U.S. patent application number 15/118969 was filed with the patent office on 2017-02-23 for manifold.
This patent application is currently assigned to Tenneco GMBH. The applicant listed for this patent is TENNECO GMBH. Invention is credited to Markus GEMINN, Steffen KAUFFMANN, Andreas STEIGERT.
Application Number | 20170051655 15/118969 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 52745874 |
Filed Date | 2017-02-23 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170051655 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
KAUFFMANN; Steffen ; et
al. |
February 23, 2017 |
MANIFOLD
Abstract
A manifold system for an internal combustion engine, comprising
a housing designed as a collecting manifold, which housing has two
inlet openings and an outlet opening for connecting two outlets of
an internal combustion engine to an exhaust gas system in regard to
flow and at least one connection opening provided on the housing
for connecting to an outer shell of a double-shell
air-gap-insulated manifold, and comprising at least one
air-gap-insulated manifold connected to the connection opening,
which air-gap-insulated manifold has an inner shell having an inlet
opening for connecting to an outlet of the internal combustion
engine in regard to flow and having an outer shell, wherein all
air-gap-insulated manifolds are completely formed from sheet metal
and are structurally or geometrically identical and, on the
housing, the size of a distance A2 between one of the two inlet
openings and the outlet opening is between 30 mm and 300 mm or
between 50 mm and 120 mm.
Inventors: |
KAUFFMANN; Steffen; (Speyer,
DE) ; GEMINN; Markus; (St. Martin, DE) ;
STEIGERT; Andreas; (Lambrecht, DE) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
TENNECO GMBH |
Edenkoben |
|
DE |
|
|
Assignee: |
Tenneco GMBH
Edenkoben
DE
|
Family ID: |
52745874 |
Appl. No.: |
15/118969 |
Filed: |
March 18, 2015 |
PCT Filed: |
March 18, 2015 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/EP2015/055680 |
371 Date: |
August 15, 2016 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F01N 13/143 20130101;
F01N 2260/16 20130101; F01N 2340/00 20130101; F01N 13/10 20130101;
F01N 13/102 20130101; F01N 2450/28 20130101; F01N 2450/22 20130101;
F01N 13/1888 20130101; F01N 13/1872 20130101; F01N 13/18
20130101 |
International
Class: |
F01N 13/10 20060101
F01N013/10 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Mar 20, 2014 |
DE |
20 2014 010 311.9 |
Claims
1. A manifold system for an internal combustion engine with a) a
housing designed as a collecting manifold, with two inlet openings
and an outlet opening for fluidically connecting two outlets of an
internal combustion engine to an exhaust gas system, b) and at
least one connection opening provided on the housing for connecting
to an outer shell of a double shell air gap insulated manifold, as
well as c) at least one air gap insulated manifold connected to the
connection opening, having an inner shell with an inlet opening for
the fluidic connection to one outlet of the internal combustion
engine and with an outer shell, wherein d) all air gap insulated
manifolds are completely formed from sheet metal and are
structurally or geometrically identical and e) a size of a distance
(A2) on the housing between one of the two inlet openings and the
outlet opening is between 30 mm and 300 mm.
2. The manifold system according to claim 1, wherein the distance
(A2) is dimensioned as a function of sound waves of the exhaust gas
whose wavelength (L) of sound is calculated by n*A2 or 1/n*A2, n
being an element of natural numbers, but not zero.
3. The manifold system according to claim 1, wherein the two inlet
openings within the housing stand in a fluidic and acoustic
exchange with each other.
4. The manifold system according to claim 1, wherein the two inlet
openings are separated in the housing by a duct wall and two flow
ducts are formed by the duct wall, wherein both flow ducts empty
into the outlet opening at the end of the duct wall and the two
flow ducts stand in fluidic and acoustic exchange via an opening or
perforation provided upstream from the outlet opening in the duct
wall.
5. The manifold system according to claim 4, wherein the opening or
the perforation has an overall cross section between 25 mm.sup.2
and 50 mm.sup.2.
6. The manifold system according to claim 1, wherein the housing is
fashioned as a single-piece casting.
7. The manifold system according to claim 6, wherein the housing is
formed from a low-alloy gray cast iron with a carbon content of at
least 1.00 wt. % and further alloy additions each with a mean
content of not more than 50.00 wt. %.
