Moveable nozzle assembly and method for a turbocharger

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10145263-B2
Application number	US-201615155823-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 16, 2016
Priority date	May 16, 2016
Publication date	Dec 4, 2018
Grant date	Dec 4, 2018

Abstract

A nozzle assembly of a turbocharger includes a nozzle and a ring-shaped body. The nozzle has flow passages extending through the nozzle and configured to direct air received from a volute housing of the turbocharger through the nozzle to turbine blades of the turbocharger. The ring-shaped body is coupled with the nozzle and is configured to rotate around the nozzle. The ring-shaped body includes blocking segments that block the flow of the air and openings between the blocking segments that permit the air to flow through the ring-shaped body. The ring-shaped body is configured to rotate relative to the nozzle to change how many of the flow passages in the nozzle are blocked by the blocking segments of the ring-shaped body.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A nozzle assembly of a turbocharger, the assembly comprising:
a nozzle having flow passages extending through the nozzle and configured to direct air received from a volute housing of the turbocharger through the nozzle to turbine blades of the turbocharger; and
a ring-shaped body coupled with the nozzle and configured to rotate around the nozzle, the ring-shaped body including blocking segments that block the flow of the air and openings between the blocking segments that permit the air to flow through the ring-shaped body, wherein the ring-shaped body is configured to rotate relative to the nozzle to change how many of the flow passages in the nozzle are blocked by the blocking segments of the ring-shaped body.

2. The nozzle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the ring-shaped body is configured to be rotated relative to the nozzle to change which of the flow passages in the nozzle that the air flows through to the turbine blades.

3. The nozzle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the ring-shaped body includes opposite first and second rings spaced apart from each other along a center axis of the ring-shaped body, wherein the blocking segments of the ring-shaped body extend from the first ring to the second ring in directions that are parallel to the center axis of the ring-shaped body.

4. The nozzle assembly of claim 3 , wherein each of the openings of the ring-shaped body are disposed between and framed by the first and second rings and different pairs of the blocking segments of the ring-shaped body.

5. The nozzle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the nozzle has an inner surface and an opposite, outer surface on which the ring-shaped body rotates relative to the nozzle.

6. The nozzle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the nozzle has an outer surface and an opposite, inner surface on which the ring-shaped body rotates relative to the nozzle.

7. The nozzle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the flow passages through the nozzle are centered on and elongated along non-radial, non-tangential directions relative to an outer surface of the nozzle.

8. The nozzle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the nozzle has opposite inner and outer surfaces with the flow passages in the nozzle extending from the outer surface to the inner surface, wherein the flow passages include at least first and second sets of the flow passages through which the air flows through the nozzle, the flow passages in the first set centered around and extending from the outer surface to the inner surface along first non-radial, non-tangential directions, the flow passages in the second set centered around and extending from the outer surface to the inner surface along second non-radial, non-tangential directions that are transversely oriented with respect to the first non-radial, non-tangential directions.

9. The nozzle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the flow passages through the nozzle include first and second sets of the flow passages with the flow passages in the first set centered on and extending along first directions oriented at a first angle with respect to an outer surface of the nozzle and the flow passages in the second set centered on and extending along different, second directions oriented at a different, second angle with respect to the outer surface of the nozzle.

10. The nozzle assembly of claim 9 , wherein the blocking segments and the openings of the ring-shaped body are positioned to block the air from flowing through the flow passages in the first set of the nozzle and to allow the air to flow through the flow passages in the second set of the nozzle when the ring-shaped body is in a first location relative to the nozzle, and
wherein the blocking segments and the openings of the ring-shaped body are positioned to block the air from flowing through the flow passages in the second set of the nozzle and to allow the air to flow through the flow passages in the first set of the nozzle when the ring-shaped body is in a different, second location relative to the nozzle.

11. The nozzle assembly of claim 1 , further comprising an actuation assembly configured to be coupled with the ring-shaped body and configured to move the ring-shaped body around the nozzle.

12. An airflow restriction body of a turbocharger, the airflow restriction body comprising:
a first ring configured to be coupled with a nozzle of the turbocharger;
a second ring configured to be coupled with the nozzle of the turbocharger, the second ring spaced apart from the first ring in a direction that is parallel to a center axis of the nozzle of the turbocharger; and
blocking segments extending from the first ring to the second ring and spaced apart from each other by openings, wherein the first and second rings and the blocking segments are configured to rotate around the nozzle of the turbocharger to change which flow passages of the nozzle through which air flows from a volute housing of the turbocharger to blades of the turbocharger are open and which of the flow passages are closed.

13. The airflow restriction body of claim 12 , wherein the blocking segments extend from the first ring to the second ring in directions that are parallel to the center axis of the nozzle.

14. The airflow restriction body of claim 12 , wherein each of the openings are disposed between and framed by the first and second rings and different pairs of the blocking segments.

15. The airflow restriction body of claim 12 , wherein the first and second rings and the blocking segments are configured to rotate on an outer surface of the nozzle.

16. The airflow restriction body of claim 12 , wherein the first and second rings and the blocking segments are configured to rotate on an inner surface of the nozzle.

17. A method comprising:
determining a load placed on one or more of an engine or a turbocharger operatively coupled with the engine; and
rotating a ring-shaped body around a nozzle of the turbocharger based on the load that is determined, the ring-shaped body having blocking segments that block at least some flow passages of the nozzle through which air flows from a volute housing of the turbocharger to blades of the turbocharger and openings that allow the air to flow from the volute housing of the turbocharger to the blades of the turbocharger, wherein rotation of the ring-shaped body blocks the air from flowing through at least some of the flow passages in the nozzle with the blocking segments of the ring-shaped body.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising rotating the ring-shaped body to move the blocking segments away from the flow passages of the nozzle responsive to an increase in the load placed on the one or more of the engine or the turbocharger.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein rotating the ring-shaped body includes rotating the blocking segments to prevent the air from flowing through the flow passages oriented at a first angle with respect to an outer surface of the nozzle and to allow the air to flow through the flow passages oriented at a different, second angle with respect to the outer surface of the nozzle.

20. The method of claim 17 , wherein rotating the ring-shaped body includes rotating the ring-shaped body to block the air from flowing through a set of less than all of the flow passages responsive to the load placed on the one or more of the engine or the turbocharger decreasing and rotating the ring-shaped body to stop blocking the air from flowing through any of the flow passages responsive to the load placed on the one or more of the engine or the turbocharger increasing.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Rodriguez Erdmenger Rodrigo
• Freund Sebastian Walter
• Sezal Ismail Hakki
• Vadvadgi Aneesh Sridhar

Classifications

• F01D25/24

  Casings (modified for heating or cooling F01D25/14); Casing parts, e.g. diaphragms, casing fastenings (casings for rotary machines or engines in general F16M {; special arrangements in stators dealing with breaking-off of part of rotor F01D21/045}) · CPC title

• F01D17/148

  by means of rotatable members, e.g. butterfly valves · CPC title

• F05D2240/128

  Nozzles · CPC title

• F01D9/041

  using blades (F01D5/148 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F01D9/045

  for radial flow machines or engines · CPC title