Internal combustion engine with ventilation system for crankcase

Abstract

Apparatuses, systems, and methods are disclosed that include an internal combustion engine that optionally includes: a crankcase having blow-by gases therethrough; a charge air source; a sheath comprising water; an oil separation device in fluid communication with the charge air and the blow-by gas and having a coalescence filter to separate oil from the blow-by gas; and a heat exchanger in fluid communication with the charge air, where the heat exchanger is in fluid communication with the jacket to receive water, where the water is transferred in heat transfer relationship with the charge air in the heat exchanger to achieve a desired temperature range of the charge air transferred to the oil separation apparatus.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to internal combustion engines, such as those used in vehicles or stationary power generation. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to heating and / or cooling charge air for a crankcase ventilation system of an internal combustion engine. Background Art

[0002] Machinery, such as agricultural, industrial, construction or other heavy machinery, can be propelled by (one or more) internal combustion engines. Internal combustion engines can be used for other purposes, such as for power generation. Internal combustion engines burn a mixture of air and fuel in cylinders, and thereby generate drive torque and power. Internal combustion engines generally include a crankcase to provide a housing for the crankshaft of the engine. A portion of the combustion gases (called "blow-by") may escape the combustion chamber through the piston and enter an undesirable area of ​​the engine, such as the crankcase. There is a crankcase ventilation system. These systems can use filtration to reduce methane coverage, reduce particulate matter levels and reduce oil losses. In addition, crankcase ventilation systems are known in internal combustion engines for exhausting blow-by gases in the crankcase. For example, U.S. Patent No. 4,768,493, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019178609 and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2023 / 0066495 disclose examples of crankcase ventilation systems. However, this patent and these patent applications do not provide heating and / or cooling of engine charge air in the manner disclosed herein. Summary of the invention

[0003] In an example according to the present disclosure, an internal combustion engine optionally includes: a crankcase having blowby gases passing therethrough; a source of charge air; a jacket containing water; an oil separation device in fluid communication with the charge air and the blowby gas and having a coalescing filter to separate oil from the blowby gas; and a heat exchanger in fluid communication with the charge air, wherein the heat exchanger is in fluid communication with the jacket to receive the water, wherein the water is transferred in a heat transfer relationship with the charge air in the heat exchanger to achieve a desired temperature range for the charge air transferred to the oil separation device.

[0004] In another example according to the present disclosure, an engine system optionally includes: a crankcase of the engine, the crankcase having blowby gases passing therethrough; a source of charge air; a jacket containing water; an oil separation device, the oil separation device being in fluid communication with the charge air and the blowby gas and having a coalescing filter to separate oil from the blowby gas; and a heat exchanger in fluid communication with the charge air, wherein the heat exchanger is in fluid communication with the jacket to receive the water, wherein the water is transferred in a heat transfer relationship with the charge air in the heat exchanger to achieve a desired temperature range for the charge air transferred to the oil separation device.

[0005] In yet another example according to the present disclosure, a method is disclosed for maintaining blowby gas from a crankcase of an engine within a desired temperature range while passing through an oil separation device. The method optionally includes: passing the blowby gas from the crankcase to the oil separation device; supplying water from the jacket to a heat exchanger, wherein within the heat exchanger, the water is in heat transfer relationship with charge air passing through the heat exchanger and heats or cools the charge air to a desired temperature range; passing the charge air at the desired temperature range to the oil separation device; separating oil from the blowby gas by the oil separation device; passing the blowby gas to a charge air system after leaving the oil separation device; and returning the water to the jacket after passing through the heat exchanger. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] In the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, like numbers may describe similar components in different views. Like numbers with different letter suffixes may represent different instances of similar components. The accompanying drawings generally illustrate various embodiments discussed in this document by way of example and not limitation.

[0007] Figure 1 is a highly schematic illustration of an example internal combustion engine including a crankcase and a ventilation system for the crankcase including a heat exchanger for warming charge air according to an example of the present disclosure.

[0008] Figure 1A is a highly schematic illustration of an example internal combustion engine including an air-to-air aftercooling system as part of a ventilation system for a crankcase according to an example of the present disclosure.

[0009] Figure 2 Yes Figure 1 Perspective view of the ventilation system of the crankcase with a heat exchanger.

[0010] Figure 3 is a highly schematic illustration of an internal combustion engine including a crankcase and a further ventilation system for the crankcase including a second heat exchanger for warming charge air and warming or cooling blowby gases according to an example of the present disclosure.

