Air Injection System Turbocharger Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air injection systems for internal combustion engines are inefficient in providing secondary air injection (SAI) that can support the catalyst at all engine load points without excessively increasing energy demands.
Innovation Solution
The system includes an air regulation circuit with a common intake portion that distributes compressed ambient air to both a primary air injection branch connected to the intake manifold and a secondary air injection branch connected to the exhaust manifold, featuring a SAI pump and adjustable valves controlled by a control circuitry to regulate the air ratio based on operating data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional SAI takes air from ambient environment, then the system structure is simple, but the SAI pump cannot meet demand during take-offs and energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the SAI air supply system with the turbocharger system by routing compressed air from the turbocharger compressor to the SAI pump inlet. This merging allows the SAI pump to receive pre-compressed air instead of ambient air, reducing the pump's workload and energy consumption while maintaining or improving SAI delivery capability during high-demand operations like take-offs.
Solution Approach 2:
The compressed air from the turbocharger compressor serves multiple functions: it provides intake air for the engine and simultaneously serves as the source for secondary air injection. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for a separate air intake system for SAI, reducing overall system complexity and improving efficiency without increasing energy consumption.
2Reliability
If SAI is active during take-offs to support catalyst, then emission control is improved, but the SAI pump cannot operate in accordance with demand
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary compression of air in the turbocharger compressor before the air reaches the SAI pump. This preliminary action reduces the workload on the SAI pump, enabling it to operate more effectively during high-demand situations like take-offs, thereby ensuring reliable catalyst support when needed most.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the inlet pressure parameter for the SAI pump by sourcing compressed air from the turbocharger instead of ambient air. This parameter change (increased inlet pressure) significantly improves the SAI pump's operational capacity and ability to meet demand during take-offs while maintaining catalyst support reliability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If separate air intake systems are used for primary and secondary air injection, then each branch can be optimized independently, but system complexity and space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The turbocharger compressor serves as a universal air source for both primary air injection (intake manifold) and secondary air injection (exhaust manifold). This multi-functionality reduces system complexity and space requirements while still allowing independent regulation of each branch through separate control valves and routing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the air source function into a single turbocharger compressor that supplies both primary and secondary air injection systems. This consolidation reduces the number of separate air intake systems needed, simplifying the overall system architecture while maintaining the ability to independently optimize each injection branch through separate control mechanisms.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present disclosure relates to an air injection system (1) arranged to be connected to an internal combustion engine (100), ICE, of a vehicle, the air injection system (1) comprising an air regulation circuit (2) having a common intake portion (2a) arranged to obtain compressed ambient air. Further, comprising a first and a second branch (3a, 3b), wherein the second branch (3b) is arranged to connect to an exhaust manifold (20) of said internal combustion engine (100), wherein the second branch (3b) comprises a SAI pump (15) integrated therein, and wherein at least one of the branches (3a, 3b) comprises an adjustable valve (11a) integrated therein. The air injection system (1) is configured to, preferably by control circuitry control the adjustable valve (11a) to, based on operating data of said air injection system (1), regulate a ratio of said compressed air distributed between the exhaust manifold and the intake manifold (10, 20).