A dual-stage cyclone gas-liquid separation and anti-icing device for a gas engine air intake system

Abstract

This application discloses a two-stage swirling gas-liquid separation and anti-icing device for a gas engine intake system, relating to the field of turbocharger technology; it includes a housing; the housing has an air inlet and an air outlet at both ends along its axial direction, which are connected to the outside; an air inlet flange is connected to the end of the housing near the air inlet, and the air inlet flange is connected to the rear end of an air filter; an air outlet flange is connected to the end of the housing near the air outlet, and the air outlet flange is connected to the front end of a turbocharger; a PTC heating film is connected to the air outlet of the housing; the housing has a swirling separation chamber and a coalescing separation chamber that are connected to each other; the swirling separation chamber is located near the air inlet flange and a fan body is rotatably connected inside the swirling separation chamber; the coalescing separation chamber is located near the air outlet flange and a coalescing mesh is connected inside the coalescing separation chamber.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of turbocharger technology, specifically relating to a two-stage swirling gas-liquid separation and anti-icing device for a gas engine intake system. Background Technology

[0002] The intake system of a car engine needs to provide clean, dry, and stable intake air for the turbocharger and engine cylinders. Existing car engine intake systems usually have an air filter to purify the air before it is introduced into the turbocharger. However, when operating in a high humidity environment, although the air filter can filter dust, it is difficult to filter moisture. The air still contains a lot of moisture. If rainwater and condensed water mist in the air are directly introduced into the turbocharger, it can easily cause cavitation and corrosion of the turbocharger impeller and emulsification of bearing lubrication. At the same time, high humidity intake will reduce engine combustion efficiency, increase fuel consumption and exhaust emissions, and in severe cases, it can also cause frost and ice to form in the intake pipes, affecting the normal operation of the vehicle in low-temperature conditions.

[0003] Existing technologies rarely include devices to reduce humidity inside engines because the straight-line length from the air filter outlet to the turbocharger compressor inlet in current passenger vehicles is generally about 150-180 mm. Traditional cyclone separators, two-stage guide vane separators, or chemical-grade cyclone structures all have an axial length of over 300 mm. For example, patent CN107261654A discloses a two-stage pipeline gas-liquid cyclone separator, mainly composed of a primary separation module and a secondary separation module connected in series, relying on the cooperation of two-stage guide vanes to achieve cyclone separation of the oil-gas mixture. However, this existing technology still has many shortcomings: First, the two-stage module series layout results in a large overall axial size, typically exceeding 300mm in length, which cannot fit into the compact installation space of only about 180mm in the engine compartment of a car. Moreover, this separator relies solely on simple swirling to achieve coarse separation, lacking a dedicated structure for agglomerating and capturing fine water mist smaller than 5μm, making it difficult to meet the stringent requirements of low relative humidity in engine intake air. Second, installing a traditional swirling separator requires pre-planning for pipe bends, assembly tolerances, and interference avoidance within the engine, which is simply too small to fit a traditional swirling separator in the current engine's limited space. Furthermore, automakers typically use modular, compact layouts and will not allocate space specifically for a separation device. The traditional design logic of OEMs is that air filters are responsible for filtering dust, rainwater, and large droplets, assuming that the air after filtration is "dry and clean." However, air filters can only block large water droplets and particles, not fine water mist or condensation of 1-5μm. Furthermore, traditional air filters only require a single rubber or rigid tube leading directly to the turbocharger, without the need for additional functional components. Secondly, the guide vane structure of traditional industrial cyclones is designed for low-velocity, high-pressure chemical environments, and is not adapted to the high-speed intake characteristics of automotive engines. When high-speed airflow passes through, the intake pressure drop is large, exceeding 5 kPa, far exceeding the 2.5 kPa limit allowed by the engine's intake system. This is detrimental to maintaining good intake efficiency, and therefore cannot be used in engines. Moreover, the pressure drop of traditional cyclones is too large for engines to accept. A large pressure drop will lead to a decrease in intake volume, weakened power, increased fuel consumption, and slower torque response. Therefore, traditional cyclones cannot be used in engines. In addition, existing cyclones have not been optimized for low-pressure drop aerodynamics for high-speed engine intake, so they are not even considered suitable for use at the intake front end. Furthermore, the liquid separated in existing hydrocyclones cannot be discharged in time, which easily leads to water retention and backflow. They also lack a low-temperature heating and anti-icing structure, making the liquid and flow channels prone to freezing and blockage in low-temperature environments, resulting in poor all-weather working ability. Most separators use conventional metal inner walls, where water droplets easily adhere to the walls and form a water film. High-speed air intake can easily atomize and carry away the water on the wall surface, further reducing the gas-liquid separation effect. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a two-stage swirling gas-liquid separation and anti-icing device for a gas engine intake system, which solves the common problems of existing conventional intake separation structures, such as non-compact overall layout, large intake pressure drop, insufficient fine water mist removal capacity, lack of automatic drainage and anti-icing protection, and secondary water entrainment on the wall. These problems make it difficult to simultaneously meet the multiple usage requirements of automobile engine intake systems, such as small space, low pressure drop, high dehumidification efficiency, automatic drainage, low temperature anti-icing, and long-term stable operation.

[0005] The technical solution adopted in this application is as follows: A two-stage swirling gas-liquid separation and anti-icing device for a gas engine intake system includes a housing; the axial dimension of the housing is less than or equal to 180 mm; the housing has an air inlet and an air outlet at both ends along the axial direction, which are connected to the outside; an air inlet flange is connected to the end of the housing near the air inlet, and the air inlet flange is connected to the rear end of an air filter; an air outlet flange is connected to the end of the housing near the air outlet, and the air outlet flange is connected to the front end of a turbocharger. A PTC heating film is connected to one end of the housing near the air outlet; the housing has a swirling separation chamber and a coalescing separation chamber that are connected to each other; the swirling separation chamber is located near the air inlet flange and is rotatably connected to a fan body; the coalescing separation chamber is located near the air outlet flange and is connected to a coalescing mesh.

[0006] Preferably, the fan body includes a central shaft and a plurality of circumferential guide vanes connected to the central shaft; the helix angle of the plurality of guide vanes gradually increases from 18° to 25° along the airflow direction.

