Twin-Charged Boosting System for Internal Combustion Engines
First Claim
1. A twin-charged boosting system for boosting an internal combustion engine, comprising:
- a) a turbocharger driven by exhaust from said engine and capable of taking in combustion air to form an air charge for said engine;
b) a supercharger;
c) a variable-speed drive operationally connecting said supercharger to said engine such that said supercharger is driven by said engine as either a compressor or an expander; and
d) a first charge air cooler disposed between said supercharger and an inlet to said engine.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A boost system comprising a turbocharger, a supercharger operable as either a compressor or an expander. Air flows through the turbocharger, optionally through a first charge air cooler CAC1, then through the supercharger, a second charge air cooler CAC2, and into the engine. At low engine speeds, the supercharger may be used to compress air, which is tempered by CAC2. At high engine speeds, the turbocharger has excess capacity, resulting in a hot compressed air stream. The supercharger operates as an expander to cool the air stream and reduce the air pressure and temperature to a desired level. Temperature may be reduced to a level below that desired for combustion; CAC2 then rewarms the air, thereby storing cooling capacity. A useful embodiment incorporates a turbocharger with a hybrid gas/electric or diesel/electric engine arrangement wherein a supercharger and a starter/generator/motor are disposed on a disconnectable secondary drive powered by the engine.
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Citations
14 Claims
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1. A twin-charged boosting system for boosting an internal combustion engine, comprising:
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a) a turbocharger driven by exhaust from said engine and capable of taking in combustion air to form an air charge for said engine; b) a supercharger; c) a variable-speed drive operationally connecting said supercharger to said engine such that said supercharger is driven by said engine as either a compressor or an expander; and d) a first charge air cooler disposed between said supercharger and an inlet to said engine. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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8. A twin-charged boosting system for boosting a hybrid-operating internal combustion engine, comprising:
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a) a turbocharger driven by exhaust from said engine and capable of taking in combustion air to form an air charge for said engine; b) a supercharger for receiving said air charge and delivering a compressed air charge to said engine; c) a clutch operationally connected to said engine, said clutch including an active clutch portion that can be selectively opened or closed; d) a starter/motor/generator operationally connected to said supercharger; e) a drive element connecting said supercharger, said clutch, and said starter/motor/generator; and f) a second charge air cooler disposed between said supercharger and said engine, wherein said clutch is disposed in a position selected from the group consisting of directly on the crankshaft of said engine, on an accessory drive element of said engine, and on a rotating element in the drive line which is normally connected to the output shaft of said engine, wherein said system is coupled mechanically to said engine when said active clutch portion is closed, and wherein said system is decoupled mechanically from said engine and may be driven by said starter/motor/generator when said active clutch portion is open. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10)
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Specification