Locomotive exhaust gas recirculation cooling

• US 7,757,678 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2008
• Issued: 07/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Global Sourcing LLC (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Marsh, Gregory Alan, Aggarwal, Mahesh Chand
• Primary Examiner(s): Gimie; Mahmoud
• Application Number:
  US12/116,773
• Publication Number:
  US 20090277428A1
• Time in Patent Office: 804 Days
• Field of Search: 123/568.12, 123/568.11, 602/78, 602/80, 602/98, 606/051, 606/052, 701/108, 165/103, 165/153, 165/158
• US Class Current: 123/568.12
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 29/0425 Air 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: F02B 37/00 Engines characterised by provision of pumps driven at least for part of the time by exhaust
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 26/05 High pressure loops, i.e. wherein recirculated exhaust gas is taken out from the exhaust system upstream of the turbine and reintroduced into the intake system downstream of the compressor
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 26/19 Means for improving the mixing of air and recirculated exhaust gases, e.g. venturis or multiple openings to the intake system
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 26/24 with two or more coolers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/12 Improving ICE efficiencies

Abstract

A method of operating an engine having exhaust gas recirculation from an exhaust manifold of the engine to an intake manifold of the engine, the engine in a locomotive or other vehicle car body, the engine further having an intake system turbocharger with an air-cooled intercooler, the method including cooling the exhaust gas recirculation via a first airflow generated by car body motion, cooling compressed engine induction air in the air-cooled intercooler via a second airflow, and cooling the exhaust gas recirculation via the second airflow.

Claims

1. A method of operating an engine generating exhaust, the engine in a vehicle body, the engine further having an intake system turbocharger with an air-cooled intercooler, the method comprising:

drawing exhaust gas recirculation from upstream of a turbine of the turbocharger;

cooling the exhaust gas recirculation via a first airflow generated by vehicle body motion;

cooling compressed engine induction air in the air-cooled intercooler via a second airflow;

further cooling the exhaust gas recirculation via the second airflow; and

delivering the further cooled exhaust gas recirculation to the cooled compressed engine induction air downstream of the intercooler and downstream of a compressor of the turbocharger, wherein the second airflow cools the exhaust gas recirculation while the exhaust gas recirculation is separate from the compressed engine induction air.

2. The method of claim 1 where the exhaust gas recirculation is cooled via the first airflow at a finned heat exchanger located at a top of the vehicle body, where the vehicle body includes a locomotive car body.

3. The method of claim 1 where the exhaust gas recirculation is cooled by the second airflow, via a finned heat exchanger, after the exhaust gas recirculation is cooled by the first airflow.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising generating the second airflow via at least one fan.

5. The method of claim 4 where the second airflow first cools the induction air and then cools the exhaust gas recirculation.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising adjusting the fan to adjust an amount of the second airflow for both exhaust gas recirculation vehicle body cooling and compressed engine induction air cooling based on at least an operating condition.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising cooling the exhaust gas recirculation via engine coolant after cooling the exhaust gas recirculation via the first airflow and the second airflow.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising forcing the exhaust gas recirculation to an engine intake manifold via a venturi pump, subsequent to cooling the exhaust gas recirculation.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising bypassing the venturi pump during a first engine load condition, and directing the exhaust gas recirculation through the venturi pump during a second engine load condition, the second engine load condition higher than the first engine load condition.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising inducting the first airflow at a side of the vehicle body, and exhausting the first airflow at a top of the vehicle body.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising cooling the compressed engine induction air via a water-based intercooler before cooling the compressed engine induction air via the air-cooled intercooler.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising adjusting an amount of exhaust gas recirculation based on an engine operating condition.

13. A system for a vehicle body, comprising:

an internal combustion engine having an intake and an exhaust;

a liquid coolant engine cooling system;

a turbocharger having a turbine and a compressor, the turbine coupled in the engine exhaust and the compressor coupled in the engine intake, the turbine coupled to the compressor;

a first intercooler coupled in the engine intake downstream of the compressor, the first intercooler having a first heat exchanger fluidically coupled to the liquid coolant engine cooling system;

a second intercooler coupled in the engine intake downstream of the first intercooler, the second intercooler having a second heat exchanger;

an exhaust gas recirculation system coupled between the engine intake and the engine exhaust, the exhaust gas recirculation system coupled to the engine exhaust upstream of the turbine, and coupled to the intake downstream of the second intercooler;

a first exhaust gas recirculation cooler coupled in the exhaust gas recirculation system;

a second exhaust gas recirculation cooler coupled in the exhaust gas recirculation system downstream of the first exhaust gas recirculation cooler; and

a fan configured to force air to the second heat exchanger and then to the second exhaust gas recirculation cooler to transfer heat from both induction air and the exhaust gas recirculation.

14. The system of claim 13 where the first exhaust gas recirculation cooler is an air-cooled cooler.

15. The system of claim 14 where the first exhaust gas recirculation cooler is configured to direct cooling air to an exterior of the vehicle, and where the cooling air is driven by vehicle body motion.

16. The system of claim 13 further comprising a third exhaust gas recirculation cooler fluidically coupled to the liquid coolant engine cooling system.

17. The system of claim 13 where the first exhaust gas recirculation cooler is configured to be coupled in the vehicle at a top of the body, the system further comprising a controller, the controller adjusting a flow of the exhaust gas recirculation and further adjusting fan operation responsive to an engine operating condition.

18. A method of recirculating exhaust gas from an exhaust of an engine to an intake of the engine, in a vehicle body, the engine further having a turbocharger system with an air-cooled intercooler, comprising:

directing exhaust gas recirculation from the exhaust upstream of a turbine of the turbocharger system to the intake downstream of the intercooler and downstream of a compressor of the turbocharger system;

cooling the exhaust gas recirculation via a first airflow generated by vehicle body motion, the exhaust gas recirculation cooled at a first heat exchanger located at a top of the body;

cooling compressed engine induction air in the air-cooled intercooler via a second airflow generated by at least one fan; and

cooling the exhaust gas recirculation via the second airflow, the exhaust gas recirculation cooled by the second airflow via a second heat exchanger after the compressed engine induction air is cooled by the second airflow; and

adjusting the at least one fan responsive to a temperature of the exhaust gas recirculation.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising intermittently removing soot buildup generated by the exhaust gas recirculation by adjusting the at least one fan to decrease the second airflow and thereby increase exhaust gas recirculation temperature.