Tell us a bit more about your Innovation
I designed a rotational fuel injector that uses a cam and follower mechanism to improve fuel distribution in the combustion chamber. What's the advantage of this new design you may ask? To answer that, we'll have to clear. some basics.
Every IC engine has a performance parameter known as equivalence ratio. The equivalence ratio is defined as the ratio of the actual fuel/air ratio to the stoichiometric fuel/air ratio. Stoichiometric combustion occurs when all the oxygen in the chamber is consumed in the reaction, and no molecular oxygen (O2) is in the emission products.
With this new rotational design, the fuel is spread evenly within the combustion chamber which improves the airfuel mixing capability, and as a result, improves the equivalence ratio by up to 10%. We are working further to improve it.
Normal Fuel Injector
Rotational Fuel Injector
How did you come up with the idea?
In my college days, I had participated in numerous competitions- Formula Student, SUPRA, Go-Karts. So you can say I always had a soft corner towards IC engines. I wanted to add a valuable contribution to something I love. Hence, I started the journey of designing this fuel injector.
In parallel, the world is shifting towards electric vehicles. But, not all countries have the infrastructure to scale the electric boom. I asked myself, “Why not improve the current technology to reduce emissions and have a smoother transition to EV.
How did LTTS support you in your innovation journey?
It’s an interesting story, actually. I participated in LTTS’ annual innovation challenge for students, Techgium, back in 2017. While it was a great experience, my idea didn’t make it to the final round. So in a way, LTTS gave me the platform to innovate and get recognized for it which inspired me to do more.
I started working at LTTS immediately after college. Last year, I participated in TechExpressions, LTTS’ technology and innovation hackathon for its employees. My idea made it to the finals and was appreciated by the jury. I also filed a patent for this innovation. LTTS patent team has been extremely supportive and has helped me in each and every step of my patent journey. LTTS provided me with a platform to express my innovative ideas and I think all of this wouldn’t have been possible without it.
Your advice for Engineers at Heart
I’ll tell them my experience! I have been rejected by the LTTS patent team five times because my ideas didn’t make the cut. The sixth time, I filed a patent. I now hold 4 national and 1 international patents. So, don’t be afraid to fail. Failure is part of the journey. Be consistent and you’ll reach where you want to.
