DEVICE AND METHOD FOR UTILIZING THE WASTE HEAT OF AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE, IN PARTICULAR FOR UTILIZING THE WASTE HEAT OF A VEHICLE ENGINE

• US 20150033737A1
• Filed: 11/30/2012
• Published: 02/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alena Von Lavante, Mikhael Mitri
• Original Assignee: Alena Von Lavante, Mikhael Mitri
• Inventors: Mitri, Mikhael, Von Lavante, Alena
• Granted Patent: US 9,657,601 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 60/614
• CPC Class Codes: F01K 23/065 the combustion taking place in an internal combustion piston engine, e.g. a diesel engine
• CPC Class Codes: F01K 23/10 with exhaust fluid of one cycle heating the fluid in another cycle F01K17/025 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F01K 25/06 using mixtures of different fluids plants using mixtures of steam and gas F01K21/04
• CPC Class Codes: F01K 25/08 using special vapours
• CPC Class Codes: F01K 7/32 the engines using steam of critical or overcritical pressure
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 5/02 the devices using heat
• CPC Class Codes: F02G 2260/00 Recuperating heat from exhaust gases of combustion engines and heat from cooling circuits
• CPC Class Codes: F02G 5/04 in combination with other waste heat from combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 20/16 Combined cycle power plant [CCPP], or combined cycle gas turbine [CCGT]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/12 Improving ICE efficiencies

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and a device for utilizing waste heat of an internal combustion engine, particularly for utilizing the waste heat of a vehicle engine, comprising at least one heat exchanger to transfer the waste heat from an internal combustion engine to a working medium; at least one turbine connected to a generator for generating mechanical or electrical energy, wherein said turbine is driven by said working medium; at least one cooler for cooling the working medium; at least one compressor for compressing the working medium; and at least one working medium circuit with pipes for the working medium, which is characterized in that the working medium, preferably carbon dioxide, propane, methanol or ethanol or a mixture of these fluids, is at least partially in a supercritical state.

Claims

1. A device for utilizing waste heat of an internal combustion engine, particularly for utilizing the waste heat of a vehicle engine, comprising:

at least one heat exchanger to transfer the waste heat from an internal combustion engine to a working medium;

at least one turbine connected to a generator for generating mechanical or electrical energy, wherein said turbine is driven by said working medium;

at least one cooler for cooling the working medium;

at least one compressor for compressing the working medium; and

at least one working medium circuit with pipes for the working medium, characterized in that the working medium, preferably carbon dioxide, propane , methanol or ethanol or a mixture of these fluids, is at least partially in a supercritical state.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the working medium is at least between said compressor and said heat exchanger in a supercritical state, preferably the working medium is in the whole working medium circuit in a supercritical state.

3. The device according to claim 1, further comprising at least one recuperator, which transfers heat from a fluid flow to be cooled to a fluid flow to be heated, wherein the recuperator for example cools the working medium after the turbine and heats the working medium prior to the heat exchanger .

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger is located in the area of the internal combustion engine, preferably in the coolant stream of the internal combustion engine, particularly directly downstream of the internal combustion engine.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger is located in the area of the exhaust stream of the internal combustion engine, preferably directly downstream of the internal combustion engine.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein two heat exchangers are arranged in the working medium circuit.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein the pipes of the working medium circuit are arranged between the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger and afterwards to eventually following heat exchangers, between the last heat exchanger and the at least one turbine, between the at least one turbine and at least one cooler, between the at least one cooler and the at least one compressor and between the at least one compressor and the first heat exchanger.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein a recuperator is arranged in the working medium circuit between the at least turbine and the at least one cooler as well as between the at least one compressor and the at least one heat exchanger, for cooling the working medium between the at least one turbine and the at least one cooler and heating the working medium between the at least one compressor and the first heat exchanger.

9. The device according to claim 1, comprising two working medium circuits, wherein in each working medium circuit a heat exchanger is arranged.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein the two working medium circuits are fluidly separated from each other.

11. The device according to claim 9, wherein between the first working medium circuit and the second working medium circuit a third heat exchanger is arranged, which transfers heat from the working medium of the first working medium circuit to the working medium of the second working medium circuit, wherein the third heat exchanger is built in such a way, that the first and the second working medium circuits are fluidly separated from each other.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein in the second working medium circuit a recuperator is arranged between the at least one turbine and the third heat exchanger and between the at least compressor and the second heat exchanger, to cool the working medium of the second medium circuit between the at least turbine and the third heat exchanger and to heat the working medium of the second working medium circuit between the at least one compressor and the second heat exchanger.

13. The device according to claim 9, wherein the at least one heat exchanger of the first working medium circuit is located in the area of the internal combustion engine, preferably in the coolant circuit of the internal combustion engine, particularly directly downstream of the internal combustion engine and that the at least one heat exchanger of the second working medium circuit is located in the area of the exhaust stream of the internal combustion engine, preferably directly downstream of the internal combustion engine.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the method is performed by means of a device according to any of claims 1 to 11.

14. A method for using the waste heat of an internal combustion engine, in particular for utilizing the waste heat of a vehicle engine, comprising the steps of:

heating a working medium by means of at least one heat exchanger, wherein the heat exchanger/s is/are preferably disposed in the region of the internal combustion engine and/or in the region the exhaust gas stream of the internal combustion engine;

powering a turbine connected to a generator by means of the heated working medium to generate mechanical or electrical power;

cooling of the working medium by means of a cooler;

compressing the working medium by means of a compressor;

wherein the working medium flows in a working medium circuit;

characterized in that the working medium, preferably carbon dioxide, propane, methanol or ethanol or a mixture thereof, is at least partly in a supercritical state.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising the step of transferring a part of the residual heat of the working medium after the at least one turbine to the working medium before the at least one heating of the working medium by means of the at least one heating exchanger, for example by using at least one recuperator.