Internal-combustion engines – Particular piston and enclosing cylinder construction – Cylinder head
Reexamination Certificate
2002-11-22
2004-11-16
McMahon, Marguerite (Department: 3747)
Internal-combustion engines
Particular piston and enclosing cylinder construction
Cylinder head
Reexamination Certificate
active
06817334
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates generally to an intake port of an internal combustion engine, and more particularly to an intake port sleeve located in an intake port of an internal combustion engine.
BACKGROUND
In recent years, internal combustion engine manufacturers have been faced with ever increasing demand for greater horsepower within a preestablished engine envelope and regulatory requirements. The regulatory requirements have been directed mainly at exhaust emissions. To meet the exhaust emission requirements, fuel consumption has increased. Different forms of airflow management systems have been designed to improve emissions and fuel consumption.
One well-known form of air flow management increases the amount of intake air available for combustion in the combustion chambers of the engine. Typically this is accomplished by pressurizing the intake air with a turbocharger system. The turbocharger system commonly includes a compressor section driven by a turbine section. The exhaust gasses from the engine drives the turbine section and the compressor section compresses engine intake air.
Unfortunately, the pressurization process increases the temperature of the intake air, which results in an increased combustion temperature and an increase in engine NO
x
emissions. To reduce the intake air temperature in such systems, a fluid cooler is placed downstream of the compressor section of the turbocharger system. The fluid cooler reduces the temperature of the intake air to within a desired range associated with improved engine preformance.
As noted above, common turbocharger systems are driven by exhaust gasses from the engine. In order to maximize the efficiency of such systems, it is important to maintain the exhaust gasses at the highest temperatures possible. The higher the temperature of the exhaust gasses, the greater the expansion energy extracted by the turbocharger system, and the greater the compression of the intake air by the compressor section. Thus, it is important to reduce the amount of heat loss from the exhaust gasses during flow of the exhaust gasses from the combustion chamber to the turbine section of the turbocharger system.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,414,993 to Kon addresses the problem of heat loss of exhaust gasses traveling from the combustion chamber of the engine to the turbocharger system. The engine system of Kon includes exhaust port liners located within the cylinder head of the engine for insulating the exhaust gases from the cylinder head. Thus, the amount of heat transferred from the exhaust gasses to the cylinder head is reduced. As noted above, this results in improved energy extraction by the turbocharger, which results in higher compression of the intake air. U.S. Pat. No. 5,414,993, however does not address the need to insulate the lower temperature intake air from the higher temperature engine body while the intake air travels through the intake manifold, cylinder head, and cylinder body.
The present invention provides an engine system that avoids some or all of the aforesaid shortcomings in the prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, an engine includes a cylinder block having a at least one cylinder bore, a cylinder head connected to the cylinder block and an intake manifold connected to the cylinder head. An intake port is formed in the cylinder head upstream of the at least one cylinder bore, the intake port providing a passageway between the intake manifold and the at least one cylinder bore. The engine further including an intake port sleeve located at least partially within the intake port.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for providing intake air flow to a combustion chamber of an engine including compressing the intake air, cooling the compressed intake air in a fluid cooler, and insulating the cooled intake air from the engine during flow through an intake port of the engine to the combustion chamber.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, an engine system includes a compressor receiving intake air of the engine system, a fluid cooler located downstream of the compressor and configured to receive compressed intake air, and an engine. The engine includes a cylinder block having a at least one cylinder bore, a cylinder head connected to the cylinder block, an intake manifold connected to the cylinder head. At least one intake port is formed in the cylinder head, the intake port providing a passageway between the intake manifold and the at least one cylinder bore. The engine further includes an intake port sleeve, located at least partially within a said intake port.
Additional advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by means of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed.
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Caterpillar Inc
McAndrews Roland G
McMahon Marguerite
Stockett Ryan C
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