8. The manifold system according to claim 1, wherein the housing is
formed entirely of sheet metal, as a multiple piece and
double-walled part, and also air gap insulated with an outer
housing and at least one inner housing, the connection opening
being provided on the outer housing.
9. The manifold system according to claim 8, wherein the air gap
insulated manifold has a connection opening and an outlet opening,
wherein the air gap insulated manifold is directly connected to the
housing by its connection opening and is connected across its
outlet opening to the connection opening of another air gap
insulated manifold.
10. The manifold system according to claim 9, wherein the outlet
opening of the outermost air gap insulated manifold is closed by a
lid.
11. The manifold system according to claim 1, wherein the air gap
insulated manifold is joined to the housing by a bonding
technique.
12. The manifold system according to claim 1, wherein the housing
has only one connection opening by which two air gap insulated
manifolds are connected directly or indirectly.
13. The manifold system according to claim 1, wherein the housing
connects the outlet openings to a housing of a turbocharger and for
this purpose forms a load-bearing structural part arranged between
an engine block and the turbocharger.
14. A system consisting of a manifold system according to claim 1
and an internal combustion engine.
15. The manifold system according to claim 2, wherein the two inlet
openings within the housing stand in a fluidic and acoustic
exchange with each other.
16. The manifold system according to claim 1, wherein the size of
the distance (A2) on the housing between one of the two inlet
openings and the outlet opening is between 50 mm and 120 mm.
17. The manifold system according to claim 11, wherein the bonding
technique is welding, soldering, or gluing.
18. The manifold system according to claim 2, wherein the two inlet
openings within the housing stand in a fluidic and acoustic
exchange with each other; wherein the two inlet openings are
separated in the housing by a duct wall and two flow ducts are
formed by the duct wall, wherein both flow ducts empty into the
outlet opening at the end of the duct wall and the two flow ducts
stand in fluidic and acoustic exchange via an opening or
perforation provided upstream from the outlet opening in the duct
wall; and wherein the opening or the perforation has an overall
cross section between 25 mm.sup.2 and 50 mm.sup.2.
19. The manifold system according to claim 18, wherein the housing
is fashioned as a single-piece casting; wherein the housing is
formed from a low-alloy gray cast iron with a carbon content of at
least 1.00 wt. % and further alloy additions each with a mean
content of not more than 50.00 wt. %.
20. The manifold system according to claim 19, wherein the air gap
insulated manifold is joined to the housing by a bonding technique;
wherein the housing has only one connection opening by which two
air gap insulated manifolds are connected directly or indirectly;
and wherein the housing connects the outlet openings to a housing
of a turbocharger and for this purpose forms a load-bearing
structural part arranged between an engine block and the
turbocharger.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention relates to a manifold system for an internal
combustion engine, comprising a housing designed as a collecting
manifold, with two inlet openings and an outlet opening for
fluidically connecting two outlets of an internal combustion engine
to an exhaust gas system. A connection opening is provided on the
housing for connecting to an outer shell of a double shell air gap
insulated manifold. At least one air gap insulated manifold is
connected to the connection opening, having an inner shell with an
inlet opening for the fluidic connection to one outlet of the
internal combustion engine and with an outer shell.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
[0002] By inlet opening, outlet opening or connection opening is
meant the respective end of a pipe or a housing that is connected
by means of further connection means, such as flanges or welded
material, to another structural part leading further away.
[0003] A housing for an internal combustion engine configured as a
collecting manifold with a plurality of exhaust gas conduits is
already known from EP 1 914 401 A2, one end of which having an
exhaust gas inlet opening can be connected to an outlet of the
internal combustion engine and whose other end is connected to a
collecting device having an exhaust gas outlet opening. At least
one exhaust gas conduit is formed as a casting from the outlet of
the internal combustion engine to the collecting device and at
least one other exhaust gas conduit is formed as a constructed pipe
or shell piece from the outlet of the internal combustion engine to
the collecting device.
[0004] DE 39 25 802 A1 describes a casting for the connection of
two outlets of the internal combustion engine to an exhaust gas
system, serving as an adapter for two manifold pipes. The
connection of further outlets to the exhaust gas system is done by
separate manifold pipes, which are not connected to the
casting.