[0011] Figure 4 is a highly schematic illustration of an example internal combustion engine including a crankcase and a further ventilation system for the crankcase configured for cooling charge air according to an example of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012] Examples according to the present disclosure relate to a crankcase ventilation system for supplying filtered blowby gases to an internal combustion engine to separate oil from the blowby and re-inhale the blowby into the charge air system. Examples of the present disclosure are now described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, application, or use. The described examples set forth specific components, devices, systems, and methods to provide an understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed and that the examples may be embodied in many different forms. Therefore, the examples provided should not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims.

[0013] As used herein, the terms "comprise," "comprising," "having," "including," or other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that includes a list of elements includes not only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. In addition, relative terms, such as "about," "substantially," "substantially," and "approximately," are used to indicate possible variations of ±15% of the stated value.

[0014] Figure 1 An internal combustion engine 100 (generally referred to herein as an "engine" for simplicity) according to the present disclosure is depicted in a highly schematic manner. The engine 100 can be used to generate electricity, such as for propelling a vehicle or other machinery, or for stationary power generation. The engine 100 can include various power generation platforms and can use fuels including, for example, gasoline, gaseous fuels, diesel, or mixtures thereof. The stationary engine can be used to drive unmovable equipment such as pumps, generators, manufacturing plants or factory equipment. In one embodiment, the engine 100 can be used to generate electricity in landfill applications. Therefore, the engine 100 can use gaseous fuels. As used herein, "gaseous fuel" may include fuel supplied to the engine 100 in a gaseous form, and may include, for example, propane, natural gas, gases associated with natural gas, such as biogas, landfill gas, carbon monoxide, hydrogen, hydrogen sulfide, or mixtures thereof. The fuel can have different purity levels. As used herein, natural gas refers to pure and relatively impure forms with various amounts of methane and other components. It should be understood that the present disclosure may be applied to any number of piston-cylinder arrangements and various engine configurations, including but not limited to V-type engines, in-line engines, and horizontally opposed engines, as well as overhead cam and solid cam configurations.

[0015] According to some embodiments, such as Figure 1AIn an embodiment of the present invention, the engine 100A may be air-to-air aftercooled ("ATAAC") (also known as charge air cooled). Thus, the engine 100A uses forced air (rather than water) to cool the turbocharged air before it enters the engine's combustion chamber. The engine 100A may be operated in a manner similar to Figure 1 The engine 100 is constructed in a manner that the engine includes the following reference Figure 1 Various components are discussed, including heat exchanger 112 and oil separation device 114 .

[0016] The internal combustion engine 100 or 100A may be used in stationary applications as described above, but may also be used in vehicles and machinery, including those associated with various industries including, for example, construction, agriculture, forestry, transportation, material handling, waste management, and the like.

[0017] Now refer to it again Figure 1 According to one example, the engine 100 may be a twin-turbo engine. The engine 100 may include a ventilation system 102 for a crankcase 104, an aftercooler 106, and a jacket 108. The ventilation system 102 may include one or more breathers 110, a heat exchanger 112, an oil separation device 114, a first turbocharger 116, passages 118A, 118B, 118C, 118D, 118E, and 118F, and a second turbocharger 120.

[0018] The motive air of the ventilation system 102 can be at a boost pressure. The motive air can be directed to an oil separation device 114 (as further discussed and illustrated) or a crankcase ventilation device, and then can be directed to a first turbocharger 116. Passages 118A, 118B, 118C, 118D, 118E, and 118F allow fluid communication between various components of the engine 100. Thus, passage 118A fluidly connects one or more breathers 110 to the oil separation device 114. Passage 118B is fluidly connected to the engine 100 at or downstream of the aftercooler 106 and is in fluid communication with the heat exchanger 112. Passage 118C fluidly connects the heat exchanger 112 to the oil separation device 114. Passages 118D and 118E fluidly connect the jacket 108 to the heat exchanger 112. Passage 118F fluidly connects the oil separation device 114 to the first turbocharger 116. Although Figure 1104. It is not shown in the drawings, but it should be appreciated that the ventilation system 102 may include a valve or other regulator configured to regulate the flow of fluid when the pressure in the oil separation device 114 and / or the heat exchanger 112 is lower than the pressure in the crankcase 104 to prevent reverse flow. The terms "a channel", "multiple channels", "a passage", "multiple passages", "a pipeline" or "multiple pipelines" used herein should be interpreted broadly. These terms may be features defined by the various components of the engine shown in the figures, or may be direct interface connections, or may be formed by other components known in the art (e.g., hoses, pipes, ducts, manifolds, chambers, etc.).