[0007] Preferably, the cyclone separation chamber is connected to a first isolation net and a second isolation net arranged opposite to each other. The first isolation net has a first mounting hole, and the second isolation net has a second mounting hole. The central shaft is rotatably connected to the first mounting hole and the second mounting hole through a bearing.

[0008] Preferably, the housing has a first guide ring and a second guide ring connected inside, which are arranged opposite to each other. The first guide ring and the second guide ring are arranged circumferentially along the inner wall of the housing. A swirling separation chamber is formed on one side of the first guide ring, and a coalescing separation chamber is formed on one side of the second guide ring. A transition cavity is formed between the first guide ring and the second guide ring.

[0009] Preferably, the housing has an extension cavity communicating with the transition cavity, the extension cavity protruding radially from the bottom of the transition cavity, and a water collection trough for storing water droplets is formed within the extension cavity.

[0010] Preferably, the bottom of the water collection tank is provided with an opening, and the opening is connected to a connecting pump through a pipeline. The connecting pump is used to extract water droplets in the water collection tank.

[0011] Preferably, a coalescing mesh is connected inside the cyclone separation chamber. The coalescing mesh is arranged perpendicular to the axial direction of the shell, and the circumferential edge of the coalescing mesh is connected to the inner wall of the cyclone separation chamber.

[0012] Preferably, the air inlet end of the housing is connected to an air inlet filter screen, which is connected to the inside of the air inlet flange. The air outlet end of the housing is connected to an air outlet filter screen, which is connected to the inside of the air outlet flange. A PTC heating film is connected to the air outlet filter screen and is connected to the PTC heating film through a heating device line, so that the PTC heating film can heat the airflow inside the housing.

[0013] Preferably, the inner wall of the shell and / or the surface of the coalescing mesh are coated with a nano-superhydrophobic coating.

[0014] Preferably, the water contact angle of the nano-superhydrophobic coating is >150° and the roll-off angle is <5°.

[0015] Due to the adoption of the above technical solution, the beneficial effects achieved by this application are as follows: 1. The housing of this application has a cylindrical structure. One end of the housing along the axial direction is connected to an intake flange, and the other end of the housing along the axial direction is connected to an outlet flange. The intake flange is bolted to the rear end of the air filter through bolt holes, and the outlet flange is bolted to the front end of the turbocharger through bolt holes. The overall axial dimension of the housing does not exceed 180mm, which can meet the space requirements between the air filter and the turbocharger, saving the overall housing space. It can also ensure efficient removal of liquid water and supersaturated water vapor in the intake air, achieve gas-liquid separation to adapt to the compact space, not affect the engine intake and cause excessive resistance, control the pressure drop within 2.5kPa, not affect the engine power output, and maintain low intake resistance.

[0016] The housing of this application has a swirling separation chamber on the side near the air inlet. The swirling separation chamber causes the humid air containing a large number of droplets and water mist from the air filter to swirl. The humid air is swirled by a fan in the swirling separation chamber. As can be seen from the following technical solution, the fan has multiple variable pitch guide vanes. The guide vanes reduce the flow area of ​​the airflow. According to Bernoulli's equation, the variable pitch structure of the guide vanes gradually increases the helix angle from 18° to 25°, which increases the tangential velocity of the airflow from 12m / s to 22m / s, generating a centrifugal acceleration of 15-20g. This allows large water droplets with a diameter greater than 5μm to be thrown onto the inner wall of the superhydrophobic coating of the housing by the rotation of the guide vanes, and then roll down the inner wall to the water collection tank at the lower position of the housing. The swirling separation chamber can achieve efficient separation between the airflow and the droplets, with a separation efficiency of up to 92%. What remains in the airflow are the fine water mist particles with a diameter less than 5μm that are difficult to separate.

[0017] Further separation occurs in the coalescing separation chamber. The water mist entering the chamber consists of water droplets with a diameter of less than 5 μm. The inner wall of the shell in the coalescing separation chamber has a superhydrophobic coating, and a coalescing mesh, made of microporous ceramic, is connected to the chamber. As the airflow passes through the coalescing mesh, the fine water mist collides with the inner surface of the ceramic pores. Under the influence of water surface tension, it is wetted and re-coalesces. The coalescing mesh helps the originally small water droplets coalesce into larger droplets. Then, under the influence of gravity, it overcomes the drag force of the airflow and rolls along the inner wall of the shell to the lower water collection tank. This allows dry air to flow from the coalescing separation chamber to the rear end and exit the shell, entering the turbocharger. This prevents moisture in the intake system from freezing when the turbocharged engine is running in a high humidity environment, which could lead to a decrease in compressor intake efficiency or even blade damage. The automatic drainage function prevents the separated water from accumulating and being re-introduced into the airflow or causing freezing at low temperatures.

[0018] This application features a PTC heating film at the air outlet. The PTC heating film is connected to a heating element, which controls the heating temperature of the PTC heating film. After the original humid air undergoes two-stage separation, the humidity in the air has been significantly reduced. The PTC heating film is attached to the air outlet of the housing, and it can heat the air inside the housing, causing the temperature of the original humid air to rise slightly and the relative humidity to decrease further. This ensures that the airflow from the outlet does not have the risk of freezing under extreme operating conditions. Attached Figure Description

[0019] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of this application and form part of this application, illustrate exemplary embodiments and are used to explain this application, but do not constitute an undue limitation of this application. In the drawings: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a two-stage swirling gas-liquid separation and anti-icing device for a gas engine intake system according to one embodiment of this application; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the fan body of a two-stage swirling gas-liquid separation and anti-icing device for a gas engine intake system according to one embodiment of this application; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of a two-stage swirling gas-liquid separation and anti-icing device for a gas engine intake system according to one embodiment of this application. Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional structural schematic diagram of a two-stage swirling gas-liquid separation and anti-icing device for a gas engine intake system according to one embodiment of this application; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the PTC heating film of a two-stage swirling gas-liquid separation and anti-icing device for a gas engine intake system according to one embodiment of this application. Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the coalescing net of a two-stage swirling gas-liquid separation and anti-icing device for a gas engine intake system according to one embodiment of this application; In the picture, 1. Housing; 2. Inlet flange; 3. Outlet flange; 4. PTC heating film; 5. Swirl separation chamber; 6. Coalescing separation chamber; 7. Fan body; 8. Coalescing mesh; 9. Guide vane; 10. First isolation mesh; 11. Second isolation mesh; 12. First guide ring; 13. Second guide ring; 14. Transition chamber; 15. Extension chamber; 16. Water collection tank; 17. Capacitive liquid level sensor; 18. Connecting pump. Detailed Implementation

[0020] Many specific details are set forth in the following description in order to provide a full understanding of this application. However, this application may also be implemented in other ways different from those described herein. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0021] Furthermore, it should be understood in the description of this application that the terms "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

[0022] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection, an electrical connection, or a communication connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application according to the specific circumstances.

