| 摘要 |
Multi-component fuel is fractioned inside a cylindrical fuel reservoir 10 by means of an ultrasonic transducer 22 which creates a high energy acoustic field within the fuel exceeding the cavitation threshold of the lower boiling point fraction of the fuel, thus causing only that fraction to form cavitation bubbles. A coaxial centrifugal flow field is induced near the transducer 22, eg by the flow of returned fuel from the tangential return pipe 20, causing the fuel to swirl and the cavitation bubbles to migrate toward the central region 24 where the bubbles later collapse back to liquid thus forming a central region containing a relatively richer concentration of the lower boiling point fuel fraction. The fuel pump 12 draws a surplus-to-demand stream of fuel from the central region of the reservoir 10 via suction pipe 26 and supplies the fuel injectors 16 with fuel enriched in lower boiling-point fractions. As enriched surplus fuel is continually being returned and is fractioned again by the transducer, the enriched concentration of the lower boiling point fuel fraction builds up incrementally. |
