Ultrasonic Gasoline Evaporation Transducer - Reduction of Internal Combustion Engine Fuel Consumption using Axiomatic Design

Abstract

The possibilities of improving fuel combustion efficiency have been studied deeply, for environmental as well as economic reasons. It is well known that better combustion is linked to consistent fuel droplet size that is as small as possible. In this paper ultrasonic fuel atomization is investigated as an alternative to traditional fuel systems which are highly coupled and complex. The proposed design is the Ultrasonic Gasoline Evaporation Transducer (UGET), devised using Axiomatic Design principles. The UGET replaces a standard carburetor's highly sensitive venturi mechanism by vaporizing the fuel with piezoelectric crystals that oscillate at a high frequency (1.7 MHz). The UGET produces much finer, more even fuel vapor compared to that of a standard carburetor, expect to result in a more complete combustion by an internal combustion engine. Due to the absence of small apertures, the UGET is less vulnerable to congestion risks than a fuel injection system or a carburetor. The currentprototype vaporizes up to 40 g min-1 of fuel to operate a 170 cc 4-stroke engine with performance comparable to a normal carburetor.