal combustion engine of claim 22, wherein the fuel leakage detection device comprises a low pressure fuel sensor. 27. The internal combustion engine of claim 22, wherein the fuel leakage detection device is a tell-tale element.