Device for converting engine exhaust heat energy into electric energy

Abstract

The invention discloses a device for converting engine exhaust heat energy into electric energy, and belongs to the field of automobile exhaust heat recovery, the device comprises an upper shell, a lower shell, pistons, piston rods, a crankshaft and a generator, a plurality of piston cavities are formed in the upper shell, the number of the piston cavities, the number of the pistons and the number of the piston rods are the same, and the pistons are slidably connected in the piston cavities; the lower shell is installed at the bottom end of the upper shell, a crankshaft rotating cavity is defined by the upper shell and the lower shell, and the two ends of the crankshaft are rotationally connected between the upper shell and the lower shell; the top ends of the piston rods are hinged to the bottom ends of the pistons, and the bottom ends of the piston rods are rotationally connected with the crankshaft. One end of the crankshaft is connected with the generator input end; the top end of the piston cavity makes contact with the outer wall of an engine exhaust pipe and is used for transferring heat of tail gas into the piston cavity. Helium in the piston cavity absorbs heat in tail gas to push the piston to enable the crankshaft to rotate, then the generator generates electricity, the heat in the tail gas is recycled, and the heat efficiency of the engine is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the field of automobile exhaust heat recovery, and in particular relates to a device for converting engine exhaust heat into electrical energy. Background Art

[0002] During the operation of an internal combustion engine, the maximum effective thermal efficiency of the piston working on the crankshaft is no more than 51%. Regardless of whether it is burning gasoline, diesel, natural gas, hydrogen, methane or other fuels, the internal combustion engine cannot increase the thermal efficiency to 55%. The remaining heat after the fuel is burned is discharged to the atmosphere by the exhaust device, wasting half of the fuel calorific value. It is urgent for those skilled in the art to propose a device for reusing the exhaust gas discharged by the internal combustion engine to improve the thermal efficiency of the internal combustion engine. Summary of the invention

[0003] In view of this, the present invention provides a device for converting engine exhaust heat into electrical energy to solve the above-mentioned problem.

[0004] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0005] A device for converting heat energy from engine exhaust into electrical energy comprises: an upper shell, a lower shell, a piston, a piston rod, a crankshaft and a generator, wherein a plurality of piston chambers are arranged in the upper shell, the number of the piston chambers, the pistons and the piston rods are the same, the pistons are slidably connected in the piston chambers, the lower shell is mounted at the bottom end of the upper shell, the upper shell and the lower shell together form a crankshaft rotating chamber, the crankshaft is located in the crankshaft rotating chamber, and both ends are rotatably connected between the upper shell and the lower shell; the top end of the piston rod is hinged to the bottom end of the piston, and the bottom ends of the plurality of piston rods are rotatably connected to the crankshaft; one end of the crankshaft is fixedly connected to the input end of the generator; the top end of the piston chamber contacts the outer wall of the engine exhaust pipe, so as to transfer the heat of the exhaust gas to the piston chamber.

[0006] Furthermore, it also includes a heat conductor, a plurality of the heat conductors are sleeved on the exhaust pipe of the engine, and the bottom ends of the plurality of the heat conductors extend into the plurality of the piston cavities respectively.

[0007] Furthermore, it also includes an exhaust connecting pipe, the output end of the exhaust connecting pipe is provided with multiple branch pipes, the intake end of the exhaust connecting pipe is connected to the exhaust pipe of the engine, the multiple heat conductors are respectively mounted on the multiple branch pipes, and the bottom ends of the multiple heat conductors are respectively extended into the multiple piston chambers.

[0008] Furthermore, it also includes an air pressure balance tank, each piston cavity is provided with an air outlet on the upper part, and an air inlet on the lower part, the air pressure balance tank is provided with an air outlet pipe and an air inlet pipe, each air outlet on the piston cavity is connected to the air outlet pipe, and each air inlet on the piston cavity is connected to the air inlet pipe.

[0009] Furthermore, the gas stored in the air pressure balance tank is helium.

[0010] Furthermore, it also includes a plurality of first one-way valves and a plurality of second one-way valves, wherein the first one-way valves are arranged on the connecting pipeline between the air outlet and the air outlet pipe, and the second one-way valves are arranged on the connecting pipeline between the air inlet and the air inlet pipe.

