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US 8,997,460 B2Granted
Exhaust system mixing device
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorXiaogang Zhang
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A mixing device comprises a circular disc of fin sections positioned so as to create openings in the inner and outer regions of the mixing device that generate oppositely rotating flows of exhaust gas. Each fin section may be identical, and may be created by a stamping process. The smooth surface of each fin section reduces creases, and thus, is less prone to urea buildup.
Claims19
An engine exhaust system mixing device, comprising:
- a circular disc of fins, each fin having a radial straight edge, a radial curved edge, and a smooth surface with continuous curvature between the edges, the straight edge positioned adjacent to a curved edge of a first neighboring fin at each of two intersecting endpoints, the curved edge positioned adjacent to a straight edge of a second neighboring fin at each of two intersecting endpoints and an intersection of a straight edge and a curved edge of neighboring fins creates a first opening protruding in a flow direction and a second opening protruding in a direction opposite to the flow direction.
An exhaust system for an engine, comprising:
- an exhaust passage receiving engine exhaust gas;
- and
- a mixing device arranged within the exhaust passage comprising a circular disc of fin sections, each fin section having a substantially circle-quadrant form factor with a smooth surface and two radial edges including a straight radial edge and a deformed curved radial edge, the smooth surface having continuous curvature between the radial edges, the straight radial edge positioned adjacent to a deformed curved radial edge of a first neighboring fin section at a first intersection endpoint and the deformed curved radial edge positioned adjacent to a straight radial edge of a second neighboring fin section at a second intersection endpoint, the intersections between the straight radial edges and the deformed curved radial edges creating a first opening configured to receive the engine exhaust gas and direct the engine exhaust gas in a first rotational direction and a second opening configured to receive the engine exhaust gas and direct the engine exhaust gas in a second rotational direction opposite to the first rotational direction, the deformed curved radial edge of each fin section comprising a trough and a crest of equal and opposite magnitude.
An exhaust system for an engine, comprising:
- an exhaust passage for receiving engine exhaust gas;
- an injector coupled to a wall of the exhaust passage and configured to inject liquid urea into the exhaust passage, the injector including an injection axis that is angled relative to a longitudinal axis of a mixing region of the exhaust passage;
- and
- a mixing device arranged within the exhaust passage downstream of the injector within the mixing region, the mixing device comprising a circular disc comprising four circle-quadrant fins, each circle-quadrant fin having a first radial edge, a second radial edge, and an outer circumferential edge, the first radial edge being straight and the second radial edge being deformed to have a crest and a trough, each circle-quadrant fin being connected to a center point of the circular disc and being connected at intersection endpoints of the outer circumferential edge to neighboring circle-quadrant fins, and each circle-quadrant fin being positioned such that the first radial edge of the circle-quadrant fin is positioned adjacent to a second radial edge of a neighboring circle-quadrant fin.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.