EGR pre-mixer for improved mixing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11506153-B2
Application number	US-202117212947-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 25, 2021
Priority date	Mar 25, 2021
Publication date	Nov 22, 2022
Grant date	Nov 22, 2022

Abstract

An exhaust gas recirculation system for an engine includes a conduit, and a U-shaped exhaust gas mixer. The conduit is configured to direct an exhaust gas away from an exhaust manifold. The U-shaped exhaust gas mixer is configured to direct exhaust gas from the conduit and into an engine air intake system. The U-shaped exhaust gas mixer is arranged with a pre-mixing cavity configured to disperse the exhaust gas and entraining the exhaust gas into an intake air flow prior to distribution into an intake manifold of an engine.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle comprising: an internal combustion engine having at least one cylinder; an air intake system configured to deliver intake air to the at least one cylinder; and an exhaust gas recirculation system having, at least one tube configured to direct the exhaust gas away from the at least one cylinder, and a U-shaped exhaust gas mixer configured to direct the exhaust gas from the at least one tube into the air intake system, wherein the U-shaped exhaust gas mixer including a pre-mixing cavity, a mixing chamber, a divider wall, a pre-mixing conduit, and at least one exhaust gas pre-mixing head fluidly connected to the at least one tube such that the exhaust gas flows around the pre-mixing conduit and the pre-mixing head to entrain the exhaust gas into the intake air, the divider wall extending vertically and at least partially separating the mixing chamber and the pre-mixing cavity, and the pre-mixing cavity configured to maintain an exhaust gas flow pressure during dispersing and entraining of the exhaust gas with the intake air as the intake air flows through the U-shaped exhaust gas mixer prior to delivering the intake air and exhaust gas to the at least one cylinder.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the U-shaped exhaust gas mixer includes a first end and a second end, the first end includes an air intake aperture, the air intake aperture is configured to receive and direct the intake air to the pre-mixing cavity and into the mixing chamber to a mixer outlet, and the mixing chamber is configured downstream of the pre-mixing cavity and upstream of the mixer outlet, which is in fluid communication with the at least one cylinder.

3. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the pre-mixing head includes at least one exhaust gas dispersing port configured to disperse exhaust gas into the pre-mixing cavity.

4. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the pre-mixing head includes a plurality of exhaust gas dispersing ports configured concentrically around a pre-mixing head base.

5. The vehicle of claim 3 , wherein a pre-mixing head base is at least partially hollow and interconnected to a pre-mixing head cap through at least one lattice member, and the lattice member defines an internal fluid path of the at least one exhaust gas dispersing port.

6. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the at least one exhaust gas pre-mixing head includes a main body portion having a cap on a first end and a hollow base section on an opposite end, and the main body defines a lattice structure configured with at least three apertures fluidly connecting the pre-mixing conduit to the pre-mixing cavity.

7. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the U-shaped exhaust gas mixer is a U-shaped housing defining a U-shaped cavity having a first side and a second side, the first side of the U-shaped cavity houses the pre-mixing cavity and the second side of the U-shaped cavity houses the mixing chamber, and the entraining of the exhaust gas and the intake air results from the exhaust gas and the air colliding into a first wall and a second wall of the U-shaped cavity.

8. An exhaust gas recirculation system for an engine comprising: a conduit configured to direct an exhaust gas away from an exhaust manifold; and a U-shaped exhaust gas mixer configured to direct the exhaust gas from the conduit, into an engine air intake system, the U-shaped exhaust gas mixer is arranged with a pre-mixing cavity, a mixing chamber, a divider wall, a pre-mixing conduit, and at least one exhaust gas pre-mixing head fluidly connected to at least one tube such that the exhaust gas flows around the pre-mixing conduit and the pre-mixing head to entrain the exhaust gas into the intake air, the divider wall extending vertically and at least partially separating the mixing chamber and the pre-mixing cavity, and the pre-mixing cavity configured to disperse the exhaust gas and entraining the exhaust gas into an intake air flow prior to distribution into an intake manifold of an engine.

