AIR MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR AIR HYBRID ENGINE
First Claim
1. An air hybrid engine, comprising:
- an air tank configured to store pressurized air;
a heat exchanger operatively coupled to the air tank and to a cylinder of the engine, the heat exchanger being configured to selectively cool air as it is transferred from the cylinder to the air tank and being configured to selectively cool air as it is transferred from the air tank to the cylinder.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
Systems and related methods are disclosed that generally involve adjusting the temperature of an air mass to improve the efficiency of an air hybrid engine. In one embodiment, an air management system is provided that includes a heat exchanger, a recuperator, and associated control valves that connect between the air hybrid engine, its exhaust system, and its air tank. The air management system improves the efficiency of the energy transfer to the air tank by compressed air during AC and FC modes and improves the efficiency of the energy transfer from the air tank by compressed air during AE and AEF modes. The improvement in efficiency from the system results in reduced engine and vehicle fuel consumption during driving cycles comprising accelerations, decelerations, and steady-state cruising.
18 Citations
27 Claims
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1. An air hybrid engine, comprising:
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an air tank configured to store pressurized air; a heat exchanger operatively coupled to the air tank and to a cylinder of the engine, the heat exchanger being configured to selectively cool air as it is transferred from the cylinder to the air tank and being configured to selectively cool air as it is transferred from the air tank to the cylinder. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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3. A split-cycle air hybrid engine, comprising:
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a crankshaft rotatable about a crankshaft axis; a compression piston slidably received within a compression cylinder and operatively connected to the crankshaft such that the compression piston reciprocates through an intake stroke and a compression stroke during a single rotation of the crankshaft; an expansion piston slidably received within an expansion cylinder and operatively connected to the crankshaft such that the expansion piston reciprocates through an expansion stroke and an exhaust stroke during a single rotation of the crankshaft; a crossover passage interconnecting the compression and expansion cylinders, the crossover passage including a crossover compression (XovrC) valve and a crossover expansion (XovrE) valve defining a pressure chamber therebetween; an air tank selectively operable to store compressed air from the compression cylinder and to deliver compressed air to the expansion cylinder; and a heat exchanger operatively coupled to the air tank and the crossover passage via at least one control valve, the heat exchanger being configured to cool air moving from the crossover passage to the air tank and being configured to cool air moving from the air tank to the crossover passage. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method of operating a split-cycle air hybrid engine comprising:
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selectively cooling a first air mass as the first air mass is transferred from a crossover passage of the engine into an air tank of the engine by directing the first air mass through a heat exchanger; selectively cooling a second air mass as the second air mass is transferred from the air tank into the crossover passage by directing the second air mass through the heat exchanger; and selectively heating a third air mass as the third air mass is transferred from the air tank into the crossover passage by directing the third air mass through a recuperator. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. An air hybrid engine, comprising:
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an air tank configured to store pressurized air; and a heat exchanger operatively coupled to the air tank and to a cylinder of the engine, the heat exchanger being configured to cool air as it is transferred from the cylinder to the air tank and being configured to cool air as it is transferred from the air tank to the cylinder.
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15. An air hybrid engine, comprising:
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an air tank configured to store pressurized air; a recuperator operatively coupled to the air tank, a cylinder of the engine, and an exhaust system of the engine, the recuperator being configured to retain heat from exhaust gasses flowing therethrough and to use said retained heat to heat air moving from the air tank to the crossover passage during at least an AE operating mode.
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16. An air hybrid engine, comprising:
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an air tank configured to store pressurized air; a recuperator operatively coupled to the air tank, a cylinder of the engine, and an exhaust system of the engine, the recuperator being configured to retain heat from exhaust gasses flowing therethrough and to use said retained heat to selectively heat air moving from the air tank to the crossover passage during at least an AE operating mode. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A split-cycle air hybrid engine, comprising:
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a crankshaft rotatable about a crankshaft axis; a compression piston slidably received within a compression cylinder and operatively connected to the crankshaft such that the compression piston reciprocates through an intake stroke and a compression stroke during a single rotation of the crankshaft; an expansion piston slidably received within an expansion cylinder and operatively connected to the crankshaft such that the expansion piston reciprocates through an expansion stroke and an exhaust stroke during a single rotation of the crankshaft; a crossover passage interconnecting the compression and expansion cylinders, the crossover passage including at least a crossover expansion (XovrE) valve; an air tank selectively operable to store compressed air from the compression cylinder and to deliver compressed air to the expansion cylinder; and a recuperator operatively coupled to the air tank and the crossover passage via at least one control valve, the recuperator being configured to retain heat from exhaust gasses flowing therethrough and to use said retained heat to heat air moving from the air tank to the crossover passage during at least an AE operating mode. - View Dependent Claims (23)
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24. A method of operating a split-cycle air hybrid engine comprising:
- allowing a first air mass transferred from a crossover passage of the engine into an air tank of the engine to cool within the air tank;
selectively supplying a second air mass of cooled air from the air tank to the crossover passage; and selectively heating a third air mass as the third air mass is transferred from the air tank into the crossover passage by directing the third air mass through a recuperator. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27)
- allowing a first air mass transferred from a crossover passage of the engine into an air tank of the engine to cool within the air tank;
Specification