Exhaust turbocharger of an internal combustion engine

The invention relates to an exhaust turbocharger of an internal combustion engine according to the preamble of claim 1 .

The Rankine cyclical process is basically suited to utilizing the waste heat from exhaust turbochargers and/or internal combustion engines, the amount of energy available under different engine load and speed conditions and the temperature level being the key to highly efficient use of such a Rankine process.

In existing solutions exhaust gas recirculation coolers, for example, or large and expensive heat exchangers have been proposed as additional equipment for the exhaust system, in order to provide enough energy, for example, to achieve a significant improvement in the fuel consumption using the Rankine process.

As the existing solutions are unsatisfactory, however, since besides high costs they represent additional measures taking up a lot of overall space, such as the aforementioned coolers and heat exchangers, the object of the present invention is to create an exhaust turbocharger of the type specified in the preamble of claim 1 , which will allow a highly efficient utilization of the waste heat from the turbocharger/internal combustion engine system.

This object is achieved by the features of claim 1 .

In contrast to the state of the art, which relies on the use of additional units, according to the invention the turbine housing and/or in an especially preferred further embodiment the exhaust manifold is used as heat exchanger, since this affords an extremely space-saving and more cost-effective possibility of utilizing the waste heat from the exhaust turbocharger and/or the internal combustion engine in terms of the integration of a Rankine process.

In particular, according to the invention the principles of wall heat conduction can be used to transmit heat from the exhaust gas to the turbine housing or the exhaust manifold, in order to evaporate the working fluid.

The working fluid is accordingly evaporated in the evaporator of the turbine housing and then expanded in a steam turbine of the line arrangement operatively connected to the evaporator, following which it is converted via the condenser into the liquid state and returned into the turbine housing, in order to repeat the cycle previously described of evaporation, expansion, condensation and return of the working fluid.

Besides driving the turbine and thereby the exhaust turbocharger, the energy of the exhaust gases of the internal combustion engine can therefore additionally be used to drive the steam turbine, which delivers a corresponding power output according to the amount of energy available.

It is possible here to control or regulate the flow of the working fluid through the turbine housing and/or the exhaust manifold, so as to be able to vary the amount of heat taken off.

Furthermore, by controlling or regulating the flow of working fluid a desired wall temperature of the turbine housing and/or exhaust manifold can be maintained.

The dependent claims contain advantageous developments of the invention.

Thus it is possible to provide temperature sensors in the turbine housing and/or in the exhaust manifold in order to perform the processes previously explained.

It is furthermore possible to provide a shut-off valve for the working fluid in the line arrangement, in order to prevent the flow of working fluid at the inlet into the turbine housing and/or the exhaust manifold.

It is furthermore possible to provide the turbine housing and/or the exhaust manifold with an outlet for the working fluid, in order that all the working fluid can be drained out of the turbine housing and/or the exhaust manifold, if the flow into the turbine housing is deliberately blocked.

The invention furthermore allows adjustments to vehicle operating conditions, the ambient temperature or other parameters for the engine output or for the ride comfort to be optimized by varying the amount of energy taken off.

Finally it is possible to provide a preheating device for the working fluid as an additional unit, it being possible, for example, to utilize the engine coolant or the exhaust gas in coolers at other points in the system.

Further details, advantages and features of the present invention are set forth in the following description of an exemplary embodiment with reference to the drawing.

In a schematically highly simplified representation, the single FIGURE of the drawing shows a block diagram explaining the principles according to the invention.

Accordingly an exhaust turbocharger 1 of an internal combustion engine 2 is provided, the exhaust turbocharger 1 comprising a compressor 3 and a turbine 4 , which is drive-connected to the compressor 3 and which is arranged in a turbine housing 5 .

As the simplified representation in the FIGURE illustrates, the turbine housing 5 is provided with an evaporator 6 , to which heat deriving from the exhaust gas temperature of the exhaust gases of the internal combustion engine 2 can be admitted in order to evaporate a working fluid and at least one temperature sensor 36 .

In the embodiment shown, the evaporator 6 comprises three evaporation ducts 10 , 11 and 12 , which carry the working fluid and which are flow-connected to a line arrangement 7 .

Viewed in the direction of flow S of the working fluid evaporated in the evaporator 6 , a steam turbine 8 , which is driven by the evaporated working fluid and delivers a power P, is arranged in a first line portion 7 A of the line arrangement 7 . In the line portion 7 B of the line arrangement 7 adjoining the line portion 7 A, a condenser 9 , which recondenses the working fluid expanded in the steam turbine 8 to the liquid state and by way of a pump 13 pumps it into a line portion 7 C and into an adjoining line portion 7 D, is arranged downstream of the steam turbine 8 . From the line portion 7 D the condensed working, fluid passes back into the lines 10 , 11 , 12 of the evaporator 6 , in order that the cyclical process previously described of evaporation, expansions, condensation and return of the working fluid into the evaporator 6 can be repeated.

In order to be able to block a return of the condensed working fluid into the evaporator 6 , a shut-off valve 14 is furthermore arranged in the line portion 7 D.

In the especially preferred embodiment shown, the internal combustion engine 2 is provided with an exhaust manifold 15 , which is integrated into the cylinder head and which is in turn enclosed by coolant ducts 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 and 21 . Like the evaporator 6 , these ducts can also be embodied as an evaporator and may be operatively connected to the line arrangement 7 and its components previously described, in order to allow the alternative or additional performance of a further working fluid cycle in the form of the Rankine process initially described.

The other components of the system represented in the drawings can be seen from the following list of reference numerals, since although they may advantageously be operatively connected to the system previously described, their detailed description is not essential for the explanation of the principles according to the invention.

Besides the written disclosure of the invention, explicit reference will be made here to the graphic representation in the FIGURE, intended to supplement the disclosure.

1 exhaust turbocharger

2 internal combustion engine

3 compressor

4 turbine

5 turbine housing

6 evaporator

7 line arrangement

7 A- 7 D line portions of the line arrangement 7

8 steam turbine

9 condenser

10 - 12 evaporation ducts

13 pump

14 shut-off valve

15 exhaust manifold

16 - 21 evaporator or coolant ducts of the internal combustion engine 2

22 exhaust adjuster

23 inlet adjuster

24 inlet manifold

25 high-pressure exhaust gas recirculation cooler

26 high-pressure exhaust gas recirculation valve

27 inlet throttle valve

28 air cooler

29 low-pressure exhaust gas recirculation valve

30 low-pressure exhaust cooler

31 aftertreatment device

32 exhaust throttle valve

33 exhaust pipe

34 wastegate valve

35 wastegate line