Supercharger aftercooler for internal combustion engines

• US 6,293,264 B1
• Filed: 10/28/1998
• Issued: 09/25/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Vortech Engineering, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Vortech Engineering, Inc.
• Inventors: Middlebrook, James K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kamen, Noah P.
• Application Number:
  US09/181,721
• Time in Patent Office: 1,063 Days
• Field of Search: 123/563, 123/184.21, 165/174
• US Class Current: 123/563
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2060/02 Intercooler
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 3/20 Cooling circuits not specific to a single part of engine or machine F01P3/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 29/0443 Layout of the coolant or refrigerant circuit
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 29/0462 Liquid cooled heat exchangers
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 29/0475 the intake air cooler being combined with another device, e.g. heater, valve, compressor, filter or EGR cooler, or being assembled on a special engine location
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/12 Improving ICE efficiencies

Abstract

An aftercooler for a supercharged internal combustion engine for cooling supercharged air delivered to the internal combustion engine from the supercharger. The aftercooler has an air intake plenum with an air inlet for receiving supercharged air from the supercharger and an air outlet, a liquid-to-air heat exchanger unit, and a lower plenum for connection to the engine. The heat exchanger unit has an air intake side and an air outlet side, cooling liquid passageways and air passageways passing adjacent to the cooling liquid passageways to cool the supercharged air passing. The lower air inlet plenum has an air inlet for receiving cooled air from the liquid-to-air heat exchanger unit and directs the supercharged cooled air to an air outlet for connection to a cylinder head of an internal combustion engine.

Claims

1. An aftercooler for a supercharged internal combustion engine for cooling supercharged air delivered to the internal combustion engine from the supercharger, comprising:

(a) at least one air intake plenum having an air inlet for receiving supercharged air from the supercharger and an air outlet, the air intake plenum having a domed top with downwardly slanted side walls adapted to evenly distribute the supercharged air at the air outlet;

(b) at least one liquid-to-air heat exchanger unit having,

an air intake side and an air outlet side, front and back walls, side walls, and a plurality of air passageways passing from the air intake side to the air outlet side, the air outlet of the air intake plenum being attached to the air intake side of the liquid-to-air heat exchanger unit, the combination of the air intake plenum and the liquid-to-air heat exchange unit thereby symmetrically and uniformly directing the supercharged airflow through the liquid-to-air heat exchanger unit to reduce turbulence and improve air distribution and thereby provide improved cooling,

a plurality of cooling liquid passageways having at least one cooling liquid inlet and at least one cooling liquid outlet, the plurality of air passageways passing adjacent to the cooling liquid passageways to cool the supercharged air passing through the liquid-to-air heat exchanger unit; and

(c) at least one cooled air inlet plenum having at least one air inlet for receiving cooled supercharged air from the at least one liquid-to-air heat exchanger unit and having cooled air outlets adapted for evenly directing the supercharged cooled air to tuned inlet runners of a cylinder head of an internal combustion engine.

2. The aftercooler of claim 1, wherein the at least one liquid-to-air heat exchanger unit is directly connected to the cooled air plenum without any additional air ducting and the cooled air plenum and the tuned inlet runners are directly connected to the internal combustion engine without any additional air ducting so as to lessen decreases in supercharged air pressure.

3. The aftercooler of claim 1, wherein the tuned inlet runners are incorporated into the cooled air plenum.

4. An aftercooler for a supercharged internal combustion race cars engine having a primary cooling system, the aftercooler being for cooling supercharged air delivered to the internal combustion engine from the supercharger, the aftercooler comprising:

(a) at least one air intake plenum having an air inlet for receiving supercharged air from the supercharger and an air outlet, the air intake plenum having a domed top with downwardly slanted side walls adapted to evenly distribute the supercharged air at the air outlet;

(b) at least one liquid-to-air heat exchanger unit having,

an air intake side and an air outlet side, front and back walls, side walls, a plurality of air passageways passing from the air intake side to the air outlet side,

a plurality of cooling liquid passageways having at least one cooling liquid inlet and at least one cooling liquid outlet, the plurality of air passageways passing adjacent to the cooling liquid passageways to cool the supercharged air passing through the liquid-to-air heat exchanger unit, the air outlet of the air intake plenum being attached to the air intake side of the liquid-to-air heat exchanger unit, wherein the combination of the air intake plenum and the liquid-to-air heat exchange unit thereby symmetrically and uniformly directing the supercharged airflow through the liquid-to-air heat exchanger unit to reduce turbulence and improve air distribution and thereby provide improved cooling;

(c) a secondary cooling liquid system that is separate from the primary cooling system of the internal combustion engine, the secondary cooling liquid system having a separate cooling liquid reservoir for holding cooling liquid and being connected to the at least one cooling liquid inlet and the at least one cooling liquid outlet of the at least one liquid-to-air heat exchanger unit; and

(d) at least one cooled air outlet plenum having at least one air inlet for receiving cooled air from the at least one liquid-to-air heat exchanger unit and having cooled air outlets adapted for evenly directing the supercharged cooled air to a cylinder head of an internal combustion engine.

