Duct arrangement for an internal combustion engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9670820-B2
Application number	US-201514714746-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 18, 2015
Priority date	Jun 6, 2014
Publication date	Jun 6, 2017
Grant date	Jun 6, 2017

Abstract

A duct arrangement for an internal combustion engine comprises an exhaust duct, an inlet duct and a cooling air duct. The exhaust duct is contained within the cooling air duct for substantially its whole length and the cooling air duct is contained within the inlet duct for substantially its whole length, so that in use the cooling air duct provides a barrier to limit heat transfer between gas flowing in the exhaust duct and gas flowing in the inlet duct. The invention avoids the need for separate inlet and exhaust ducts with their attendant disadvantages. The separation of the inlet and exhaust ducts by the cooling air duct allows the inlet air to be kept as cool as possible, as is necessary for efficient engine operation.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A duct arrangement for an internal combustion engine, the arrangement comprising an exhaust duct, an inlet duct and a cooling air duct, the arrangement characterised in that the exhaust duct is contained within the cooling air duct for a whole length and the cooling air duct is contained within the inlet duct for a whole length to provide a barrier to limit heat transfer between gas flowing in the exhaust duct and gas flowing in the inlet duct.

2. The arrangement of claim 1 , in which there is thermal insulation between the exhaust duct and the cooling air duct.

3. The arrangement of claim 2 , in which there is a plenum between the inlet duct and the engine.

4. The arrangement of claim 3 , in which the plenum comprises a filter for the inlet air.

5. The arrangement of claim 1 , in which the inlet duct and cooling air duct share a common air intake.

6. The arrangement of claim 1 , in which the exhaust duct, the inlet duct and the cooling air duct are concentric for their whole length.

7. The arrangement of claim 1 when installed in a structure, in which the inlet duct, the exhaust duct and the cooling air duct terminate in a common opening at an outside wall of the structure.

8. The arrangement of claim 7 , in which the structure is a ship.

9. The arrangement of claim 8 , in which the inlet duct terminates in an intake facing towards the bow of the ship.

10. The arrangement of claim 8 , in which the exhaust duct terminates in an outlet facing towards the stern of the ship.

11. The arrangement of claim 8 , in which the inlet and exhaust ducts extend generally horizontally and the common opening is on the side of the hull.

12. The arrangement of claim 1 , in which the engine is a gas turbine engine.

13. A ship comprising a duct arrangement for an internal combustion engine, the arrangement comprising an exhaust duct, an inlet duct and a cooling air duct, the arrangement characterised in that the exhaust duct is contained within the cooling air duct for a whole length and the cooling air duct is contained within the inlet duct for a whole length to provide a barrier to limit heat transfer between gas flowing in the exhaust duct and gas flowing in the inlet duct.

Assignees

• Rolls Royce Plc

Inventors

• Cheater Geoffrey Vincent

Classifications

• B63H21/32

  Arrangements of propulsion power-unit exhaust uptakes; Funnels peculiar to vessels · CPC title

• F01N2590/02

  for marine vessels or naval applications · CPC title

• B63J2/12 Primary

  Heating; Cooling · CPC title

• F01N13/004 Primary

  specially adapted for marine propulsion, i.e. for receiving simultaneously engine exhaust gases and engine cooling water (for submerged exhausting F01N13/12; treating exhaust by using liquids F01N3/04) · CPC title

• F02C7/04

  Air intakes for gas-turbine plants or jet-propulsion plants · CPC title