Source of water for water injection system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10975807-B2
Application number	US-201715586708-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 4, 2017
Priority date	May 4, 2017
Publication date	Apr 13, 2021
Grant date	Apr 13, 2021

Abstract

An air compression system includes an internal combustion engine operable to produce a power output in response to combustion of a fuel-air mixture, and an air compressor driven by the internal combustion engine and operable to draw in atmospheric air and discharge a mixed flow of compressed air and water. A water injection system supplies water to the fuel-air mixture and into the internal combustion engine, a separator assembly in communication with the air compressor separates a portion of the water from the compressed air, and a water passageway interconnects the separator assembly and the water injection system such that the air compressor supplies water to the water injection system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An air compression system comprising:
an internal combustion engine operable to produce a power output in response to a combustion of a fuel-air mixture;
an air compressor driven by the internal combustion engine and operable to draw in atmospheric air and discharge a mixed flow of compressed air and water;
a moisture separator assembly in communication with the air compressor and operable to separate the mixed flow of compressed air and water into a flow of compressed dry air and a separate flow of water;
a water injection system operable to supply the flow of water to the fuel-air mixture and into the internal combustion engine;
a water passageway interconnecting the moisture separator assembly and the water injection system, the water passageway configured to direct the flow of water from the moisture separator assembly to the water injection system;
an air passageway between an on-demand user application and the moisture separator assembly, the air passageway configured to direct the flow of compressed dry air away from the internal combustion engine and to the on-demand user application to exit the air compression system;
a sensor coupled to the air passageway and configured to detect a flow rate of the compressed dry air through the air passageway; and
a control system coupled to the internal combustion engine and the water injection system, the control system configured to regulate a quantity of water supplied to the internal combustion engine by the water injection system in response to the detected flow rate of the compressed dry air by the sensor.

2. The air compression system of claim 1 , wherein the water injection system includes a reservoir for collecting water.

3. The air compression system of claim 2 , further comprising a water pump that pumps water from the reservoir to the internal combustion engine.

4. The air compression system of claim 1 , wherein the moisture separator assembly includes a separator tank and a cooler.

5. The air compression system of claim 4 , wherein the moisture separator assembly includes a liquid water separator for filtering the compressed air downstream of the cooler.

6. The air compression system of claim 1 , wherein the internal combustion engine includes at least one cylinder and a piston driven in a reciprocal fashion within the at least one cylinder.

7. A method of operating an air compression system, the method comprising:
compressing ambient air using an air compressor to convert the ambient air to compressed air and water;
combusting a fuel-air mixture in an internal combustion engine to power the air compressor;
separating the water from the compressed air exiting the air compressor in a moisture separating assembly;
discharging a flow of compressed dry air from the moisture separating assembly away from the internal combustion engine and to an on-demand user application, the compressed dry air being discharged from the air compression system by the on-demand user application;
discharging a separate flow of water from the moisture separating assembly;
collecting the water discharged from the moisture separating assembly;
measuring a flow rate of the compressed dry air to the on-demand user application with a sensor positioned between the on-demand user application and the moisture separating assembly; and
feeding a portion of the collected water to the fuel-air mixture and into the internal combustion engine with a water injection system for combustion in the internal combustion engine in response to the measured flow rate of the compressed dry air.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising discharging excess water from the water injection system as waste through a valve.

9. An air compression system comprising:
an air compressor operable to draw in ambient air and compress that air to produce a flow of compressed air and water;
an engine coupled to the air compressor, the engine operable to power the air compressor;
a moisture separator assembly coupled to the air compressor and arranged to receive the flow of compressed air and water, the moisture separator assembly operable to separate a portion of the the water from the flow of compressed air and water and to discharge a flow of compressed dry air and a separate flow of liquid water;
an air passageway extending between the moisture separator assembly and an on-demand user application, the air passageway positioned to direct the flow of compressed dry air away from the engine and to the on-demand user application to exit the air compression system;
a reservoir positioned to receive the flow of liquid water discharged by the moisture separator assembly;
a water injection system coupled to the engine and operable to draw water from the reservoir and inject that water into the engine for combustion;
a sensor coupled to the air passageway and configured to measure a flow rate of the compressed dry air through the air passageway; and
a controller operable to vary the quantity of water delivered to the engine by the water injection system,
wherein the controller receives a signal from the sensor indicative of the measured flow rate of the compressed dry air, and wherein the controller varies the quantity of water delivered to the engine by the water injection system at least partially in response to the measured flow rate of the compressed dry air.

10. The air compression system of claim 9 , wherein the controller is operable to set the quantity of water delivered to the engine to zero.

11. The air compression system of claim 9 , wherein the air compressor includes a rotary screw compressor.

12. The air compression system of claim 9 , wherein the moisture separator assembly includes a separator tank and a cooler.

13. The air compression system of claim 12 , wherein the moisture separator assembly includes a liquid water separator for filtering the compressed air downstream of the cooler.

14. The air compression system of claim 1 , further comprising an air filter positioned in the air passageway downstream of the moisture separator assembly to filter the compressed dry air.

15. The air compression system of claim 1 , further comprising a valve positioned in the water passageway, the valve configured to selectively direct water to the water injection system or to discharge water from the air compression system.

Assignees

• Clark Equipment Co

Inventors

• Kouzel Richard

Classifications

• F02B39/02

  Drives of pumps (exhaust drives or combined exhaust and other drives F02B37/00); Varying pump drive gear ratio · CPC title

• F02B29/0468

  Water separation or drainage means · CPC title

• F02M25/025

  Adding water · CPC title

• Y02T10/12

  Improving ICE efficiencies · CPC title

• F02M25/028 Primary

  into the charge intakes · CPC title