Heat Pump Pre-Heating System for Internal Combustion Engine
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Power plants used for peak load or emergency purposes face high energy consumption in maintaining pre-heated engine components due to the need for constant pre-heating, especially when usage is low, and existing solutions like electric heating are inefficient.
Innovation Solution
A pre-heating system utilizing a heat pump system that converts thermal energy from lower temperature air into higher temperature cooling fluid, integrated with the cooling system of the power plant, to efficiently maintain engine pre-heating temperatures during standby states.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If electric heating is used to pre-heat the cooling fluid, then the engine components reach the required temperature, but the energy consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
A heat pump system is introduced as an intermediary device between the ambient air and the cooling fluid. The heat pump extracts thermal energy from the ambient air and transfers it to the cooling fluid, serving as a mediator that enables heat transfer from a lower temperature source (ambient air) to a higher temperature target (cooling fluid) with improved energy efficiency compared to direct electric heating
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the direct electric heating system with a heat pump-based thermal energy transfer system. Instead of using electrical energy to directly heat the cooling fluid, the system uses a heat pump cycle (involving compression, condensation, expansion, and evaporation of a refrigerant) to transfer thermal energy from ambient air to the cooling fluid, achieving the same heating effect with lower energy consumption
2Loss of time
If the engine is maintained in pre-heated standby state, then the startup time is reduced, but the energy consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The heat pump system acts as an intermediary that efficiently maintains the pre-heated standby state by transferring thermal energy from ambient air to the cooling fluid. This mediator enables the system to maintain the required temperature with significantly lower energy consumption compared to conventional electric heating, thus reducing the energy loss associated with extended standby maintenance
Solution Approach 2:
The heat pump system utilizes ambient air as a free thermal energy source, effectively making the system self-servicing by drawing heat from the surrounding environment rather than requiring external energy input for heating. The heat pump cycle automatically maintains the cooling fluid temperature by continuously extracting heat from ambient air and transferring it to the cooling fluid, reducing the need for additional energy input during standby
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 significantly reduces engine pre-heating energy consumption, offering a cost-effective method that can lower energy usage by up to four times the heat energy provided, while maintaining pre-heated states effectively across various climates.
Implementation Method 1
a heat pump system arranged for utilizing thermal energy of air to be passed via/through the radiator, the heat pump system is arranged to convert thermal energy of lower temperature air to thermal energy of higher temperature cooling fluid
Implementation Method 2
a heat transfer medium is arranged to be compressed and expanded between the primary and the secondary circuits
Implementation Method 3
the pre-heating system is provided with a heat exchanger of the heat pump system configured to transfer heat to the engine
Implementation Method 4
a cooling fluid circulation arranged within the engine, a radiator for heat exchange of the engine
Implementation Method 5
a radiator for heat exchange of the engine
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
A pre-heating system (28) for a power plant comprising an internal combustion engine (1) and a cooling system (2) for removal of excess heat from the engine (1), the pre-heating system (28) is provided with a heat pump system (281) arranged for utilizing thermal energy of air to be passed via/through the radiator (21), the heat pump system (281) is arranged to convert thermal energy of lower temperature air to thermal energy of higher temperature cooling fluid, the pre-heating system (28) is provided with a heat exchanger (2815) of the heat pump system (281) configured to transfer heat to the engine (1). The invention relates also a corresponding power plant and a method for power plant pre-heating.