Internal combustion engine intercooler with integrated refrigeration system

Abstract

An intake air cooling system for an internal combustion engine includes a first conduit, an intercooler fluidly connected to the first conduit, and a second conduit fluidly connected to the intercooler. The intercooler includes a heat exchanger having a shell and a plurality of tubes fluidly connected to the first conduit. The refrigeration system is located within the shell downstream of the plurality of tubes and includes at least one evaporator tube, a condenser, a compressor, and a thermal expansion valve. The second conduit is configured to fluidly connect to an internal combustion engine intake.

Description

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE INTERCOOLER WITH INTEGRATED REFRIGERATION SYSTEM CROSS REFERENCES AND PRIORITIES

[0001] This Application claims priority from United States Provisional Application No. 63 / 508,515 filed on 16 June 2023, the teachings of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. BACKGROUND

[0002] Intercoolers are utilized in a wide variety of internal combustion engine applications to remove heat from the air entering the engine’s intake system. In automotive applications, intercoolers are often found in turbocharged engines where the intercooler is used to counteract the heat of compression and heat soak in the pressurized intake air resulting in higher air density.

[0003] A conventional intercooler may take the form of a finned tube heat exchanger comprising a series of tubes which contain the intake air. Ambient air is forced around the tubes as the vehicle is travelling at speed, thereby removing heat from the tubes and – by extension – the air inside the tubes. A series of fins may be placed between the tubes to increase the surface area of the tubes and thereby improve the cooling effect of the heat exchanger.

[0004] In practice, intercoolers suffer from several drawbacks. Notably, the heat removal capacity of conventional intercoolers is limited by the surface area of the tubes (with or without fins), the ambient air temperature, and the speed at which the ambient air is forced around the tubes and fins.

[0005] A need exists, therefore, for an intercooler which provides improved cooling capacity of internal combustion intake air. SUMMARY

[0006] Described herein is an intake air cooling system for an internal combustion engine. The intake air cooling system includes a first conduit having an air inlet, an intercooler fluidly connected to the first conduit, and a second conduit fluidly connected to the intercooler and configured to fluidly connect to an internal combustion engine intake. The intercooler includes a shell, a heat exchanger, and a refrigeration system. The heat exchanger is located within the shell and includes a plurality of heat exchanger tubes with each heat exchanger tube of the plurality of heat exchanger tubes fluidly connected to the first conduit. The refrigeration system is located within the shell downstream of the plurality of heat exchanger tubes and includes at least one evaporator tube, a condenser, a compressor, and a thermal expansion valve.INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE INTERCOOLER WITH INTEGRATED REFRIGERATION SYSTEM

[0007] The refrigeration system is configured to pass a liquid refrigerant through the thermal expansion valve and into the at least one evaporator tube. At least a portion of the liquid refrigerant is converted to a gaseous refrigerant within the at least one evaporator tube by passing air exiting the heat exchanger tubes around the at least one evaporator tube with said air having a first temperature which is greater than a second temperature of the liquid refrigerant. The refrigeration system is configured to pass at least the gaseous refrigerant into the compressor upon exiting the at least one evaporator tube with the compressor configured to increase a pressure of the gaseous refrigerant to pass the gaseous refrigerant into the condenser. The condenser is configured to convert at least a portion of the gaseous refrigerant into a recycled liquid refrigerant and then pass the recycled liquid refrigerant back to the thermal expansion valve to be reintroduced to the at least one evaporator tube.

[0008] In some embodiments, the air inlet may include a turbocharger. In certain embodiments, the heat exchanger may further include a plurality of fins. In some embodiments, the refrigeration system may include a number of evaporator tubes in a range of between 1 and 10. In certain embodiments, the compressor may be powered electrically by a 12-volt battery.

[0009] Also described herein is an intercooler for cooling intake air for an internal combustion engine. The intercooler includes a shell, a heat exchanger, and a refrigeration system. The heat exchanger is located within the shell and has a plurality of heat exchanger tubes. The refrigeration system is located within the shell downstream of the plurality of heat exchanger tubes and includes at least one evaporator tube, a condenser, a compressor, and a thermal expansion valve.

[0010] In some embodiments of the intercooler, the heat exchanger may include a plurality of fins. In certain embodiments of the intercooler, the refrigeration system may include a number of evaporator tubes in a range of between 1 and 10. In some embodiments of the intercooler, the compressor may be powered electrically by a 12-volt battery. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

[0011] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an embodiment of an intercooler for an internal combustion engine having an integrated refrigeration system.

[0012] FIG.2 is a perspective view of a turbocharger fluidly connected to the inlet of an intercooler having a heat exchanger for an internal combustion engine.INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE INTERCOOLER WITH INTEGRATED REFRIGERATION SYSTEM

[0013] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of an intercooler with a heat exchanger and an integrated refrigeration system for an internal combustion engine.

