Engine having oxygen pumping intake system and method of removing oxygen from intake air flow

• US 9,541,042 B2
• Filed: 03/09/2009
• Issued: 01/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Song, B. Jerry
• Primary Examiner(s): Bomberg, Kenneth
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHEPPARD, JASON A
• Application Number:
  US12/400,294
• Publication Number:
  US 20100223920A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,864 Days
• Field of Search: 602/75, 123/343, 123/539, 123/704
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 27/04 by electric means, ionisation, polarisation or magnetism

Abstract

An engine assembly may include a voltage source and an oxygen pump assembly. The oxygen pump assembly may include an intake conduit and an oxygen pumping mechanism. The intake conduit may be in fluid communication with an air supply and an intake manifold. The oxygen pumping mechanism may include an oxygen ion conducting cell, a first electrode in electrical communication with the voltage source and a second electrode in electrical communication with the voltage source. The first electrode may be disposed on a first side of the cell and may be exposed to an interior of the intake conduit. The second electrode may be disposed on a second side of the cell and isolated from the interior of the conduit. The oxygen pumping mechanism may remove oxygen from an air flow within the interior of the intake conduit based on a voltage applied across the cell by the voltage source.

Claims

1. An engine assembly comprising:

an intake manifold in fluid communication with a combustion chamber;

a first intake conduit having an inlet directly connected to an air supply and an outlet directly connected to said intake manifold;

a voltage source; and

a first oxygen pump assembly disposed in said first intake conduit, the oxygen pump assembly including an oxygen ion conducting cell, a first electrode in electrical communication with the voltage source and a second electrode in electrical communication with the voltage source, the first electrode being disposed on a first side of the cell and being exposed directly to an interior of the first intake conduit, and the second electrode being disposed on a second side of the cell and isolated from the interior of the conduit, the first oxygen pump assembly disposed between the inlet and the outlet and configured to remove oxygen from an air flow within the interior of the first intake conduit based on a voltage applied across the cell by the voltage source to create an oxygen depleted airflow that is directly supplied to the intake manifold.

2. The engine assembly of claim 1, wherein the cell is formed from zirconium dioxide (ZrO₂).

3. The engine assembly of claim 1, wherein the voltage source is configured to apply a voltage across the cell of greater than 12 volts.

4. The engine assembly of claim 1, further comprising an exhaust manifold in fluid communication with the combustion chamber, the oxygen pump assembly including a first exhaust conduit in fluid communication with the exhaust manifold, the second electrode being exposed to an interior of the first exhaust conduit, the oxygen removed from the first intake conduit being provided to the first exhaust conduit.

5. The engine assembly of claim 4, wherein the first exhaust conduit is in thermal communication with the cell such that an exhaust gas provided to the first exhaust conduit from the exhaust manifold heats the cell to increase oxygen removal from the first intake conduit.

6. The engine assembly of claim 1, wherein the second electrode is exposed to atmosphere.

7. The engine assembly of claim 1, further comprising a second oxygen pump assembly having an inlet in fluid communication with an air supply and an outlet in fluid communication with the intake manifold, the second oxygen pump assembly being in a parallel orientation to the first oxygen pump assembly.

8. An engine air intake assembly comprising:

a first intake conduit having an inlet in fluid communication with an air supply and an outlet in direct fluid communication with an intake manifold of an engine; and

a first oxygen pumping mechanism including a first oxygen ion conducting cell, a first electrode in electrical communication with a voltage source and a second electrode in electrical communication with the voltage source, the first electrode being disposed on a first side of the cell and being directly exposed to an interior of the first intake conduit, and the second electrode being disposed on a second side of the cell and isolated from the interior of the conduit, the first oxygen pumping mechanism disposed between the inlet and the outlet and configured to remove oxygen from an air flow within the interior of the first intake conduit based on a voltage applied across the cell by the voltage source, and to create an oxygen depleted airflow that is directly supplied to the intake manifold.

9. The engine air intake assembly of claim 8, wherein the cell is formed from zirconium dioxide (ZrO₂).

10. The engine air intake assembly of claim 8, wherein the voltage source is configured to apply a voltage across the cell of greater than 12 volts.

11. The engine air intake assembly of claim 8, further comprising an exhaust manifold, wherein the oxygen pumping mechanism includes a first exhaust conduit in fluid communication with the exhaust manifold, the second electrode being exposed to an interior of the first exhaust conduit, the oxygen removed from the first intake conduit being provided to the first exhaust conduit.

12. The engine air intake assembly of claim 11, wherein the first exhaust conduit is in thermal communication with the first intake conduit such that an exhaust gas within the first exhaust conduit heats the cell to increase oxygen removal from the first intake conduit.

13. The engine air intake assembly of claim 8, wherein the second electrode is exposed to atmosphere.

14. The engine air intake assembly of claim 8, further comprising:

a second intake conduit in a parallel orientation to the first intake conduit and having an inlet in fluid communication with the air supply and an outlet in fluid communication with the intake manifold of the engine; and

a second oxygen pumping mechanism including a second oxygen ion conducting cell, a third electrode in electrical communication with the voltage source and a fourth electrode in electrical communication with the voltage source, the third electrode being disposed on a first side of the second cell and being exposed to an interior of the second intake conduit and the fourth electrode being disposed on a second side of the second cell and isolated from the interior of the second intake conduit, the second oxygen pumping mechanism removing oxygen from an air flow within the interior of the second intake conduit based on a voltage applied across the second cell by the voltage source.

15. A method comprising:

providing an air supply to an intake manifold of an internal combustion engine, the air supply being provided by a first intake conduit having an inlet in fluid communication with the air supply and an outlet directly in fluid communication with the intake manifold; and

reducing an oxygen concentration of the air supplied to the intake manifold via a first oxygen pumping mechanism, the first oxygen pumping mechanism including a first oxygen ion conducting cell, a first electrode in electrical communication with a voltage source and a second electrode in electrical communication with the voltage source, the first electrode being disposed on a first side of the cell and being exposed to an interior of the first intake conduit and the second electrode being disposed on a second side of the cell and isolated from the interior of the conduit, the reducing including applying a voltage across the cell from the voltage source to remove oxygen from the air within the interior of the first intake conduit that is supplied directly to the intake manifold.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the reducing the oxygen concentration includes removing oxygen from a second intake conduit via a second oxygen pump mechanism, the second intake conduit being in a parallel orientation relative to the first intake conduit and including a second inlet in fluid communication with the air supply and a second outlet in fluid communication with the intake manifold, the second oxygen pumping mechanism including a second oxygen ion conducting cell, a third electrode in electrical communication with the voltage source and a fourth electrode in electrical communication with the voltage source, the third electrode being disposed on a first side of the second cell and being exposed to an interior of the second intake conduit and the fourth electrode being disposed on a second side of the second cell and isolated from the interior of the second intake conduit, the second oxygen pumping mechanism removing oxygen from an air flow within the interior of the second intake conduit based on a voltage applied across the second cell by the voltage source.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the voltage applied across the cell from the voltage source is greater than 12 volts.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising providing an exhaust gas flow from an exhaust manifold of the internal combustion engine to a first exhaust conduit, the second electrode being exposed to an interior of the first exhaust conduit and the oxygen removed from the first intake conduit being provided to the first exhaust conduit.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the exhaust gas flow provided to the first exhaust conduit heats the cell to increase a rate of oxygen removal from the first intake conduit.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the second electrode is exposed to atmosphere, the oxygen removed from the first intake conduit being provided to the atmosphere by the voltage applied across the cell.