[0011] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0012] The exhaust connecting pipe of the present invention is connected to the exhaust pipe of the engine. The exhaust connecting pipe is provided with multiple output ends. A heat conductor is installed on the output end of each exhaust connecting pipe, and the heat conductor is extended into the piston cavity, thereby improving the efficiency of heat recovery in the exhaust gas; the helium absorbs heat and can expand rapidly to push multiple pistons to do work, thereby pushing the crankshaft to rotate and providing power for the generator; when the helium pushes the piston to the bottom end, the air pressure in the piston cavity becomes smaller, and when the piston is pushed to the highest point under the action of the crankshaft, the helium compression causes the air pressure in the piston cavity to increase, resulting in unstable operation of the entire device, and the pressure stabilization function in the piston cavity is achieved through the air pressure balance tank and the air outlet pipe and air inlet pipe thereon; when the piston moves to the lowest point, helium is supplemented into the piston cavity through the air inlet and the second one-way valve; when the piston moves to the highest point, helium is reduced from the piston cavity through the air outlet and the first one-way valve, thereby achieving the stability of the air pressure in the piston cavity and the stability of the operation of the device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without paying creative work.

[0014] Figure 1 A top view of a device that converts engine exhaust heat into electrical energy.

[0015] Figure 2 for Figure 1 AA section view in.

[0016] Figure 3 for Figure 2 BB section view in.

[0017] Figure 4 for Figure 2 CC section view in.

[0018] Among them, in the figure:

[0019] 10-upper shell, 11-piston chamber, 12-air outlet, 13-air inlet, 20-lower shell, 30-piston, 40-piston rod, 50-crankshaft, 60-generator, 70-crankshaft rotating chamber, 80-heat conductor, 90-exhaust connecting pipe, 91-branch pipe, 100-air pressure balance tank, 101-air outlet pipe, 102-intake pipe, 110-first one-way valve, 120-second one-way valve, 130-engine, 131-exhaust pipe. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0021] Example 1

[0022] The present invention provides a device for converting heat energy from engine exhaust into electric energy, comprising: an upper shell 10, a lower shell 20, a piston 30, a piston rod 40, a crankshaft 50 and a generator 60. The upper shell 10 is provided with a plurality of piston chambers 11, and the number of piston chambers 11, pistons 30 and piston rods 40 are the same. The piston 30 is slidably connected in the piston chamber 11. The lower shell 20 is installed at the bottom end of the upper shell 10. The upper shell 10 and the lower shell 20 are combined to form a crankshaft rotating chamber 70. The crankshaft 50 is located in the crankshaft rotating chamber 70, and the two ends are rotatably connected between the upper shell 10 and the lower shell 20. The top end of the piston rod 40 is hinged to the bottom end of the piston 30, and the bottom ends of the plurality of piston rods 40 are all rotatably connected to the crankshaft 50. One end of the crankshaft 50 is fixedly connected to the input end of the generator 60. The top end of the piston chamber 11 contacts the outer wall of the exhaust pipe 131 of the engine 130, so as to transfer the heat of the exhaust gas to the piston chamber 11. Figure 1 The engine 130 is only for illustration, and only a few engine piston cylinders are shown in the top view. When in use, the top of the piston chamber 11 contacts the exhaust pipe 131 of the engine 130, absorbing the heat in the exhaust gas. The gas expands due to the heat in the piston chamber 11, pushing the piston 30 to do work in the piston chamber 11, and the crankshaft 50 is continuously driven to rotate through the transmission of multiple piston rods 40. The crankshaft 50 provides power for the generator 60. The present invention can absorb the heat in the exhaust gas to generate electricity and realize energy recycling.

[0023] Example 2

[0024] On the basis of Example 1, a device for converting electrical energy using engine exhaust heat energy also includes a heat conductor 80. The exhaust pipe 131 of the engine 130 passes through multiple heat conductors 80 in sequence. The multiple heat conductors 80 are fixedly mounted on the exhaust pipe 131 of the engine 130. The bottom ends of the multiple heat conductors 80 respectively extend into multiple piston cavities 11. The heat conductor 80 is mounted on the exhaust pipe 131, and the bottom end extends into the piston cavity 11, which can improve the exhaust gas energy recovery efficiency.