[0023] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the "above" or "below" of the second feature can mean that the first and second features are in direct contact, or that the first and second features are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. In the description of this specification, references to terms such as "implementation," "example," "a particular embodiment," "example," or "specific example," etc., indicate that the specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of this application. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0024] Definitions: Turbocharger front end: refers to the intake pipe section before the compressor impeller of the turbocharger. The pressure in this area is lower than atmospheric pressure (negative pressure) or slightly higher than atmospheric pressure. The gas flow rate is high and the temperature is greatly affected by the ambient temperature.

[0025] Compressor impeller: The core rotating component of the turbocharger, which compresses the intake air. If water droplets are drawn in, it can easily lead to blade corrosion or icing damage.

[0026] Cyclone separation: a technology that uses guide vanes to force airflow to rotate at high speed, and uses the centrifugal force generated by density difference to throw larger droplets toward the wall, thereby achieving gas-liquid separation.

[0027] Tangential velocity: The circumferential velocity component of the airflow within the swirling cavity, which is a key parameter for generating centrifugal force.

[0028] ECU: Engine Control Unit, responsible for receiving sensor signals and controlling actuators.

[0029] To more clearly illustrate the overall concept of this application, a detailed explanation is provided below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0030] This application relates to a two-stage swirling gas-liquid separation and anti-icing device for a gas engine intake system, such as... Figure 1-6As shown, it includes a housing 1; the axial dimension of the housing is less than or equal to 180mm; the two ends of the housing 1 along the axial direction form an air inlet and an air outlet that communicate with the outside; the end of the housing 1 near the air inlet is connected to an air inlet flange 2, which is connected to the rear end of the air filter; the end of the housing 1 near the air outlet is connected to an air outlet flange 3, which is connected to the front end of the turbocharger; a PTC heating film 4 is connected inside the housing 1 near the air outlet; the inside of the housing 1 has a swirling separation chamber 5 and a coalescing separation chamber 6 that are connected to each other; the swirling separation chamber 5 is near the air inlet flange 2 and a fan body 7 is rotatably connected inside the swirling separation chamber 5; the coalescing separation chamber 6 is near the air outlet flange 3 and a coalescing mesh 8 is connected inside the coalescing separation chamber 6.

[0031] The housing 1 of this application has a cylindrical structure. One end of the housing 1 along the axial direction is connected to an intake flange 2, and the other end along the axial direction is connected to an outlet flange 3. The intake flange 2 and the outlet flange 3 are arranged circumferentially around the housing 1. Multiple bolt holes are provided circumferentially on both the intake flange 2 and the outlet flange 3, allowing the intake flange 2 to be bolted into the bolt holes and connected to the rear end of the air filter, and the outlet flange 3 to be bolted into the bolt holes and connected to the front end of the turbocharger. The overall axial dimension of the housing 1 does not exceed 180mm, which satisfies the space requirement between the air filter and the turbocharger, saving overall space. Furthermore, it ensures efficient removal of liquid water and supersaturated water vapor from the intake air while achieving gas-liquid separation within a compact space. This does not cause excessive resistance to the engine intake, and the pressure drop is controlled within 2.5kPa, without affecting engine power output, maintaining low intake resistance.

[0032] The housing 1 of this application has a swirling separation chamber 5 on the side near the air inlet. The swirling separation chamber 5 causes the humid air containing a large number of droplets and water mist from the air filter to swirl. The swirling of humid air is achieved by the fan body 7 in the swirling separation chamber 5. As can be seen from the following technical solution, the fan body 7 has multiple variable pitch guide vanes 9. The guide vanes 9 reduce the flow area of ​​the airflow. According to Bernoulli's equation, the variable pitch structure of the guide vanes 9 has a helix angle that gradually increases from 18° to 25°. This increases the tangential velocity of the airflow from 12 m / s to 22 m / s, generating a centrifugal acceleration of 15-20 g. As a result, large water droplets with a diameter greater than 5 μm can be thrown onto the inner wall of the superhydrophobic coating shell 1 by the rotation of the guide vane 9. Then, they roll down the inner wall into the water collection tank 16 at the lower position of the shell 1. In the swirling separation chamber 5, efficient separation between the airflow and the droplets can be achieved, with a separation efficiency of up to 92%. What remains in the airflow are fine water mist particles with a diameter less than 5 μm that are difficult to separate. Further separation occurs in the coalescing separation chamber 6. The water mist entering the coalescing separation chamber 6 contains water droplets with a particle size of less than 5 μm. The inner wall of the shell 1 in the coalescing separation chamber 6 has a superhydrophobic coating, and a coalescing mesh 8 is connected to the coalescing separation chamber 6. The coalescing mesh 8 is a microporous ceramic coalescing mesh with a pore size of 8-12 μm and a thickness of 3 μm. When the airflow passes through the coalescing mesh 8, the fine water mist collides on the inner wall surface of the ceramic pores. Under the action of the water surface tension of 72 mN / m, it is wetted and re-coalesced. The coalescing mesh 8 enables the originally small water droplets to coalesce into large water droplets. Then, under the action of gravity, it overcomes the airflow drag and rolls along the inner wall surface of the shell 1 into the lower water collection tank 16. Thus, the dry air flows from the coalescing separation chamber 6 to the rear end and is output outside the shell 1, entering the booster. To prevent moisture from freezing in the intake system of a turbocharged engine when it is running in a high humidity environment, which could lead to a decrease in compressor intake efficiency or even damage to the blades, an automatic drainage function is implemented to prevent the separated water from accumulating and being re-introduced into the airflow or causing low-temperature freezing.

