Claims:
WE CLAIM:
1. A degassing system for a turbocharged engine for cooling the turbocharger (130), said degassing system comprising:
a. a degassing tank (110); and
b. a conduit (140) having a first end (140a), a second end (140b), and a third end (140c), said first end (140a) fluidly connected to the turbocharger (130) for receiving the hot coolant from the turbocharger (130), said second end (140b) fluidly connected to the cooling unit of the cylinder-head (150) for receiving the hot coolant from the cylinder-head (150), and said third end (140c) connected to said degassing tank (110) for supplying the hot coolant received from the turbocharger (130) and the cooling unit of the cylinder-head (150), to said degassing tank (110) where degassing of coolant vapours that are mixed with coolant takes place.
2. A degassing system for a turbocharged engine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said degassing system is configured to direct the high temperature coolant from the turbocharger (130) to said degassing tank (110) where the coolant vapours collected in the operative top portion (110a) of said degassing tank (110) forces coolant towards the turbocharger (130) by virtue of thermo-siphon effect, thereby resulting in cooling of the turbocharger (130) during hot shutoff of the engine.
3. The degassing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said degassing system comprises:
a. a turbocharger coolant outlet (135) provided on the turbocharger (130), said turbocharger coolant outlet (135) connected to said first end (140a) of said conduit (140);
b. a cylinder-head coolant outlet (155) provided on the cylinder-head (150) of the engine, said cylinder-head coolant outlet (155) connected to said second end (140b) of said conduit (140);
c. a coolant pump for providing the required pressure head for circulating the coolant through cooling circuits;
d. a degassing tank coolant inlet (115a) fluidly connected to said third end (140c) of said conduit (140); and
e. a degassing tank outlet (115b) formed at the operative bottom portion of said degassing tank (110), said degassing tank outlet (115b) fluidly connected to a hose (160) that directs the coolant towards the coolant pump.
4. The degassing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said conduit (140) is a hose.
5. The degassing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the material of said conduit (140) is selected from the group consisting of rubber, synthetic rubber, polymer, and composite materials.
6. The degassing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said conduit (140) is a metal pipe.
7. The degassing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a pressure release valve (not seen in figures) is provided on said degassing tank (110) as a safety measure.
Dated this 13th Day of January, 2020

______________________________
MOHAN DEWAN, IN/PA - 25
of R.K.DEWAN & CO.
Authorized Agent of Applicant
, Description:
FIELD
The present disclosure relates to the field of turbocharged engines.
DEFINITIONS
As used in the present disclosure, the following terms are generally intended to have the meaning as set forth below, except to the extent that the context in which they are used indicate otherwise.
Hot shutoff - The term “Hot shutoff” hereinafter refers to a condition wherein the engine is automatically turned off due to overheating to avoid any damage to the engine due to high temperature.
Hot soaking - The term “Hot soaking” hereinafter refers to a condition wherein there is a rise in the engine coolant temperature and pressure after the engine is turned off.
Thermosyphon – The term “Thermosyphon” hereinafter refers to a method of passive heat exchange, based on natural convection, which circulates a fluid without the necessity of a mechanical pump. (Thermosyphoning is used for circulation of liquids and volatile gases in heating and cooling applications such as heat pumps, water heaters, boilers and furnaces.)
BACKGROUND
The background information herein below relates to the present disclosure but is not necessarily prior art.
High performance and high power engines are typically fitted with a turbocharger. In conventional turbocharged engines the temperature of the exhaust and engine component is usually on the higher side. A cooling system is used to keep the temperature of critical components such as bearing below upper limits. For a given turbocharger design the required heat dissipation into a coolant is mainly a function of the exhaust gas temperature and flow rate, oil temperature and flow rate, and the heat dissipation over the surface of the turbocharger housing. To achieve heat flux into the coolant is mainly a function of the coolant flow rate and the temperature difference between turbocharger housing and coolant. Maximum turbo housing temperature and exhaust mass flow are normally reached at the peak power point of the engine (i.e., at Vehicle top speed). In many cases the coolant flow is achieved by an engine driven mechanical coolant pump. The coolant flow rate through turbocharger is proportional to the engine speed. The coolant flow is sufficient to keep the temperatures within limit in this case.
