Apparatus for exhaust heat recovery with embedded valve actuator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9617905-B2
Application number	US-201414539576-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 12, 2014
Priority date	Nov 14, 2013
Publication date	Apr 11, 2017
Grant date	Apr 11, 2017

Abstract

An exhaust heat recovery apparatus may include a bypass valve that is rotatably provided on a bypass path through which a high-temperature exhaust gas passes to open or close the bypass path, a heat exchanger that is communicatively connected to the bypass path to allow heat exchange to be performed between the high-temperature exhaust gas supplied from the bypass path and a low-temperature coolant introduced through a coolant inlet when the bypass path is closed, a valve actuator including a rod moved up and down by expansion or contraction of a wax sealed therein, and a connection part that converts an up and down motion of the rod into a rotary motion to allow the bypass valve to open or close the bypass path along with movement of the rod.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An exhaust heat recovery apparatus with an embedded valve actuator, the apparatus comprising:
a bypass valve rotatably provided on a bypass path to open or close the bypass path, wherein a high-temperature exhaust gas selectively passes the bypass path according to a rotation of the bypass valve;
a heat exchanger connected to a side of the bypass path, and communicatively connected to the bypass path to allow heat exchange to be performed between the high-temperature exhaust gas supplied from the bypass path and a low-temperature coolant introduced through a coolant inlet when the bypass path is closed;
a valve actuator inserted into an insertion opening formed to vertically penetrate through the heat exchanger, and including a rod reciprocated up and down by expansion and contraction of a wax sealed in the valve actuator based on a temperature of the coolant; and
a connection part having one end connected to an upper end of the rod of the valve actuator and another end connected to a rotational shaft of the bypass valve, and that converts an up and down motion of the rod into a rotary motion to allow the bypass valve to open or close the bypass path along with movement of the rod.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the connection part includes:
a slit connected to an upper end of the rod of the valve actuator and formed to penetrate in a forward and backward direction of a vehicle;
a first link with one end vertically connected and fixed to the rotational shaft horizontally disposed at a top of the bypass valve; and
a second link with one end horizontally connected to another end of the first link and another end of the second link slidably accommodated in the slit, and
wherein when the slit connected to the upper end of the rod is moved up and down, the second link is moved back and forth to rotate the first link, and the bypass valve is rotated to open or close the bypass path.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein when the temperature of the coolant passing through the heat exchanger is relatively lower than an expansion temperature of the wax within the valve actuator,
the rod is lowered along with the contraction of the wax to move the second link rearward within the slit, the first link is rotated in a clockwise direction to allow the bypass valve to close the bypass path, and the high-temperature exhaust gas is introduced toward the heat exchanger.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein when the temperature of the coolant passing through the heat exchanger is relatively higher than an expansion temperature of the wax within the valve actuator,
the rod is raised along with the expansion of the wax to move the second link forward within the slit, the first link is rotated in a counterclockwise direction to allow the bypass valve to open the bypass path, and the high-temperature exhaust gas is bypassed toward the bypass path.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the heat exchanger is disposed in such a manner that plate-shaped coolant paths through which the coolant introduced through the coolant inlet flows and plate-shaped exhaust gas paths through which the exhaust gas flows are alternately laminated to be adjacent to each other in parallel.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , further comprising:
a plurality of coolant penetrating holes that are vertically disposed adjacent to the insertion opening of the heat exchanger, and are formed to penetrate through the coolant paths to allow the coolant to flow,
wherein the valve actuator is prevented from being thermally damaged by the heated heat exchanger by the low-temperature coolant flowing through the coolant penetrating holes.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of ring-shaped air tubes that are connected along a circumference of an outer circumferential surface of the insertion opening and are filled with air,
wherein the valve actuator is prevented from being thermally damaged by the heated heat exchanger by the air within the air tubes.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of heat-insulating materials that are connected to an outer circumferential surface of the valve actuator bonded to the heat exchanger,
wherein the valve actuator is prevented from being thermally damaged by the heat exchanger heated by the high-temperature exhaust gas.

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd
• Kia Motors Corp
• Sejong Ind Co Ltd

Inventors

• Seon Jong-Ho
• An Ho-Chan
• Kim Jae-Yeon
• Byoen Tae-Yeong
• Kim Gyu-Jun
• Kim Jin-Yong

Classifications

• F28F27/02

  for controlling the distribution of heat-exchange media between different channels ({static flow control means in header boxes F28F9/026}; arrangements of guide plates or guide vanes F28F9/22, F28F25/12) · CPC title

• F01N2240/02

  a heat exchanger · CPC title

• F01N2240/20

  a flow director or deflector · CPC title

• F02G5/02 Primary

  Profiting from waste heat of exhaust gases · CPC title

• F01N2240/36

  an exhaust flap · CPC title