Intake condensation removal for internal combustion engine
AssigneeDeere & Company
InventorAdell Warren Brecheisen, II
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An engine intake condensation removal system includes a valve for bypassing flow around a charge air cooler (CAC) to a liquid separator and mixer. The separator is downstream of the CAC and the mixer is downstream of the liquid separator. The mixer controls the amount of bypass flow to heat fluid flow from the CAC to a level higher than the dew point of the fluid flowing through the engine intake. The bypass flow is placed in a heat exchange relationship with the conduit receiving the output of the CAC before mixing to raise the wall temperature sufficiently to prevent condensation.
Claims23
A system for controlling condensation in the intake of an internal combustion engine having a charge air cooler (CAC), said system comprising:
- a passage for air around said CAC and a valve for controlling air through said passage;
- a condensate trap in series flow relation in said engine intake downstream of said CAC for removing liquid from said engine intake fluid stream;
- and
- a mixer receiving fluid from said passage downstream of said condensate trap for at least mixing fluid from said passage with the engine intake to raise the temperature in said engine intake above the dew point of the fluid flowing therethrough.
A method of operating an internal combustion engine having an intake and charge air cooler (CAC) comprising the steps of:
- trapping condensate downstream of said CAC in said engine intake;
- providing a selective engine intake bypass flow around said CAC;
- mixing said bypass flow into said engine intake downstream of the trapping of condensate.
An internal combustion system comprising:
- an internal combustion engine having at least an air intake;
- a device in said air intake for pressurizing air;
- a charge air cooler (CAC) downstream of said pressurizing device;
- a bypass passage for air around said CAC;
- and
- a valve for controlling air through said bypass passage;
- a condensate trap in series flow relation in said intake downstream of said CAC for removing liquid from said intake fluid stream;
- and
- a mixer receiving fluid from said condensate trap for at least mixing fluid from said bypass passage with the air intake to raise the temperature in said intake above the dew point of the fluid flowing therethrough.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.