Abstract:
An internal combustion engine includes an intake conduit fluidically coupled to ambient fluid and having an internal cross-sectional area and an engine cylinder fluidically coupled to the intake conduit. A fluidic amplifier is disposed within the intake conduit and is fluidically coupled to the ambient fluid and engine cylinder. The amplifier is further fluidically coupled to a source of primary fluid and is configured to introduce the primary fluid and at least a portion of the ambient fluid to the engine cylinder.

Description:
PRIORITY CLAIM 
       [0001]    This Application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Nos. 62/371,612 filed Aug. 5, 2016; 62/371,926 filed Aug. 8, 2016; 62/379,711 filed Aug. 25, 2016; 62/380,108 filed Aug. 26, 2016; 62/525,592 filed Jun. 27, 2017; and 62/531,817 filed Jul. 12, 2017. 
         [0002]    This Application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 15/368,428 filed Dec. 2, 2016; which claims the benefit of Application No. 62/263,407 filed Dec. 4, 2015. 
         [0003]    This Application is a continuation-in-part of Application No. PCT/US16/64827 filed Dec. 2, 2016; which claims the benefit of Application No. 62/263,407 filed Dec. 4, 2015. 
         [0004]    This Application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 15/456,450 filed Mar. 10, 2017; which claims the benefit of Application No. 62/307,318 filed Mar. 11, 2016; and is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 15/256,178 filed Sep. 2, 2016; which claims the benefit of Application No. 62/213,465 filed Sep. 2, 2015. 
         [0005]    This Application is a continuation-in-part of Application No. PCT/US17/21975 filed Mar. 10, 2017; which claims the benefit of 62/307,318 filed Mar. 11, 2016. 
         [0006]    This Application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 15/221,389 filed Jul. 27, 2016; which claims the benefit of Application No. 62/213,465 filed Sep. 2, 2015. 
         [0007]    This Application is a continuation-in-part of Application No. PCT/US16/44327 filed Jul. 27, 2016; which claims the benefit of Application No. 62/213,465 filed Sep. 2, 2015. 
         [0008]    This Application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 15/625,907 filed Jun. 16, 2017; which is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 15/221,389 filed Jul. 27, 2016; which claims the benefit of 62/213,465 filed Sep. 2, 2015. 
         [0009]    This Application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 15/221,439 filed Jul. 27, 2016; which claims the benefit of Application No. 62/213,465 filed Sep. 2, 2015. 
         [0010]    This Application is a continuation-in-part of Application No. PCT/US16/44326 filed Jul. 27, 2016; which claims the benefit of Application No. 62/213,465 filed Sep. 2, 2015. 
         [0011]    This Application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 15/256,178 filed Sep. 2, 2016; which claims the benefit of Application No. 62/213,465 filed Sep. 2, 2015. 
         [0012]    This Application is a continuation-in-part of Application No. PCT/US16/50236 filed Sep. 2, 2016; which claims the benefit of Application No. 62/213,465 filed Sep. 2, 2015. 
         [0013]    All of the aforementioned applications are hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. 
     
    
     COPYRIGHT NOTICE 
       [0014]    This disclosure is protected under United States and/or International Copyright Laws. © 2017 Jetoptera. All Rights Reserved. A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and/or Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0015]    An internal combustion engine (ICE) is often compared to an air pump. Horsepower increases with the amount of air flow that is circulated through the system. For a given engine volume, the more air that is supplied to it, the more power is extracted and its efficiency increased. In addition, the more streamlined the exhaust gas flow is, the less power is expended on pushing the exhaust gas out and, thus, the more power is available for propulsion. 
         [0016]    Accordingly, the limiting factor to horsepower production is the volume of air that flows through engine. To burn 27 cu. in. (15 oz) of gasoline, for example, requires approximately 262,000 cu. in. of air. If the air flow could be increased by 50%, it would be relatively easy to handle the increase of the fuel flow by 50%, as the latter is much less of a quantity than the amount of air aspirated in the system, and it is in liquid form, i.e. incompressible. Performance air intake and filtration is a significant part of the automotive aftermarket. 
         [0017]    Prior art methods of forcing air into the engine are expensive, such as turbochargers or superchargers. With forced induction, some energy is taken—either from the exhaust stream or from the crankshaft—and used to force more air through the induction system (carburetor/throttle-body, manifold and inlet ports) into the cylinder. Conventionally, aspirated engines rely on optimizing air flow through the induction track from the air filter to the far side of the inlet valve. 
         [0018]    The aftermarket intakes generally (i) flow better than the stock part due to better filters and more care taken during the manufacturing process, and (ii) pick up cool air to increase the density of the charge. These intakes give an incremental improvement (approximately 5%) for about a $200 cost. The other option is turbo/supercharging, which yields much more power (about double), but at a cost of approximately $4500 in parts (and labor is extra). Examples can be found at http://www.fastforwardsuperchargers.com/miata-supercharger-kit.html. Additionally, both turbo charging and supercharging raise the temperature of the intake air. As a result, there must also be intercoolers to reduce the temperature, adding another layer of complexity and expense. 