[0025] Example 3

[0026] Refer to the attached Figure 1-4 As shown, on the basis of Example 2, a device for converting heat energy from engine exhaust into electrical energy further includes an exhaust connecting pipe 90. At this time, the exhaust pipe 131 of the engine 130 no longer passes through the multiple heat conductors 80 in sequence. The output end of the exhaust connecting pipe 90 is provided with multiple branch pipes 91. The intake end of the exhaust connecting pipe 90 is connected to the exhaust pipe 131 of the engine 130. The multiple heat conductors 80 are respectively sleeved on the multiple branch pipes 91, and the bottom ends of the multiple heat conductors 80 are respectively extended into the multiple piston chambers 11. The exhaust connecting pipe 90 is provided with multiple branch pipes 91, and the multiple heat conductors 80 are sleeved on the multiple branch pipes 91, which can increase the contact area between the heat conductor 80 and the exhaust gas and improve the recovery efficiency of the heat in the exhaust gas.

[0027] In a preferred embodiment, a device for converting heat energy from engine exhaust into electrical energy further includes an air pressure balance tank 100, an air outlet 12 is provided at the top of each piston chamber 11, an air inlet 13 is provided at the bottom, an air outlet pipe 101 and an air inlet pipe 102 are provided on the air pressure balance tank 100, and the air outlet 12 on each piston chamber 11 is communicated with the air outlet pipe 101, and the air inlet 13 on each piston chamber 11 is communicated with the air inlet pipe 102. When the helium pushes the piston 30 to the bottom, the air pressure in the piston chamber 11 decreases, and when the piston 30 is pushed to the highest point under the action of the crankshaft 50, the helium compression causes the air pressure in the piston chamber 11 to increase, resulting in unstable operation of the entire device. The air pressure balance tank 100 and the air outlet pipe 101 and the air inlet pipe 102 thereon realize the function of stabilizing the pressure in the piston chamber 11.

[0028] In a preferred embodiment, the gas stored in the air pressure balance tank 100 is helium, which can expand rapidly after being heated, thereby improving the efficiency of pushing the piston 30 to do work.

[0029] In a preferred embodiment, a device for converting heat energy from engine exhaust into electrical energy further includes a plurality of first one-way valves 110 and a plurality of second one-way valves 120. The first one-way valves 110 are arranged on a connecting pipeline between an air outlet 12 and an air outlet pipe 101, and the second one-way valves 120 are arranged on a connecting pipeline between an air inlet 13 and an air inlet pipe 102. The first one-way valves 110 and the second one-way valves 120 enable helium to flow in only one direction, thereby improving the pressure stabilization effect.

[0030] Working principle: the air inlet end of the exhaust connecting pipe 90 is connected to the exhaust pipe 131 of the engine 130, and a plurality of heat conductors 80 are sleeved on a plurality of branch pipes 91. The heat conductors 80 absorb the heat of the exhaust gas in the branch pipes 91 and quickly transfer it to the piston chamber 11. The helium expands rapidly after being heated to push the piston 30 to do work. Through the transmission of the plurality of piston rods 40, the crankshaft 50 is continuously driven to rotate. The crankshaft 50 provides power for the generator 60 to generate electricity. The present invention recycles the heat in the exhaust gas and improves the thermal efficiency of the engine 130. In the specific process, when the piston 30 moves downward in the piston chamber 11, the helium pushes the piston 30 downward, the volume of the piston chamber 11 above the piston 30 increases, and the pressure decreases. When the piston 30 passes over the air inlet 13 downward, the helium in the air pressure balance tank 100 enters the piston chamber 11 above the piston 30 through the air inlet pipe 102, the second one-way valve 120 and the air inlet 13 for pressurization; when the piston 30 moves upward in the piston chamber 11 under the pushing action of the piston rod 40, the helium is continuously compressed, and the helium enters the air pressure balance tank 100 through the air outlet 12, the first one-way valve 110 and the air outlet pipe 101 for pressure relief; the pistons 30 in multiple piston chambers 11 continuously move upward or downward, and the pressure is stabilized by the air pressure balance tank 100, the air inlet pipe 102, the second one-way valve 120, the air inlet 13, the air outlet 12, the first one-way valve 110 and the air outlet pipe 101.

