Exhaust manifold system and collar coolant jacket

• US 8,733,088 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2010
• Issued: 05/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Reinhart, Paul T., Lee, Ramon Michael, Puhl, Raymond Gregory, Ladner, Eric Garner
• Primary Examiner(s): Denion, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): MAINES, PATRICK DAVID
• Application Number:
  US12/726,285
• Publication Number:
  US 20110131963A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,532 Days
• Field of Search: 603/20, 603/21, 603/22, 601/23, 603/23, 603/24
• US Class Current: 60/320
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 13/10 of exhaust manifolds with cooling jacket F01N3/046
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/046 Exhaust manifolds with cooling jacket
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/12 Improving ICE efficiencies

Abstract

An exhaust manifold of a turbocharged engine includes a collar coolant jacket to maintain component temperatures within acceptable limits. The collar coolant jacket is specifically located around the exhaust outlet of the manifold.

Claims

1. An exhaust manifold system comprising:

a plurality of runners extending perpendicular to a longitudinal manifold axis;

an outlet passage distal from the runners and terminating with a manifold flange; and

a coolant jacket not adjacent the runners including;

a coolant inlet and outlet for coupling to a coolant system; and

a collar coupling the coolant inlet and outlet, the collar adjacent and surrounding the outlet passage, adjacent the manifold flange, and decoupled from the runners, the collar including only a first flow path and a second flow path defined by an interior of the collar, the first and second flow paths collectively surrounding a circumference of the outlet passage, the collar including a smooth interior surface, the first flow path including a first collar profile, the second flow path including a second collar profile and the coolant inlet having an inlet profile, a cross-sectional area of the first and second collar profiles less than a cross-sectional area of the inlet profile, where the coolant jacket further includes a diverter rib extending into an interior of the coolant jacket collar, the diverter rib extending toward the coolant outlet where the first and second flow paths meet.

2. The exhaust manifold system of claim 1, further comprising a turbocharger coupled to the manifold flange.

3. The exhaust manifold system of claim 1, where

the coolant outlet extends out parallel to the longitudinal manifold axis and the coolant inlet extends downward substantially perpendicular to both the runners and the coolant outlet, and

the collar surrounds the circumference of the outlet passage and coolant within the collar thermally communicates with the outlet passage via a cast metal wall defining partially the outlet passage and the collar, at least one of the collar and a manifold flange face in a first plane and the coolant inlet and coolant outlet extending out in a second plane not parallel to the first plane.

4. The exhaust manifold system of claim 3, where there are three runners, the collar only surrounding the outlet passage, the three runners sharing a third plane and the outlet passage extending out away from the third plane opposite the coolant inlet, the outlet passage also extending parallel to the runners and away from a plurality of inlets to the runners.

5. The exhaust manifold system of claim 1 wherein a cast manifold forms the plurality of runners and inlets to the runners, the outlet passage, and the coolant jacket, the cast manifold a silicon molybdenum alloy.

6. The exhaust manifold system of claim 1, further comprising a coolant system circuit coupled to the coolant outlet, the coolant system circuit including a heating element for at least one of a cabin heater, a catalyst, an injector, an intake air heater, and a positive crankcase ventilation system.

7. The exhaust manifold system of claim 6, further comprising a quick connect tube coupling at least one of the coolant outlet and coolant inlet to the coolant system, the quick connect tube including an annular elastomeric seal and a snap ring at an end of the tube, the snap ring for securing the tube in place via a straight line axial movement of the tube over the at least one of the coolant outlet and coolant inlet, the secured tube forming a dynamic seal.

8. A cooled exhaust manifold system comprising:

a plurality of inlets to runners extending perpendicular to a longitudinal manifold axis, the plurality of inlets to runners sharing a plane;

an outlet passage distal from the runners and asymmetrically positioned at a first end of the cooled exhaust manifold system, the outlet passage extending out away from the plane of runners and the outlet passage extending parallel to the runners away from the inlets, and the outlet passage terminating with a manifold flange; and

a coolant jacket not adjacent the plurality of inlets to runners including;

a coolant inlet and a coolant outlet both for coupling to a coolant system; and

a collar fluidically coupling the coolant inlet and outlet, the collar adjacent the outlet passage and the manifold flange and decoupled from the runners, a longitudinal section of the jacket extending parallel to the longitudinal axis, the longitudinal section directly coupled, via casting, to the collar and the coolant inlet, a length of the longitudinal section equal to, or less than, half the longitudinal length of the cooled exhaust manifold system.

9. The cooled exhaust manifold system of claim 8, where

the longitudinal section defines a longitudinal flow path from the plurality of inlets to runners to the collar,

the collar splits the longitudinal flow path into only a first flow path and a second flow path, the first and second flow paths defined by an interior of the collar, the two flow paths collectively surrounding a circumference of the outlet passage, the collar including a smooth interior surface, the first flow path including a first collar profile, the second flow path including a second collar profile and the coolant inlet having an inlet profile, a cross-sectional area of the first or second collar profiles less than a cross-sectional area of the inlet profile, and

the coolant jacket further includes a diverter rib on the circumference of the outlet passage and inside the coolant jacket collar, the diverter rib extending toward the coolant outlet where the first and second flow paths meet.

10. The cooled exhaust manifold system of claim 8, where the manifold flange is coupled to a turbocharger.

11. The cooled exhaust manifold system of claim 8, wherein a cast manifold forms the plurality of inlets and runners, the outlet passage, and the coolant jacket, the cast manifold a silicon molybdenum alloy.

12. The cooled exhaust manifold system of claim 8, where

the coolant outlet extends out parallel to the longitudinal manifold axis and the coolant inlet extends downward substantially perpendicular to both the runners and the coolant outlet, and

the collar surrounds the circumference of the outlet passage and coolant within the collar thermally communicates with the outlet passage via a cast metal wall defining partially the outlet passage and the collar, the collar in a first cross section plane of the outlet passage and a face of the manifold flange in a second plane not parallel to the first plane.

13. The cooled exhaust manifold system of claim 8, where the coolant outlet is coupled to a coolant system circuit, the coolant system circuit including a heating element for at least one of a cabin heater, a catalyst, an injector, an intake air heater, and a positive crankcase ventilation system.

14. The cooled exhaust manifold system of claim 13, further comprising a quick connect tube coupling at least one of the coolant outlet and the coolant inlet to the coolant system, the quick connect tube including an annular elastomeric seal and a snap ring at an end of the tube, the snap ring for securing the tube in place via a straight line axial movement of the tube over the at least one of the coolant outlet and the coolant inlet, the secured tube forming a dynamic seal.

15. The cooled exhaust manifold system of claim 8, where a length of longitudinal section is less than a distance between successive exhaust runners of the plurality of inlets to runners.

16. The cooled exhaust manifold system of claim 8, where the manifold flange includes a plurality of flange bolt eyelets, and the longitudinal section not penetrated by any of the flange bolt eyelets.