High efficiency cyclone oil separator device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9528407-B2
Application number	US-201314084922-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 12, 2013
Priority date	Dec 12, 2013
Publication date	Dec 27, 2016
Grant date	Dec 27, 2016

Abstract

An oil separation device of the having a separation chamber configured to separate micron particles of oil from crankcase gas is provided. The separation chamber has passage having a first end and a second end, the second end has a diameter smaller than the first end. The second end is spaced apart from a bottom wall of a chamber. Crankcase gas is drawn along the passage in the same direction as oil falling along the inner wall of the passage. Crankcase gas exits the second end in a path different than oil falling from the second end. The oil separating device may further include a dividing wall having through-holes and a blocking wall disposed above the through-holes so as to facilitate the removal of oil from crankcase gas.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An oil separating device for separating oil from crankcase gas generated in an internal combustion engine, the oil separating device comprising:
a first shell, a second shell, a third shell and a fourth shell, the second shell disposed within the first shell, the third shell disposed within the second shell and over the fourth shell, the third shell having a housing, wherein the first shell, the second shell and the third shell are spaced apart from each other so as to define a passage for crankcase gas, the housing having a pair of side walls, a top wall, and a bottom wall so as to define a chamber, the bottom wall having an oil drain;
an inlet disposed on a bottom wall of the fourth shell, the first shell, second shell and third shell are spaced apart from each other so form a passage configured to receive the crankcase gas;
an outlet disposed on the first shell, the first shell, second shell and third shell are spaced apart from each other so form a passage configured to allow separated gases to exit from the oil separating device; and
a chamber having a first oil separation portion and a second oil separation portion, the first oil separation portion in fluid communication with the second oil separation portion and disposed in a side-by-side relationship with the second oil separation portion, the first oil separation portion having a separation chamber having an inner wall, the separation chamber is downstream the inlet and upstream the outlet, the separation chamber further including a first end elevated relative to a second end, the first end and the second end are open so as to form a passage extending along an axis, the first end having a larger diameter than a diameter of the second end, the first and second ends disposed on a respective first and second planes, the first and second planes are generally parallel to each other and orthogonal to the axis, the outlet is disposed downstream the second plane and displaced from both the axial length of the passage and second plane;
a dividing wall disposed on a plane generally parallel to the bottom wall, the dividing wall extending between the separation chamber and one of the pair of side walls of the housing and disposed between the top wall and the bottom wall of the housing, the dividing wall including one or more through-holes; and
a blocking wall disposed between the dividing wall and the top wall of the housing, the blocking wall having a pair of free ends, the blocking wall disposed on a plane generally parallel to the dividing wall and disposed directly above the one or more through-holes, wherein the crankcase gas enters the separation chamber though the inlet, wherein oil is separated and collects on the inner wall, and crankcase gas exits the second end in the same direction as oil falling along the inner wall, wherein the separated oil drops via gravity and flows to an oil drain, and the gases are carried through the through-holes of the dividing wall so as to impact into the blocking wall wherein oil is again separated from the gases.

2. The oil separating device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the inner wall has a generally frustoconical shape extending along the axis.

3. The oil separating device as set forth in claim 2 , further including an axial protrusion extending along the axis from a top portion of the separation chamber.

4. The oil separating device as set forth in claim 2 , wherein the inlet includes an inlet passage, the inlet passage being generally perpendicular to the axis so as to feed crankcases gas into the separation chamber in a direction generally perpendicular to the axis.

5. The oil separating device as set forth in 3 , wherein the inner wall is at least two inner walls, each inner wall having a frustoconical shape.

6. The oil separating device as set forth in claim 5 , wherein an axial protrusion is at least two axial protrusions commensurate with the number of inner walls, and wherein each of the at least two axial protrusions is centered with respect to the diameter of the first end.

7. An oil separating device for separating oil from crankcase gas, the oil separating device having a first shell, a second shell, a third shell and a fourth shell, the second shell disposed within the first shell, the third shell disposed within the second shell and over the fourth shell, wherein the first shell, the second shell and the third shell are spaced apart from each other so as to define a passage for crankcase gas, and wherein the third shell includes a housing, the housing having a first side wall opposite a second, a top wall, the fourth shell defining a bottom wall so as to define a chamber, the bottom wall having an oil drain, the oil separating device comprising:
a first oil separation portion and a second oil separation portion disposed within the chamber, the first oil separation portion having a separation chamber defined by the second side wall of the housing and an inner side wall, the inner side wall generally dividing the housing between the first oil separation portion and the second oil separation portion, the separation chamber having a first end elevated relative to a second end, the first end and the second end are open so as to form a passage extending along an axis the first oil separation portion in fluid communication with the second oil separation portion;
an inlet in fluid communication with the first oil separation portion;
an outlet disposed downstream from the second oil separation portion;
a dividing wall disposed on a plane generally parallel to the bottom wall and orthogonal to the inner side wall, the dividing wall extending between the intermediate side wall and the first side wall of the housing and disposed between the top wall and the bottom wall of the housing, the dividing wall including one or more through-holes; and
a blocking wall disposed between the dividing wall and the top wall of the housing, the blocking wall having a pair of free ends, the blocking wall disposed on a plane generally parallel to the dividing wall and disposed directly above the one or more through-holes, wherein crankcase gas enters the oil separation device through the inlet, oil is separated from the crankcase gas by the separation chamber, the separated oil, and crankcase gas flow laterally to the second oil separation portion, the separated oil dropping to the bottom wall and out through the oil drain, the crankcase gas flowing through the through-holes in the dividing wall and directed into blocking wall wherein oil is further separated from the crankcase gas, the crankcase gas flowing out the gas outlet, and the separated oil flowing back to the oil drain.

8. The oil separating device as set forth in claim 7 , wherein the separation chamber includes an inner wall having a first end spaced apart from a second end, both the first and second ends are open so as to define a passage, the first end having a larger diameter than the second end, the second end in fluid communication with the second oil separation portion and spaced apart from the bottom wall, wherein the crankcase gas enter the separation chamber through the inlet.

9. The oil separating device as set forth in claim 8 , wherein the inner wall has a generally frustoconical shape.

10. The oil separating device as set forth in claim 7 , wherein the inlet includes an inlet passage, the inlet passage being generally perpendicular to the axis so as to feed crankcases gas into the separation chamber in a direction generally perpendicular to the axis of the passage.

11. The oil separating device as set forth in claim 7 , wherein the separation chamber has at least one narrow wave shaped passage defined by a first undulating

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Eng & Mfg North America Inc

Inventors

• Nomura Shohei
• Shieh Tenghua Tom
• Minupuri Swetha

Classifications

• F01M2013/0427

  the centrifuge device having no rotating part, e.g. cyclone · CPC title

• F01M2013/0433

  with a deflection device, e.g. screen · CPC title

• F01M13/0416

  arranged in valve-covers · CPC title

• F01M2013/0461

  with a labyrinth · CPC title

• F01M13/04 Primary

  having means for purifying air before leaving crankcase, e.g. removing oil · CPC title