[0031] The above is only a specific embodiment of the present invention, and the common knowledge such as the known specific structure and characteristics in the scheme is not described in detail here. It should be pointed out that for those skilled in the art, several deformations and improvements can be made without departing from the structure of the present invention, which should also be regarded as the protection scope of the present invention, and these will not affect the effect of the implementation of the present invention and the practicality of the patent. The scope of protection required by this application shall be based on the content of its claims, and the specific implementation methods and other records in the specification can be used to interpret the content of the claims.

[0032] In this specification, each embodiment is described in a progressive manner, and each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments. The same or similar parts between the embodiments can be referred to each other. For the device disclosed in the embodiment, since it corresponds to the method disclosed in the embodiment, the description is relatively simple, and the relevant parts can be referred to the method part.

[0033] The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables one skilled in the art to implement or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be apparent to one skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention will not be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but rather to the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A device for converting engine exhaust heat into electrical energy, characterized in that: include: An upper shell (10), a lower shell (20), a piston (30), a piston rod (40), a crankshaft (50) and a generator (60), wherein the upper shell (10) is provided with a plurality of piston chambers (11), the number of the piston chambers (11), the pistons (30) and the piston rods (40) are the same, the pistons (30) are slidably connected in the piston chambers (11), the lower shell (20) is mounted at the bottom end of the upper shell (10), the upper shell (10) and the lower shell (20) are combined to form a crankshaft rotation chamber (70), the crankshaft ( 50) is located in the crankshaft rotating chamber (70), and both ends are rotatably connected between the upper shell (10) and the lower shell (20); the top end of the piston rod (40) is hinged to the bottom end of the piston (30), and the bottom ends of multiple piston rods (40) are rotatably connected to the crankshaft (50); one end of the crankshaft (50) is fixedly connected to the input end of the generator (60); the top end of the piston chamber (11) is in contact with the outer wall of the exhaust pipe (131) of the engine (130) to transfer the heat of the exhaust gas to the piston chamber (11).

2. The device for converting engine exhaust heat into electrical energy according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a heat conductor (80), wherein a plurality of the heat conductors (80) are sleeved on an exhaust pipe (131) of the engine (130), and the bottom ends of the plurality of the heat conductors (80) extend into the plurality of the piston chambers (11) respectively.

3. The device for converting engine exhaust heat into electrical energy according to claim 2, characterized in that: It also includes an exhaust connecting pipe (90), wherein the output end of the exhaust connecting pipe (90) is provided with a plurality of branch pipes (91), the air intake end of the exhaust connecting pipe (90) is connected to the exhaust pipe (131) of the engine (130), the plurality of heat conductors (80) are respectively sleeved on the plurality of branch pipes (91), and the bottom ends of the plurality of heat conductors (80) respectively extend into the plurality of piston chambers (11).

4. The device for converting engine exhaust heat into electrical energy according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes an air pressure balance tank (100), each piston chamber (11) is provided with an air outlet (12) at the top and an air inlet (13) at the bottom, the air pressure balance tank (100) is provided with an air outlet pipe (101) and an air inlet pipe (102), each air outlet (12) on the piston chamber (11) is connected to the air outlet pipe (101), and each air inlet (13) on the piston chamber (11) is connected to the air inlet pipe (102).

5. The device for converting engine exhaust heat into electrical energy according to claim 4, characterized in that: The gas stored in the air pressure balance tank (100) is helium.

6. The device for converting engine exhaust heat into electrical energy according to claim 4, characterized in that: It also includes a plurality of first one-way valves (110) and a plurality of second one-way valves (120), wherein the first one-way valves (110) are arranged on a connecting pipeline between the air outlet (12) and the air outlet pipe (101), and the second one-way valves (120) are arranged on a connecting pipeline between the air inlet (13) and the air inlet pipe (102).

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