Internal combustion engine turbosystem and method
First Claim
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1. An oil-only, internal combustion engine system with an exhaust-driven, cooling system, comprising:
- a multi-cylinder, internal, combustion-engine assembly;
means for providing a mixture of fuel and air to the internal combustion engine assembly;
means for carrying the product of the combusted fuel-air mixture from the internal combustion engine assembly;
means for providing a flow of lubricant to and from the internal combustion engine assembly for lubricating the internal combustion engine assembly and for carrying heat generated by operation of the internal combustion engine assembly away from the internal combustion engine assembly;
an oil cooler, connected with said means for providing a flow of lubricant, to dissipate the heat carried by said lubricant from the internal combustion engine assembly prior to its return to the internal combustion engine assembly;
a turbocooler having a turbine connected with the means to carry the product of the combusted fuel-air mixture from the internal combustion engine assembly so that the exhaust gas carried from the internal combustion engine assembly by said exhaust means drives the turbine of the turbocooler, said turbocooler also having a ducted fan means driven by the turbine of the turbocooler, said ducted fan means communicating with atmosphere and generating a ducted flow of cooling air;
means for directing the flow of cooling air generated by the fan means of said turbocooler through the oil cooler to cool the lubricant and dissipate the heat generated in operation of the internal combustion engine assembly; and
means for directing the cooling air generated by said turbocooler from said oil cooler to said means for carrying the product of the combusted fuel-air mixture from said internal combustion engine assembly, said means for directing the cooling air including a portion forming a cooling air inlet surrounding said means for carrying the combusted fuel-air product prior to its leaving the exhaust-carrying means, thereby substantially reducing both the temperature and the pressure of the internal combustion engine exhaust.
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Abstract
An exhaust-driven cooling system for an internal combustion engine includes a turbocooler having an exhaust-driven turbine and fan means to generate a flow of cooling air for use in an internal combustion engine heat exchanger to dissipate heat losses of the engine. The system can provide internal combustion engines with substantially reduced temperatures and pressures for its exhaust gas and exhaust system components and substantially improved reliability and efficiency.
60 Citations
33 Claims
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1. An oil-only, internal combustion engine system with an exhaust-driven, cooling system, comprising:
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a multi-cylinder, internal, combustion-engine assembly; means for providing a mixture of fuel and air to the internal combustion engine assembly; means for carrying the product of the combusted fuel-air mixture from the internal combustion engine assembly; means for providing a flow of lubricant to and from the internal combustion engine assembly for lubricating the internal combustion engine assembly and for carrying heat generated by operation of the internal combustion engine assembly away from the internal combustion engine assembly; an oil cooler, connected with said means for providing a flow of lubricant, to dissipate the heat carried by said lubricant from the internal combustion engine assembly prior to its return to the internal combustion engine assembly; a turbocooler having a turbine connected with the means to carry the product of the combusted fuel-air mixture from the internal combustion engine assembly so that the exhaust gas carried from the internal combustion engine assembly by said exhaust means drives the turbine of the turbocooler, said turbocooler also having a ducted fan means driven by the turbine of the turbocooler, said ducted fan means communicating with atmosphere and generating a ducted flow of cooling air; means for directing the flow of cooling air generated by the fan means of said turbocooler through the oil cooler to cool the lubricant and dissipate the heat generated in operation of the internal combustion engine assembly; and means for directing the cooling air generated by said turbocooler from said oil cooler to said means for carrying the product of the combusted fuel-air mixture from said internal combustion engine assembly, said means for directing the cooling air including a portion forming a cooling air inlet surrounding said means for carrying the combusted fuel-air product prior to its leaving the exhaust-carrying means, thereby substantially reducing both the temperature and the pressure of the internal combustion engine exhaust.
