ARRANGEMENT AT THE INTAKE MANIFOLD OF AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE

Abstract: The invention concerns an arrangement comprising an inlet manifold (2) for an internal combustion engine (1). The arrangement comprises an element (3) formed with flow ducts. It is formed with two coupling device halves (4a, 5a) which communicate with the ducts. These coupling device halves (4a, 5a) can be connected to two corresponding coupling device halves (4b, 5b) disposed on the inlet manifold (2). The one (4b) of these halves communicates with the member (9) for supplying air of combustion for the engine and with an engine coolant discharge pipe (7). The other (5b) communicates with the inlet manifold (2) and with a feed pipe (8) for said coolant.

Description: A rrangement at the intake manifold of an internal combustion engine The present invention concerns an inlet manifold arrangement for an internal combustion engine. The object of the inlet manifold of an internal combustion engine, as is known, is to convey the air of combustion to the engine cylinders as uniformly as possible. It is frequently desirable to use the same engine design for different types of engine, for example for a normally aspirated engine or for a turbocharged engine. However, in the case of known engines, converting a normally aspirated engine to a turbocharged engine in this way requires extensive modifications to the inlet manifold in order to add a charging air cooler thereto for connecting a turbocharger in order to compress the air of combustion for the engine. This compression of the air of combustion is not used to best effect to increase the engine power. Compressing the air of combustion increases the amount thereof fed to the engine per cycle and consequently more fuel can be fed to the engine and burned. The compression of the air of combustion increases its temperature, which, as is known, causes the air to attempt to expand. In order to counteract the above disadvantage, i.e. warming of the compressed air, it is known to allow the compressed air of combustion to pass through a charging air cooler before the air is fed to the engine. Such a charging air cooler is conventionally mounted separately but connected to the engine and usually consists of a core disposed in a casing. The coolant for the core, usually the engine coolant, flows through the casing, thereby cooling the air of combustion which passes through the core. A charging air cooler of this type is associated with a number of comparatively serious disadvantages. One such disadvantage is that it is difficult to detect whether coolant is escaping into the air of combustion. Another disadvantage is that it is comparatively awkward to dimension the cooler, or radiator, for another type of internal combustion engine having other performance levels since a new casing has to be designed and built. WO-83/02481 earlier disclosed a heat exchanger for cooling or pre-heating the air of combustion for a turbocharged internal combustion engine. The heat exchanger consists of a self-contained system comprising an element equipped with a heat-storing active medium which is connected in a heat- exchanging manner to the air of combustion. Said element is usually filled with a heat-accumulating active medium which acts as a latent accumulator at the engine operating temperature. The medium changes phase from solid to liquid when the engine power output is high and when the charging air has to be cooled. At idling or low-load the medium changes phase in the opposite direction and heats the intake air. In order to connect a charging air cooler in this way it is conventional either to use the ambient air as cooling medium or a heat-accumulating medium. US-A-4 269 158 discloses a charging air cooler for a turbocharged internal combustion engine, which cooler is to be used with the engine inlet manifold which is constructed such that it can be used with or without the charging air cooler. The cooler is mounted in a similar manner to a spacer element between the cylinder head and inlet manifold. The object of the present invention is to provide an arrangement of the initially mentioned type which enables simply one engine design to be used for normally aspirated or turbocharged engines. According to the invention this is achieved in that the arrangement comprises an element which is constructed with ducts and which is formed with two coupling device halves which communicate with the ducts and which can be connected to two corresponding coupling device halves which are disposed on the inlet manifold and of which the one communicates with the feed member for air of combustion for the engine and with a discharge pipe for the coolant thereof and the other of which communicates with the inlet manifold and with a feed pipe for said coolant. In the case of a turbocharged engine the arrangement according to the invention is characterized in that the element constructed with ducts is an integral-type charging air cooler, i.e. it is of the type without a casing, arranged so that the temperature of the air of combustion is adapted to the engine operating requirements by means of the engine coolant. In the case of a normally aspirated type engine the arrangement according to the invention is characterized in that said element constructed with ducts has a connection for feeding air of combustion for the engine to the inlet manifold and is arranged such that it blocks the flow of coolant between the feed and discharge pipes. The arrangement according to the invention furthermore improves the air supply to the engine cylinders with respect to that which was hitherto possible, for all types of engine. In the following the invention will be explained in further detail with reference to the attached drawings in which Figure 1 shows schematically a turbocharged engine with a charging air cooler arranged according to the invention. Figures 2 and 3 show the engine in Figure 1 as a normally aspirated engine and turbocharged engine, respectively, with a through-flow pipe. Figure 4 shows a plan view of an embodiment of a coupling device half according to the invention. In the drawings 1 generally designates an internal combustion engine which has six cylinders, and 2 designates the engine inlet manifold. Openings 2a which communicate with the respective cylinders of the engine 1 are shown with dashed contours. An element formed with flow ducts is generally designated 3 and is formed with two halves 4a, 5a of coupling devices 4, 5, which halves 4a, 5a communicate with the ducts, and the corresponding halves 4b, 5b of which coupling devices 4, 5 are disposed on the inlet manifold 2. The coupling device half 4b is thus mounted at one end of a duct 6 mounted on the inlet manifold 2. The coupling device half 4b is connected to the duct 6 and to an engine coolant discharge pipe 7, such that the connections do not communicate with one another but communicate with respective flow ducts of the element 3 via the coupling device half 4a. In corresponding manner, the coupling device half 5b is connected to the inlet manifold 2 and to a feed pipe 8 for coolant of the engine 1. Said connections do not communicate with one another but communicate with respective flow ducts of the element 3 via the coupling half 5a. Figure 1, which shows an engine fed by a turbo assembly 9, illustrates a flow path for air of combustion of the engine 1 from the turbo assembly 9 via the duct 6, the coupling device 4, the air duct of the element 3, the coupling device 5 and the inlet manifold 2 to the openings 2a. Arranged in a corresponding manner is a flow path for coolant of the engine 1 from the feed pipe 8 with the coupling device 5, the coolant duct of the element 3, the coupling device 4 and the discharge pipe 7. In known manner, the object of the turbo assembly 9 is to compress the air of combustion in order to provide a greater amount of air for the engine per cycle. During compression, the air of combustion is heated and, in order to utilize the advantage attained by compression, the air of combustion has to be cooled before it reaches the inlet manifold 2. The element 3 in this case serves as a charging air cooler and, according to the invention, is of the so-called integral type, i.e. it is of the type without a casing. With this construction there is practically no risk of the coolant passing into the air of combustion. It will be appreciated that, with the construction and installation of the charging air cooler in accordance with the invention, said cooler can easily be dimensioned to suit the particular requirements. Figure 2, in which, where appropriate, the same reference numerals are used as in Figure 1, shows, as mentioned, an embodiment of the invention used in the case of a normally aspirated engine. 10 designates an air filter which is connected to the duct 6 in place of the turbo assembly 9. In this case the element 3 according to the invention is a through-flow pipe 3' which allows the air of combustion of the engine 1 to flow from the air filter 10 to the inlet manifold 2 but is arranged so as to block the flow of coolant between the feed and discharge pipes 8 and 7, respectively. In Figure 3, which shows a turbocharged engine, the unit according to the invention is a through-flow pipe 3' as in Figure 2, but a turbo assembly 9 is connected to the duct 5, as in Figure 1. The coupling device half shown in plan view in Figure 4 is, for example, the part designated 4a in Figure 1. Evidently the other coupling device halves are suitably of similar but reversed construction so that they can fit together. The coupling device half 4a has, on the one hand, two continuous bolt holes 4al for mounting the element 3 with the duct 6 via its coupling device half 4b and, on the other hand, two continuous openings 4a2, 4a3. The opening 4a2 communicates with the discharge pipe 7 whilst the opening 4a3 communicates with the duct 6. A person skilled in the art will readily see that sealing elements such as O-rings have been omitted. In conclusion it can be stated that the arrangement according to the invention enables the same basic engine to be used for a plurality of different engine designs having performance levels adapted to particular requirements.

Claims: Claims 1. Arrangement comprising an inlet manifold (2) for an internal combustion engine (1), c h a r a c t e r ¬ i z e d in that the arrangement comprises an element (3; 3') which is formed with flow ducts and which is formed with two coupling device halves (4a, 5a) which communicate with the ducts and which can be connected to two corresponding coupling device halves (4b, 5b) which are disposed on the inlet manifold (2) and of which the one (4b) communicates with the member (9; 10) for feeding air of combustion for the engine and with a discharge pipe (7) for the coolant thereof and of which the other (5b) communicates with the inlet manifold (2) and with a feed pipe (8) for said coolant. 2. Arrangement according to Claim 1, wherein said member for feeding air of combustion for the engine (1) comprises a turbocharger (9), c h a r a c t e r ¬ i z e d in that the element (3) constructed with ducts is an integral-type charging air cooler, i.e. of the type without a casing, arranged so that the temperature of the air of combustion is adapted to the operating requirements of the engine (1) by means of the engine coolant. 3. Arrangement according to Claim 1, wherein the engine is of the normally aspirated type, c h a r a c t e r ¬ i z e d in that the element (3; 3') formed with ducts has a through-flow pipe (3') for supplying air of combustion for the engine to the inlet manifold (2) and is arranged such that it blocks the flow of coolant between the feed and discharge pipes (8 and 7, respectively) .

Inventors: HEDMAN ROLF, HEDMAN, ROLF
Applicants: HEDMAN ROLF, VALEO ENGINE COOLING AB, HEDMAN, ROLF
Application year: 1995
Main classification: F02B29
IPC codes: F02B29