[0005] According to DE 103 01 395 A1, a double-walled housing
fashioned as a collecting manifold is known, in which the outer
shell directly joins together all outlets of the internal
combustion engine.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The present invention proposes to solve the problem of
modifying an exhaust gas system so that the sound of the exhaust
gas noise and thus the exhaust gas system is optimized across
several important rpm ranges of the internal combustion engine.
Each engine has its individual optimal operating points in which
the complex relationship between torque and fuel consumption is
advantageous. Such optimal operating points occur in relatively
narrow rpm ranges, so that the solution approach is addressed to
acoustically modifying the exhaust gas system in regard to these
relevant rpm ranges.
[0007] The problem is solved according to the invention in that all
air gap insulated manifolds are completely formed from sheet metal
and are structurally or geometrically identical and the size of the
distance on the housing between one of the two inlet openings and
the outlet opening is between 30 mm and 300 mm or between 50 mm and
120 mm.
[0008] Thanks to the identical design of the air gap insulated
manifold connected to the collecting manifold or the housing, an
acoustics is accomplished between the outlet and the collecting
pipe which sounds more harmonious than known manifold systems,
especially in 6-cylinder inline engines. This improvement is
especially beneficial when a definite size of the distance between
one of the two inlet openings and the outlet opening exists, which
varies between 50 mm and 120 mm, depending on the model of manifold
system. In the case of short distances with the advantage of small
design size, it has been found that the sonic behavior is already
affected with slight changes in the distance. An increasing of the
distance, on the other hand, produces advantageous sonic
properties.
[0009] Such manifold systems will be used preferably in truck
Diesel engines or stationary Diesel engines in which a turbocharger
is arranged adjacent to the collecting manifold. The housing,
fashioned as the central and load-bearing part, constitutes the
necessary statics for the connecting of the turbocharger to the
outlets on the engine housing.
[0010] It is especially advantageous for this when the distance is
dimensioned as a function of sound waves of the exhaust gas whose
wavelength is calculated in terms of n*A2 or 1/n*A2, n being an
element of the natural numbers, but not zero. Here, A2 is the above
described size of the distance between one of the two inlet
openings and the outlet opening. L is the mean physical wavelength
of sound, calculated from the quotient of the speed of propagation
C [m/s=meters per second] of the sound in the exhaust gas and the
frequency f[1/s=Hertz] of the wave. At an exhaust gas temperature
of 700.degree. C. and a frequency of 300 Hertz [Hz], one gets a
wavelength of around 750 mm. This signal with 300 Hz is generated,
for example, by a 6-cylinder engine at 3000 revolutions per minute
[rpm]. This low-frequency signal would be accentuated with a
distance of 1/10 of the wavelength, i.e., with a distance A2 of 75
mm in the housing.
[0011] It can also be advantageous for this if the two inlet
openings within the housing stand in a fluidic and acoustic
exchange with each other, which further enhances the harmonization,
because a dynamic equalization can occur inside the housing.
[0012] Moreover, it can be beneficial if the two inlet openings are
separated in the housing by a duct wall and two flow ducts are
formed by the duct wall, wherein both flow ducts empty into the
outlet opening at the end of the duct wall and the two flow ducts
stand in fluidic and acoustic exchange via an opening or
perforation provided upstream from the outlet opening in the duct
wall. In this way, the properties of an absolute group separation
without any acoustic and flow-dynamic interaction between the two
manifold regions adjoining the flow ducts are coupled with the
properties without group separation and with full acoustic and
flow-dynamic interaction. The opening or perforation provided in
the duct wall reduces the flow-dynamic interaction, but at the same
time the acoustic interaction remains largely intact. The degree of
the acoustic interaction varies both with the distance between one
of the two inlet openings and the outlet opening and with the rpm,
because the interaction decreases with increasing rpm depending on
the size of the opening as a constrained leakage point.
[0013] It can also be beneficial if the opening or the perforation
has an overall cross section between 25 mm.sup.2 and 50
mm.sup.2.
[0014] It can be advantageously provided that the collecting
manifold or the housing is fashioned as a single-piece casting. The
vibrational behavior of a casting is very advantageous compared to
that of a sheet metal part, insofar as the acoustics of collecting
manifolds is concerned.