[0033] This application includes a PTC heating film 4 near the air outlet. The PTC heating film 4 is connected to the heating element to control the heating temperature of the PTC heating film. After the original humid air undergoes two-stage separation, the humidity in the air has been significantly reduced to less than 15%RH. The plane of the PTC heating film 4 is set along the axial direction of the shell, so that the airflow can flow from both sides of the PTC heating film without being blocked by the PTC heating film, reducing flow resistance. The power of the PTC heating film 4 is 30W. The PTC heating film 4 can heat the air inside the shell 1, so that the temperature of the original humid air can be slightly increased and the relative humidity can be further reduced, thereby ensuring that the airflow from the outlet has no risk of icing under extreme operating conditions.

[0034] Preferably, the fan body 7 includes a central shaft and a plurality of guide vanes 9 connected to the central shaft in the circumferential direction; the helix angle of the plurality of guide vanes 9 gradually increases from 18° to 25° along the airflow direction.

[0035] This application does not simply create swirls, but rather gradually increases the helix angle from 18° to 25° through a gradual change in angle. That is, the first guide vane 9 has a helix angle of 18°, and the last guide vane 9 in the circumferential direction has a helix angle of 25°. This achieves gradual acceleration within a finite length, ensuring sufficient centrifugal force while avoiding energy loss due to sudden velocity changes. With a larger helix angle, the blades are more axially biased, the airflow follows the axis more closely, and swirls and eddies are significantly reduced. A larger helix angle better matches the conventional intake angle, resulting in smoother intake, reduced separation flow, and less likelihood of boundary layer separation and flow breakdown. Increasing the angle from 18° to 25° results in smoother airflow bends, a more uniform flow field, stronger axial flow capacity, an equivalent larger flow cross-sectional area, increased delivery volume, reduced airflow impact and eddy current losses, higher aerodynamic efficiency, a more stable flow field, less turbulent excitation, and lower aerodynamic noise.

[0036] Preferably, a first isolation net 10 and a second isolation net 11 are connected inside the cyclone separation chamber 5 and are arranged opposite to each other. The first isolation net 10 has a first mounting hole and the second isolation net 11 has a second mounting hole. The central shaft is rotatably connected to the first mounting hole and the second mounting hole through a bearing.

[0037] The first and second isolation nets 11 are arranged opposite each other, symmetrically limiting left and right or front and back. The central shaft is supported by mounting holes at both ends and bearings, ensuring good coaxiality, small radial runout, and smoother operation. The double isolation nets directly serve as the bearing mounting base, eliminating the need for additional complex bearing housings. This results in fewer parts, fewer assembly steps, and a more compact overall machine, reducing processing and assembly costs. Furthermore, the first and second isolation nets 10 and 11 can further filter air. The double isolation nets can rectify and evenly distribute the swirling airflow, breaking up local turbulence and making the swirling flow within the cavity more regular, thus improving the efficiency of gas-solid or gas-liquid separation. The isolation nets can also intercept large particles and flocculent matter, preventing them from entering the bearing mounting area, reducing bearing wear and jamming, and extending the service life of the central shaft and bearings. The symmetrical isolation nets constrain the airflow direction, preventing short-circuiting along the cavity wall and forcing the airflow to flow orderly along the swirling path, improving the separation effect. Moreover, from a mechanical point of view, by setting the first isolation net 10 and the second isolation net 11, the central shaft is supported by two points with a span. Compared with the single-end cantilever support, it has strong bending and vibration resistance, is not easily deformed at high speed, and has low vibration and noise. The double mounting holes limit the radial movement of the central shaft, effectively suppressing the radial offset and shaking of the shaft, and making the overall operation of the machine more stable.

[0038] In addition to the above-described embodiments, a third mounting hole can be provided in the center of the coalescing mesh, a fourth mounting hole can be provided in the air intake filter, the first and second isolation meshes can be omitted, one end of the central shaft of the fan can be connected to the fourth mounting hole, and the other end can be connected to the third mounting hole.

[0039] Preferably, the shell 1 has a first guide ring 12 and a second guide ring 13 connected inside, which are arranged opposite to each other. The first guide ring 12 and the second guide ring 13 are arranged circumferentially along the inner wall of the shell 1. A swirling separation chamber 5 is formed on one side of the first guide ring 12, and a coalescing separation chamber 6 is formed on one side of the second guide ring 13. A transition cavity 14 is formed between the first guide ring 12 and the second guide ring 13 in the shell 1.

[0040] Two circumferentially arranged guide rings naturally divide the inner cavity of the shell 1 into three independent cavities: a swirling separation cavity 5, a transition cavity 14, and a coalescing separation cavity 6. This achieves coarse separation by centrifugal swirling, followed by stable transition flow, and finally fine separation by coalescing. Gas-liquid or gas-water droplet separation is performed in stages with a reasonable separation gradient, preventing cross-flow interference. The first and second guide rings 13 are arranged circumferentially along the inner wall of the shell 1, providing forced guidance and constraint to the airflow attached to the inner wall, preventing the airflow from erratically adhering to the wall and short-circuiting backflow. This forces the airflow to flow axially along a set path, resulting in a more uniform and stable flow field. An independent transition cavity 14 is formed between the two guide rings, which buffers the kinetic energy of the airflow after swirling, disperses residual turbulence, and attenuates the residual swirling momentum, allowing the airflow to enter the rear coalescing separation cavity 6 smoothly and uniformly, avoiding direct impact of high-speed swirling flow on the coalescing structure and causing secondary entrainment of scattered water droplets. It not only separates the chambers but also intercepts and traps tiny water droplets and mist, causing them to collide and adhere to the surface of the guide ring, converging into larger droplets that then flow into the collection tank 16. The guide ring is directly fixed to the inner wall of the housing 1, serving as both a chamber partition and a flow guide component. It has fewer parts, a compact structure, simple assembly, and occupies less internal space, facilitating miniaturization. The annular guide ring features a streamlined transition without abrupt right-angle baffles, ensuring smooth airflow, minimal local resistance loss, and low overall air pressure loss.

