Flow Straightener for Engine Air Supply Mixing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air supply systems for internal combustion engines face issues with turbulence and pressure losses when mixing fresh air and recirculated exhaust gas, leading to inhomogeneous distribution, potential deposit formation, and increased mechanical stress on compressor blades due to swirling flows.
Innovation Solution
An air supply assembly featuring a compressor, a gas supply unit upstream for mixing fresh air and exhaust gas, and a flow straightener to parallelize the mixed gas stream, reducing swirl and pressure losses, and integrating these components for a compact design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-generated harmful factors
If exhaust gas is recirculated into fresh air supply, then nitrogen oxide emissions are reduced and engine throttling is improved, but turbulence occurs leading to pressure losses and inhomogeneous mixture distribution
Solution Approach 1:
A flow straightener is introduced as an intermediary component between the exhaust gas recirculation line and the fresh air supply. This flow straightener eliminates turbulence in the mixed gas flow before it enters the compressor, thereby reducing pressure losses while maintaining the beneficial effects of exhaust gas recirculation on emissions
Solution Approach 2:
The flow straightener performs preliminary action by straightening the mixed gas flow upstream of the compressor inlet. This pre-treatment of the flow prevents turbulence from reaching the compressor, avoiding pressure losses and inhomogeneous distribution downstream
2Stability of the object's composition
If mixing paths are extended to improve mixing quality, then mixture homogeneity is improved, but installation space requirements increase and dynamic controllability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The flow straightener acts as a compact intermediary device that achieves effective mixing without requiring long mixing paths. By positioning it strategically in the air supply line, it provides sufficient mixing distance in a compact configuration, reducing installation space while maintaining mixture homogeneity
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of extending the mixing path in the flow direction (one dimension), the flow straightener utilizes the radial dimension by arranging multiple openings around the periphery of the air supply line. This multi-directional approach to mixing achieves homogeneity in a more compact space
3Object-generated harmful factors
If high proportions of exhaust gas are added to fresh air, then emission reduction is improved, but turbulence increases and deposit formation is exacerbated
Solution Approach 1:
The flow straightener serves as a mediator that allows high proportions of exhaust gas to be mixed with fresh air without creating excessive turbulence. By straightening the flow, it prevents the conditions that lead to deposit formation while maintaining the high exhaust gas recirculation rates needed for emission reduction
Solution Approach 2:
The flow straightener changes the flow parameters (velocity distribution, turbulence intensity) in the mixing zone. By optimizing these parameters, it enables high exhaust gas recirculation rates without the adverse effects of excessive turbulence, thus preventing deposit formation while achieving emission reduction
4Quantity of substance
If exhaust gas recirculation is disabled, then fresh air flow is maintained, but nitrogen oxide emissions increase and combustion temperature rises
Solution Approach 1:
The flow straightener ensures that when exhaust gas recirculation is activated, the fresh air flow is not disrupted. It mediates between the exhaust gas injection and the fresh air supply, allowing both to coexist without interference, thus enabling emission reduction while maintaining adequate fresh air flow for combustion
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables efficient, quiet mixing and compression of gas streams with reduced thermal load on compressor blades, extended service life, and improved dynamic performance by minimizing swirl and pressure losses, while maintaining a compact design.
Implementation Method 1
a flow straightener (4) which is configured to substantially parallelize the flow of the mixed gas stream upstream of the compressor
Implementation Method 2
a compressor (2) of an exhaust gas turbocharger; a gas supply unit (3), which is arranged upstream of the compressor (2)
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The invention relates to an assembly (1) for an air supply of an internal combustion engine, comprising a compressor (2) of an exhaust gas turbocharger; a gas feed unit (3) which is arranged upstream of the compressor (2) and is configured to mix a first gas stream (10) and a second gas stream (12) with one another; and a flow straightener (4) which is configured to substantially parallelize a flow of the mixed gas stream upstream of the compressor (2).