[0015] It can be of special importance to the present invention
when the collecting manifold is formed from a low-alloy gray cast
iron with a carbon content of at least 1.00 wt. % and further alloy
additions each with a mean content of not more than 50.00 wt. %.
Such materials known as gray cast iron have a beneficial acoustic
vibration behavior.
[0016] Alternatively, it can be advantageous when the housing is
formed entirely of sheet metal, as a multiple piece and
double-walled part, and also air gap insulated with an outer
housing and an inner housing, the connection opening being provided
on the outer housing. The acoustic disadvantages of sheet metal can
be compensated by a special shaping of the outer housing.
[0017] It is also advantageous for the air gap insulated manifold
to have a connection opening and an outlet opening, wherein the air
gap insulated manifold is directly connected to the collecting
manifold by its connection opening and is connected across its
outlet opening to the connection opening of another air gap
insulated manifold. In this way, one can both connect only one air
gap insulated manifold to a collecting manifold on both sides and
also connect two air gap insulated manifolds on both sides. The
manifold system with two sheet metal manifolds for a 4-cylinder
internal combustion engine can be supplemented with two additional
and identical sheet metal manifolds and expanded into a manifold
system for a 6-cylinder internal combustion engine.
[0018] It can be advantageous for this when the outlet opening of
the outermost air gap insulated manifold is closed by a lid. The
lid is adapted according to the particular system for each of the
identical air gap insulated manifolds.
[0019] Moreover, it can be advantageous when the air gap insulated
manifold is joined to the collecting manifold by a bonding
technique, such as welding or soldering or gluing. In particular,
the welded connection offers a very simple and economical
fabrication method for a collecting manifold made of gray cast
iron. For reasons of flexible installation it can also be
advantageous to connect the air gap insulated manifold to the
collecting manifold by form fitting with a union nut or a V-band
clamp or a flange connection or a clamping element.
[0020] Moreover, it can be of advantage when the collecting
manifold has only one connection opening by which two air gap
insulated manifolds are connected directly or indirectly. This
asymmetrical design has acoustic benefits over the symmetrical
design for special applications.
[0021] Finally, it can be of advantage when the collecting manifold
connects the outlet openings to a housing of a turbocharger and for
this purpose forms a load-bearing structural part arranged between
the engine block and the turbocharger.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0022] Further advantages and details of the invention are
explained in the patent claims and in the specification and
represented in the figures. There are shown:
[0023] FIG. 1a, a sectional view of a housing fashioned as a
collecting manifold with flow ducts standing in interaction;
[0024] FIG. 1b, a side view of the collecting manifold of FIG.
1a;
[0025] FIG. 2, a sectional view of a manifold system with a
collecting manifold with flow ducts standing in interaction and
four air gap insulated manifolds;
[0026] FIG. 3, a sectional view of a manifold system with a
collecting manifold with flow ducts standing in interaction and two
air gap insulated manifolds;
[0027] FIG. 4, a double-wall collecting manifold made of sheet
metal;
[0028] FIG. 5, a sectional view of a flange connection between
collecting manifold and air gap insulated manifold;
[0029] FIG. 6, a sectional view of a connection between collecting
manifold and air gap insulated manifold via an inlay in the
collecting manifold;
[0030] FIG. 7a, a view of a collecting manifold with V-bank clamp
arranged at both sides;
[0031] FIG. 7b, a sectional view of a V-bank clamp connection
between collecting manifold and air gap insulated manifold;
[0032] FIG. 8a, a schematic representation of the distance between
an inlet opening and the outlet opening in a collecting manifold as
seen from above;
[0033] FIG. 8b, a schematic representation of the distance between
an inlet opening and the outlet opening in a collecting manifold in
side view.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0034] FIG. 1a shows a sectional view of a housing 2 fashioned as a
collecting manifold with flow ducts 25, 26 standing in interaction.
The housing 2 is formed from a gray cast iron and in addition to
two inlet openings 20, 21 for connecting the housing 2 to outlets
(not represented) of an internal combustion engine it also has two
connection openings 22, 23, each for an air gap insulated manifold
31, 32. From the two inlet openings 20, 21, two flow ducts 25, 26
arranged alongside each other and partly separated by a duct wall
27 extend inside the housing 2 up to an outlet opening 24 of the
housing, represented in FIG. 1b. To improve the acoustic properties
of the collecting manifold 2, the two flow ducts 25, 26 stand in
interaction with each other across an opening 271 in the duct wall
27.
