Gas heat-pump system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11448120-B2
Application number	US-202017123447-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 16, 2020
Priority date	Dec 16, 2019
Publication date	Sep 20, 2022
Grant date	Sep 20, 2022

Abstract

Proposed is a gas heat-pump system capable of supplying recirculation exhaust gas to an engine using an exhaust gas turbocharger and thus actively controlling an amount of the flowing recirculation exhaust gas and pressure thereof.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A gas heat-pump system, comprising:
a compressor of a conditioning module;
a gas engine combusting a fuel-to-air mixture and thus generating a drive force of the compressor;
an exhaust gas turbocharger supplying at least a portion of exhaust gas discharged from the gas engine, as recirculation exhaust gas, to the gas engine; and
a controller controlling an amount of the recirculation exhaust to be supplied,
wherein the exhaust gas turbocharger comprises:
a turbine rotated with the exhaust gas; and
an exhaust gas impeller rotated along with the turbine, the exhaust gas impeller being configured to apply pressure to the recirculation exhaust gas and supply the resulting recirculation exhaust gas to the gas engine, and

the controller controls an amount of the flowing exhaust gas to be supplied to the turbine according to a concentration of harmful substances contained in the exhaust gas.

2. The gas heat-pump system of claim 1 , further comprising:
an exhaust pipe through which the exhaust gas is discharged to the outside of the gas heat-pump system;
a first bypass pipe provided to branch off from the exhaust pipe, the first bypass pipe being configured to guide at least a portion of the exhaust gas to the turbine;
a second bypass pipe provided to branch off from the exhaust pipe downstream from the first bypass pipe, the second bypass pipe being configured to guide at least a portion of the exhaust gas, as the recirculation exhaust gas, to the exhaust gas impeller; and
an exhaust bypass valve installed on the bypass pipe, the exhaust bypass valve being configured to control an amount of the flowing exhaust gas to be introduced into the first bypass pipe,
wherein the controller controls the degree of opening to which the exhaust bypass is open and thus controls the amount of the flowing exhaust gas to be introduced into the first bypass pipe.

3. The gas heat-pump system of claim 2 , wherein the exhaust bypass valve is arranged between an entrance portion of the first bypass pipe through which the exhaust gas is introduced, and an exit portion of the first bypass valve through which the introduced exhaust gas is discharged.

4. The gas heat-pump system of claim 3 , further comprising:
an exhaust gas heat exchanger installed on the exhaust pipe in a manner that is arranged between the exit portion of the first bypass pipe and an entrance portion of the second bypass pipe.

5. The gas heat-pump system of claim 3 , further comprising:
a check valve installed on an exit portion of the second bypass pipe, the check valve being configured to block the fuel-to-air mixture from flowing in a reverse direction from the gas engine to the second bypass pipe.

6. The gas heat-pump system of claim 2 , further comprising:
an exhaust gas sensor arranged downstream from an entrance portion of the second bypass pipe, the exhaust gas sensor being configured to sense the concentration of the harmful substances contained in the exhaust gas,
wherein the controller receives a signal indicative of the concentration of the harmful substances from the exhaust gas sensor and calculates the concentration of the harmful substances.

7. The gas heat-pump system of claim 6 , wherein the harmful substances comprise at least one of carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, and hydrocarbon.

8. The gas heat-pump system of claim 6 , wherein the controller compares the calculated concentration with a reference concentration and determines whether or not the calculated concentration exceeds the reference concentration, and
when it is determined that the calculated concentration is equal to or higher than the reference concentration, the controller decreases the degree of opening to which the exhaust bypass valve is open and thus increases the amount of the flowing exhaust gas to be introduced into the first bypass pipe.

9. The gas heat-pump system of claim 8 , further comprising:
a turbocharger applying pressure to the fuel-to-air mixture and supplying the resulting fuel-to-air mixture to the gas engine,
wherein the controller computes a current rpm of the gas engine, an amount of required load on the air conditioning module, and an rpm of the turbocharger, computes a total amount of the flowing exhaust gas discharged from the gas engine on the basis of one of the computed current rpm of the gas engine, the computed amount of the required load, and the computed rpm of the turbocharger, and sets the degree of opening to which the exhaust bypass valve is open, on the basis of the total amount of the flowing exhaust gas.

10. The gas heat-pump system of claim 8 , wherein the controller computes a current rpm of the gas engine and an amount of required load on the air conditioning module, computes a total amount of the flowing exhaust gas discharged from the gas engine on the basis of at least one of the computed current rpm and the computed amount of the required load, and sets the degree of opening to which the exhaust bypass valve is open, on the basis of the total amount of the flowing exhaust gas.

11. The gas heat-pump system of claim 10 , further comprising:
an intake manifold supplying the fuel-to-air mixture to the gas engine;
an intake manifold pressure sensor sensing pressure of the fuel-to-air mixture within the intake manifold; and
a recirculation exhaust gas pressure sensor sensing turbocharger pressure of the recirculation exhaust gas discharged from the exhaust gas turbocharger,
wherein the controller receives a signal indicative of the pressure of the fuel-to-air mixture from the intake manifold pressure sensor and calculates the pressure of the fuel-to-air mixture, and
the controller receives a signal indicative of pressure of the recirculation exhaust gas from the recirculation exhaust gas pressure sensor and calculates the turbocharger pressure of the recirculation exhaust gas to be supplied to the intake manifold.

12. The gas heat-pump system of claim 11 , wherein the controller computes a pressure difference between the calculated pressure of the fuel-to-air mixture and the calculated turbocharger pressure of the recirculation exhaust gas, and determines whether or not the pressure difference exceeds a predetermined reference pressure difference.

13. The gas heat-pump system of claim 12 , wherein when it is determined that the pressure difference is equal to or higher than the predetermined reference pressure difference, the controller maintains the degree of opening to which the exhaust bypass valve is open.

14. The gas heat-pump system of claim 12 , wherein when it is determined that the pressure difference is lower than the predetermined reference pressure difference, the controller decreases the degree of opening to which the exhaust bypass valve is open, at a predetermined ratio.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Jang Heejoong
• Jeong Hojong

Classifications

• F01N3/0205

  using heat exchangers · CPC title

• F01N5/02

  the devices using heat · CPC title

• F02B29/0462 Primary

  Liquid cooled heat exchangers · CPC title

• F05D2220/40

  in turbochargers · CPC title

• F02B37/18

  by bypassing exhaust {from the inlet to the outlet of turbine or to the atmosphere} · CPC title