SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TURBOCHARGING AN ENGINE
A turbocharger system, in certain embodiments, includes a compressor, a turbine, a shaft coupling the compressor to the turbine, and a turbo casing configured to improve pressure recovery, wherein the turbo casing includes a non symmetrical geometry configured to improve flow towards an exhaust outlet.
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The disclosure relates generally to a system and method of improving the performance of a turbocharger for a compression-ignition engine and, more specifically, to a system and method for adjusting the position of and parameters of turbocharger components.
Turbochargers include a turbine and a compressor that may be connected by a shaft. The turbine is located in a turbine stage section of the turbocharger, and the components in the turbine stage are important factors in turbocharger efficiency and performance. In particular, components that affect exhaust flow, such as a turbo casing and diffuser, may allow undesirable loss of energy from exhaust flow if not properly designed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTIONA turbocharger system, in certain embodiments, includes a compressor, a turbine, a shaft coupling the compressor to the turbine, and a turbo casing configured to improve pressure recovery, wherein the turbo casing includes a non symmetrical geometry configured to improve flow towards an exhaust outlet. Another embodiment includes a method that includes flowing exhaust through an exhaust diffuser having a bell mouth configured to improve pressure recovery within a turbo machine, and flowing the exhaust through an annular torus shaped chamber of a turbo casing having a cross sectional area that expands in a circumferential direction toward an exhaust port.
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein:
One or more specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below. In an effort to provide a concise description of these embodiments, all features of an actual implementation may not be described in the specification. It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which may vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure.
When introducing elements of various embodiments of the present disclosure, the articles “a,” “an,” “the,” and “said” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. Any examples of operating parameters and/or environmental conditions are not exclusive of other parameters/conditions of the disclosed embodiments.
As discussed in detail below, various configurations of turbine stage components may be employed to reduce energy loss from restricted exhaust flow and to improve turbocharger performance. In particular, an exhaust diffuser with a bell mouth portion may be added to the turbine stage along with a repositioning of a rotor, thereby avoiding an increase in backpressure that may occur when modifying the diffuser. For example, a bell mouth may be added instead of a straight edge to extend a diffuser, along with a repositioning of the rotor disc closer to the inlet and transition section of the turbocharger, thereby improving pressure recovery as the exhaust flows out of the turbine stage. In addition, the turbo casing may be modified to work in conjunction with the exhaust diffuser to improve pressure recovery, thereby increasing turbocharger efficiency. The embodiments discussed below improve turbocharger performance and efficiency by modifying and repositioning components in the turbine stage and exhaust path. The embodiments and pressure recovery improvements may apply to turbochargers, turbo machines, turbo expanders, turbines, and other turbine machinery.
As illustrated, the system 10 includes an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system 16, an intercooler 18, a fuel injection system 20, an intake manifold 22, and an exhaust manifold 24. The illustrated turbocharger 12 includes a compressor 26 coupled to a turbine 28 via a drive shaft 30. The EGR system 16 may include an EGR valve 32 disposed downstream from the exhaust manifold 24 and upstream from the compressor 26. In addition, the system 10 includes a controller 34, e.g., an electronic control unit (ECU), coupled to various sensors and devices throughout the system 10. For example, the illustrated controller 34 is coupled to the EGR valve 32 and the fuel injection system 20. However, the controller 34 may be coupled to sensors and control features of each illustrated component of the system 10, among many others.
As illustrated in
The intake manifold 22 then routes the compressed gas into the engine 14. The engine 14 then compresses this gas within various piston cylinder assemblies, e.g., 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, or 16 piston cylinder assemblies. Fuel from the fuel injection system 20 is injected directly into engine cylinders. The controller 34 may control the fuel injection timing of the fuel injection system 20, such that the fuel is injected at the appropriate time into the engine 14. The heat of the compressed air ignites the fuel as each piston compresses a volume of air within its corresponding cylinder.
In turn, the engine 14 exhausts the products of combustion from the various piston cylinder assemblies through the exhaust manifold 24. The exhaust from the engine 14 then passes through a conduit 44 from the exhaust manifold 24 to the turbine 28. In addition, a portion of the exhaust may be routed from the conduit 44 to the EGR valve 32 as illustrated by arrow 46. At this point, a portion of the exhaust passes to the air intake of the compressor 26 as illustrated by the arrow 38, as mentioned above. The controller 34 controls the EGR valve 32, such that a suitable portion of the exhaust is passed to the compressor 26 depending on various operating parameters and/or environmental conditions of the system 10. As depicted, the exhaust gas drives the turbine 28, such that the turbine rotates the shaft 30 and drives the compressor 26. The exhaust gas then passes out of the system 10 and particularly the turbine 28, as indicated by arrow 48. As compressor 26 is driven, additional air intake occurs, thereby improving performance, power density, and efficiency in the engine by providing additional air for the combustion process.
