DESC:FIELD
The present disclosure relates to the field of mechanical engineering. In particular, the present disclosure relates to field of vehicles.
BACKGROUND
Turbochargers are used in conjunction with diesel driven internal combustion engines in order to increase the power output of the engines. A turbocharger increases the output of an engine by supplying compressed air into a combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine. However, the temperature of the compressed air is high, and its introduction into the combustion chamber leads to an increase in the temperature of the charge (mixture of fuel and compressed air) inside the combustion chamber. The high temperature of the charge is not desirable, because it causes a reduction in the density of the charge (mixture of fuel and compressed air), thereby diminishing the power output of the internal combustion engine. It is therefore required to reduce the temperature of the compressed air, exiting the turbocharger and entering the combustion chamber, in order to facilitate the introduction of a denser charge inside the combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine. To this end, some conventional cooling systems involve the use of intercoolers disposed between the turbocharger and the intake manifold of the internal combustion engine. In Fig. 1, T1 is the temperature of a cooling medium and T3 is the temperature of the compressed air that is to be cooled, whereas T0 is the desired temperature of the compressed air. As seen in Fig. 1, after passing through the cooling system, the temperature of the cooling medium rises from T1 to T2, and that of the compressed air reduces from T3 to T4. However, the desired temperature of compressed air T0 is not achieved. Thus, the cooling system that relies on the cooling of compressed air using the intercooler fails to provide adequate cooling of the compressed air.
Another conventional cooling system involves the use of water as the cooling medium. In this cooling system, water is electrolyzed to loosen the bond of hydrogen and oxygen and converting water into a compound called oxyhydrogen (HHO). However, this cooling system involves the use of an external water pump, thereby rendering the cooling system more expensive.
Hence, in order to overcome the above mentioned drawbacks, there is need for a cooling system to cool compressed air entering the combustion chamber of internal combustion engines that is compact, efficient, and cost effective.
OBJECTS
Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment herein satisfies, are as follows.
It is an object of the present disclosure to ameliorate one or more problems of the prior art or to at least provide a useful alternative.
An object of the present disclosure is to provide an air cooling system for an internal combustion engine that has a simple configuration.
Another object of the present disclosure is to provide an air cooling system for an internal combustion engine that causes an increase in the fuel efficiency as well as the power output of the internal combustion engine.
Another object of the present disclosure is to provide an air cooling system for an internal combustion engine that does not involve the use of auxiliary equipment like pumps or compressors.
Other objects and advantages of the present disclosure will be more apparent from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying figure, which are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

SUMMARY
The present disclosure envisages a system for cooling compressed air that is to be delivered to an internal combustion engine from a compressed air source. The system comprises at least one heat exchanger which includes a shell having an air inlet in fluid communication with the compressed air source and adapted to receive the compressed air from the compressed air source. The heat exchanger also has an air outlet which is in fluid communication with an air intake manifold of the internal combustion engine for supplying cooled compressed air to the air intake manifold. A plurality of air conduits are disposed within the shell running from the air inlet to the air outlet for directing the flow of the compressed air. The plurality of air conduits are disposed within the shell such that a plurality of coolant passages are configured between the plurality of air conduits wherein the plurality of coolant passages facilitate the flow of a coolant around the air conduits, thereby enabling transfer of heat from the compressed air to the coolant. A coolant inlet that is configured on the shell is in fluid communication with a coolant source and is adapted to receive the coolant from the coolant source into the shell. A coolant outlet is also configured on the shell and is adapted to allow the discharge of the coolant from the shell back to the coolant source, wherein the coolant source is a coolant conduit that is adapted to supply the coolant to a radiator of the internal combustion engine.
In an embodiment, the air inlet is in fluid communication with the compressed air source via a compressed air conduit, and the air outlet is in fluid communication with the air intake manifold via an intercooler disposed downstream of the air outlet for facilitating further cooling of the compressed air, thereby obtaining further cooled compressed air. Thereafter the further cooled compressed air is conveyed to the intake manifold of the internal combustion engine.
