System and method for in-cylinder thermal energy recovery and controlling cylinder temperature
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorQuazi Ehtesham Hussain
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods and systems are provided for an in-cylinder thermal energy recovery device that utilizes the Rankine Cycle to recover energy from exhaust gasses that may be used to produce additional work in the vehicle. In one example, a method may include outfitting the head area of each cylinder of an engine with a tube array comprising one or more tubes passing through the combustion chamber of the corresponding cylinder. Each tube array may receive an injection of working fluid that is based, in part, on the temperature of the tube array's corresponding cylinder, which may then be utilized to recover heat energy.
Claims20
A method, comprising:
- individually injecting fluid into a plurality of tube arrays, where each tube array of the plurality of tube arrays includes one or more tubes passing through a combustion chamber of a corresponding engine cylinder in an area of a head of the engine cylinder, wherein an amount of fluid individually injected into each tube array is based on a temperature of the corresponding engine cylinder;
- and
- recovering heat energy from the injected fluid after it passes through each tube array.
A method, comprising:
- adjusting a timing and an amount of fluid injected into a first tube array and a second tube array passing respectively through combustion chambers of a first engine cylinder and a second engine cylinder and arranged in a head area of the first engine cylinder and the second engine cylinder, proximate to an exhaust valve, based respectively on operating conditions of the first engine cylinder and the second engine cylinder;
- recovering heat energy from the injected fluid upon exiting the first tube array and the second tube array, downstream of the first engine cylinder and the second engine cylinder;
- and
- operating an engine component, at least in part, using the recovered heat energy.
A system for an engine, comprising:
- a plurality of engine cylinders;
- a plurality of tube arrays, where a tube array of the plurality of tube arrays is mounted to a head area of each of the plurality of engine cylinders, each tube array including a plurality of tubes, where each tube of the plurality of tubes passes through a combustion chamber of a corresponding engine cylinder of the plurality of engine cylinders, and where an interior of each tube is isolated from a remainder of the combustion chamber;
- a plurality of atomizing fluid injectors, where at least one fluid injector of the plurality of fluid injectors is coupled to an entrance of each tube array;
- a heat recovery system coupled to the plurality of tube arrays, both upstream and downstream of the plurality of engine cylinders;
- and
- a controller including non-transitory instructions stored in a memory for:
- individually injecting fluid into each tube array of the plurality of tube arrays via the plurality of fluid injectors based on a temperature of the corresponding engine cylinder;
- recovering heat energy from the injected fluid after passing through each tube array via the heat recovery system;
- and
- applying the recovered heat energy to an additional engine component.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.