5. The aftercooler of claim 4, wherein the secondary cooling liquid system further comprises a separate pump and piping, the separate pump being adapted to pump cooling liquid from the separate cooling liquid reservoir through the piping and through the at least one liquid-to-air heat exchanger unit.

6. The aftercooler of claim 5, further comprising tuned inlet runners connected to the cylinder head of the internal combustion engine.

7. The aftercooler of claim 5, wherein the cooled air outlet plenum is adapted to directly connect to a manifold which is adapted to directly connect to the internal combustion engine, the manifold comprising the tuned inlet runners.

8. The aftercooler of claim 5, wherein the separate cooling liquid reservoir has a capacity of between 18 to 38 liters.

9. The aftercooler of claim 5, wherein the at least one liquid-to-air heat exchanger unit is directly connected to the cooled air outlet plenum without any additional air ducting and the cooled air outlet plenum and tuned inlet runners are directly connected to the internal combustion engine without any additional air ducting so as to lessen decreases in supercharged air pressure.

10. An aftercooler for a supercharged internal combustion engine for cooling supercharged air delivered to the internal combustion engine from the supercharger, comprising:

(a) at least one air intake plenum having an air inlet for receiving supercharged air from the supercharger and an air outlet;

(b) at least one liquid-to-air heat exchanger unit having,

an air intake side and an air outlet side, front and back walls, side walls, a plurality of air passageways passing from the air intake side to the air outlet side, wherein the plurality of air passageways comprise a plurality of spaced apart pairs of spaced apart vertical walls having upper and lower ends and opposing front and rear sides, side cap portions to seal off each of the pairs of spaced apart vertical walls at their front and rear sides, the upper and lower ends of the spaced apart walls being open for air passage,

a plurality of cooling liquid passageways having at least one cooling liquid inlet and at least one cooling liquid outlet, wherein the plurality of liquid passageways are formed by upper horizontal walls and lower horizontal walls, the upper horizontal walls being positioned at upper ends of the spaced apart pairs of spaced part vertical walls and extending between the plurality of the air passageways from the front and the rear sides, the lower horizontal walls being positioned at the lower ends of the spaced apart pairs of spaced part vertical walls and extending between the plurality of the air passageways from the front and the rear sides, the plurality of air passageways passing adjacent to the cooling liquid passageways to cool the supercharged air passing through the liquid-to-air heat exchanger unit, the air outlet of the air intake plenum being attached to the air intake side of the liquid-to-air heat exchanger unit; and

(c) at least one cooled air outlet plenum having at least one air inlet for receiving cooled air from the at least one liquid-to-air heat exchanger unit and having cooled air outlets adapted for evenly directing the supercharged cooled air to tuned inlet runners connected to a cylinder head of an internal combustion engine.

11. The aftercooler of claim 10, further comprising a secondary cooling liquid system that is separate from a primary cooling system used for cooling of the internal combustion engine, the secondary cooling liquid system having a separate cooling liquid reservoir for holding cooling liquid and being connected to the at least one cooling liquid inlet and the at least one cooling liquid outlet of the at least one liquid-to-air heat exchanger unit.

12. The aftercooler of claim 11, wherein the secondary cooling liquid system further comprises a separate pump and piping, the separate pump being adapted to pump cooling liquid from the separate cooling liquid reservoir through the piping and through the at least one liquid-to-air heat exchanger unit.

13. The aftercooler of claim 10, wherein the cooled air outlet plenum is adapted to directly connect to a manifold which is adapted to directly connect to the internal combustion engine, the manifold comprising the tuned inlet runners.

14. The aftercooler of claim 10, wherein the separate cooling liquid reservoir has a capacity of between 18 to 38 liters.

15. The aftercooler of claim 10, wherein the at least one liquid-to-air heat exchanger unit is directly connected to the cooled air outlet plenum without any additional air ducting and the cooled air outlet plenum and tuned inlet runners are directly connected to the internal combustion engine without any additional air ducting so as to lessen decreases in supercharged air pressure.