Fluid Return Device for Internal Combustion Engine Water Supply
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Solution Overview
Problem
In internal combustion engines, water in the supply line can freeze during cold seasons, preventing its delivery to combustion chambers and potentially damaging the supply line due to ice pressure, especially after prolonged vehicle shutdowns.
Innovation Solution
A device featuring an air separator-pressure accumulator structural unit and an aeration valve allows water to be safely returned to the reservoir by reversing the conveying direction of the existing conveying device, using air to prevent negative pressure and incorporating a filter to separate air and dirt, with a pressure accumulator maintaining positive pressure to facilitate water flow back into the reservoir.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If water is conveyed through the supply line to the feed device during engine operation, then the combustion chambers receive water for injection, but water remains in the supply line after shutdown and can freeze during cold seasons
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts water from the supply line after engine shutdown by reversing the conveying device operation. The conveying device draws water back into the reservoir, removing the harmful substance (water that could freeze) from the supply line while maintaining the original water delivery function during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The conveying device operates dynamically in two modes: during engine operation it conveys water forward to the feed device, and after shutdown it reverses operation to draw water back into the reservoir. This dynamic reversal allows the same device to perform both water delivery and water removal functions.
2Reliability
If the conveying device operates continuously to prevent water freezing, then water is always available for injection, but energy is consumed unnecessarily during engine shutdown
Solution Approach 1:
The conveying device operates periodically rather than continuously - it runs during engine operation to deliver water, stops during shutdown, and reverses only when needed after shutdown. This periodic operation with reversal eliminates continuous energy consumption while maintaining water availability when the engine is running.
3Device complexity
If a simple return path is provided for water to flow back to the reservoir, then construction is simplified, but air pockets form in the supply line preventing proper water flow
Solution Approach 1:
The air separator-pressure accumulator structural unit acts as an intermediary component between the supply line and reservoir. It mediates the water return process by separating air from water and using the air cushion to maintain positive pressure, ensuring continuous water flow while keeping the overall structure relatively simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses pneumatic principles by introducing an air separator-pressure accumulator that utilizes air pressure to maintain positive pressure in the supply line during water return. This pneumatic approach ensures reliable water flow without requiring complex mechanical pumping systems.
4Reliability
If the aeration valve remains open to allow air into the supply line during water return, then negative pressure is prevented, but dirt particles from the surroundings can enter the supply line
Solution Approach 1:
The air separator-pressure accumulator structural unit serves as an intermediary that allows air to enter the system during water return while preventing dirt contamination. It separates air from water and uses the air cushion to maintain positive pressure, ensuring continuous water flow while keeping the overall structure relatively simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The aeration valve is positioned specifically at the air separator-pressure accumulator structural unit rather than throughout the entire supply line. This localized approach allows air intake where needed for pressure balance while minimizing exposure to contaminants at critical water delivery points.
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
This solution ensures reliable water return to the reservoir, preventing freezing and potential supply line damage, allowing for rapid water delivery to the feed device upon engine restart without continuous operation of the conveying device, and ensures only water reaches the feed device, minimizing construction complexity.
Implementation Method 1
designed to at least partially separate air fractions out of the supply line, and out of the liquid situated in the supply line, in a portion situated at the top in the installed state
Implementation Method 2
to act as a pressure accumulator acting on the liquid in the supply line
Data Source
AI summary
A device for supplying a liquid at risk of freezing to the combustion chambers of an internal combustion engine, in particular an internal combustion engine driving a motor vehicle, is designed to convey the liquid at risk of freezing at least from a section of a supply line, through which the liquid travels from a storage container to a supply unit to the internal combustion engine, back to the storage container. In addition, an aeration valve is provided near to the supply unit and branching off from the supply line, via which the supply line is connected to the environment in the open state. When viewed in the direction of the storage container, downstream of the aeration valve, an air separation/pressure reservoir structural unit connected to the supply line is provided, which is designed to at least proportionally discharge air content out of the supply line and out of the liquid located in the supply line in a section positioned at the top in the mounted state, and to act as a pressure reservoir acting on the liquid in the supply line.