Heat exchanger
AssigneeHoneywell International Inc.
InventorsKeith D. Agee, Richard Paul Beldam, Roland L. Dilley, Jr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Apparatus and method for cooling heated fluids, such as exhaust gases, flowing through a heat exchanger comprising one or more exhaust plenums and one or more coolant plenums, and providing increased coolant velocity in that portion of the coolant plenums contacting the inlet portion of the exhaust plenums. Local increased coolant velocity is provided by any means, including decreasing the area-in-flow of the coolant plenums wherein increased velocity is desired, shaping or baffling either or both inlet or outlet coolant tanks in fluidic contact with coolant plenums wherein increased velocity is desired, or a combination thereof.
Claims12
An exhaust gas recirculation system with a heat exchanger for an internal combustion engine comprising:
- an exhaust conduit for containing flowing heated exhaust in fluidic contact with the exhaust manifold of an internal combustion engine and the intake manifold of the internal combustion engine;
- a recirculating liquid coolant conduit;
- and
- a heat exchanger disposed alone the exhaust conduit, the heat exchanger comprising:
- at least one exhaust plenum for containing flowing heated exhaust having at least one inlet receiving flowing heated exhaust and at least one outlet for discharging flowing heated exhaust, said inlet(s) spaced from said outlet(s);
- and
- at least one elongated coolant plenum for containing flowing liquid coolant, the coolant plenum contacting the exhaust plenum and having at least one first zone adjacent to the at least one inlet of the exhaust plenum and at least one second zone adjacent to the at least one outlet of the exhaust plenum, wherein the number of coolant plenum(s) is the same in the first zone and the second zone, the first zone comprising an area-in-flow less than an area-in-flow of the second zone, whereby the liquid coolant has a higher velocity in the second zone than in the first zone.
A heat exchanger for an exhaust gas recirculation system of an internal combustion engine comprising:
- at least one exhaust plenum for containing flowing heated exhaust having at least one inlet receiving flowing heated exhaust and at least one outlet for discharging flowing heated exhaust, said inlet(s) spaced from said outlet(s), with said inlet(s) in fluidic contact with an exhaust manifold of an internal combustion engine and with said outlet(s) in fluidic contact with an intake manifold of the internal combustion engine;
- and
- at least one coolant plenum for containing flowing liquid coolant, the coolant plenum making at least two passes contacting the exhaust plenum, the first coolant pass adjacent to the at least one inlet of the exhaust plenum and at least one subsequent coolant pass adjacent to the at least one outlet of the exhaust plenum, wherein the area-in-flow of at least a portion of the first coolant pass is less than the area-in-flow of any subsequent coolant pass, said liquid coolant having a higher velocity in the at least a portion of the first coolant pass than in any subsequent coolant pass, and wherein the number of coolant plenums in the first pass is equal to the number of coolant plenums in the second pass.
A heat exchanger for an exhaust gas recirculation system of an internal combustion engine comprising:
- at least one exhaust plenum for containing flowing heated exhaust having at least one inlet receiving flowing heated exhaust and at least one outlet for discharging flowing heated exhaust, said inlet(s) spaced from said outlet(s), with said inlet(s) in fluidic contact with an exhaust manifold of an internal combustion engine and with said outlet(s) in fluidic contact with an intake manifold of the internal combustion engine;
- at least one coolant plenum for containing flowing liquid coolant, the coolant plenum contacting the exhaust plenum and having at least one first zone adjacent to the at least one inlet of the exhaust plenum and at least one second zone adjacent to the at least one outlet of the exhaust plenum;
- and
- the first zone comprising an area-in-flow less than an area-in-flow of the second zone whereby flowing coolant adjacent the exhaust plenum in the first zone has a greater velocity than the velocity of flowing coolant adjacent the exhaust plenum in the second zone.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.