Engine with cylinder liner having a thermoelectric module, and method of operating the engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10424710-B2
Application number	US-201715723488-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 3, 2017
Priority date	Oct 3, 2017
Publication date	Sep 24, 2019
Grant date	Sep 24, 2019

Abstract

An engine includes a cylinder liner. The cylinder liner includes an interior wall, an exterior wall, and a thermoelectric element disposed therebetween. The interior wall forms a cylinder bore forming part of a combustion chamber. The exterior wall is positioned adjacent a coolant jacket. The thermoelectric element is operable to generate an electric current in response to a temperature gradient between the interior wall, which is exposed to the high temperatures of the combustion chamber, and the exterior wall, which is exposed to the cooler temperatures of a coolant in the coolant jacket. An electric current in a circuit of the thermoelectric element may be controlled to affect a cylinder wall temperature. The circuit of the thermoelectric element may be opened, and the voltage of the thermoelectric element may be measured and used to calculate the cylinder wall temperature.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An engine comprising:
a block defining a cavity;
a cylinder head attached to the block and covering a top end of the cavity;
a piston movable within the cavity;
a cylinder liner disposed within the cavity underneath the cylinder head, wherein the cylinder liner includes:
an interior wall forming a cylinder bore extending along a bore axis and receiving therein the piston, wherein the interior wall, the cylinder head, and the piston cooperatively form therebetween a combustion chamber;
an exterior wall spaced from and disposed radially outside the interior wall relative to the bore axis; and
a thermoelectric generator disposed between the interior wall and the exterior wall, the thermoelectric generator including a plurality of semiconductors electrically connected in series and operable to generate an electric current in response to a temperature gradient between the interior wall and the exterior wall.

2. The engine set forth in claim 1 , wherein the piston is reciprocally moveable within the cylinder bore and slidable against the interior wall of the cylinder liner.

3. The engine set forth in claim 1 , wherein the cylinder liner includes a hot side electrical insulator disposed between the interior wall and the thermoelectric generator.

4. The engine set forth in claim 1 , wherein the cylinder liner includes a cold side electrical insulator disposed between the exterior wall and the thermoelectric generator.

5. The engine set forth in claim 1 , wherein each of the interior wall and the exterior wall is a metal.

6. The engine set forth in claim 1 , wherein the cylinder head includes an intake valve and an exhaust valve, and wherein the cylinder liner is spaced from the intake and exhaust valves.

7. The engine set forth in claim 1 , wherein the block defines a coolant jacket disposed adjacent the exterior wall of the cylinder liner, wherein the coolant jacket circulates a coolant therethrough.

8. The engine set forth in claim 7 , wherein the exterior wall of the cylinder liner is exposed to the coolant in the coolant jacket.

9. The engine set forth in claim 1 , wherein the semiconductors are circumferentially spaced from one another about the bore axis.

10. The engine set forth in claim 9 , wherein the semiconductors extend radially between the interior and exterior walls of the cylinder liner relative to the bore axis.

11. The engine set forth in claim 1 , wherein the plurality of semiconductors includes at least one n-type semiconductor and at least one p-type semiconductor joined together in electrical communication.

12. The engine set forth in claim 11 , wherein the thermoelectric generator includes a hot side electrical conductor electrically connecting the at least one p-type semiconductor and the at least one n-type semiconductor.

13. The engine set forth in claim 11 , wherein the thermoelectric generator includes a circuit having a lead connected to the at least one n-type semiconductor and the at least one p-type semiconductor.

14. The engine set forth in claim 1 , wherein the cylinder liner includes a plurality of electrical conductors electrically connecting the semiconductors, the electrical conductors being circumferentially spaced from one another about the bore axis.

15. The engine set forth in claim 14 , wherein the plurality of electrical conductors includes hot side and cold side electrical conductors, the cold side electrical conductor being spaced radially outward from the hot side electrical conductor with respect to the bore axis.

16. The engine set forth in claim 15 , wherein the plurality of semiconductors and the plurality of electrical conductors are sandwiched between the interior and exterior walls of the cylinder liner.

17. A cylinder liner for an internal combustion engine having a block with a cavity, a cylinder head attached to the block and covering one end of the cavity, and a piston movable within the cavity, the cylinder liner comprising:
an interior wall configured to position within the cavity underneath the cylinder head, the interior wall forming a cylinder bore extending along a bore axis and configured to receive therein the piston such that the interior wall, the cylinder head, and the piston cooperatively form therebetween a combustion chamber;
an exterior wall configured to position within the cavity underneath the cylinder head, the exterior wall being spaced from and disposed radially outside the interior wall relative to the bore axis; and
a thermoelectric generator disposed between the interior wall and the exterior wall, the thermoelectric generator including a plurality of semiconductors electrically connected in series and operable to generate an electric current in response to a temperature gradient between the interior wall and the exterior wall.

18. The cylinder liner set forth in claim 17 , further comprising:
a hot side electrical insulator disposed between the interior wall and the thermoelectric generator; and
a cold side electrical insulator disposed between the exterior wall and the thermoelectric generator,
wherein the plurality of semiconductors includes at least one n-type semiconductor and at least one p-type semiconductor joined together in electrical communication.

19. The cylinder liner set forth in claim 18 , further comprising:
a hot side electrical conductor electrically connecting the at least one p-type semiconductor and the at least one n-type semiconductor; and
a circuit having a lead connected to the at least one n-type semiconductor and the at least one p-type semiconductor.

20. An internal combustion engine assembly comprising:
an engine block defining therein a cavity;
a cylinder head attached to the engine block and covering one end of the cavity, the cylinder head including an intake valve and an exhaust valve;
a piston reciprocally movable within the cavity;
a cylinder liner mounted within the cavity of the engine block and spaced from the cylinder head and the intake and exhaust valves, the cylinder liner including:
a cylindrical interior wall defining a cylinder bore with a bore axis, the cylinder bore slidably receiving therein the piston, and the interior wall, the cylinder head, and the piston cooperatively forming therebetween a combustion chamber;
a cylindrical exterior wall spaced radially outward from the interior wall; and
a thermoelectric generator encased within the cylinder liner between the interior and exterior walls, the thermoelectric generator including a plurality of semiconductors circumferentially spaced from one another about the bore axis and electrically connected in series to generate an electric current in response to a temperature gradient between the interior and exterior walls.

Assignees

• Gm Global Tech Operations Llc

Inventors

• Salvador James R
• Bika Anil
• Warey Alok
• Gopalakrishnan Venkatesh

Classifications

• F02F1/02

  having cooling means (cylinder heads F02F1/26) · CPC title

• F02G5/00

  Profiting from waste heat of combustion engines, not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• F02F1/004

  Cylinder liners (F02F1/08, F02F1/16 take precedence) · CPC title

• H01L35/30 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H10N10/13 Primary

  characterised by the heat-exchanging means at the junction · CPC title