         [0019]      FIG. 1  illustrates, in a simplified manner, the air in a conventional ICE intake (also known as aspiration) system  101 . The inlet  150  may be positioned downstream of an air filter (not shown). An intake air conduit  140  streamlines the air towards the intake valve  130  and into the cylinder  120 . With the piston  110  moving downwards, the intake valve  130  opens and air is introduced into the cylinder  120 . The amount of the air introduced is typically dependent on the parameters of the engine&#39;s design (e.g., effective areas, operation parameters, cylinder and piston geometries, etc.) as well as the pressure distribution and evolution in the air intake system  101 . At the end of the intake stroke, the intake valve  130  is closed and the compression begins. The intake valve  130  only opens again at the very end of the exhaust stroke. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0020]      FIG. 1  illustrates a conventional ICE intake system. 
           [0021]      FIG. 2  illustrates one embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0022]      FIG. 3  illustrates yet another embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0023]      FIG. 4  illustrates yet another embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0024]      FIG. 5  illustrates a cross-sectional view of the upper half of a fluidic amplifier according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0025]      FIG. 6  illustrates an intake air system with one embodiment of the present invention amplifier placed inside of an intake pipe. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0026]    This application is intended to describe one or more embodiments of the present invention. It is to be understood that the use of absolute terms, such as “must,” “will,” and the like, as well as specific quantities, is to be construed as being applicable to one or more of such embodiments, but not necessarily to all such embodiments. As such, embodiments of the invention may omit, or include a modification of, one or more features or functionalities described in the context of such absolute terms. In addition, the headings in this application are for reference purposes only and shall not in any way affect the meaning or interpretation of the present invention. 
         [0027]    One or more embodiments of the invention disclosed in this application, either independently or working together, act as a fluidic amplifier. Embodiments of the present invention have optionally advantageous features when used with, for example, internal combustion engines (ICEs). 
         [0028]    Using embodiments of the present invention, air flow to the cylinders can be increased via retro-fitting a novel fluidic amplifier, which can be cheaper than conventional means. In one embodiment, the ejector device can be integrated into the induction track between the air filter and the throttle-body/carburetor. In this embodiment, high pressure air can be supplied from, for example, a very small exhaust driven turbo or something analogous to the old air-injection emissions pump, in continuous mode, or by using the exhaust gas at high pressure in a pulsed manner. 
         [0029]      FIG. 2  illustrates a system  201  according to an embodiment of the present invention. A fluidic amplifier, such as an ejector  243 , is placed in a conduit  240  having an internal cross-sectional area and augments the flow of air  1  from an intake  250  into a cylinder  220 . As best illustrated in  FIG. 6 , and in an embodiment, ejector  243  occupies less than the internal cross-sectional area of the intake conduit  240  such that at least a portion of air  1  can flow around the ejector within the intake conduit. In varying embodiments, ejector  243  may be placed upstream or downstream of a carburetor/throttle body (not shown). High-pressure air/motive fluid is supplied from a source  241  to the ejector  243  via a conduit  242  to produce a motive stream  244 . The introduction of the motive fluid into the ejector  243  can augment the engine air-intake flow  1  by producing a significant reduction of the static pressure in front of the ejector, which allows more air to be delivered from the ambient to the conduit  240  during the entire time motive fluid from source  241  is delivered to the ejector  243 . 
         [0030]    The cylinder  220  fills with air via an intake valve  230  while the piston  210  is moving downwards. The source  241  may modulate the flow to create a pulsed operation of the ejector  243  such that the motive stream  244  flow is enhanced and/or produced only at the time that the valve  230  is open or other predetermined frequency. In other embodiments, the operation can be continuous and not pulsed. 
         [0031]    The source  241  of compressed fluid/air may be a compressor, mechanically and/or electrically driven. The source  241  may also be any other stored or generated high-pressure source within the system. In one embodiment, a pulsed stream of 8 cfm of compressed air from source  241  is released via conduit  242  to the ejector  243 , generating an entrainment factor of at least 3 times the additional flow (i.e., 24 cfm) into the cylinder that otherwise would have received less air with a conventional aspiration system. A conventional aspiration system intake is at most RPM 400 cfm. As a result, at max RPM, an embodiment of the present invention can force 6% more air into the system and the engine can produce more power. With no motive air supplied to the ejector  243 , no flow other than the naturally aspirated flow is admitted into the cylinder. 
         [0032]      FIG. 3  depicts the system illustrated in  FIG. 2 , but the stream  244  may contain additional chemicals, such as dimethyl ether (DME), or fuel that improves the mixing of the air and fuel or the combustion well upstream of the intake valve, improving combustion via premixing. The additional chemicals or fuel may be injected in the motive stream  244  via a pressurized tank and delivery system  245 . 