[0019] exist Figure 1 In an example of , one or more breathers 110 may be in fluid communication via passage 118A to deliver blowby gas containing oil mist to the oil separation device 114. Charged air from the engine 100 at or downstream of the aftercooler 106 may be in fluid communication with the heat exchanger 112 via passage 118B. The heat exchanger 112 may be in fluid communication with the oil separation device 114 via passage 118E to deliver charge air from the heat exchanger 112 to the oil separation device 114. Thus, the heat exchanger 112 may be upstream of the oil separation device 114 relative to the flow direction of the charge air. The jacket 108 may be in fluid communication with the heat exchanger via passages 118C and 118D to communicate water with the heat exchanger 112. The oil separation device 114 may be in fluid communication with the first turbocharger 116 via passage 118F to deliver at least filtered blowby gas from the oil separation device 114 to the first turbocharger 116.

[0020] Components of the ventilation system 102, such as the oil separation device 114 and the heat exchanger 112, can be mounted to the engine 100. However, it is contemplated that such components can be separate from the engine 100 (e.g., not mounted thereto except via passages 118A, 118B, 118C, 118D, 118E, and 118F). The ventilation system 102 or some of its components can be part of the original manufacture of the engine 100, or can be a retrofit system added to the engine 100 during maintenance, upgrades, etc. The ventilation system 102 can be in fluid communication with the crankcase 104, for example, via passage 118A and additional passages or components not specifically shown. Although not shown, the ventilation system 102 can be configured to supply ambient air or air from a pressurized source to the crankcase 104.

[0021] The engine 100 may employ various components that are not specifically shown for the most part. The engine 100 may include an aftercooler 106, which is used to reduce the temperature of the air used by the system of the engine 100 during operation. For example, the aftercooler 106 may be downstream of the second turbocharger 120 (or other components such as a compressor) and in fluid communication with the second turbocharger to receive relatively warm air from the second turbocharger. The jacket 108 may be a liquid source (e.g., water) for cooling various components of the engine 100 during operation. According to some examples, water may be used during engine starting in addition. For example, such water may be generally about 100 degrees Celsius. A pump (not shown) or other flow generating device may be used to transfer water from the jacket 108 to the heat exchanger 112 along passage 118C, and return water from the heat exchanger 112 to the jacket 108 along passage 118D.

[0022] Devices such as one or more breathers 110 may be directly or indirectly coupled to the engine block and may be in fluid communication with the crankcase 104. Each of the one or more breathers 110 may include a mechanism for separating some oil droplets and oil mist from the blowby gas to prevent some oil droplets and oil mist contained in the blowby gas from being carried out of the crankcase 104 along the flow of the blowby gas. For example, the one or more breathers 110 may include one or more separation mechanisms, such as an oil separation valve, a splash plate, a serpentine passage, a mesh, or other obstacles. The one or more breathers 110 may be an outlet that allows smoke, blowby components, and / or aerosolized oil to reach the passage 118A and / or the atmosphere or, for example, another location away from the engine 100.

[0023] During engine starting and / or during extended engine idling, the charge air may be undesirably cold for typical use of the ventilation system 102. This is particularly true when the engine 100 is operating in a cold environment. In particular, the undesirably cold charge air may not be sufficient to maintain the blowby gases above the dew point temperature. If the blowby gases drop below the dew point temperature of the blowby gases, there is a risk of water vapor condensing / freezing, thereby forming an emulsion or ice in one or more of the various components described above, including the oil separation device 114, and within the engine 100 itself. Condensation / freezing may result in high pressure within the crankcase 104 and engine shutdown. Therefore, it is desirable that the charge air be warmed by the ventilation system 102 in particular for use with the oil separation device 114 in which the charge air is combined with the blowby gases.

[0024] For example, the heat exchanger 112 can be a liquid-to-air heat exchanger, such as a jacket heat exchanger. The heat exchanger 112 can be configured to receive charge air along passage 118B. In addition, the heat exchanger 112 can be configured to receive water from the jacket 108 along passage 118C. The heat exchanger 112 can be configured so that water is transferred with the charge air in a heat transfer relationship in the heat exchanger 112 to achieve a desired temperature range of the charge air transferred to the oil separation device 114. For example, the desired temperature range can be between about 70 degrees Celsius and about 90 degrees Celsius.

