Variable flow-restricting turbine assembly for a turbocharger, corresponding turbocharger engine and vehicle, and operating method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10161302-B2
Application number	US-201414891291-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 13, 2014
Priority date	May 14, 2013
Publication date	Dec 25, 2018
Grant date	Dec 25, 2018

Abstract

A variable flow-restricting turbine assembly for a turbocharger includes a housing, a turbine mounted for rotation in the housing, and a variable flow-restrictor. The variable flow-restrictor includes a first series of angularly-distributed flow-restrictor portions distributed around the turbine wheel and located in an exhaust flow path to the wheel, and a second series of angularly-distributed flow-restrictor portions distributed around the first series and located in the exhaust path. At least one of the first and second series is rotatable in the housing to vary the relative angular positions of the first and second series. The restrictor portions are arranged such that the first portions align with the second portions at each of a plurality of relative angular positions to open flow channels between the portions and such that they misalign between those positions to close the flow channels.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A variable flow-restricting turbine assembly for a turbocharger, the assembly comprising a housing, a turbine mounted for rotation in the housing, and a variable flow-restrictor; wherein the variable flow-restrictor comprises a first series of angularly-distributed flow-restrictor portions distributed around a turbine wheel and located in an exhaust flow path to the wheel, and a second series of angularly-distributed flow-restrictor portions distributed around the first series and located in the exhaust flow path, at least one of the first and second series being rotable in the housing to vary relative angular positions of the first and second series, and the restrictor portions arranged such that the first portions align with the second portions at each of a plurality of relative angular positions to open flow channels between the portions and such that they misalign between those positions to close the flow channels, wherein the at least one of the first and second series that is rotatable in the housing is rotated with an actuator comprising one of an electric motor, an electromagnetic actuator, a hydraulic actuator, an electro-hydraulic actuator and a pneumatic actuator, and wherein the actuator is arranged to rotate each of the first and second series at a frequency that is proportional to a frequency of exhaust pulses from an engine to which the turbocharger is to be coupled.

2. The variable flow-restricting turbine assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the first series of flow-restrictor portions are termed the first portions, the second series of flow-restrictor portions are termed the second portions, and the first portions and the second portions are each sections of an aerofoil.

3. The variable flow-restricting turbine assembly according to claim 2 , wherein the second portions are each a leading part of an aerofoil section and the first portions are each a trailing part of an aerofoil section.

4. The variable flow-restricting turbine assembly according to claim 3 , wherein the leading parts and trailing parts are of the same aerofoil section.

5. The variable flow-restricting turbine assembly according to claim 2 , wherein the first and second portions are arranged such that when in alignment each first portion aligns with a respective second portion to form a respective aerofoil section and the flow channels are defined between adjacent aerofoil sections.

6. The variable flow-restricting turbine assembly according to claim 1 wherein a number of portions in the first series is equal to a number of portions in the second series.

7. The variable flow-restricting turbine assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the first and second series that is rotable in the housing is mounted on a carrier for rotation.

8. A turbocharger comprising the turbine assembly according to claim 1 .

9. The variable flow-restricting turbine assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the rotation is continuous rotation in one direction.

10. An engine comprising a turbocharger comprising a variable flow-restricting turbine assembly, the assembly comprising a housing, a turbine mounted for rotation in the housing, and a variable flow-restrictor; wherein the variable flow-restrictor comprises a first series of angularly-distributed flow-restrictor portions distributed around a turbine wheel and located in an exhaust flow path to the wheel, and a second series of angularly-distributed flow-restrictor portions distributed around the first series and located in the exhaust flow path, at least one of the first and second series being rotable in the housing to vary relative angular positions of the first and second series, and the restrictor portions arranged such that the first portions align with the second portions at each of a plurality of relative angular positions to open flow channels between the portions and such that they misalign between those positions to close the flow channels wherein the at least one of the first and second series that is rotatable in the housing is rotated with an actuator comprising one of an electric motor, an electromagnetic actuator, a hydraulic actuator, an electro-hydraulic actuator and a pneumatic actuator, and wherein the actuator is arranged to rotate each of the first and second series at a frequency that is proportional to a frequency of exhaust pulses from an engine to which the turbocharger is to be coupled.

11. The engine according to claim 10 , wherein the first and second series are each rotated with an actuator comprising a mechanical coupling assembly coupled to a rotating part of an engine to which the turbocharger is to be coupled, the mechanical coupling assembly arranged to rotate each of the series from the rotating part.

12. The engine according to claim 11 , wherein the rotating part is a crankshaft or a camshaft.

13. The engine according to claim 10 , further comprising a sensing system and a control system, the sensing system arranged to sense engine characteristics of the engine that are indicative of a timing and frequency of exhaust pulses, the control system arranged to control, based on the sensed engine characteristics, a rotational speed and position of the first and second series that are each rotated with an actuator.

14. A vehicle comprising an engine comprising a turbocharger comprising a variable flow-restricting turbine assembly, the assembly comprising a housing, a turbine mounted for rotation in the housing, and a variable flow-restrictor; wherein the variable flow-restrictor comprises a first series of angularly-distributed flow-restrictor portions distributed around a turbine wheel and located in an exhaust flow path to the wheel, and a second series of angularly-distributed flow-restrictor portions distributed around the first series and located in the exhaust flow path, at least one of the first and second series being rotable in the housing to vary relative angular positions of the first and second series, and the restrictor portions arranged such that the first portions align with the second portions at each of a plurality of relative angular positions to open flow channels between the portions and such that they misalign between those positions to close the flow channels wherein the at least one of the first and second series that is rotatable in the housing is rotated with an actuator comprising one of an electric motor, an electromagnetic actuator, a hydraulic actuator, an electro-hydraulic actuator and a pneumatic actuator, and wherein the actuator is arranged to rotate each of the first and second series at a frequency that is proportional to a frequency of exhaust pulses from an engine to which the turbocharger is to be coupled.

Assignees

• Imperial Innovations Ltd

Inventors

• Martinez-Botas Ricardo
• Flora Harminder
• Rajoo Srithar
• Pesiridis Apostolos
• Copeland Colin

Classifications

• F02D41/1448

  the characteristics being an exhaust gas pressure · CPC title

• F02B37/22

  by varying cross-section of exhaust passages or air passages {, e.g. by throttling turbine inlets or outlets or by varying effective number of guide conduits} (F02B37/24 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F05D2260/962

  by means of "anti-noise" · CPC title

• F01D17/148

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

• Y02T10/144

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic