Abstract:
An internal combustion engine includes a number of power cylinders furnishing exhaust gases to at least two turbochargers having a common air inlet housing which is divided into a separate compressor housing for each of the turbochargers.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     1. Field of the Disclosure 
     The present disclosure relates to an internal combustion engine having multiple turbochargers fed from a common air inlet housing. 
     2. Related Art 
     Turbocharging has grown increasingly important in automotive engineering, due to the ability of turbocharging to increase the specific power output of engines without appreciably increasing weight and package volume. Maximum flexibility for turbocharging, however, does require that turbocharger size be as small as is practicable, to assure that the turbocharger responds promptly to increases in engine load. In turn, this has led to the use of multiple turbochargers with a single engine. Of course, the packaging of multiple turbochargers is a daunting task because of the need to route exhaust as well as intake air flows to and from the turbochargers. 
     It would be desirable to provide a dual turbocharging system which is more compact, so as to allow easier mounting of two turbochargers in a central location upon an engine, such as atop a V-block engine. 
     SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     According to an aspect of the present disclosure, an internal combustion engine includes a number of power cylinders, and a number of turbochargers receiving exhaust gases from the power cylinders. The turbochargers are connected with a common air inlet housing. According to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, two turbochargers have a single, bifurcated compressor housing which is one-piece with a common air inlet housing. The compressor housing is preferably configured so as to locate two compressors of the turbochargers coaxially. 
     According to another aspect of the present disclosure, at least two turbochargers are preferably mounted between the cylinder banks of a V-block engine, with a separate exhaust turbine for each of the turbochargers, and with the turbochargers&#39;exhaust turbines being supplied with exhaust gases originating from an inboard side of at least one of the engine&#39;s cylinder banks. The turbochargers are preferably coaxial, with the axis of the turbochargers extending generally parallel to a crankshaft axis of the engine. The exhaust turbines are preferably located fore and aft from the turbochargers&#39; compressor housings. 
     It is an advantage of a turbocharging system according to the present disclosure that a bifurcated compressor housing, having a separate branch for each of the turbochargers, saves precious space in the crowded confines of an engine compartment, particularly of an automotive vehicle. 
     It is yet another advantage of a turbocharger system according to the present disclosure that the present system facilitates mounting of twin turbochargers atop a V-block engine, so as to reduce the overall package volume, or in other words, the physical space required of the turbocharging system. 
     It is yet another advantage of the present turbocharger system that the exhaust turbines are readily fed exhaust gases from exhaust ports located on the inboard side of an engine&#39;s cylinder heads. 
     It is yet another advantage of the present turbocharger system that the requirement for separate air supply connections and interconnecting ducts and hardware usually needed to service twin turbochargers on an engine, is eliminated. 
     Other advantages, as well as features of the present system, will become apparent to the reader of this specification. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a partially schematic perspective view of an engine having a turbocharging system according to an aspect of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a plan view of an engine having a turbocharger system according to an aspect of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , engine  10  has a V-type cylinder block,  14 , with a number of power cylinders,  18 . Those skilled in the art will appreciate in view of this disclosure that an engines with other numbers of cylinders could employ a turbocharger system according to the present disclosure. Moreover, the present turbocharging system is equally useful with both V-block and inline type engines, as well as flat or “pancake” type engines. 
     Engine  10  is illustrated in  FIG. 1  as having but one cylinder head,  22 , installed, with the understanding that a second cylinder head has been removed as an aid to viewing the turbocharging hardware incorporated within engine  10 . 
     Engine  10  has a crankshaft axis  28 , with the axis of the turbocharger system being generally parallel thereto. 
     Turbocharger assembly  32  is mounted upon pedestals  34  to cylinder block  14 . Turbocharger assembly  32  includes a single air inlet housing  36 , which is bifurcated into two branched compressor housings,  40 , it being understood that air inlet housing  36  and compressor housings  40  are one piece and ideally formed as a single casting. Each of compressor housings  40  contains a single compressor,  38  ( FIG. 2 ). 
     Compressor housings  40  have compressor outlets,  42 , both of which are shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . As noted above, there are two separate turbochargers, joined with a common air inlet housing  36 , which bifurcates into two compressor housings  40 . The turbochargers are mounted by pedestals  34  to cylinder block  14 . The turbochargers also include exhaust turbines,  48 , which are mounted within turbine housings  50 . It should be noted that although the turbochargers are coaxial, there is no shaft interconnecting the two turbochargers; they are free to rotate independently. 
     Exhaust turbines  48  are furnished with exhaust gases by exhaust supply manifolds  62 , which are shown in  FIG. 2 . Exhaust supply manifolds  62  are advantageously located on inboard sides of the engine&#39;s cylinder banks, and receive gases from cylinder heads  22 . As further shown in  FIG. 2 , the turbochargers&#39; exhaust turbine housings  50  and their turbines,  48 , are located fore and aft from compressor housings  40 . 
     The foregoing system has been described in accordance with the relevant legal standards, thus the description is exemplary rather than limiting in nature. Variations and modifications to the disclosed embodiments may become apparent to those skilled in the art and fall within the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, the scope of legal protection can only be determined by studying the following claims.