         [0033]      FIG. 4  depicts a system  301  similar to system  201  illustrated in  FIG. 2  and driving piston  312 , wherein the motive fluid comprises a small portion (1-5%) of exhaust gas  335  at pressure from an exhaust manifold  341 , immediately after the opening of the exhaust valve. Exhaust gas  335 , which in various embodiments may complement or completely supplant compressed air from source  241 , is routed from the exhaust manifold  341  at pressures up to or exceeding 80 psi and high temperatures, via conduit  342 , to the ejector  343 , producing a similar augmentation of at least 5% of the flow into the cylinder  320  during intake. The tuning of the length and delivery of the exhaust gas  335  at pressure via conduit  342  is such that it matches the RPM and air intake stage. The emerging mixture of the fresh air naturally aspirated and the augmented portion plus the fraction of the exhaust gas  335  will result in lower oxygen content in the intake. As such, a small portion is continuously recirculated in the system  301 , eventually resulting in a stabilized operation of the engine with limited Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) and lowering the peak temperatures in the cylinder  320  end as well as the NOx emissions related to high temperature zones. 
         [0034]    In the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 5 , only the upper half of the ejector  243  is shown in cross-sectional view. The fluid flow illustrated in  FIG. 5  and discussed below herein is from left to right. A plenum  311  is supplied with hotter-than-ambient air (i.e., a pressurized motive gas stream) from, for example, a combustion-based engine. This pressurized motive gas stream, denoted by arrow  600 , is introduced via at least one conduit, such as primary nozzles  303 , to the interior of the ejector  243 . More specifically, the primary nozzles  303  are configured to accelerate the motive fluid stream  600  to a variable predetermined desired velocity directly over a convex Coanda surface  304  as a wall jet. Coanda surface  304  may have one or more recesses  504  formed therein. Additionally, primary nozzles  303  provide adjustable volumes of fluid stream  600 . This wall jet, in turn, serves to entrain through an intake structure  306  secondary fluid, such as intake air, denoted by arrow  1 , from intake  250  that may be at rest or approaching the ejector  243  at non-zero speed from the direction indicated by arrow  1 . In various embodiments, the nozzles  303  may be arranged in an array and in a curved orientation, a spiraled orientation, and/or a zigzagged orientation. 
         [0035]    The mix of the stream  600  and the intake air  1  may be moving purely axially at a throat section  325  of the ejector  243 . Through diffusion in a diffusing structure, such as diffuser  310 , the mixing and smoothing out process continues so the profiles of temperature ( 800 ) and velocity ( 700 ) in the axial direction of ejector  243  no longer have the high and low values present at the throat section  325 , but become more uniform at the terminal end  100  of diffuser  310 . As the mixture of the stream  600  and the intake air  1  approaches the exit plane of terminal end  101 , the temperature and velocity profiles are almost uniform. In particular, the temperature of the mixture is low enough to prevent auto-ignition of any fuel remaining inside the exhaust pipe, and the velocity is high enough to reduce the residence time in the carbureting zone. The use of this embodiment of the present invention augments the mass flow rate of the air into the intake of the ICE. 
         [0036]      FIG. 6  shows a section of the intake air system with one embodiment of the present invention ejector  243  placed inside of an intake pipe such as conduit  240 . In accordance with the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 6 , the local exit flow of stream  244  is at higher speed than the velocity of the incoming intake air  1  absent the presence of ejector  243 . This is due to the majority of the incoming air  1  coming from the ICE&#39;s intake  250  being entrained into the ejector  243  at high velocity, as indicated by arrows  601 , due to the lowering of the local static pressure in front of the ejector  243 . As indicated by arrows  602 , a smaller portion is bypassed and flows around the ejector  243  and over the mechanical supports  550  that position the ejector in the center of the conduit  240 . The ejector  243  vigorously mixes a hotter motive stream provided by the air/gas source  241  (e.g., a compressor) or the pressurized exhaust gas  335  supplied by the exhaust manifold of the ICE, with the incoming intake air  1  stream at high entrainment rate. This mixture is homogeneous enough to increase the temperature of the hot motive stream  244  of the ejector  243  to a mixture temperature profile  800  that will not ignite the air and fuel mixture downstream of the ejector, and before the intake into the cylinder  220 . The velocity profile  700  of the stream  244  leaving the ejector  243  is such that it reduces the residence time in the downstream portion of the intake pipe  240 , while augmenting the air mass flow rate by at least 10% and up to 50%, preferably at the appropriate timing correlated with the operation of the piston  210 . 
         [0037]    While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, as noted above, many changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is not limited by the disclosure of the preferred embodiment. Instead, the invention should be determined entirely by reference to the claims that follow.