[0041] The first guide ring 12 and the second guide ring 13 are preferably annular flanged guide rings, with the flanges fixedly attached to the inner wall of the shell 1. The first guide ring 12 and the second guide ring 13 have an arc surface structure, which allows water droplets to roll down along the inner wall surface of the first guide ring 12 and the second guide ring 13 and slide into the low-level water collection tank 16. The side of the guide ring facing the vortex cavity can be made into an inwardly inclined guide slope, so that the water droplets can enter the interior of the first guide ring 12 or the second guide ring 13 under the action of their own gravity and the thrust of the airflow, and then slide down into the water collection tank 16 along the arc surface inside the guide ring. Moreover, a smooth transition surface is formed between the guide slope and the inner arc surface of the guide ring, avoiding sharp corners or edges, and avoiding turbulence. This allows the water droplets to converge in the first guide ring 12 and the second guide ring 13 and flow continuously down to the water collection tank 16, without being blown away by the airflow and atomized again.

[0042] The inclination angle of the guide slope is 15-30°, and the water collection tank 16 is set in the middle position between the first guide ring 12 and the second guide ring 13, so that all the water droplets in the first guide ring 12 and the second guide ring 13 can smoothly enter the middle water collection tank 16 for collection.

[0043] Furthermore, multiple water-guiding grooves or ribs can be provided on the inner wall of the first guide ring 12 and / or the second guide ring 13. This allows the collected water droplets to be constrained and slide down along the water-guiding grooves or ribs on the inner wall of the first guide ring 12 and / or the second guide ring 13, preventing them from splashing everywhere. This allows the water droplets to roll smoothly down into the water collection tank 16. An airflow buffer chamber is formed between the first guide ring 12 and the second guide ring 13, which can disperse turbulence and allow the airflow to enter the coalescing separation chamber 6 smoothly and evenly. This avoids the high-speed swirling flow directly impacting the coalescing net 8, which would cause the coalescing net 8 to easily carry away, i.e., secondary entrainment of scattered water droplets, thus achieving efficient separation without secondary entrainment.

[0044] Preferably, the housing 1 has an extension cavity 15 communicating with the transition cavity 14, the extension cavity 15 protruding radially from the bottom of the transition cavity 14, and a water collection tank 16 for storing water droplets is formed in the extension cavity 15.

[0045] The extension cavity 15 protrudes radially at the bottom of the transition cavity 14, precisely receiving the condensed water droplets and separated liquid droplets flowing down the wall from the first and second guide rings 13 above. The water droplets fall naturally under gravity and collect in the water collection tank 16, resulting in a short water collection path and more concentrated water collection. The water collection tank 16 is located within the outwardly protruding extension cavity 15, away from the main airflow channel. The swirling airflow and axial mainstream will not directly wash away the water accumulated in the tank, effectively preventing the water from being blown away by the airflow and re-atomized and carried back, ensuring the purity of gas-liquid separation. The outwardly protruding and externally positioned extension cavity 15 does not encroach on the internal flow space of the swirling separation cavity 5, transition cavity 14, and coalescing separation cavity 6. The main airflow cross-section remains intact and undeformed, resulting in a uniform and stable flow field, low airflow resistance, and low pressure loss. By adjusting the radial protrusion depth and axial length of the extension cavity 15, the water storage volume of the water collection tank 16 can be flexibly designed, capable of storing a large amount of condensate droplets and separated liquid, preventing short-term overflow and backflow, and adapting to high flow and high humidity conditions. The main transition cavity 14 carries airflow, while the outer extension cavity 15 is dedicated to water storage, achieving a physical partition where airflow flows through the middle and liquid is stored on the outside, preventing gas and liquid from interfering with each other, and further improving the overall separation efficiency of swirling and coalescence.

[0046] Preferably, the bottom of the water collection tank 16 is provided with an opening, and the opening is connected to a connecting pump 18 through a pipe. The connecting pump 18 is used to extract water droplets in the water collection tank 16.

[0047] The bottom of the water collection tank 16 has an opening and is connected to an external pump via a pipeline. This allows for real-time, active extraction of accumulated water droplets from the chamber, achieving continuous automatic drainage without the need for regular manual emptying and cleaning. This design is suitable for long-term continuous operation of the equipment. The pump's active suction ensures timely emptying of accumulated water, maintaining a low liquid level in the collection tank 16. This prevents excessive water overflow and backflow into the transition chamber 14 and cyclone separation chamber 5, preventing secondary introduction of droplets and ensuring the stability of gas-liquid separation. Furthermore, the timely removal of accumulated liquid prevents deep water accumulation at the bottom, eliminating the problem of high-speed airflow sweeping across the liquid surface, creating water mist, and re-atomizing and entraining water droplets, significantly improving overall separation efficiency. Moreover, this application, through the connection of the connecting pump 18, allows for matching the pump's start / stop or frequency conversion speed according to humidity and airflow, adjusting the drainage rate as needed. This adapts to different load conditions, including dry and wet conditions, and varying load sizes, making it more versatile. In addition, the opening is located at the bottom of the water collection tank 16. Utilizing the dual effects of gravity flow and pump suction, the accumulated liquid flows and collects by gravity, and can be extracted without dead corners. It is not easy for water or dirt to remain in the tank, and it is not easy for silt and impurities to grow.

[0048] Furthermore, a capacitive liquid level sensor 17 is connected inside the water collection tank 16 of this application.

