Method to protect the exhaust manifold from overheating using heat pipe
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsShiguang Zhou, Michael Levin, Furqan Zafar Shaikh, Jeffrey Scott Hepburn, Donald S. Masch, Zhaoyang Zeng, James Patrick O'Neill, Danrich Henry Demitroff
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An exhaust system for an engine is disclosed herein. The exhaust system includes a catalytic converter, an exhaust manifold upstream from the catalytic converter, and a heat pipe in thermal contact with the exhaust manifold and atmosphere. The system further includes a phase changing material that passively absorbs heat after catalytic light-off.
Claims20
An exhaust system for an engine, comprising:
- a catalytic converter;
- an exhaust manifold upstream from the catalytic converter;
- and
- a single heat pipe in thermal contact with the exhaust manifold at an evaporative region and atmosphere at a condenser region, the heat pipe including a phase changing material that passively absorbs heat after catalytic light-off and a vapor space and liquid film layer separated by a wicking layer.
An integrated exhaust manifold for an engine, comprising:
- an exhaust manifold including exhaust ports;
- a plurality of heat pipes, each heat pipe including an evaporative region in thermal contact with the exhaust manifold through one of the exhaust ports, a phase changing material that passively absorbs heat after catalytic light-off, a vapor space and liquid film laver separated by a wicking laver and a condenser region contiguous with atmosphere, an interior portion of the evaporative region of each heat pipe positioned within an interior of a corresponding exhaust port;
- and
- a plurality of condenser fins coupled to the condenser region of each heat pipe.
A heat transfer system for an engine, comprising:
- a heat pipe including an evaporative region inserted through an exterior surface of an exhaust manifold and into an interior of the exhaust manifold, a condensing region extending away from the exhaust manifold, a phase changing material that passively absorbs heat after catalytic light-off, a vapor space and liquid film layer separated by a wicking laver, the heat pipe having a longitudinal axis that is orthogonal to an exhaust gas flow direction through an exhaust port;
- and
- a plurality of condenser fins in thermal contact with the condensing region.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.