[0025] The ventilation system 102 can use an oil separation device 114 or device to filter oil (e.g., oil mist) from the blowby gas to reduce the volatile content in the blowby gas. The oil separation device 114 can include a filter medium, such as a coalescing filter, a desiccant, a combination thereof, or other media. The blowby gas can be initially delivered to the central channel or inlet chamber of the oil separation device 114. The filter medium is configured to separate a portion of the oil contained in the blowby gas. The filter medium can have a structure known in the art. For example, the filter medium can be constructed using a single-layer or multi-layer synthetic coalescing filter medium that is wound around a core or pleated. For example, the filter medium can be a layered but highly compressed metal mesh that is used as the first stage in separating moisture and oil from the blowby gas. When the blowby gas entrained with oil encounters this randomly woven maze, large water and oil droplets coalesce. In operation, the oil separation device 114 can use pressurized charge air (usually at intake manifold pressure) to offset the restrictions of the oil separation device 114. Additionally, the pressurized air (heated or cooled to a desired temperature range within the heat exchanger 112) can be used to warm or cool the blowby gas within the oil separation device 114 to maintain a desired temperature range for the blowby gas. This desired temperature range for the blowby gas can be above the dew point temperature of the blowby gas and below a temperature at which one or more components of the oil separation device 114 become inoperable.

[0026] The first turbocharger 116 may be in fluid communication with the oil separation device 114 to receive the filtered blowby gas and the charge air. The first turbocharger 116 may be used to draw or pull the blowby gas through the oil separation device 114. The power plant 116 may pass the filtered blowby gas and the charge air back to the charge air system (e.g., aftercooler, manifold, combustion chamber) to be directed through the ventilation system 102 again. For example, the first turbocharger 116 may be configured to compress air and pass the compressed air to the ATAAC ( Figure 1A ) or aftercooler 106 ( Figure 1 ) device.

[0027] Figure 2is a side view of a portion of engine 100 including ventilation system 102 , crankcase 104 , aftercooler 106 , jacket 108 , heat exchanger 112 , oil separation device 114 , first turbocharger 116 , and second turbocharger 120 . Figure 2 One or more ventilators 110 ( Figure 1 ) and channels 118A, 118B, 118C, 118D, 118E and 118F ( Figure 1 ). Instead, the flow direction of the pressurized air, water and blowby gas is Figure 2 Indicated by arrows.

[0028] Figure 3 The engine 100 is schematically shown and includes a crankcase 104, an aftercooler 106, a jacket 108, one or more breathers 110, an oil separation device 114, a first turbocharger 116, passages 118A, 118B, 118C, 118D, 118E and 118F, and a second turbocharger 120 as previously described. The engine 100 includes a ventilation system 102A that utilizes air from the Figure 1 The heat exchanger 112A of the embodiment of the present invention is modified. In particular, the heat exchanger 112A is in fluid communication with both the charge air and the blowby gas via passages 118A and 118B. Water from the jacket 108 is transferred in heat transfer relationship with both the charge air and the blowby gas in the heat exchanger 112A. This arrangement can increase (or decrease) the temperature of the charge air and the blowby gas entering the oil separation device 114 as needed. Figure 3 The ventilation system 102A includes an additional passage 118G for conveying heated or cooled blowby gas from the heat exchanger 112A to the oil separation device 114 .

[0029] Figure 4 The engine 100 is schematically shown and includes a crankcase 104, an aftercooler 106, a jacket 108, one or more breathers 110, a heat exchanger 112, an oil separation device 114, a first turbocharger 116, passages 118B, 118C, 118D, 118E and 118F, and a second turbocharger 120 as previously described. The engine 100 includes a ventilation system 102B that is modified to have a passage 118H that transfers relatively warm charge air (with Figure 1-3 In particular, for example, the source of pressurized air may be upstream of the aftercooler 106, such as at or downstream of the second turbocharger 120. The flow of water from the jacket 108 may be coupled to the Figure 1The water is transferred in a heat transfer relationship with the charge air in the heat exchanger 112 to cool the charge air, thereby achieving a desired temperature range of the charge air transferred to the oil separation device 114. It is contemplated that, according to some examples, Figure 4 The system configuration can also be Figure 3 Used together with the configuration of the system.

[0030] Industrial Applicability

[0031] In operation, the engine 100 can be configured to burn fuel to produce power. Although generally efficient, a small portion of the blowby gases may escape the combustion chamber past the piston and enter undesirable areas of the engine, such as the crankcase 104. The air used by the ventilation systems 102, 102A, and 102B is used to ventilate the crankcase 104 and other components. Such ventilation may include filtering oil using an oil separation device 114 to remove oil from the blowby gases.

