Patents by Inventor Sage L. Kokjohn
Sage L. 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: 11125170Abstract: An engine/reformer system accepts a first fuel and reforms it into syngas for use as a fuel in an accompanying internal combustion engine. Prior to reforming, the first fuel is pressurized and/or heated to at or near supercritical fluid conditions, such that the resulting syngas leaves the reformer in a supercritical fluid state. Injection of the supercritical syngas into an engine cylinder avoids the autoignition problems that occur when gaseous syngas is used. The first fuel is a fully self-reforming fuel (one that needs no separate water supply for complete conversion to syngas), and can beneficially be a “wet” fuel, such as ethanol containing water, allowing the system to use intermediate products of an ethanol production process (such as hydrous ethanol and stillage wastewater) as fuel, and reducing the overall cost of fuel production and engine operation.Type: GrantFiled: December 10, 2018Date of Patent: September 21, 2021Assignee: Wisconsin Alumni Research FoundationInventors: Sage L. Kokjohn, David D. Wickman
-
Publication number: 20200182165Abstract: An engine/reformer system accepts a first fuel and reforms it into syngas for use as a fuel in an accompanying internal combustion engine. Prior to reforming, the first fuel is pressurized and/or heated to at or near supercritical fluid conditions, such that the resulting syngas leaves the reformer in a supercritical fluid state. Injection of the supercritical syngas into an engine cylinder avoids the autoignition problems that occur when gaseous syngas is used. The first fuel is a fully self-reforming fuel (one that needs no separate water supply for complete conversion to syngas), and can beneficially be a “wet” fuel, such as ethanol containing water, allowing the system to use intermediate products of an ethanol production process (such as hydrous ethanol and stillage wastewater) as fuel, and reducing the overall cost of fuel production and engine operation.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 10, 2018Publication date: June 11, 2020Inventors: Sage L. Kokjohn, David D. Wickman
-
Patent number: 9376955Abstract: A compression ignition engine uses two or more fuel charges having two or more reactivities to control the timing and duration of combustion. In a preferred implementation, a lower-reactivity fuel charge is injected or otherwise introduced into the combustion chamber, preferably sufficiently early that it becomes at least substantially homogeneously dispersed within the chamber before a subsequent injection is made. One or more subsequent injections of higher-reactivity fuel charges are then made, and these preferably distribute the higher-reactivity matter within the lower-reactivity chamber space such that combustion begins in the higher-reactivity regions, and with the lower-reactivity regions following thereafter.Type: GrantFiled: June 24, 2015Date of Patent: June 28, 2016Assignee: Wisconsin Alumni Research FoundationInventors: Rolf Deneys Reitz, Reed M. Hanson, Derek A. Splitter, Sage L. Kokjohn
-
Publication number: 20150292391Abstract: A compression ignition engine uses two or more fuel charges having two or more reactivities to control the timing and duration of combustion. In a preferred implementation, a lower-reactivity fuel charge is injected or otherwise introduced into the combustion chamber, preferably sufficiently early that it becomes at least substantially homogeneously dispersed within the chamber before a subsequent injection is made. One or more subsequent injections of higher-reactivity fuel charges are then made, and these preferably distribute the higher-reactivity matter within the lower-reactivity chamber space such that combustion begins in the higher-reactivity regions, and with the lower-reactivity regions following thereafter.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 24, 2015Publication date: October 15, 2015Inventors: Rolf Deneys Reitz, Reed M. Hanson, Derek A. Splitter, Sage L. Kokjohn
-
Patent number: 9080501Abstract: A compression ignition engine uses two or more fuel charges having two or more reactivities to control the timing and duration of combustion. In a preferred implementation, a lower-reactivity fuel charge is injected or otherwise introduced into the combustion chamber, preferably sufficiently early that it becomes at least substantially homogeneously dispersed within the chamber before a subsequent injection is made. One or more subsequent injections of higher-reactivity fuel charges are then made, and these preferably distribute the higher-reactivity matter within the lower-reactivity chamber space such that combustion begins in the higher-reactivity regions, and with the lower-reactivity regions following thereafter.Type: GrantFiled: December 17, 2013Date of Patent: July 14, 2015Assignee: Wisconsin Alumni Research FoundationInventors: Rolf Deneys Reitz, Reed M. Hanson, Derek A. Splitter, Sage L. Kokjohn
-