In an embodiment, the coolant flowing around the plurality of air conduits inside the heat exchanger is water.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ACCOMPANYING DRAWING
A system for cooling compressed air to be delivered to an internal combustion engines will now be described with the help of the accompanying drawing in which:
Fig. 1 illustrates a graph depicting the temperature gain in cooling medium and temperature reduction in compressed air, in accordance with the prior art;
Fig. 2 illustrates an isometric view of a conventional cooling system with intercooler, radiator, and its routing, in accordance with the prior art;
Fig. 3 illustrates an isometric view of a system for cooling compressed air in internal combustion engine, with intercooler, radiator, and a routing, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Fig. 4 illustrates an enlarged view of the air cooling system; and
Fig. 5 is the schematic view of a heat exchanger of an air cooling system in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The present disclosure relates to a system for cooling the compressed air that is to be delivered to an internal combustion engine wherein, the internal combustion engine is one of a spark ignition engine or a compression ignition engine. It is known in the art to increase the power output of the internal combustion engine by cooling the compressed air. Fig. 2 illustrates an isometric view of a conventional compressed air cooling system 10 which includes an intercooler 13, a radiator 14, and routing thereof. The coolant from a coolant source is directly fed to the radiator 14 via a coolant conduit 11. The compressed air from a turbocharger (not shown) is fed to the intake manifold of the internal combustion engine (not shown) via the intercooler 13 disposed on an operative front face of the radiator 14. However, the cooling effect provided by the intercooler alone fails to provide adequate cooling of the compressed air as previously described.
Fig. 3 illustrates an isometric view of an air cooling system 100, comprises an intercooler 113, a radiator 114, a heat exchanger 103, and routing thereof, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The heat exchanger 103 is in fluid communication with a compressed air source via a compressed air conduit 112. The heat exchanger is also in fluid communication with a coolant conduit 110 via a coolant inlet conduit 104A and a coolant outlet conduit 104B. More specifically, the heat exchanger 103 is in-line with the compressed air conduit 112, disposed downstream of the compressed air source, and upstream of the intercooler 113. In an embodiment, the compressed air source is one of a supercharger and a turbocharger.
Fig. 4 illustrates an enlarged view of the air cooling system 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. As seen in Fig. 4, the coolant conduit 110 is in fluid communication with the heat exchanger 103 via the coolant inlet conduit 104A and the coolant outlet conduit 104B. A coolant enters the heat exchanger 103 via the coolant inlet conduit 104A and exits the heat exchanger via the coolant outlet conduit 104B. As seen in Fig. 5, the heat exchanger 103 comprises a shell 105 (also referred to as a housing) having an air inlet in fluid communication with the compressed air source and adapted to receive the compressed air from the compressed air source. The heat exchanger also has an air outlet in fluid communication with the intercooler that is disposed on the operative front end of the radiator 114 for supplying cooled compressed air to the air intake manifold of the internal combustion engine. The air inlet and the air outlet are defined on a plurality of air conduits 106 that is disposed within the shell 105. The plurality of air conduits 106 are disposed within the shell 105 such that a plurality of coolant passages are configured between the plurality of air conduits 106, wherein the plurality of coolant passages facilitate the flow of the coolant around the air conduits 106, thereby enabling heat transfer from the compressed air to the coolant. A coolant inlet 104A’ is configured on the shell is in fluid communication with a coolant source and is adapted to receive the coolant from the coolant source into the shell 105. A coolant outlet 104B’, configured on the shell 105, is adapted to allow discharge of the coolant from the shell 105 back to the coolant source wherein the coolant source is the coolant conduit 110 that is adapted to supply the coolant to a radiator of the internal combustion engine. The coolant inlet conduit 104A enables the fluid communication between the coolant inlet 104A’ and the coolant conduit 110, thereby allowing the coolant to enter into the heat exchanger 103. The coolant outlet conduit 104B enables the fluid communication between the coolant outlet 104B’ and the coolant conduit 110, thereby allowing the coolant to exit the heat exchanger 103 and return to the coolant conduit 110. The heat exchanger 103 disclosed in the present disclosure is a shell and tube type heat exchanger. However, the heat exchanger 103 is not limited to being only a shell and tube type of heat exchanger, and other configurations of the heat exchanger are well within the ambit of the present disclosure.
In an operative configuration, the compressed air conduit 112 is in fluid communication with the turbocharger of the internal combustion engine (not shown in the figures). The compressed air that is to be cooled, exiting the turbocharger of the internal combustion engine, is supplied to the compressed air conduit 112, wherefrom it is further supplied to the heat exchanger 103 disposed on the compressed air conduit 112. The compressed air enters into the plurality of air conduits 106 disposed within the housing 105 of the heat exchanger 103. The coolant from the coolant conduit 110 enters the heat exchanger 103 via the coolant inlet conduit 104A. After entering the heat exchanger 103, the coolant comes in thermal contact with the plurality of air conduits 106 within which the compressed air is flowing. The coolant temperature is lower than the temperature of the compressed air, thereby triggering a heat transfer mechanism. As the coolant flows from the coolant inlet opening 104A’ to the coolant outlet opening 104B’, it absorbs the heat contained in the compressed air thereby reducing the temperature of the compressed air. In an embodiment, the coolant is water.