[0014] FIG.4 is a perspective view of an integrated refrigeration system for an intercooler for an internal combustion engine.

[0015] FIG.5 is a perspective view of an outlet of an intercooler fluidly connected to an intake of an internal combustion engine. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] Described herein is an intake air cooling system for an internal combustion engine. Reference is made to the Figures in which, unless otherwise noted, like numbers refer to like structures. As described herein and in the claims, the following numbers refer to the following structures as noted in the Figures.

[0017] 5 refers to an intake air cooling system.

[0018] 10 refers to an intercooler.

[0019] 15 refers to a shell.

[0020] 50 refers to ambient air or compressed hot air.

[0021] 55 refers to cooled air.

[0022] 100 refers to an air inlet.

[0023] 105 refers to a turbocharger.

[0024] 110 refers to a first conduit.

[0025] 200 refers to a heat exchanger.

[0026] 210 refers to a heat exchanger tube.

[0027] 220 refers to fins.

[0028] 300 refers to a refrigeration system.

[0029] 310 refers to an evaporator tube.

[0030] 320 refers to a condenser.

[0031] 330 refers to a compressor.

[0032] 340 refers to a thermal expansion valve.

[0033] 350 refers to a second conduit.

[0034] 400 refers to an internal combustion engine intake.

[0035] FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of an exemplary embodiment of an intake air cooling system (5) for an internal combustion engine. As shown in FIG. 1, the system includes a first conduit (110) having an air inlet (100), an intercooler (10), and a second conduit (350) configured to fluidly connect the intercooler to an internal combustionINTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE INTERCOOLER WITH INTEGRATED REFRIGERATION SYSTEM engine intake (400). As further shown in FIG.1, the intercooler includes a heat exchanger (200) and a refrigeration system (300).

[0036] FIG. 2 illustrates in perspective view an exemplary embodiment of the first conduit (110), air inlet (100), and a portion of the intercooler (10) of the intake air cooling system. Ambient air (50) may first be introduced to the system via an air inlet (100). In some embodiments, the air inlet may include a turbocharger (105) of the type commonly used in internal combustion engines. Turbochargers are a type of forced induction device powered by the flow of exhaust gases from the internal combustion engine. The energy from the exhaust gases is used to compress the intake air, forcing more air into the internal combustion engine to produce more power for a given displacement.

[0037] Upon exiting the air inlet (100), the ambient air (50) travels through a first conduit (110). In embodiments where the air inlet includes a turbocharger, the turbocharger will have converted the ambient air to compressed hot air. The first conduit delivers the ambient air (or compressed hot air) to the intercooler (10).

[0038] Once it arrives at the intercooler (10), the ambient air (or compressed hot air) (50) first passes through the heat exchanger (200). This may involve passing the air through a series of heat exchanger tubes (210) which may or may not include fins (220) (i.e. – a finned tube to increase their surface area. Passing the air through the heat exchanger lowers the temperature of the air.

[0039] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of an interface between the heat exchanger (200) portion of the intercooler (10) and the refrigeration system (300) portion of the intercooler. After passing through the heat exchanger tubes (210), the ambient air (or compressed hot air) (50) passes around a portion of the evaporator tube(s) (310) which is / are located within the shell (15) of the intercooler. The cooling effect provided by the conversion of the refrigerant from the liquid state to the gaseous state within the evaporator tube(s) removes heat from the air as it passes around the portion of the evaporator tube(s) located within the shell of the intercooler.

[0040] Preferably, the heat exchanger tubes (210) will be sealed to the refrigeration system (300) portion of the intercooler such that a fluid connection is formed between the heat exchanger tubes and the refrigeration system. The fluid connection allows air exiting the heat exchanger tubes to pass into the refrigeration system and around the evaporator tube(s) (310) for further cooling with little or none of the air exiting the intercooler and being discharged to atmosphere. Sealing the heat exchanger tubes to the refrigerationINTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE INTERCOOLER WITH INTEGRATED REFRIGERATION SYSTEM system may be accomplished by any number of structures including – but not limited to – metal flanges, rubber grommets, and the like.

[0041] FIG.4 illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a refrigeration system (300). As shown in FIG. 4, the refrigeration system may include an evaporator tube (310), a condenser (320), a compressor (330), and a thermal expansion valve (340). The refrigeration system operates by continuously cycling a refrigerant through a closed loop where liquid refrigerant passes through the thermal expansion valve and then through the evaporator tube where at least a portion of the liquid refrigerant transitions from a liquid state to a gaseous state thereby providing a cooling effect at the outer surface of the evaporator tube which removes heat from the ambient air surrounding the evaporator tube. The gaseous refrigerant then passes through the compressor (330) which increases the pressure of the gaseous refrigerant and forces it through the condenser (320) where at least a portion of the refrigerant changes from the gaseous state back to the liquid state, thereby providing a heating effect at the condenser. The liquid refrigerant (which may be considered a recycled liquid refrigerant) is then forced into the thermal expansion valve in order to start the cycle over again.