[0035] In the sample embodiment of a manifold system 1 shown in
FIG. 2, the housing 2 is not symmetrical in design, but as in the
sample embodiment of FIGS. 1a and 1b it has two connection openings
23 for one air gap insulated manifold 31, 32 apiece as well as the
two inlet openings 20, 21. From the two inlet openings 20, 21, two
flow ducts 25, 26 extend inside the housing 2 up to the outlet
opening 24 of the housing 2. Here as well, the two flow ducts 25,
26 are partly separated in their interaction by a duct wall 27. The
average length of the two flow ducts 25, 26 represented by arrows
corresponds to a distance A2, more closely described in FIGS. 8a
and 8b, between the respective inlet opening 20, 21 and the outlet
opening 24. In this sample embodiment, the distances A2 differ by a
factor of 1.6.
[0036] FIG. 3 shows a housing 2 for a manifold system 1 for an
internal combustion engine with four cylinder arranged in line. The
housing 2 has only one connection opening 22 for an air gap
insulated manifold 30. In this housing 2, no reduction in the
interaction between the two flow ducts 25, 26 by a duct wall 27 is
provided.
[0037] FIG. 4 shows an air gap insulated housing 2, which is
fashioned as a collecting manifold. The housing 2 has an outer
housing 28 and two inner housings 29 integrated in the outer
housing 28.
[0038] The housing 2 is fashioned as a load-bearing part and
connects the outlets of the engine block (not represented) to a
housing of a turbocharger (not represented). On one or both sides,
air gap insulated manifolds 30-33 are connected to the housing 2,
not having any load-bearing or statically relevant function.
[0039] The air gap insulated manifolds 30-33 represented in the two
sample embodiments of FIGS. 2 and 3 are formed from sheet metal and
are geometrically and structurally identical. Thanks to the
identical shape of all air gap insulated manifolds 30-33, the
acoustic properties at the most important operating points of the
internal combustion engine are improved, because the vibration and
resonance behavior is identical in all air gap insulated manifolds
30-33. A different configuration would have resulted in different
vibration and resonance behavior.
[0040] Furthermore, the identical shape has the benefit that, in
combination with a housing 2 formed as a collecting manifold 2 for
two outlets, a manifold system 1 for a 4-cylinder internal
combustion engine supplemented with two air gap insulated manifolds
30, 33 can be used for a 6-cylinder internal combustion engine. The
last air gap insulated manifold 30, 33 in the series is closed by a
lid 4. The connection between the air gap insulated manifolds 30-33
and between the lid 4 and the respective air gap insulated manifold
30, 33 is formed as a welded connection.
[0041] The identical air gap insulated manifolds 30 have an inner
shell 34 and an outer shell 35 surrounding the inner shell 34. The
two shells 34, 35 extend from a respective inlet opening 36 in the
flow direction to a respective outlet opening 37 and contrary to
the flow direction to a respective connection opening 38. At the
respective openings 36-38, the inner shell 34 and the outer shell
35 are joined together flush in one of the flow directions.
[0042] When the respective air gap insulated manifold 30-33 is
connected to the housing 2, the outer shell 35 is critical for the
particular joining technique. As a rule, the inner shell 34 is only
inserted into the housing 2.
[0043] The connection between the housing 2 and the outer shell 35
of the respective air gap insulated manifold 31, 32 is preferably
formed as a welded connection. Alternatively to this, a connection
as a flange 7 or inlay 8 or V-band clamp 6 is provided according to
FIG. 5-7b.
[0044] The distance A2 represented in FIGS. 8a and 8b between the
respective inlet opening 20, 21 and the outlet opening 24 is also
dependent on the size ratios of the respective diameter De of the
inlet openings 20, 21 to the diameters Da of the outlet opening 24.
For an optimal acoustic adaptation to the most important operating
points of the internal combustion engine, especially in regard to
the critical rpm for the most important load regions, the distances
A2, the diameter ratios De, Da and the identical shape of the air
gap insulated manifolds 30-33 are thus critical.
* * * * *