Fabricated Turbine Housing

Abstract

A turbine housing is provided. The turbine housing includes a tongue diverter to manage the interaction between exhaust gases entering the inlet of the housing and gasses flowing within the housing. The tongue member may also be arranged to produce a constant ratio throughout the turbine housing between the cross-sectional area of fluid passages and the distance between the centroid of that area and the axis of rotation of the turbine. The housing may comprise a pair of half shells that each form a portion of the tongue diverter.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION[0001]This application claims benefit from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 192,758, entitled “Fabricated Turbine Housing Tongue Diverter,” filed on Sep. 22, 2008, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 192,759, entitled “Fabricated Turbine Housing Volute,” filed on Sep. 22, 2008, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 206,559, entitled “Fabricated Turbine Housing,” filed on Jan. 30, 2009, which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.FIELD OF INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates generally to turbine housings, and more particularly, to methods and apparatus for fabricating turbine housings.BACKGROUND[0003]As is known in the art, turbochargers are often used with combustion engines to increase the power output of the engine. Turbochargers increase power by increasing the amount of air used to facilitate combustion in the engine. Increasing the amount to air provided to the cylinders of the engine allow...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0006]A turbine housing apparatus is provided. The turbine housing may be volute shaped and includes a tongue diverter disposed therein. In an embodiment, the turbine housing is assembled by joining two half-shells. A portion of a tongue diverter is formed in each of the half-shells. When the shells are assembled, the formed portions align to form the tongue diverter. The tongue diverter is arranged to manage the interaction between exhaust gases entering the inlet and exhaust gasses flowing within the housing. The tongue member may also be arranged to produce a constant ratio throughout the turbine housing between the cross-sectional area of fluid passages and the distance between the centroid of that area and the axis of rotation of the turbine. The turbine housing further includes one or more mesh rings disposed along the housing to reduce exhaust gas leaks. Additionally, a formed tube interconnects the inner housing shell and the downpipe to allow for easy changes to the size and geometry of the turbine.

Problems solved by technology

Traditional turbine housings suffer from several deficiencies.

For example, as explained in further detail below, cross-flow of exhaust within the volute housing can cause a decrease in turbine power.

Additionally, the turbocharger system may experience power losses due to exhaust gas leaks at slip joints on the housing.

Further, altering the size and geometry of the turbine to maximize output often requires replacing the housing and other housing components to fit the new turbine.

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