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2. A method of providing cooling for an internal combustion engine using the exhaust gas of the engine, comprising:
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directing the exhaust gas from said engine to a turbocooling device having a turbine and a ducted fan means; driving the turbine and ducted fan means of the turbocooling device with the exhaust gas of the internal combustion engine; directing ambient air to the turbine-driven ducted fan means of the turbocooling device; generating a ducted flow of cooling air with said ducted turbine-driven fan means; directing the ducted flow of cooling air from said ducted fan means of the turbocooler to a heat exchanger connected with said internal combustion engine to receive heated coolant from the internal combustion engine; cooling said heated coolant with the ducted cooling air from said turbocooler; directing the ducted cooling air to an exhaust from the turbocooler device; surrounding the exhaust from the turbocooler device with the ducted cooling air; and reducing the temperature and pressure in the exhaust system with said ducted cooling air prior to its release to atmosphere. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4)
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5. A method of turbocompounding an internal combustion engine, comprising:
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directing a flow of exhaust from the internal combustion engine to a turbocooling device having a turbine portion and a fan portion; driving the turbine portion of the turbocooling device with the exhaust gas, thereby driving the fan portion of the turbocooling device; generating a flow of cooling air with the fan portion of the turbocooling device; driving the turbine portion of a turbocharger with the exhaust gas, thereby driving the compressor portion of the turbocharger; compressing ambient air with the compressor of said turbocharger, thereby generating a flow of charge-air for introduction into said engine; directing said compressed charge-air through a first charge-air cooling means; directing a flow of cooling air through said first charge-air cooling means, thereby lowering the temperature of said charge air; compressing said charge-air further with a compressor of a compressor-expander device; directing said further compressed charge-air through a second charge-air cooling means; directing a flow of cooling air through said second charge-air cooling means, thereby lowering the temperature of said further compressed charge-air; directing said cooled, further compressed charge-air from said second charge-air cooling means to an expander of the compressor-expander device; expanding the cooled, further compressed charge-air with the expander of said compressor-expander device to further cool said cooled, further compressed charge-air; introducing said further cooled, compressed charge-air into said internal combustion engine; and cooling coolant from said engine with said cooling air. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. An internal combustion engine system with an exhaust-driven, cooling system, comprising:
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a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine assembly; means for carrying the product of the combusted fuel-air mixture from the internal combustion engine assembly; means for providing a flow of coolant to and from the internal combustion engine assembly for carrying heat generated by operation of the internal combustion engine assembly away from the internal combustion engine assembly; a heat exchanger connected with said means for providing a flow of coolant to dissipate the heat carried by said coolant from the internal combustion engine assembly prior to its return to the internal combustion engine assembly; a turbocooler having an exhaust-driven turbine and ducted fan means for generating a ducted flow of cooling air; means to direct the ducted flow of cooling air generated by the exhaust-driven ducted fan means of said turbocooler through the heat exchanger to cool the coolant and dissipate the heat losses generated by the internal combustion engine assembly; and means for directing the ducted flow of cooling air generated by said turbocooler from said heat exchanger to an engine exhaust system portion adapted to use the cooling air to surround and cool the engine exhaust gas prior to its leaving the exhaust system. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13)
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14. An oil-only, internal combustion engine system with an exhaust-driven, cooling system, comprising:
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a multi-cylinder, internal, combustion-engine assembly; means for providing a mixture of fuel and air to the internal combustion engine assembly; means for carrying exhaust gas from the internal combustion engine assembly; means for providing a flow of lubricant to and from the internal combustion engine assembly for lubricating the internal combustion engine assembly and for carrying heat generated by operation of the internal combustion engine assembly away from the internal combustion engine assembly; an oil cooler, connected with said means for providing a flow of lubricant, to dissipate the heat carried by said lubricant from the internal combustion engine assembly prior to its return to the internal combustion engine assembly; a turbocooler having a turbine connected with the means to carry exhaust gas from the internal combustion engine assembly so that the exhaust gas carried from the internal combustion engine assembly by said exhaust-carrying means drives the turbine of the turbocooler, said turbocooler also having a fan means driven by the turbine of the turbocooler, said fan means communicating with atmosphere and generating a flow of cooling air; and