Electrically driven compressor-expander for a turbocharged engine system and associated flow control valves

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10197020-B2
Application number	US-201514983889-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 30, 2015
Priority date	Jan 5, 2015
Publication date	Feb 5, 2019
Grant date	Feb 5, 2019

Abstract

An engine system (40) includes an engine (42), and a turbocharger (1) that receives exhaust gas from the engine (42) and delivers charged air to the engine (42). The engine system (40) also includes an electrically-driven compressor-expander (60) disposed in the engine air intake passage (48) between a compressor section (10) of the turbocharger (1) and the engine (42). The compressor-expander (60) is configured to modify the pressure and temperature characteristics of the charged air flow exiting the turbocharger compressor section (10). A valve (50) controls the flow path and/or direction of the charged air flow as it enters the compressor-expander (60).

First claim

What is claimed, is:

1. An engine system ( 40 , 140 , 240 ) comprising
a turbocharger ( 1 ) including a turbine section ( 20 ) connected to an exhaust gas passage of an engine ( 42 ), and a compressor section ( 10 ) connected to an air intake passage ( 48 , 148 ) of the engine ( 42 );
a compressor-expander ( 60 , 160 , 260 ), comprising a compressor wheel and an expander wheel disposed in the air intake passage ( 48 , 148 ) at a location between the compressor section ( 10 ) and an air intake ( 43 ) of the engine ( 42 ), and
a valve ( 50 , 150 ) disposed in the air intake passage ( 48 , 148 ) at a location between the compressor section ( 10 ) and the compressor-expander ( 60 , 160 , 260 ), the valve ( 50 , 150 ) movable between a first valve operating state and a second valve operating state and configured to control air flow from the compressor section ( 10 ),

wherein the compressor-expander ( 60 , 160 , 260 ) is switchable between
a first operating mode in which the valve ( 50 , 150 ) is in a first operating state and the air flow passing through the compressor-expander ( 60 , 160 , 260 ) is expanded, and
a second operating mode in which the valve ( 50 , 150 ) is in the second operating state and the air flow through the compressor-expander ( 60 , 160 , 260 ) is compressed.

2. The engine system ( 40 , 140 , 240 ) of claim 1 , wherein the compressor-expander ( 60 , 160 , 260 ) is switched to the first operating mode when the engine ( 42 ) is operating in a first power range, and is switched to the second operating mode when the engine ( 42 ) is operating in a second power range, where the second power range is higher than the first power range.

3. The engine system ( 40 , 140 , 240 ) of claim 1 , wherein the compressor-expander ( 60 , 160 , 260 ) includes
a housing ( 61 , 161 , 261 ) that defines a portion of the air intake passage ( 148 ),
a wheel ( 62 , 162 , 262 ) disposed in the housing, and
a rotating electric machine ( 63 , 163 , 263 ) having an output shaft ( 64 , 164 , 264 ) connected to the wheel ( 62 , 162 , 262 ).

4. The engine system ( 40 ) of claim 3 wherein the wheel ( 62 ) has a shape that is optimized for efficient performance of both compression and expansion.

5. The engine system ( 40 ) of claim 3 , wherein the valve ( 50 ) is a reversing control valve operable to change a direction of the air flow through the housing ( 61 ), and when the valve ( 50 ) is in the first operating state, the air flow flows in a first direction, and when the valve ( 50 ) is in the second operating state, the air flow flows in a second direction that is opposed to the first direction.

6. The engine system ( 140 , 240 ) of claim 3 , wherein the valve ( 150 ) is operable to switch a flow of air between a first path through the compressor-expander ( 160 , 260 ) in which the flow of air is expanded, and a second path through the compressor-expander ( 160 , 260 ) in which the flow of air is compressed.

7. The engine system ( 40 ) of claim 3 , wherein when the valve ( 50 ) is in the first operating state, the wheel ( 62 ) rotates in a first direction, and when the valve ( 50 ) is in the second operating state, the wheel ( 62 ) rotates in a second direction that is opposed to the first direction.

8. The engine system ( 140 ) of claim 1 , wherein the compressor-expander ( 160 ) includes
an expander device ( 161 ) including an expander wheel ( 162 ),
a compressor device ( 165 ) including a compressor wheel ( 166 ), and
a rotating electric machine ( 163 ) having an output shaft ( 164 ) connected to both the expander wheel ( 162 ) and the compressor wheel ( 166 ),
wherein when the valve ( 150 ) is in the first operating state, the valve ( 150 ) directs the air flow to the expander device ( 161 ) via a first path, and when the valve ( 150 ) is in the second operating state, the valve ( 150 ) directs the air flow to the compressor device ( 165 ) via a second path.

9. The engine system ( 140 ) of claim 8 , wherein the rotating electric machine ( 163 ) is operable as a motor and as a generator.

10. The engine system ( 240 ) of claim 1 , wherein the compressor-expander ( 260 ) includes
an expander device including an expander wheel ( 262 ),
a compressor device including a compressor wheel ( 266 ), and
a first rotating electric machine ( 263 ) operable as a generator and having a first output shaft ( 264 ) connected to the expander wheel ( 262 ), and
a second rotating electrical machine ( 267 ) operable as a motor and having a second output shaft ( 268 ) connected to the compressor wheel ( 266 ),
wherein when the valve ( 150 ) is in the first operating state, the valve ( 150 ) directs the air flow to the expander device via a first path, and when the valve ( 150 ) is in the second operating state, the valve ( 150 ) directs the air flow to the compressor device via a second path.

11. The engine system ( 40 , 140 , 240 ) of claim 1 further comprising an aftercooler ( 180 ) disposed in the air intake passage ( 48 , 148 ) between the compressor section ( 10 ) and the valve ( 50 , 150 ).

12. The engine system ( 40 , 140 , 240 ) of claim 1 further comprising a bypass passage ( 148 f ) that connects the valve ( 50 , 150 ) to the engine air intake ( 43 ) and bypasses the compressor-expander ( 60 , 160 , 260 ).

Assignees

• Borgwarner Inc

Inventors

• Carter Jeffrey
• Nickson Keith

Classifications

• F02M35/10157 Primary

  Supercharged engines · CPC title

• Y02T10/144

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• F02B37/04 Primary

  Engines with exhaust drive and other drive of pumps, e.g. with exhaust-driven pump and mechanically-driven second pump · CPC title

• F02M35/10255

  Arrangements of valves; Multi-way valves (F02M35/10032 takes precedence; valves in the plenum chamber F02M35/10065; check valves F02M35/10275) · CPC title

• F02M31/20

  for cooling ({F02M31/005 takes precedence; use of cold F02M17/52;} cooling of charging-air or of scavenging-air F02B29/04) · CPC title