[0032] Oil separation devices that include coalescing filters are known, however, these have disadvantages. These devices generally lack cold weather capabilities. For example, in cold weather, water vapor may condense and / or freeze within the oil separation device or other components of the engine 100. This condensed and / or frozen water vapor may restrict the flow of blowby gases, which may result in undesirable pressure spikes within the engine.

[0033] The present application recognizes the configuration of ventilation systems 102, 102A, 102B, which utilize heat exchangers 112, 112A to cool, maintain and / or warm up charge air, which is then transferred to oil separation device 114 and used to warm up or cool blowby gases within the oil separation device. This can allow blowby gases to achieve a desired temperature range, including in the oil separation device 114. For example, charge air can be preheated using jacket water in heat exchanger 112 during engine start-up, and heated before entering the oil separation device 114 during engine operation (including idling). This improves the operation of the oil separation device 114 in cold climates because condensed water vapor, emulsions and / or frozen water vapor that restrict flow can be avoided. Therefore, the design of ventilation systems 102, 102A and 102B can have improved temperature robustness. Therefore, ventilation systems 102, 102A and 102B of the present invention can be configured to reduce or prevent water condensate, emulsions and / or freezing. Additionally, using water at a desired temperature (typically about 100 degrees Celsius) for heat exchange can eliminate the need for various control systems for the charge air, which can save costs and reduce system complexity. The temperature of the water is desirable because it will not raise the charge air to an undesirably high temperature that could cause temperature degradation in polymer and elastomeric components of, for example, the oil separation device 114.

[0034] The above detailed description is intended to be illustrative rather than limiting.The scope of the disclosure should, therefore, be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

Claims

1. An internal combustion engine, comprising: a crankcase having blowby gases passing therethrough; Pressurized air source; a sheath containing water; an oil separation device in fluid communication with the charge air and the blowby gas and having a coalescing filter to separate oil from the blowby gas; as well as A heat exchanger is in fluid communication with the charge air, wherein the heat exchanger is in fluid communication with the jacket to receive the water, wherein the water is transferred in heat transfer relationship with the charge air in the heat exchanger to achieve a desired temperature range for the charge air transferred to the oil separation device.

2. The engine of claim 1, wherein the desired temperature range of the charge air to the oil separation device is between approximately 70 degrees Celsius and 90 degrees Celsius.

3. The engine of claim 1 , wherein the desired temperature range of the charge air within the oil separation device is sufficient to maintain the blowby gas above a dew point temperature of the blowby gas and below a temperature at which one or more components of the oil separation device become inoperable.

4. An engine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the charge air source is upstream or downstream of an aftercooler of the internal combustion engine.

5. The engine of any one of claims 1-4, wherein the water is transferred in the heat transfer relationship with the charge air in the heat exchanger to warm or cool the charge air to achieve the desired temperature range of the charge air transferred to the oil separation device.

6. The engine of any one of claims 1-5, wherein the heat exchanger is in fluid communication with the blowby gas, and wherein the water is transferred in heat transfer relationship with the blowby gas in the heat exchanger.

7. An engine according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the source of pressurized air is a compressor of the internal combustion engine.

8. A method of maintaining blowby gas from a crankcase of an engine within a desired temperature range while passing through an oil separation device, the method comprising: passing the blowby gas from the crankcase to the oil separation device; supplying water from the jacket to a heat exchanger wherein within the heat exchanger the water is in heat transfer relationship with charge air passing through the heat exchanger and heats or cools the charge air to a desired temperature range; delivering the charge air at the desired temperature range to the oil separation device; separating oil from the blowby gas by the oil separation device; passing the blowby gas to a charge air system after leaving the oil separation device; as well as The water is returned to the jacket after passing through the heat exchanger.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the pressurized air is supplied in an amount to offset a flow restriction of the blowby gas through the oil separation device.

10. The method of any one of claims 8-9, wherein the desired temperature range of the blowby gas is above a dew point temperature of the blowby gas and below a temperature at which one or more components of the oil separation device become inoperable.

11. The method of any one of claims 8-10, further comprising supplying the charge air from one of upstream or downstream of an aftercooler of the engine.

12. The method of any one of claims 8-11, further comprising transferring the water and the blowby gas in heat transfer relationship in the heat exchanger.

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