means for directing the flow of cooling air generated by the fan means of said turbocooler through the oil cooler to cool the lubricant and dissipate the heat generated in operation of the internal combustion engine assembly, said means for providing a mixture of fuel and air to the internal combustion engine assembly comprising; a turbocharger having a turbine connected with the means to carry the exhaust gas from the internal combustion engine assembly so that the exhaust gas carried from the internal combustion engine assembly by said exhaust-carrying means drives the turbine of the turbocharger, said turbocharger also having a charge-air compressor driven by the turbine of the turbocharger to deliver a flow of pressurized charge-air to the cylinders of the internal combustion engine assembly; a charge-air cooler connected between the charge-air compressor of the turbocharger and the cylinders of the internal combustion engine assembly; and means for directing the cooling air generated by the fan means of the turbocooler through the charge-air cooler. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A method of providing cooling for an internal combustion engine using the exhaust gas of the engine, comprising:
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directing the exhaust gas from said engine to a turbocooling device having a turbine and a fan means; driving the turbine and fan means of the turbocooling device with the exhaust gas of the internal combustion engine; directing ambient air to the turbine-driven fan means of the turbocooling device; generating a flow of cooling air with said turbine-driven fan means; directing the cooling air from said fan means of the turbocooler to a heat exchanger connected with said internal combustion engine to receive heated coolant from the internal combustion engine; cooling said heated coolant with the cooling air from said turbocooler; directing the exhaust gas from said engine to a turbocharger device having a turbine and a compressor; driving the turbine and compressor of the turbocharger with the exhaust gas of the internal combustion engine; directing ambient air to the compressor of the turbocharger; compressing the ambient air with the compressor of the turbocharger to create compressed charge-air for said engine; directing the compressed charge-air from the compressor of the turbocharger to a first charge-air cooler; generating a flow of cooling air through the first charge-air cooler with the fan means of the turbocooler; and cooling the compressed charge-air with the flow of cooling air prior to directing the compressed ambient air to the internal combustion engine. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. An internal combustion engine assembly with an exhaust-driven, cooling system, comprising:
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a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine assembly; means for carrying exhaust gas from the internal combustion engine assembly; means for providing a flow of coolant to and from the internal combustion engine assembly for carrying heat generated by operation of the internal combustion engine assembly away from the internal combustion engine assembly; a heat exchanger connected with said means for providing a flow of coolant to dissipate the heat carried by said coolant from the internal combustion engine assembly prior to its return to the internal combustion engine assembly; a turbocooler having an exhaust-driven fan means for generating a flow of cooling air; means to direct the flow of cooling air generated by the exhaust-driven fan means of said turbocooler through the heat exchanger to cool the coolant and dissipate the heat losses generated by the internal combustion engine assembly; means for directing the cooling air generated by said turbocooler from said heat exchanger to an engine exhaust system portion adapted to use the cooling air to cool the engine exhaust gas prior to its leaving the exhaust system; means for providing a mixture of fuel and air to the internal combustion engine assembly, including a turbocharger having a turbine connected with the means to carry the exhaust gas from the internal combustion engine assembly so that the exhaust gas drives the turbine of the turbocharger, said turbocharger also having a compressor driven by the turbine of the turbocharger to deliver a flow of pressurized charge-air to the cylinders of the internal combustion engine assembly; and a first charge-air cooler connected between the charge-air compressor of the turbocharger and the cylinders of the internal combustion engine assembly, said system further comprising means for directing the cooling air generated by the fan means of the turbocooler through the charge-air cooler. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31)
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32. An internal combustion engine assembly, comprising:
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a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine producing exhaust gas; means for providing flows of a plurality of fluids in operation of the internal combustion engine assembly; means for carrying the exhaust gas from the internal combustion engine; a turbocooler communicating with said means for carrying the exhaust gas and including ducted fan means driven by said exhaust gas for generating a flow of cooling air; a plurality of heat exchangers connected with said means for providing flows of a plurality of fluids, with a separate heat exchanger for each of said plurality of fluids; conduit means to direct the cooling air from said ducted fan means of said turbocooler through each of the plurality of heat exchangers to cool each of the plurality of fluids provided in operation of the internal combustion engine assembly. - View Dependent Claims (33)
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Specification