However, during an uphill trailer towing condition the turbo housing reaches temperature close to the upper limit. As the engine rpm is lower, the coolant flow rate is significantly lower compared to the peak power point. This results in a significant increase in the temperature of bearing and other critical components of the turbocharger. The useful life of the turbocharger is thus reduced. In conventional coolant path design, there is no thermo-syphon effect happening during a hot shutoff. The coolant converted to vapors/steam is taken back to the coolant pump. Air gets trapped into coolant circuit and the engine life is reduced.
There is, therefore, felt a need of a degassing system for turbocharged engines that alleviates the above mentioned drawbacks.
OBJECTS
Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment herein satisfies, are as follows:
An object of the present disclosure is to provide a degassing system for turbocharged engines.
Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a degassing system for turbocharged engines that reduces the upper critical temperature of the turbocharger.
Yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide a degassing system for turbocharged engines that increases the useful life of the turbocharger.
Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a degassing system for turbocharged engines that provides effective cooling of the turbocharger at low low engine rpm.
Other objects and advantages of the present disclosure will be more apparent from the following description, which is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
SUMMARY
The present disclosure relates to a degassing system for a turbocharged engine. The degassing system comprises a degassing tank and a conduit for directing coolant from the turbocharger and cylinder head towards a degassing tank. The conduit has a first end, a second end, and a third end. The first end is fluidly connected to the turbocharger for receiving the hot coolant from the turbocharger. The second end is fluidly connected to a cooling unit of the cylinder-head for receiving the hot coolant from the cylinder-head. The third end is connected to the degassing tank for supplying the hot coolant received from the turbocharger and the cooling unit of the cylinder-head to the degassing tank where degassing of coolant vapors that are mixed with coolant takes place.
The coolant vapors collected in an operative top portion of the degassing tank force the coolant in the degassing tank towards the turbocharger by virtue of thermo-siphon effect thereby resulting in cooling of the turbocharger during hot shutoff of the engine.
In an embodiment a turbocharger coolant outlet is provided on the turbocharger, wherein the turbocharger coolant outlet is connected to the first end of the conduit. A cylinder-head coolant outlet is also provided on the cylinder-head of the engine, wherein the cylinder-head coolant outlet is connected to the second end of the conduit. A coolant pump provides the required pressure head for circulating the coolant through cooling circuits. A degassing tank coolant inlet is fluidly connected to the third end of the conduit.
In an embodiment a degassing tank outlet is formed at the operative bottom portion of the degassing tank, wherein the degassing tank outlet is fluidly connected to a hose that directs the coolant towards the coolant pump.
In another embodiment the conduit of the degassing system is a hose.
In another embodiment the material of the conduit is selected from the group consisting of rubber, synthetic rubber, polymer, and composite materials.
In another embodiment the conduit is a metal pipe.
In another embodiment a pressure release valve is provided on the degassing tank as a safety measure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ACCOMPANYING DRAWING
The degassing system for turbocharged engines of the present disclosure will now be described with the help of the accompanying drawing, in which:
Figures 1 and 2 illustrate perspective views of a degassing system for turbocharged engines, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; and
Figure 3 illustrates a cut section view of a turbocharger of the degassing system shown in Figure 1.
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS USED IN DETAILED DESCRIPTION AND DRAWING
110 – Degassing tank
110a – Operative top portion of the degassing tank
115a – Degassing tank coolant inlet
115b – Degassing tank coolant outlet
120 – Oil cooling and filtration module
130 – Turbocharger
131 – Trust bearings
132 – Radial bearings
134 – Turbocharger coolant inlet
135 – Turbocharger coolant outlet
136a – Oil inlet
136b – Oil outlet
140 – Conduit
140a – First end of the pipe
140b – Second end of the pipe
140c – Third end of the pipe
150 – Cylinder head
155 – Cylinder head coolant outlet
160 – Hose
165a – Exhaust gas inlet
165b – Exhaust gas outlet
175a – Fresh air inlet
175b – Compressed air outlet
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Embodiments, of the present disclosure, will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing.