9. The exhaust gas recirculation system of claim 8 , wherein the U-shaped exhaust gas mixer includes a housing having an intake opening, an exhaust gas intake, and a charge air outlet.

10. The exhaust gas recirculation system of claim 9 , wherein the pre-mixing conduit extends from the exhaust gas intake and through an internal wall of the housing, and the pre-mixing conduit and the internal wall are configured opposite the intake opening.

11. The exhaust gas recirculation system of claim 10 , wherein the pre-mixing head extends from an end of the pre-mixing conduit and extends toward the intake opening.

12. The exhaust gas recirculation system of claim 11 , wherein the pre-mixing conduit and pre-mixing head are a pre-mixing zone configured to house and disperse a volume of the exhaust gas prior to the entraining of the exhaust gas into the intake air flow in the pre-mixing cavity and the mixing chamber.

13. The exhaust gas recirculation system of claim 8 , wherein the pre-mixing head extends through an outer wall of the U-shaped housing and has three concentrically distributed exhaust gas ports defined in a main body by a lattice structure, and the exhaust gas ports are configured to disperse the exhaust gas into the pre-mixing cavity.

14. The exhaust gas recirculation system of claim 8 , wherein the U-shaped exhaust gas mixer is a U-shaped housing defining a U-shaped cavity having a first side and a second side, and the first side of the U-shaped cavity houses the pre-mixing cavity and the second side of the U-shaped cavity houses the mixing chamber.

15. An engine exhaust gas mixer comprising: a housing forming a pre-mixing zone, a mixing chamber, a divider wall, a pre-mixing conduit, and at least one exhaust gas pre-mixing head fluidly connected to at least one tube such that exhaust gas flows around the pre-mixing conduit and the pre-mixing head to entrain the exhaust gas into the intake air, the divider wall extending vertically and at least partially separating the mixing chamber and the pre-mixing zone, the pre-mixing zone being at an intake end, and the housing further defining an exhaust gas inlet and an intake air inlet, the pre-mixing conduit configured between the exhaust gas inlet and the intake air inlet, and configured to distribute and disperse a volume of exhaust gas prior to entraining the exhaust gas in at least a portion of an intake air main flow and prior to entering the mixing chamber for distribution into the engine.

16. The exhaust gas mixer of claim 15 , wherein the housing is a U-shaped housing, the U-shaped housing defines a U-shaped cavity having a first side and a second side, and the first side of the U-shaped cavity houses a pre-mixing cavity and the second side of the U-shaped cavity houses the mixing chamber.

17. The exhaust gas mixer of claim 16 , wherein the exhaust gas inlet extends outward from a rear wall of the housing and includes a through hole connected to the pre-mixing conduit extending inward into the U-shaped cavity first side from an inner surface of the rear wall, the pre-mixing conduit has a pre-mixing gas distribution head, and the pre-mixing gas distribution head extends into the pre-mixing cavity to disperse the exhaust gas into a flow of intake air moving therethrough.

18. The exhaust gas mixer of claim 15 , wherein a pre-mixing gas distribution head is connected to the pre-mixing conduit and fluidly connects to the exhaust gas inlet, and the pre-mixing gas distribution head is configured to disperse the exhaust gas while maintaining a constant pressure thereby minimizing a pressure loss.

19. The

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Styles Daniel Joseph
• Kurtz Eric Matthew
• Hu Liangjun
• Kantrow Daniel William
• Sparks Darrell

Classifications

• F02M26/42

  having two or more EGR passages; EGR systems specially adapted for engines having two or more cylinders · CPC title

• F02M26/20

  Feeding recirculated exhaust gases directly into the combustion chambers or into the intake runners · CPC title

• F02M26/19 Primary

  Means for improving the mixing of air and recirculated exhaust gases, e.g. venturis or multiple openings to the intake system · CPC title

• F02M26/14

  in relation to the exhaust system · CPC title

• F02M35/10262

  Flow guides, obstructions, deflectors or the like (for generating a charge motion in the cylinder F02B31/00; for re-atomising condensed fuel or homogenising fuel-air mixture F02M29/00) · CPC title