As will be discussed in detail below, optimization and modification of certain components in the turbine stage portion of the turbocharger may reduce energy loss and improve performance of the turbocharger system. For example, the disclosed embodiments may include a modified configuration of the turbo casing to reduce exhaust flow separation thereby improving exhaust flow to a muffler and improving turbocharger efficiency. In addition, the arrangement and design of the exhaust diffuser and axial location of the turbine stage improve pressure recovery within the system, further enhancing exhaust flow and system efficiency through reduced back pressure on the engine. The disclosed embodiments also improve turbocharger performance across various conditions, including during both high and low speed operation. These enhancements improve performance and fuel efficiency of the turbocharger system and engine.
In an exemplary embodiment, bell mouth 64 of exhaust diffuser 62 may be shaped and positioned to improve pressure recovery in turbocharger 12. For example, bell mouth 64 may have an axial distance 85 and a radial distance 87 from a wall of turbo casing, which distances may be configured to improve pressure recovery. In an embodiment, the bell mouth 64 extends axially (in the direction of shaft 30 axis) about 30-50% into a cavity of the turbo casing 56. Specifically, the distance 78 minus distance 85 may be about 30-50% of distance 78, therefore the bell mouth 64 extends about 30-50% into the cavity. Further, in a first bottom portion 58 of the bell mouth 64 extends about 50% into the cavity. In a second portion, near exhaust outlet 83 and opposite portion 58, the bell mouth 64 extends about 30% into the cavity.
The diagram also includes dashed lines depicting an alternate exhaust diffuser profile 88, which may be described as a flat diffuser profile, as compared to the curved cross section 64 of bell shaped diffuser 62, which increases turbocharger efficiency. The improvements illustrated in turbine stage portion 50, including an expanding cross sectional area of turbo casing 56 toward an exhaust flow port as well as bell shaped exhaust diffuser 62, may lead to improved turbocharger efficiency and performance, thereby reducing fuel consumption and emissions. In addition, turbine rotor 28 may be shifted axially outward in direction 89, thereby increasing the length of shaft 30 by about 15-20% to further enhance the effects of exhaust diffuser 62 and turbo casing 56 improvements. In addition, a ratio of the distance 81 to a turbine bucket height or distance 87 is about 1.4 to about 3.4.
Specifically,
As depicted, the circumferential position 116 (e.g., horizontal axis) are data points taken between the 60 degree plane and the 300 degree plane relative to a plane through reference line 101 (
In the depicted arrangement, turbo casing 56 is disposed downstream from the exhaust diffuser 62, wherein the turbo-casing comprises a torus-shaped chamber leading to an exhaust outlet 83. In addition, the torus-shaped chamber has a cross-sectional area that progressively increases by at least about 40 percent from about the 180 degrees position to about the 270 degree position in an annular direction toward the exhaust outlet 53. Further, the progressive increase in cross-sectional area is represented by the area ratio plot 122 non symmetrical torus-shaped chamber between about 60 and about 300 degrees relative to a vertical plane centered through line 101, wherein the area ratio plot 122 varies between about 0.42 and about 1.15.
As depicted, the peak turbine efficiency of the improved turbo 132 occurs at an expansion ratio of about 2.7, which is a normalized turbine efficiency of 1. A comparison of data plots 130 and 132 illustrate that the improved turbocharger 12 components, as discussed above, may result in optimal and improved turbocharger efficiency. Specifically, the gradual geometry changes in turbo casing 56 and improvements in the bell shaped exhaust diffuser 62 provide improved exhaust flow and efficiency through area scheduling within the turbocharger 12. As shown in the chart 124, at low expansion ratios (1.5 for example), the improved turbine 132 resulted in about 3% improvement and at higher expansion ratios (3 for example), the improved turbine 132 resulted in about 8% improvement.
While only certain features of the disclosure have been illustrated and described herein, many modifications and changes will occur to those skilled in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit of the disclosure.
Claims
1. A turbocharger, comprising:
- a compressor comprising compressor blades;
- a turbine comprising turbine blades;
- a shaft coupling the compressor to the turbine; and
- an exhaust diffuser disposed downstream from the turbine blades, wherein the exhaust diffuser comprises a bell mouth configured to reduce backpressure and improve an exhaust flow downstream;
- a turbo-casing disposed downstream from the exhaust diffuser, wherein the turbo-casing comprises a torus-shaped chamber leading to an exhaust outlet disposed on and centered on a second side opposite from a first side, the torus-shaped chamber has a cross-sectional area that progressively increases by at least about 40 percent from a center of the first side in about the first 90 degrees in an annular direction toward the exhaust outlet in the second side.