Embodiments are provided so as to thoroughly and fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to the person skilled in the art. Numerous details are set forth, relating to specific components, and methods, to provide a complete understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to the person skilled in the art that the details provided in the embodiments should not be construed to limit the scope of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, well-known processes, well-known apparatus structures, and well-known techniques are not described in detail.
The terminology used, in the present disclosure, is only for the purpose of explaining a particular embodiment and such terminology shall not be considered to limit the scope of the present disclosure. As used in the present disclosure, the forms "a,” "an," and "the" may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly suggests otherwise. The terms "comprises," "comprising," “including,” and “having,” are open ended transitional phrases and therefore specify the presence of stated features, elements, units and/or components, but do not forbid the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The particular order of steps disclosed in the method and process of the present disclosure is not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance as described or illustrated. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.
When an element is referred to as being "mounted on," “engaged to,” "connected to," or "coupled to" another element, it may be directly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element. As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed elements.
The terms first, second, third, etc., should not be construed to limit the scope of the present disclosure as the aforementioned terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another component, region, layer or section. Terms such as first, second, third etc., when used herein do not imply a specific sequence or order unless clearly suggested by the present disclosure.
Terms such as “inner,” “outer,” "beneath," "below," "lower," "above," "upper," and the like, may be used in the present disclosure to describe relationships between different elements as depicted from the figures.
Figures 1 and 2 illustrate perspective views of a degassing system for turbocharged engines, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
The degassing system comprises a degassing tank 110, a conduit 140, a hose 160, and a coolant pump (not seen in figures). The system is configured to collect hot coolant from the turbocharger 130 and cylinder-head 150 of the engine and separate coolant vapors from the coolant in liquid form. The turbocharger 130 is provided with a turbocharger coolant outlet 135 from where the heated coolant exits the turbocharger housing after extracting heat from components like bearings and bushings. Further, a cylinder-head coolant outlet 155 is also provided on the cylinder-head 150. An oil cooling and filtration module 120 is also provided.
The coolant passes through housing of the turbocharger 130 to extract heat from axial trust bearing/s 131, radial bearing/s 132, and other components of the turbocharger as shown in figure 3.
The conduit 140 has three ends viz. a first end 140a, a second end 140b, and a third end 140c. The first end 140a is fluidly connected to the turbocharger coolant outlet 135 so as to collect hot coolant from the turbocharger 130 while the second end 140b is fluidly connected to the cylinder-head coolant outlet 155 to collect hot coolant from the cylinder-head 150. The coolant received via the first and the second ends (140a and 140b) of the conduit 140 travels upside towards the degassing tank 110. The two fluid paths of the hot coolant merge together along their travel towards the degassing tank 110 and the hot coolant flows towards the third end 140c of the conduit 140. The third end 140c is configured to direct the hot coolant received from the first and second ends (140a and 140b) towards the degassing tank 110. The exit of the conduit is connected to coolant inlet of the degassing tank 115a.
In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a pressure release valve (not shown in figures) is provided on the degassing tank 110 as a safety measure, to release any excess pressure developed due to hot coolant vapors.
The conduit 140, hose 160, and the degassing tank 110 are made of a material that is capable of sustaining high temperature.
After the heated coolant from the turbocharger 130 is passed to the degassing tank 110, the coolant vapors get separated from the liquid coolant therein. The high temperature and high pressure coolant vapors collected in an operative top portion 110a of the degassing tank 110, force the coolant in the degassing tank 110 towards the coolant pump (not seen in figures) by virtue of thermo-siphon effect. This helps in cooling of the turbocharger 130 even when the engine is hot shut-down.
The advantage of directing the hot coolant towards the degassing tank 110 is that, only the coolant in pure liquid phase is supplied to the coolant pump and thus through the cooling system. This improves the efficiency and effectiveness of cooling system. The useful life of the turbocharger 130, the bearings (131 and 132), and the engine is significantly increased.