The compressed air exiting the heat exchanger 103 is further fed to the intercooler 113 where it is further cooled. The intercooler 113 is disposed downstream of the heat exchanger 103 for facilitating further cooling of the compressed air, thereby obtaining further cooled compressed air, whereafter the further cooled compressed air is conveyed to the intake manifold of the internal combustion engine.
The further cooled compressed air exiting the intercooler 113 is supplied to the intake manifold of the internal combustion engine (not shown).
A CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) simulation was conducted for the air cooling system 100 of the present disclosure. The results of the aforementioned simulation were compared with the results obtained after conducting a CFD simulation on the conventional air cooling system 10. Table 1 illustrates the comparison of both the results.
TABLE 1:
Options Air: Turbo Out to Intercooler In Air: Intercooler Out To Intake Manifold Coolant: Engine To Radiator In
Without Heat Exchanger 120oC 50oC 88oC
With Heat Exchanger 93.8oC 42oC 91.5oC

As can be seen in table 1, the addition of the heat exchanger 103 to the air cooling system 100 reduces the temperature of the compressed air entering the intercooler by approximately 20%, which in turn helps to reduce the temperature of the compressed air at the intake manifold further by approximately 16%, thereby enhancing the overall performance of the internal combustion engine. On the other hand, the heat addition to the coolant is only 4% approximately. Hence, there is only a marginal increase in the heat load on the radiator.
The air cooling system 100 of the present disclosure has a simple configuration. It only requires the installation of the heat exchanger 103 on the compressed air conduit 112, which can easily be performed on the conventional air cooling system 10. Therefore the air cooling system 100 of the present disclosure can be retro-fitted in the conventional air cooling systems. Furthermore, the air cooling system 100 does not involve the use of auxiliary equipment like pumps or motors. As the system involves less number of components, it is cost effective and exhibits an extended service life.
TECHNICAL ADVANCES
The present disclosure described herein above has several technical advantages including, but not limited to, the realization of a system for cooling compressed air, wherein the system:
• has a simple configuration;
• causes an increase in efficiency as well as power output of the internal combustion engine; and
• does not involve the use of auxiliary equipment like pumps or compressors; and
• can be retrofitted in the conventional air cooling system.
The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained with reference to the non-limiting embodiments in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.
The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal 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, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps.
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.
The numerical values mentioned for the various physical parameters, dimensions or quantities are only approximations and it is envisaged that the values higher/lower than the numerical values assigned to the parameters, dimensions or quantities fall within the scope of the disclosure, unless there is a statement in the specification specific to the contrary.
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. ,CLAIMS:1. A system for cooling compressed air, to be delivered to an internal combustion engine, from a compressed air source, said system comprising:
at least one heat exchanger which includes:
a shell having
an air inlet in fluid communication with said compressed air source and adapted to receive the compressed air from said compressed air source;
an air outlet in fluid communication with an air intake manifold of said internal combustion engine for supplying cooled compressed air to said internal combustion engine via said air intake manifold;
a coolant inlet configured on said shell, said coolant inlet in fluid communication with a coolant source and adapted to receive a coolant from said coolant source into said shell; and
a coolant outlet configured on said shell and adapted to allow the discharge of said coolant from said shell back to said coolant source,
wherein said coolant source is a coolant conduit that is adapted to supply said coolant to a radiator of said internal combustion engine;
a plurality of air conduits, disposed within said shell, running from said air inlet to said air outlet for directing the flow of the compressed air, said plurality of air conduits being disposed within said shell such that a plurality of coolant passages are configured between said plurality of air conduits, wherein said plurality of coolant passages facilitate the flow of said coolant around said air conduits, thereby enabling transfer of heat from said compressed air, flowing through air conduits, to said coolant, for obtaining cooled compressed air.
2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said air inlet is in fluid communication with said compressed air source via a compressed air conduit.
3. The system as claimed in claim 1, which includes an intercooler disposed downstream of said air outlet for facilitating further cooling of said compressed air, thereby obtaining further cooled compressed air, whereafter said further cooled compressed air is conveyed to said intake manifold of said internal combustion engine.
4. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said coolant is water.