Rankine Cycle Abnormality Detection via Cooling Medium Phase Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing Rankine cycle systems for waste heat recovery from internal combustion engines lack accurate methods to determine the specific cause of abnormal working fluid circulation failures, which can be due to various factors including cooling system failures, electromagnetic valve or water pump issues, and fluid leaks, requiring a comprehensive approach to diagnose these issues effectively.
Innovation Solution
An abnormality detection apparatus and method that includes a gas-liquid separator, superheater, waste heat recoverer, control valve, cooling medium amount detector, and temperature detector to specifically identify abnormalities in the cooling medium supply and control valve operation by monitoring liquid-phase cooling medium amounts and gas-phase cooling medium temperatures, enabling precise determination of failure causes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple individual abnormality detection methods are implemented separately for different components (cooling system, electromagnetic valve, water pump, fluid leaks), then the coverage of detectable failure causes is improved, but the system complexity and difficulty of integrated diagnosis increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple individual abnormality detection methods into a single integrated abnormality detection apparatus that simultaneously monitors cooling system temperature, electromagnetic valve pressure, water pump flow rate, and fluid leak detection. The control unit synthesizes data from all sensors to provide unified abnormality diagnosis, resolving the contradiction by merging separate detection functions while maintaining comprehensive coverage through centralized integration.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit is designed with multi-functional capability to perform various detection tasks (temperature monitoring, pressure detection, flow rate measurement, leak detection) through a single device. This universal approach allows the system to detect multiple types of abnormalities using one integrated apparatus rather than requiring separate specialized devices for each detection function.
2Measurement precision
If comprehensive monitoring of all circulation components is implemented, then the accuracy of identifying specific failure causes is improved, but the cost and complexity of the detection apparatus increase
Solution Approach 1:
The detection apparatus is segmented into specialized sensors for different parameters (temperature sensor for cooling system, pressure sensor for electromagnetic valve, flow rate sensor for water pump, leak detection sensor for fluid leaks), with each sensor optimized for its specific measurement task. The control unit then integrates these segmented detection functions, achieving comprehensive monitoring while maintaining manageable complexity through functional segmentation.
3Speed
If real-time monitoring of cooling medium amount and temperature is implemented, then the speed of abnormality detection is improved, but the energy consumption and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements continuous real-time monitoring with feedback loops where sensors constantly measure cooling medium amount and temperature, and the control unit immediately processes this data to detect abnormalities. The feedback mechanism enables rapid abnormality detection by continuously comparing current measurements against normal operating parameters, achieving fast detection while managing energy consumption through efficient sensor and control unit operation.
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
Improves the accuracy of identifying the cause of working fluid circulation failures in Rankine cycle systems by detecting abnormalities in the cooling medium supply and control valve operations, allowing for targeted maintenance and reducing downtime.
Implementation Method 1
a gas-liquid separator that, downstream of the main body, separates the cooling medium into a gas-phase cooling medium and a liquid-phase cooling medium
Implementation Method 2
a superheater that, downstream of the gas-liquid separator, gives waste heat of the internal combustion engine to the gas-phase cooling medium and the liquid-phase cooling medium
Implementation Method 3
gives waste heat of the internal combustion engine to the gas-phase cooling medium and the liquid-phase cooling medium
Implementation Method 4
a waste heat recoverer that, downstream of the superheater, recovers energy of the waste heat that the cooling medium receives
Data Source
AI summary
An abnormality detection apparatus for a Rankine cycle system includes: a gas-liquid separator that separates a cooling medium that circulates in an internal combustion engine into a gas-phase and a liquid-phase; a superheater that gives waste heat of the engine to the cooling medium; a waste heat recoverer that recovers energy of waste heat of the cooling medium; a valve provided in a passageway; a liquid surface sensor that detects liquid surface level of the liquid-phase cooling medium in the gas-liquid separator; a vapor temperature sensor that detects temperature of the gas-phase cooling medium in the superheater; and an ECU that determines whether the valve is abnormal on the basis of the amount of the liquid-phase cooling medium and the temperature of the gas-phase cooling medium if abnormality of the cooling medium supply portion of the engine is not detected.