US 6,145,497 AGranted

Method and installation for recovering heat in the air supercharging an engine

AssigneeWartsila NSD OY AB

InventorsAlain Kervagoret, Gilles Langlois

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Abstract

A method for recuperating thermal energy in the oxidant air generated by an oxidant air compressor of an internal combustion engine is provided, which consists in taking thermal energy using a heat exchanger in which circulates a heat transferring fluid and which is located in the oxidant air circuit between the compressor and the engine, and transferring the thermal energy recuperated by the fluid to a thermal energy consuming group. The invention is characterized in that it further consists in: detecting the temperature of the surcharging air upstream of the heat exchanger; and when the detected temperature is lower than a first reference temperature, in short circuiting the heat exchanger and heating the heat transferring fluid up to approximately the reference temperature using an auxiliary heating device.

Claims13

Dependent claims

Method of recovering thermal energy in supercharging combustion-supporting air produced by a combustion-supporting air compressor (2, 2.1, 2.2) of an internal combustion engine (6, 6.1, 6.2) wherein thermal energy is taken by means of a heat exchanger (4, 4.1, 4.2) in which a heat-transfer fluid flows and which is situated on a combustion-supporting air circuit between the compressor and the engine and thermal energy (18. 6.1, 6.2) recovered by the fluid is transferred to a thermal energy consumer unit, characterized in that it further consists in:

detecting (A, A.1, A.2) the temperature of the supercharging air upstream of the heat exchanger;
and
if the temperature detected is less than a first set point temperature, short-circuiting (30, 30.1, 30.2, 13, 13.1, 13.2) the heat exchanger and heating the heat-transfer fluid approximately to the set point temperature by means of an auxiliary heating device (21);
wherein the temperature of the heat-transfer fluid is further detected (B. B.1, B.2) at the exit of the heat exchanger and, if the temperature detected exceeds a second set point temperature, the temperature of the heat-transfer fluid is reduced by passing at least some of it (30, 30.1, 30.2, 9, 9.1, 9.2) through an exchanger-cooling device (8, 8.1, 8.2) in which a cooling fluid flows;
and
further wherein the second set point temperature is at least approximately equal to said first set point temperature.

3 more elements

Power generating installation in which thermal energy is recovered from supercharging air of an internal combustion engine comprising an internal combustion engine (6;

6.1;
6.2), a compressor (2;
2.1;
2.2) supplying combustion-supporting air to the engine via a combustion-supporting air supply line (1, 1.1, 1.2), a heat exchanger (4;
4.1;
4.2) in which a heat-transfer fluid is circulated by pump means (14, 14.1, 14.2) and which is disposed on said supply line, a consumer unit (18;
10.1, 6.1, 10.2, 6.2) consuming thermal energy recovered by the heat-transfer fluid, communicating with the outlet of the heat exchanger via a hot heat-transfer fluid transfer line (22, 24;
22.1;
22.2) and with the inlet of the heat exchanger via a heat-transfer fluid return line (11, 15, 17;
11.1, 15.1, 11.2, 15.2), characterized in that it includes first means (A, A.1, A.2) for detecting the temperature of the supercharging air upstream of the heat exchanger, a short-circuit line (12;
12.1;
12.2) connected to the return line and to the transfer line, distributor means (13, 13.1, 13.2) for distributing the heat-transfer fluid between the heat exchanger (4, 4.1, 4.2) and the short-circuit line and an auxiliary heating device (21) connected to the transfer line, and control means (30, 30.1, 30.2) such that, if the temperature detected by the detecting means is less than a set point temperature the distributor means short-circuit the heat exchanger via the short-circuit line and the auxiliary heating device heats the heat-transfer fluid approximately to the set point temperature;
further comprising second means (B. B.1, B.2) for detecting the temperature of the heat-transfer fluid at the outlet of the heat exchanger, a heat-transfer fluid exchanger-cooling device in which a cooling fluid flows and which is disposed on the return line downstream of the distributor means, a branch circuit (7;
7.1, 7.2) communicating with the return line so as to short-circuit the exchanger-cooling device connected to the return line upstream of the exchanger-cooling device by second distributor means (9;
9.1, 9.2) controlled by the control means so that, if the temperature detected by the second detecting means exceeds a second set point temperature, at least some of the heat transfer fluid is caused to flow through the exchanger-cooling device so that its temperature is reduced;
and
wherein said second set point temperature is at least approximately equal to said first set point temperature.

14 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.