2. The turbocharger of claim 1, wherein the progressive increase in cross-sectional area is represented by an area ratio of the cross-sectional area of the torus-shaped chamber divided by a diffuser area of the bell mouth, and the area ratio is taken through planes at circumferential locations in a counterclockwise annular direction between about 60 and about 300 degrees relative to a vertical plane centered through the exhaust outlet in the second side, wherein the area ratio varies between about 0.42 and about 1.15.
3. The turbocharger of claim 1, wherein a ratio of a length of the bell mouth in an axial direction to a turbine bucket height in direction generally crosswise to the bell mouth length is about 1.4 to about 3.4.
4. The turbocharger of claim 1, comprising the turbo casing configured to improve pressure recovery, wherein the turbo casing expands in volume in a circumferential direction of flow through an annular chamber to an exhaust outlet.
5. The turbocharger of claim 1, wherein an angle of an interior wall of the second side of the turbo casing is oriented at about 75 to 80 degrees relative to an axis through the shaft.
6. The turbocharger of claim 1, wherein the bell mouth extends about 30-50% of the distance of the width of the turbo casing in a direction parallel to an axis of the shaft.
7. The turbocharger of claim 1, comprising an engine coupled to the turbocharger system.
8. The turbocharger of claim 1, wherein the turbine is configured to create a cavity within the turbo casing with a non symmetrical geometry.
9. The turbocharger system of claim 1, wherein the turbo casing comprises a torus shaped cavity.
10. A turbocharger, comprising:
- a compressor;
- a turbine;
- a shaft coupling the compressor to the turbine; and
- a turbo casing configured to improve pressure recovery, wherein the turbo casing includes a non symmetrical geometry configured to improve flow towards an exhaust outlet.
11. The turbocharger of claim 10, wherein the turbo casing comprises a torus shaped cavity, wherein a cross sectional area of the torus shaped cavity increases in a direction of exhaust flow towards an exhaust outlet, thereby reducing a flow separation.
12. The turbocharger of claim 11, wherein an angle of an interior wall of the turbo casing is oriented at about 75 to 80 degrees relative to an axis through the shaft.
13. The turbocharger system of claim 10, comprising an exhaust diffuser comprising a bell mouth, wherein the bell mouth and the turbine are configured to improve pressure recovery and enhance exhaust flow through a turbo casing.
14. The turbocharger of claim 13, wherein a ratio of a length of the bell mouth in an axial shaft direction to a turbine bucket height in direction generally crosswise to the bell mouth length is about 1.4 to about 3.4.
15. The turbocharger of claim 13, wherein the bell mouth extends about 30-50% of the distance of the width of the turbo casing in a direction parallel to an axis of the shaft.
16. A method, comprising:
- flowing exhaust through an exhaust diffuser having a bell mouth configured to improve pressure recovery within a turbo machine; and
- flowing the exhaust through an annular torus shaped chamber of a turbo casing having a cross sectional area that expands in a circumferential direction toward an exhaust outlet.
17. The method of claim 16, comprising wherein flowing the exhaust through an annular torus shaped chamber comprises flowing the exhaust through a non symmetrical geometry of the turbo casing.
18. The method of claim 16, wherein flowing the exhaust through an annular torus shaped chamber comprises flowing the exhaust through the chamber wherein a first area ratio at a portion of the chamber opposite the exhaust port is about 30-50% less than a second area ratio of the chamber at a circumferential location about 90 degrees relative to the first cross sectional area.
19. The method of claim 16, wherein flowing the exhaust through an annular torus shaped chamber comprises flowing the exhaust through the chamber wherein an angle of an interior wall of the torus shaped chamber is oriented at about 75 to 80 degrees relative to an axis through a turbine shaft.
20. The method of claim 16, wherein the bell mouth extends about 30-50% of the distance of the width of the turbo casing in a direction parallel to an axis of a turbine shaft
Type: Application
Filed: Jan 15, 2009
Publication Date: Jul 15, 2010
Applicant: General Electric Company (Schenectady, NY)
Inventors: Daniel Edward Loringer (Erie, PA), Anthony Holmes Furman (Scotia, NY), Kendall Roger Swenson (Erie, PA), Dale William Ladoon (Niskayuna, NY)
Application Number: 12/354,623
International Classification: F01D 25/24 (20060101);