[0042] Preferably, the compressor (330) is a 12-volt compressor that is powered electrically by a 12-volt battery (not depicted). In some embodiments, the 12-volt battery may already be present in the vehicle, in which case the intercooler (10) may be retrofitted to the vehicle without the need to add an additional battery. In other cases, the 12-volt battery may be a separate 12-volt battery which is not already present in the vehicle.

[0043] While the refrigeration system (300) is shown having a single evaporator tube (310), some embodiments may have multiple evaporator tubes. In general, the number of evaporator tubes may be an integer in a range selected from the group consisting of between 1 and 10, between 1 and 8, between 1 and 6, between 1 and 4, and between 1 and 2.

[0044] FIG.5 illustrates an exemplary embodiment a portion of the intercooler (10), the second conduit (350), and an internal combustion engine intake (400). After passing around the evaporator tube(s) (310), the cooled air (55) then travels through the second conduit to the internal combustion engine intake. The internal combustion engine intake may be in the form of a fuel injection system that includes one or more high pressure nozzle which atomize fuel being introduced into the injection manifold, or it may be in the form of a carburetor which suctions fuel through a venturi tube to introduce fuel into a manifold.INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE INTERCOOLER WITH INTEGRATED REFRIGERATION SYSTEM

[0045] Incorporating the refrigeration system into the intercooler downstream of the heat exchanger allows colder air to be introduced to the internal combustion engine intake when compared to conventional intercoolers having only a traditional heat exchanger. The cooler air being introduced into the internal combustion engine intake is thought to improve the engine’s horsepower output and fuel efficiency.

[0046] The foregoing description of the exemplary embodiments has been provided for the purpose of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to practitioners skilled in the art. The embodiments were chosen and described to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical applications. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the following claims and their equivalents.

Claims

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE INTERCOOLER WITH INTEGRATED REFRIGERATION SYSTEM CLAIMS What is claimed is:

1. An intake air cooling system for an internal combustion engine, said intake air cooling system comprising: a first conduit (110) having an air inlet (100); an intercooler (10) fluidly connected to the first conduit and having: a shell (15); a heat exchanger (200) located within the shell and having a plurality of heat exchanger tubes (210) with each heat exchanger tube of the plurality of heat exchanger tubes fluidly connected to the first conduit; and a refrigeration system (300) located within the shell downstream of the plurality of heat exchanger tubes, said refrigeration system comprising at least one evaporator tube (310), a condenser (320), a compressor (330), and a thermal expansion valve (340); and a second conduit (350) fluidly connected to the intercooler; and wherein the refrigeration system is configured to pass a liquid refrigerant through the thermal expansion valve and into the at least one evaporator tube, at least a portion of the liquid refrigerant is converted to a gaseous refrigerant within the at least one evaporator tube by passing air exiting the heat exchanger tubes around the at least one evaporator tube with said air having a first temperature which is greater than a second temperature of the liquid refrigerant, the refrigeration system is configured to pass at least the gaseous refrigerant into the compressor upon exiting the at least one evaporator tube wherein the compressor is configured to increase a pressure of the gaseous refrigerant to pass the gaseous refrigerant into the condenser, the condenser is configured to convert at least a portion of the gaseous refrigerant into a recycled liquid refrigerant and then pass the recycled liquid refrigerant back to the thermal expansion valve to be reintroduced to the at least one evaporator tube, and the second conduit is configured to fluidly connect to an internal combustion engine intake (400).INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE INTERCOOLER WITH INTEGRATED REFRIGERATION SYSTEM 2. The intake air cooling system of claim 1, wherein the air inlet includes a turbocharger (105).

3. The intake air cooling system of any of claims 1 to 2, wherein the heat exchanger further comprises a plurality of fins (220).

4. The intake air cooling system of any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the refrigeration system comprises a number of evaporator tubes in a range of between 1 and 10.

5. The intake air cooling system of any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the compressor is powered electrically by a 12-volt battery.

6. An intercooler (10) for cooling intake air for an internal combustion engine, said intercooler comprising: a shell (15); a heat exchanger (200) located within the shell and having a plurality of heat exchanger tubes (210); and a refrigeration system (300) located within the shell downstream of the plurality of heat exchanger tubes, said refrigeration system comprising at least one evaporator tube (310), a condenser (320), a compressor (330), and a thermal expansion valve (340).

7. The intercooler of claim 6, wherein the heat exchanger further comprises a plurality of fins (220).

8. The intercooler of any of claims 6 to 7, wherein the refrigeration system comprises a number of evaporator tubes in a range of between 1 and 10.

9. The intercooler of any of claims 6 to 8, wherein the compressor is powered electrically by a 12-volt battery.

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