[0049] Employing a capacitive liquid level sensing principle, the system continuously monitors the water level in the collection tank 16 in real time. It exhibits sensitive response to level changes and accurately identifies low, high, and full liquid levels with high detection precision. When the capacitive liquid level sensor 17 detects a liquid level exceeding a preset threshold, it transmits the data to the control center. The control center then activates the connected pump 18, controlling its activation frequency and duration to ensure timely extraction of liquid from the collection tank 16. The pump automatically starts at high levels and automatically stops at low levels, forming a closed-loop self-control system that requires no manual intervention and achieves fully automatic drainage. The capacitive sensor requires no mechanical contact with the liquid, has no moving parts such as floats, and is free from jamming and mechanical wear. It is not easily jammed by impurities or oil in the water, exhibiting good long-term operational stability. Despite the high humidity and moisture content within the collection tank 16, the capacitive sensor is resistant to moisture, condensation, and electromagnetic interference, and is unaffected by water mist or slight foam, ensuring a stable and drift-free detection signal. In addition, by setting a capacitive liquid level sensor 17, it is possible to predict the high liquid level in advance and trigger drainage in time, so as to prevent the water in the collection tank 16 from overflowing and flowing back into the transition chamber 14 and the vortex separation chamber 5, thus eliminating the secondary entrainment of liquid droplets and ensuring the gas-liquid separation efficiency.

[0050] In addition, the capacitive liquid level sensor 17 can be directly fixed to the inner wall or side wall of the water collection tank 16, which occupies little space, is flexible in installation and arrangement, does not interfere with water collection, does not block the flow channel, and does not affect the original flow guidance and water collection structure.

[0051] It should be noted that, as an embodiment of this application, the bottom of the housing 1 is provided with a water collection tank 16 with a volume of 200ml. A capacitive liquid level sensor 17 is installed in the water collection tank 16, with a detection accuracy of ±2mm. A connecting pump 18 with a power of 8KW is connected to the bottom of the water collection tank 16. After the ECU determines that the liquid level has reached the 150mm threshold, it activates the connecting pump 18 for 15 seconds to force the accumulated water out of the system.

[0052] Preferably, a coalescing net 8 is connected inside the cyclone separation chamber 5. The coalescing net 8 is arranged perpendicular to the axial direction of the shell 1, and the circumferential edge of the coalescing net 8 is connected to the inner wall of the cyclone separation chamber 5.

[0053] The coalescing mesh 8 is arranged transversely along the vertical axis of the shell 1, with its circumferential edge completely adhering to the inner wall of the swirl separation chamber 5, sealing off the entire flow cross-section. Airflow must penetrate the coalescing mesh 8, preventing edge-to-edge flow and short-circuiting. Fine droplets and micro-water droplets are all captured and coalesced by the mesh. Inside the swirl separation chamber 5, the airflow undergoes a circular swirling motion. The vertically arranged coalescing mesh 8 faces the direction of the swirling airflow. Droplets in the airflow impact the mesh fibers under centrifugal force, making them more likely to adhere, aggregate, and increase in particle size. This achieves swirling centrifugal separation and secondary separation on the coalescing mesh 8, significantly improving the gas-liquid separation effect. Furthermore, the full-surface coalescing mesh 8 of this application acts as a rectifying and damping agent for the swirling airflow, dispersing chaotic turbulence, uniformizing the flow field within the chamber, suppressing local backflow and vortices, and allowing the airflow to smoothly enter the transition chamber 14 and the coalescing separation chamber 6, reducing the airflow pressure drop. The coalescing mesh 8 also functions as a filter, intercepting dust, impurities, and flocculent matter in the airflow. This prevents impurities from entering the subsequent intensifier with the airflow, reducing intensifier blockage or wear and extending the overall service life of the machine. Moreover, the water droplets captured by the coalescing mesh 8 continuously converge and grow larger. Under the action of gravity and centrifugal swirling, they flow smoothly down the mesh surface and the inner wall of the cavity, flowing smoothly into the water collection tank 16 of the bottom extension cavity 15, and are not easily dispersed or carried away by the airflow.

[0054] The coalescing mesh 8 is preferably made of microporous ceramic coalescing mesh 8, which is a porous mesh structure made of ceramic material sintered. It has hydrophilicity or is treated to have specific wettability. The pore size is very small and it is used to capture and coalesce fine water mist.

[0055] Preferably, an air inlet filter is connected to the air inlet end of the housing 1, and the air inlet filter is connected to the inside of the air inlet flange 2. An air outlet filter is connected to the air outlet end of the housing 1, and the air outlet filter is connected to the inside of the air outlet flange 3. A PTC heating film 4 is set at a preset distance from the air outlet filter. The PTC heating film 4 is connected to the heating device line, so that the PTC heating film 4 can heat the air inlet airflow inside the housing 1.

[0056] The inlet flange 2 has a built-in inlet filter, and the outlet flange 3 has a built-in outlet filter, achieving dual protection through pre-filtering at the inlet and fine filtration at the outlet. This progressively intercepts dust, particulate matter, and flocculent impurities, preventing them from entering the cyclone separator 5 and causing filter blockage and scale buildup, thus ensuring long-term stable operation of the gas-liquid separation system. Both the inlet and outlet filters are installed inside the flanges, occupying no external piping space and eliminating the need for additional external filter components. The overall design is neat and easy to assemble, facilitating pipe connection and installation. Furthermore, the PTC heating film 4 is directly connected to the interior of the housing, extending along the housing's axis. This integrated design eliminates the need for a separate heating support, resulting in a simple and compact structure that does not interfere with the airflow field and separation structure within the housing 1.

[0057] The PTC heating film 4 is positioned towards the airflow inside the housing 1, enabling directional and uniform heating of the airflow within the cavity. Heat is directly applied to the flowing air, resulting in low heat loss, rapid temperature response, and high heating utilization. In low-temperature environments, preheating the airflow and the inner wall of the housing 1 via the PTC effectively prevents condensation and ice formation inside the housing 1, at the coalescing mesh 8 and water collection tank 16, as well as freezing or blockage of the pipelines and the coalescing mesh 8, ensuring normal start-up and continuous operation of the equipment in low-temperature winters. Furthermore, it can also heat the outlet filter and surrounding airflow, drying the moisture and condensate adsorbed on the filter, preventing it from becoming damp, clogged, or developing mold and mildew, maintaining the airflow through the filter, and reducing overall air resistance and energy consumption. The PTC in this application possesses self-regulating temperature and overheat-limiting characteristics, eliminating the risk of overheating and combustion, ensuring stable temperature control and high safety. Combined with the heating device circuitry, controllable start-up and temperature adjustment can be achieved, simplifying control and facilitating maintenance.

