Power plants – Internal combustion engine with treatment or handling of... – By means producing a chemical reaction of a component of the...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-13
2001-11-20
Denion, Thomas (Department: 3748)
Power plants
Internal combustion engine with treatment or handling of...
By means producing a chemical reaction of a component of the...
C060S300000, C060S307000, C060S320000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06318077
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an integrated thermal and exhaust management unit for a vehicle.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
High fuel efficiency and low engine emissions are key priorities when designing a vehicle powerplant. Enablers include rapidly warming the engine to the efficient operating temperature range and the catalytic converter to the light-off temperature so that undesirable exhaust gases are catalyzed rather than allowed to escape the vehicle as emissions. Current exhaust gas waste heat recovery systems are capable of capturing engine waste heat and re-circulating it to the engine or transferring it to a downstream catalytic converter.
As hybrid vehicles and highly efficient internal combustion engines become more prevalent in the market, there is a need for a new heating source to supplement residual engine heat utilized in the vehicle. For example, excess engine heat is used today to warm up the passenger compartment through a heater core. In a highly efficient internal combustion engine, there may be an inadequate supply of residual heat generated by the engine. Likewise when a hybrid vehicle is operating in a low power demand range, such as idle or city driving, the internal combustion engine may be turned off and therefore does not produce residual heat for meeting the thermal demands of the vehicle. To satisfy thermal demands, the hybrid vehicle may continue to run the internal combustion engine to produce heat when ideally the engine should be off. Hybrid vehicles may also employ a supplemental heat pump system for cabin heating when the engine is off, which drains electricity directly from the battery pack. Both options are expensive expenditures of energy.
Since hybrid vehicles typically employ smaller engines, which produce less heat and are usually not allowed to idle, engine warm-up time may be longer compared to conventional vehicles. A supplemental heating system may be used to accelerate engine warm-up thus contributing to improved efficiency and emissions. Hybrid vehicles also rely on high voltage batteries to supply a portion of the propulsion energy and these batteries require rapid warm-up for efficient operation.
Therefore the need exists for a single, integrated unit for both hybrid vehicles and engine-only powered vehicles, which provides supplemental heat for powerplant efficiency, emissions, and customer satisfaction.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is for an integrated thermal and exhaust management unit including a fuel-fired heater system, a catalytic converter, and an exhaust gas waste heat recovery unit, and a method for centrally controlling the unit to efficiently meet overall vehicle demands for thermal energy.
The integrated thermal and exhaust management unit includes a housing defining a chamber and having an inlet through which engine exhaust gas flows. A fuel-fired heater is adjacent to the housing and supplements the heat in the engine exhaust gas flowing through the chamber when required. The heated exhaust gas stream flows through a catalytic converter, which is in downstream flow communication with the chamber, for catalyzing the engine exhaust gas and fuel-fired heater emissions flowing therethrough. The integrated thermal and exhaust management unit further includes an exhaust gas heat recovery unit radially adjacent to and in downstream flow communication with the catalytic converter for exchanging exhaust gas heat to liquid heat for transferring to heat-requiring areas of the vehicle.
The integrated thermal and exhaust management unit provides thermal energy to improve engine warm-up by heating engine oil for enhanced lubrication under cold start conditions to improve engine durability. It operates to reduce emissions under cold start conditions by accelerating light-off of the catalyst as a result of rapid heating by the fuel-fired heater and insulating of the catalytic converter by the exhaust gas heat recovery unit. The unit may also improve passenger cabin warm-up for increased customer comfort.
Additionally for hybrid vehicles, the unit allows for passenger compartment heat during the engine-off mode without resorting to more significant expenditures of energy. Heat is also provided to quickly warm up the hybrid traction battery to its efficient operating temperature.
When required, the fuel-fired heater burns fuel to add additional thermal energy to the engine exhaust gas stream to warm the catalytic converter or may be exchanged to liquid medium on demand and delivered to areas of the vehicle requiring additional heat. Further, the exhaust gas heat recovery system encapsulates the catalytic converter with a vacuum for insulating the catalytic converter.
The integrated thermal and exhaust management unit provides an efficient mass and packaging unit by eliminating the need for hoses, ducts, and brackets linking remotely located and packaged individual thermal sources.
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Claypole George M.
Dasgupta Arindam
Major Gregory Alan
Denion Thomas
General Motors Corporation
Hargitt Laura C.
Tran Diem
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