Patents by Inventor Sage Kokjohn

Sage Kokjohn has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 10794340
    Abstract: A first engine fuel, for example diesel fuel, is reformed (preferably via steam reforming) to produce syngas for use as a second engine fuel, with the fuels then both being used in an internal combustion engine to perform Reactivity Controlled Compression Ignition (RCCI). The syngas is produced and supplied to the engine as a supercritical fluid, thereby avoiding the pumping losses that would occur if syngas was pressurized for supply/injection. The reforming is done by a reformer which is provided as a unit with the engine (e.g., both the engine and reformer are onboard a vehicle), thereby effectively allowing use of a single fuel for RCCI engine operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
    Inventors: Sage Kokjohn, David Wickman, Flavio Dal Forno Chuahy
  • Publication number: 20190323459
    Abstract: A first engine fuel, for example diesel fuel, is reformed (preferably via steam reforming) to produce syngas for use as a second engine fuel, with the fuels then both being used in an internal combustion engine to perform Reactivity Controlled Compression Ignition (RCCI). The syngas is produced and supplied to the engine as a supercritical fluid, thereby avoiding the pumping losses that would occur if syngas was pressurized for supply/injection. The reforming is done by a reformer which is provided as a unit with the engine (e.g., both the engine and reformer are onboard a vehicle), thereby effectively allowing use of a single fuel for RCCI engine operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2018
    Publication date: October 24, 2019
    Inventors: Sage Kokjohn, David Wickman, Flavio Dal Forno Chuahy
  • Patent number: 9850812
    Abstract: A compression ignition (diesel) engine uses two or more fuel charges during a combustion cycle, with the fuel charges having two or more reactivities (e.g., different cetane numbers), in order to control the timing and duration of combustion. By appropriately choosing the reactivities of the charges, their relative amounts, and their timing, combustion can be tailored to achieve optimal power output (and thus fuel efficiency), at controlled temperatures (and thus controlled NOx), and with controlled equivalence ratios (and thus controlled soot). At low load and no load (idling) conditions, the aforementioned results are attained by restricting airflow to the combustion chamber during the intake stroke (as by throttling the incoming air at or prior to the combustion chamber's intake port) so that the cylinder air pressure is below ambient pressure at the start of the compression stroke.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
    Inventors: Rolf Deneys Reitz, Reed M. Hanson, Derek A. Splitter, Sage Kokjohn
  • Publication number: 20150034045
    Abstract: A compression ignition (diesel) engine uses two or more fuel charges during a combustion cycle, with the fuel charges having two or more reactivities (e.g., different cetane numbers), in order to control the timing and duration of combustion. By appropriately choosing the reactivities of the charges, their relative amounts, and their timing, combustion can be tailored to achieve optimal power output (and thus fuel efficiency), at controlled temperatures (and thus controlled NOx), and with controlled equivalence ratios (and thus controlled soot). At low load and no load (idling) conditions, the aforementioned results are attained by restricting airflow to the combustion chamber during the intake stroke (as by throttling the incoming air at or prior to the combustion chamber's intake port) so that the cylinder air pressure is below ambient pressure at the start of the compression stroke.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 6, 2014
    Publication date: February 5, 2015
    Inventors: Rolf Deneys Reitz, Reed M. Hanson, Derek A. Splitter, Sage Kokjohn