[0058] The PTC heating film 4 of this application is a positive temperature coefficient heating element with automatic temperature control characteristics. When the temperature rises, the resistance increases and the power decreases, eliminating the need for an additional temperature control circuit, making it safe and reliable.

[0059] Preferably, the inner wall of the shell 1 and / or the mesh surface of the coalescing mesh 8 are coated with a nano-superhydrophobic coating.

[0060] The inner wall of the shell 1 and the supporting structure surface of the coalescing mesh 8 are coated with a nano-superhydrophobic coating. The coating has a water contact angle >150° and a roll-off angle <5°. Water droplets cannot spread or remain on the wall surface. They quickly roll off into the water collection tank 16, avoiding secondary entrainment by high-speed airflow, while keeping the wall surface dry and preventing low-temperature freezing. The superhydrophobic coating has self-cleaning properties; any adhering trace impurities can be carried away by the rolling droplets, eliminating the need for frequent disassembly and cleaning, reducing maintenance frequency and labor costs. Moreover, the nano-superhydrophobic coating is resistant to water vapor and condensation, and is not prone to aging and failure, maintaining its hydrophobic and flow-guiding effects for a long time.

[0061] Preferably, the water contact angle of the nano-superhydrophobic coating is >150° and the roll-off angle is <5°.

[0062] The water contact angle refers to the angle formed between a water droplet and the coating surface when the droplet falls on it. Assuming the coated surface is slowly tilted, the minimum tilt angle at which the water droplet begins to roll off is the roll-off angle. When the water contact angle is greater than 150°, the water droplet is spherical and does not adhere to the surface. When the roll-off angle is less than 5°, the droplet will automatically roll off at even a slight angle, allowing it to coalesce and roll downwards into the collection tank. This application uses a nano-superhydrophobic coating with a water contact angle greater than 150°, possessing superhydrophobic and water-repellent properties. Water vapor and mist droplets are difficult to spread and adhere to the inner wall of the shell 1 and the coalescing mesh 8, significantly reducing droplet adhesion. With a roll-off angle less than 5°, the droplets easily slide off on their own and flow rapidly under their own weight and airflow. Tiny droplets captured by the coalescing mesh 8 can quickly coalesce into larger droplets, flowing smoothly along the inner wall to the collection tank 16, avoiding stagnation and accumulation. There is no residual thin water film on the inner wall and mesh surface, preventing it from being broken by the swirling airflow and forming secondary water mist or micro-mist entrainment. This fundamentally reduces water escape carried by the airflow, significantly improving the overall swirling and coalescing separation effect. The coating surface is smooth with low adhesion, making it difficult for dust, oil, and impurities to adhere. This effectively prevents scaling and clogging of the 8-hole coalescing mesh, ensuring stable airflow and minimal pressure drop over long-term use, thus extending the filter's lifespan.

[0063] During engine operation, outside air still contains a large amount of water vapor after passing through the air filter. When the ambient humidity is high, the relative humidity can reach over 90%. This moisture enters the compressor end of the turbocharger and, although it heats up during adiabatic compression, the compressor impeller and turbine inlet pipes remain extremely cold under low load conditions or during low-temperature starts. Saturated water vapor easily condenses into liquid water and quickly freezes. Ice adhering to the high-speed rotating impeller can lead to dynamic imbalance, changes in blade profile, a sharp drop in efficiency, and in severe cases, even blade breakage, causing engine failure.

[0064] This application addresses two major misconceptions in traditional air conditioning: first, the overemphasis on filtration over separation, which relies excessively on the air filter's filtration function, but air filters are primarily designed for solid particulate matter and have limited ability to separate gaseous water or tiny droplets; second, the overemphasis on heating over separation, which relies solely on heating elements for anti-icing, but the large intake airflow requires heating power of several kilowatts, significantly impacting the vehicle's electrical system. In summary, the dual-stage swirling gas-liquid separation and anti-icing device of this application features a compact structure and small axial dimension, making it suitable for the limited installation space in engine compartments. This application adopts an integrated layout with a housing 1, dividing the inner cavity into a swirling separation chamber 5, a transition chamber 14, and a coalescing separation chamber 6 through a first guide ring 12 and a second guide ring 13. This eliminates the need for a multi-stage module series structure, significantly shortening the overall axial length and adapting to the limited installation requirements of engine compartments, resulting in high integration and a small footprint. The intake aerodynamic layout is optimized to achieve low-pressure-drop intake. The airflow field within the housing 1 is regulated by the guide ring, and the vertically arranged coalescing mesh 8 provides flow correction and damping, resulting in smooth airflow without abrupt local resistance. The flow channel structure is optimized for high-speed engine intake conditions, effectively controlling the intake pressure drop and maintaining it below 2.5 kPa, ensuring engine intake efficiency and power performance. Multi-stage separation of swirl and coalescence provides strong fine water mist removal and excellent dehumidification. This application incorporates a coalescing mesh 8 perpendicular to the axis of the housing 1 within the swirl separation chamber 5. Combining the centrifugal separation of swirl and the fine capture by the coalescing mesh 8, it effectively intercepts and captures fine water mist smaller than 5 μm, significantly reducing the relative humidity of the intake air at the outlet. This meets the engine's low-humidity intake requirements, preventing the adverse effects of high-humidity intake air on the turbocharger and engine from the source. This application also features an independent water collection tank 16 for automatic drainage and backflow prevention. A radially protruding extension chamber 15 is provided at the bottom of the transition chamber 14 to form the water collection tank 16. This, along with the bottom opening of the water collection tank 16, pipelines, and a connecting pump 18, and a built-in capacitive liquid level sensor 17, allows for real-time monitoring of the liquid level and automatic pump start-up at high levels and automatic pump stop-up at low levels. This timely extraction of accumulated liquid within the chamber prevents overflow and backflow of the water collection tank 16, while also preventing long-term accumulation of liquid that can be re-entrained by airflow. The application also features dual filtration at both ends and PTC heating for anti-icing, ensuring good all-weather operational stability. The inlet and outlet flanges 3 of the housing 1 are respectively equipped with inlet and outlet filters, achieving dual filtration and impurity removal. The outlet filter integrates a PTC heating film 4, which can directionally heat the airflow and filter screen within the housing 1. This effectively prevents ice formation and blockage of the flow channel, filter screen, and accumulated liquid under low-temperature conditions, providing excellent anti-freezing and anti-condensation capabilities, making it suitable for use in all high and low temperature conditions. The nano-superhydrophobic coating inhibits water dripping and eliminates secondary water mist entrainment. The inner wall of the shell 1 and the surface of the coalescing mesh 8 are coated with a nano-superhydrophobic coating with a water contact angle greater than 150° and a roll-off angle less than 5°. Droplets are difficult to adhere to and spread on the wall and mesh surfaces and can quickly roll down and flow into the water collection tank 16, avoiding the formation of a water film that is blown away and atomized by the high-speed airflow. This significantly improves the gas-liquid separation efficiency and also has the effects of self-cleaning, anti-scaling, and anti-clogging of mesh, reducing the frequency of later maintenance.The zoned flow field is reasonable, the gas and liquid do not interfere with each other, and the separation efficiency is stable. The first and second guide rings 13 realize the functional zoning of the cavity, forming a gradient separation path of swirling separation, transitional flow stabilization, and coalescence fine separation. The transition cavity 14 can buffer and attenuate the residual swirling potential, avoid airflow turbulence and deflection short circuit. The main airflow channel and the outer water collection structure are isolated from each other, the gas and liquid flow are clearly separated, and the long-term operation separation performance is stable and reliable.

