Dual zone cooling system for combined engine compressors
AssigneeOnboard Dynamics, Inc.
InventorsDaniel S. PEDERSEN, Guy R. BABBITT, Kristina WEYER-GEIGEL
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Typically, an engine-compressor for compressing natural gas for use as a fuel has a single cooling circuit to cool both its combustion unit and compression unit. A single cooling circuit design is not ideal because the optimal temperature for the combustion unit is higher than the compression unit of the engine-compressor. The present invention provides a dual zone cooling system to cool the combustion unit separately from the compression unit.
Claims18
An internal combustion engine for compressing gas, comprising:
- (a) a compression unit for compressing gas;
- (b) a combustion unit for driving the compression unit;
- (c) a first coolant circuit to cool the compression unit;
- and
- (d) a second coolant circuit to cool the combustion unit.
A method for cooling an internal combustion engine for compressing gas comprising:
- providing the internal combustion engine comprising (a) a compression unit for compressing gas;
- (b) a combustion unit for driving the compression unit;
- (c) a first coolant circuit to cool the compression unit;
- and (d) a second coolant circuit to cool the combustion unit;
- cooling the compression unit with the first cooling system;
- and
- cooling the combustion unit with the second cooling system, and
- wherein the temperature of the combustion unit is higher than the temperature of the compression unit.
A method for cooling an internal combustion engine for compressing gas comprising:
- providing the internal combustion engine comprising (a) a bimodal unit comprising a plurality of bimodal cylinders for compressing and combusting gas;
- (b) a combustion unit comprising at least one combustion cylinder for driving the bimodal unit during compression mode;
- (c) a first coolant circuit;
- and (d) a second coolant circuit;
- compressing gas using the bimodal unit while cooling the bimodal unit with the first coolant circuit and cooling the combustion unit with the second coolant circuit, and
- wherein the temperature of the combustion unit is higher than the temperature of the bimodal unit when the bimodal unit is compressing gas.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.