The degassing system of the present disclosure is useful in vehicle mainly during the uphill condition which results in the overheating of the engine and the coolant. Furthermore, the overheated gaseous coolant gets condensed inside the degassing tank and the formation of hydraulic lock in the hose 160 is avoided. The coolant leaves the degassing tank through the return hose of the degassing tank and flow towards the engine coolant pump (not seen in figures). Coolant from the turbocharger 130 is connected back to coolant coming out from the cylinder head 150 and thus closing the thermo-circuit.
Important parameters for the efficient working of the proposed system are:
• an inlet flow of coolant from the degassing tank 110; and
• upward oriented conduit 140 from the turbocharger 130 and the cylinder-head 150.
Special care is to be taken for avoiding local high and low points in the coolant circuit, such that during hot shut-off of the engine the hot coolant move upward towards the degassing tank 110 by natural convention. This feature eliminates the need of the operation of coolant pump during engine shut-off, which is a challenging task to achieve.
The thermo-siphon effect is a method of passive heat exchange, based on natural convection, which circulates a fluid without the necessity of a mechanical pump. During hot soaking condition, flow of coolant due to the thermo-siphon effect helps in improving the turbo bearing life.
Figure 3 shows a cut section view of the turbocharger 130. The coolant enters the turbocharger housing through a turbocharger coolant inlet 134, absorbs the heat from various components of the turbocharger 130 and then exits through the turbocharger coolant outlet 135. An oil inlet 136a and an oil outlet 136b are provided in the turbocharger housing for lubrication oil. Exhaust gas inlet 165a is provided for receiving exhaust gas for driving the impeller of the turbocharger 130. The exhaust gas leaves the turbocharger via exhaust gas outlet 165b. Fresh air is inducted into the turbocharger 130 via a fresh air inlet 175a, which then exits the turbocharger 130 as a compressed charge from compressed air outlet 175b. The compressed air is used in the combustion chamber of the engine.
The following secondary parameters are to be considered while designing the above described layout in addition to the turbo bearing temperature and oil temperature limits:
i. maximum specified coolant volume flow rate over the degassing tank must not be exceeded;
ii. maximum specified coolant, hose, and degassing tank temperatures must not be exceeded; and
iii. maximum specified pressure inside the degassing tank must not be exceeded.
The degassing system keeps the temperature of critical components of the turbocharger 130 below upper limits. The system increases the useful life of the turbocharger and engine.
The advantage of using the degassing system of the present disclosure is that an efficient cooling function is achieved even when the engine is running at a lower speed.
The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Individual components of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, are interchangeable. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the present disclosure, and all such modifications are considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure.
TECHNICAL ADVANCES AND ECONOMICAL SIGNIFICANCE
The present disclosure described herein above has several technical advantages including, but not limited to, the realization of a degassing system for turbocharged engines that:
• enhances the cooling of the turbocharger;
• increases the useful life of the turbocharger;
• has eliminated formation of hydraulic lock in coolant pipe; and
• has improved the efficiency of coolant pump by eliminating the vapours being carried to the inlet of the coolant pump.
The foregoing description of the specific embodiments so fully reveals the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.
Throughout this specification the word “comprise”, or variations such as “comprises” or “comprising”, will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element, or group of elements, but not the exclusion of any other element, or group of elements.
The use of the expression “at least” or “at least one” suggests the use of one or more elements or ingredients or quantities, as the use may be in the embodiment of the disclosure to achieve one or more of the desired objects or results.
Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles or the like that has been included in this specification is solely for the purpose of providing a context for the disclosure. It is not to be taken as an admission that any or all of these matters form a part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the disclosure as it existed anywhere before the priority date of this application.
While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the components and component parts of the preferred embodiments, it will be appreciated that many embodiments can be made and that many changes can be made in the preferred embodiments without departing from the principles of the disclosure. These and other changes in the preferred embodiment as well as other embodiments of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein, whereby it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrative of the disclosure and not as a limitation.