Patent number: 9057321Abstract: A first fuel charge having low reactivity (low cetane number) is injected into a rotary engine, such as a Wankel engine, sufficiently early during the intake stroke that a subsequent higher-reactivity injected fuel charge forms one or more stratified high-reactivity regions within the engine chamber. Compression ignition then begins at the high-reactivity regions and propagates to the lower-reactivity regions. Appropriate choice of the timings, quantities, and other parameters of the injections can allow control of the timing and rate of combustion, such that work output can be maximized, unburned fuel can be minimized, and chamber temperature can be controlled to reduce heat losses and NOx emissions. As a result, rotary engine efficiency can be enhanced while emissions are reduced. Since the invention can be implemented in a lightweight and compact rotary engine, it is well suited for use in hybrid and compact vehicles.Type: GrantFiled: January 24, 2012Date of Patent: June 16, 2015Assignee: Wisconsin Alumni Research FoundationInventors: Rolf Deneys Reitz, Sage L. Kokjohn
-
Patent number: 8851045Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: March 31, 2011Date of Patent: October 7, 2014Assignee: Wisconsin Alumni Research FoundationInventors: Rolf Deneys Reitz, Reed M. Hanson, Derek A. Splitter, Sage L. Kokjohn
-
Publication number: 20140102406Abstract: A compression ignition engine uses two or more fuel charges having two or more reactivities to control the timing and duration of combustion. In a preferred implementation, a lower-reactivity fuel charge is injected or otherwise introduced into the combustion chamber, preferably sufficiently early that it becomes at least substantially homogeneously dispersed within the chamber before a subsequent injection is made. One or more subsequent injections of higher-reactivity fuel charges are then made, and these preferably distribute the higher-reactivity matter within the lower-reactivity chamber space such that combustion begins in the higher-reactivity regions, and with the lower-reactivity regions following thereafter.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 17, 2013Publication date: April 17, 2014Applicant: Wisconsin Alumni Research FoundationInventors: Rolf Deneys Reitz, Reed M. Hanson, Derek A. Splitter, Sage L. Kokjohn
-
Patent number: 8616177Abstract: A compression ignition engine uses two or more fuel charges having two or more reactivities to control the timing and duration of combustion. In a preferred implementation, a lower-reactivity fuel charge is injected or otherwise introduced into the combustion chamber, preferably sufficiently early that it becomes at least substantially homogeneously dispersed within the chamber before a subsequent injection is made. One or more subsequent injections of higher-reactivity fuel charges are then made, and these preferably distribute the higher-reactivity matter within the lower-reactivity chamber space such that combustion begins in the higher-reactivity regions, and with the lower-reactivity regions following thereafter.Type: GrantFiled: February 11, 2010Date of Patent: December 31, 2013Assignee: Wisconsin Alumni Research FoundationInventors: Rolf Deneys Reitz, Reed M. Hanson, Derek A. Splitter, Sage L. Kokjohn
-
Publication number: 20130186366Abstract: A first fuel charge having low reactivity (low cetane number) is injected into a rotary engine, e.g., a Wankel engine, sufficiently early during the intake stroke that a subsequent higher-reactivity injected fuel charge forms one or more stratified high-reactivity regions within the engine chamber. Compression ignition then begins at the high-reactivity regions and propagates to the lower-reactivity regions. Appropriate choice of the timings, quantities, and other parameters of the injections can allow control of the timing and rate of combustion, such that work output can be maximized, unburned fuel can be minimized, and chamber temperature can be controlled to reduce heat losses and NOx emissions. As a result, rotary engine efficiency can be enhanced while emissions are reduced. Since the invention can be implemented in a lightweight and compact rotary engine, it is well suited for use in hybrid and compact vehicles.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 24, 2012Publication date: July 25, 2013Inventors: Rolf Deneys Reitz, Sage L. Kokjohn
-
Publication number: 20120247421Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: March 31, 2011Publication date: October 4, 2012Inventors: Rolf Deneys Reitz, Reed M. Hanson, Derek A. Splitter, Sage L. Kokjohn
-
Publication number: 20110192367Abstract: A compression ignition engine uses two or more fuel charges having two or more reactivities to control the timing and duration of combustion. In a preferred implementation, a lower-reactivity fuel charge is injected or otherwise introduced into the combustion chamber, preferably sufficiently early that it becomes at least substantially homogeneously dispersed within the chamber before a subsequent injection is made. One or more subsequent injections of higher-reactivity fuel charges are then made, and these preferably distribute the higher-reactivity matter within the lower-reactivity chamber space such that combustion begins in the higher-reactivity regions, and with the lower-reactivity regions following thereafter.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 11, 2010Publication date: August 11, 2011Inventors: Rolf Deneys Reitz, Reed M. Hanson, Derek A. Splitter, Sage L. Kokjohn