Cylinder for opposed-piston engines

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11300071-B2
Application number	US-201514732496-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 5, 2015
Priority date	Jun 5, 2015
Publication date	Apr 12, 2022
Grant date	Apr 12, 2022

Abstract

A cylinder for opposed-piston engines includes a liner with a bore and longitudinally displaced intake and exhaust ports near respective ends thereof. An intermediate portion of the liner between the exhaust and intake ports contains a combustion chamber formed when the end surfaces of a pair of pistons disposed in opposition in the bore are in close mutual proximity. A compression sleeve encircles and reinforces the intermediate portion of the liner. An annular grid of pegs disposed between the intermediate portion and the compression sleeve supports the compression sleeve against the liner and defines a turbulent liquid flow path extending across the intermediate portion in a direction that parallels the longitudinal axis of the liner.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A cylinder for opposed-piston engines, comprising:
a liner with a bore and longitudinally displaced intake and exhaust ports near respective ends of the liner;
the liner including an intermediate portion between the exhaust and intake ports that contains a combustion chamber formed when the end surfaces of a pair of pistons disposed in opposition in the bore are in close mutual proximity;
a compression sleeve encircling and reinforcing the intermediate portion of the liner; and,
an annular grid of pegs extending between the intermediate portion and the compression sleeve that supports the liner against the compression sleeve and that defines an annular turbulent liquid flow path extending across the intermediate portion in a single longitudinal direction of the liner.

2. The cylinder for opposed-piston engines of claim 1 , further including a first annular space between the external surface of the liner and the compression sleeve and between the intake port and the intermediate portion that is in fluid communication with the turbulent liquid flow path.

3. The cylinder for opposed-piston engines of claim 2 , further including a second annular space between the external surface of the liner and the compression sleeve and between the exhaust port and the intermediate portion that is in fluid communication with the turbulent liquid flow path.

4. The cylinder for opposed-piston engines of claim 3 , further including at least one coolant entry port in the compression sleeve that is positioned over and in fluid communication with the first annular space and at least one coolant exit port in the compression sleeve that is positioned over and in fluid communication with the second annular space.

5. The cylinder for opposed-piston engines of claim 1 , in which the annular grid of pegs is formed on the external surface of the intermediate portion of the liner.

6. The cylinder for opposed-piston engines of claim 1 , in which the annular grid of pegs is constituted of a plurality of exterior projections that extend outwardly from the external surface of the intermediate portion of the liner.

7. The cylinder for opposed-piston engines of claim 6 , in which the pegs have a three-dimensional shape selected from the group including cylindrical, conical, and polyhedral shapes.

8. The cylinder for opposed-piston engines of claim 1 , in which the annular grid of pegs comprises a plurality of sets of pegs in a circumferential sequence on the external surface of the intermediate portion of the liner, and in which the pegs of each set are mutually parallel but are not parallel with the pegs of adjacent sets.

9. An opposed-piston engine comprising a cylinder block with a plurality of cylinders, in which each cylinder is constructed according to any one of claims 1 - 8 .

10. The cylinder for opposed-piston engines of claim 1 , wherein the liquid flow path extends in an axial direction from near the intake port toward the exhaust port.

11. A method of cooling a cylinder of an opposed-piston engine in which the cylinder includes a liner with a bore and longitudinally displaced intake and exhaust ports near respective ends thereof, the method comprising:
causing a liquid coolant to flow on an external surface of a cylinder liner, toward an intermediate portion of the liner between the exhaust and intake ports that contains a combustion chamber formed when the end surfaces of a pair of pistons disposed in opposition in the bore are in close mutual proximity;
causing the liquid coolant to flow through a maze of turbulator pegs encircling the intermediate portion; and
causing the liquid coolant to flow in a single longitudinal direction of the liner from the inlet port toward the exhaust port.

12. The method of claim 11 , in which the liquid coolant is caused to flow into a first annular space formed between an external surface of the liner and a compression sleeve, then the liquid coolant continues to flow toward the intermediate portion, and flows from the intermediate portion toward a second annular space encircling the external surface of the liner between the exhaust port and the intermediate portion, in which:
the compression sleeve closely encircles and reinforces the portion of the liner that extends from the intake port to the intermediate portion,
the liquid coolant enters through at least one coolant entry port in the compression sleeve positioned over and in fluid communication with the first annular space, and
the first annular space abuts the intermediate portion that faces the intake port.

13. A cylinder of an opposed-piston engine, comprising:
a bore and longitudinally displaced intake and exhaust ports;
an intermediate portion between the exhaust and intake ports that contains a combustion chamber formed when the end surfaces of a pair of pistons disposed in opposition in the bore are in close mutual proximity,
an annular grid of pegs formed on an external surface of the intermediate portion that defines an annular turbulent liquid flow path extending across the intermediate portion in a single longitudinal direction of the cylinder, such that in use a liquid coolant flows in an axial direction from near the intake port toward the exhaust port.

14. The cylinder of claim 13 , wherein the pegs surround and reinforce sectors of the intermediate portion where bosses locate and support injector nozzles and valves.

15. A method of cooling a cylinder of an opposed-piston engine in which the cylinder includes a bore and longitudinally displaced intake and exhaust ports near respective ends thereof, the method comprising:
causing a liquid coolant to flow toward an intermediate portion of the cylinder between the exhaust and intake ports that contains a combustion chamber formed when the end surfaces of a pair of pistons disposed in opposition in the bore are in close mutual proximity;
causing the liquid coolant to flow in a single longitudinal direction of the cylinder through a maze of turbulator pegs encircling the intermediate portion; and,
causing the liquid coolant to flow from the intermediate portion toward the exhaust port.

Assignees

• Achates Power Inc

Inventors

• Fuqua Kevin B

Classifications

• F02F1/186

  for use in engines with two or more pistons reciprocating within same cylinder · CPC title

• F02F1/004

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

• F01B7/14

  acting on different main shafts · CPC title

• F02F1/10

  for liquid cooling · CPC title

• F02F1/14 Primary

  Cylinders with means for directing, guiding or distributing liquid stream · CPC title