[0065] For any parts not mentioned in this application, existing technologies may be used or referenced.

[0066] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner. The same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to each other. Each embodiment focuses on describing the differences from other embodiments.

[0067] The above description is merely an embodiment of this application and is not intended to limit the scope of this application. Various modifications and variations can be made to this application by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the scope of the claims of this application.

Claims

1. A two-stage cyclone gas-liquid separation and anti-icing device for a gas engine intake system, characterized in that, Includes a housing (1); the axial dimension of the housing is less than or equal to 180 mm; the housing (1) forms an air inlet and an air outlet at both ends along the axial direction, which are connected to the outside; an air inlet flange (2) is connected to the end of the housing (1) near the air inlet, and is connected to the rear end of the air filter through the air inlet flange (2); an air outlet flange (3) is connected to the end of the housing (1) near the air outlet, and is connected to the front end of the turbocharger through the air outlet flange (3); The housing (1) has a PTC heating film (4) connected to one end near the air outlet; the housing (1) has a swirling separation chamber (5) and a coalescing separation chamber (6) connected inside; the swirling separation chamber (5) is near the air inlet flange (2) and a fan body (7) is rotatably connected inside the swirling separation chamber (5); the coalescing separation chamber (6) is near the air outlet flange (3) and a coalescing mesh (8) is connected inside the coalescing separation chamber (6).

2. A two-stage rotational flow gas-liquid separation and ice prevention device for a gas engine air intake system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The fan body (7) includes a central shaft and a plurality of guide vanes (9) connected to the central shaft in the circumferential direction; the helix angle of the plurality of guide vanes (9) gradually increases from 18° to 25° along the airflow direction.

3. A dual stage cyclone gas-liquid separation and ice protection device for a gas engine air induction system according to claim 2, wherein, The cyclone separation chamber (5) is connected to a first isolation net (10) and a second isolation net (11) arranged opposite to each other. The first isolation net (10) has a first mounting hole, and the second isolation net (11) has a second mounting hole. The central shaft is rotatably connected to the first mounting hole and the second mounting hole through a bearing.

4. A dual stage cyclone gas-liquid separation and ice protection device for a gas engine air induction system according to claim 1, wherein, The shell (1) is internally connected to a first guide ring (12) and a second guide ring (13) arranged opposite to each other. The first guide ring (12) and the second guide ring (13) are arranged circumferentially along the inner wall of the shell (1). A swirling separation chamber (5) is formed on one side of the first guide ring (12), and a coalescence separation chamber (6) is formed on one side of the second guide ring (13). A transition cavity (14) is formed between the first guide ring (12) and the second guide ring (13) in the shell (1).

5. A dual stage cyclone gas-liquid separation and ice protection device for a gas engine air induction system according to claim 4, wherein, The housing (1) has an extension cavity (15) communicating with the transition cavity (14), the extension cavity (15) protruding radially from the bottom of the transition cavity (14), and a water collection tank (16) for storing water droplets is formed in the extension cavity (15).

6. The two-stage swirling gas-liquid separation and anti-icing device for a gas engine intake system according to claim 5, characterized in that, The bottom of the water collection tank (16) is provided with an opening, and the opening is connected to a connecting pump (18) through a pipeline. The connecting pump (18) is used to extract water droplets in the water collection tank (16).

7. A dual stage cyclone gas-liquid separation and ice protection device for a gas engine air induction system according to claim 1, wherein, The cyclone separation chamber (5) is connected to a coalescing net (8), which is arranged perpendicular to the axis of the shell (1), and the circumferential edge of the coalescing net (8) is connected to the inner wall of the cyclone separation chamber (5).

8. A dual stage cyclone gas-liquid separation and ice protection device for a gas engine air induction system according to claim 1, wherein, The air inlet end of the housing (1) is connected to an air inlet filter screen, which is connected to the inside of the air inlet flange (2). The air outlet end of the housing (1) is connected to an air outlet filter screen, which is connected to the inside of the air outlet flange (3). A PTC heating film (4) is connected to the air outlet filter screen and is connected to the PTC heating film (4) via a heating device line, so that the PTC heating film (4) can heat the air inlet flow inside the housing (1).

9. A dual stage cyclone gas-liquid separation and ice protection device for a gas engine air induction system according to claim 1, wherein, The inner wall of the shell (1) and / or the surface of the coalescing mesh (8) are coated with a nano-superhydrophobic coating.

10. A dual stage cyclonic gas-liquid separation and ice protection apparatus for a gas engine air induction system according to claim 9, wherein, The nano-superhydrophobic coating has a water contact angle >150° and a roll-off angle <5°.

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