Abstract:
An intercooler assembly for cooling charge air to be delivered to an internal combustion engine is disclosed. The said assembly is disposed along an axis in the axial direction, including an intercooler housing having a housing cavity for receiving an intercooler core therein. Conventional cooling fluid is channeled axially through an axial chamber of the intercooler core for cooling the core and charge air is channeled around the outer surface of the core for cooling the charge air, wherein the core assembly further including a means for rotating the intercooler core about the axis, thereby increasing the cooling of the charge air as it flows around the outer surface of the intercooler core.

Description:
[0001]    The present application claims the benefit of previously filed U.S. Provisional Application 61/576,114 filed Dec. 15, 2011 under the title INTERCOOLER ASSEMBLY in the name of Michael Mater. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present device relates to intercoolers and more particularly relates to an intercooler assembly including a rotating intercooler core. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    A number of prior art devices have been described and patented and in particular in U.S. Pat. No. 6,311,676 titled INTERCOOLER ARRANGEMENT FOR A MOTOR VEHICLE ENGINE by Oberg et al., issued Nov. 6, 2001 which describes the current most popular intercooler core assembly arrangement. 
         [0004]    Some prior art devices have described a rotating cooler core which in alternating fashion passes through a cooling fluid and the charging medium through the internal portion of the core and in some cases use the same channels for the cooling medium as well as the charging medium. 
         [0005]    For example European Patent EP 1775440 registered Sep. 13, 2006 under the title intercooler for cooling the intake air of an internal combustion engine of a vehicle by Mueller et al., describes one such system. 
         [0006]    British patent GB2077895 titled Improvements Relating to Turbo Charging of Internal Combustion Engines filed Jun. 17, 1980 by Terence Peter Nicholson describes a method of rotating a cooler core by alternately passing through a cooling fluid and the charging fluid through the same internal channels of the intercooler core. The purpose for the rotation is to alternate cooling and charging fluids. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    The present device includes an intercooler core which passes the charging medium or the charging air to be cooled prior to inlet into the internal combustion engine around the outer periphery of the core and passes a cooling medium normally a liquid fluid through axial channels and the hollow center of the core. The purpose for rotation is to increase the heat exchange of the outer surface of the core. 
         [0008]    The present invention an intercooler assembly for cooling charge air to be delivered to an internal combustion engine comprising:
       (a) a core assembly disposed along an axis in the an axial direction;   (b) the core assembly including an intercooler housing having a housing cavity for receiving an intercooler core therein;   (c) wherein cooling fluid is channeled axially through an axial chamber of the intercooler core for cooling the core and charge air is channeled around the outer surface of the core for cooling the charge air;   (d) wherein the core assembly further including a means for rotating the intercooler core about the axis thereby increasing the cooling of the charge air as it flows around the outer surface of the intercooler core.       
 
         [0013]    Preferably wherein the rotating means including a motor connected to a drive sprocket driving a driven sprocket attached to the intercooler core thereby rotating the core. 
         [0014]    Preferably wherein the rotating means including axial ribs projecting radially from the outer surface of the intercooler core for rotatably urging the intercooler core when air received through an air inlet in the intercooler housing impinges on the radial ribs. 
         [0015]    Preferably wherein the intercooler housing including angled air passageways for directing the charge air at an angle towards the axial ribs. 
         [0016]    Preferably wherein the rotating means including a turbine connected to the intercooler core, the core assembly adapted to direct cooling fluid over the turbine thereby rotating the core when cooling fluid passes over the turbine. 
         [0017]    Preferably wherein the core assembly mounted to the intercooling housing with bearings and including seals to prevent cooling fluid from leaking form the axial chamber. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0018]    The present device will now be described by way of example only with reference to the following drawings in which: 
           [0019]      FIG. 1  is a side schematic perspective view of an intercooler housing. 
           [0020]      FIG. 2  is a side schematic perspective view of a core assembly. 
           [0021]      FIG. 3  is a side schematic perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the core assembly. 
           [0022]      FIG. 4  is side schematic perspective view of yet another alternate embodiment of the intercooler core assembly. 
           [0023]      FIG. 5  is a partial cross sectional view of the core assembly shown in  FIG. 4 . 
           [0024]      FIG. 6  is a partial cut away schematic perspective view of an entire intercooler assembly shown with the core assembly deployed within an intercooler housing. 
           [0025]      FIG. 7  is an end elevational view of the intercooler assembly shown in  FIG. 6 . 
           [0026]      FIG. 8  is a front schematic perspective view of an alternate embodiment of an intercooler assembly. 
           [0027]      FIG. 9  is an end schematic elevational view of the intercooler assembly shown in  FIG. 8 . 
           [0028]      FIG. 10  is a side schematic perspective view of an alternate embodiment of an intercooler assembly, with the intercooler core assembly shown in  FIG. 4 . 
           [0029]      FIG. 11  is a side elevational view of the intercooler assembly shown in  FIG. 10 . 
           [0030]      FIG. 12  is a side schematic perspective view of yet another alternate embodiment of the intercooler assembly. 
           [0031]      FIG. 13  is a partial cross sectional view of the core assembly shown in  FIG. 12 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0032]    The present device an intercooler assembly depicted generally as  100  in  FIG. 6  includes the following major components namely a core assembly  102  which is shown best in  FIG. 2  and an intercooler housing  104  which is best shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0033]    Core assembly  102  includes the following major components namely an intercooler core  106  oriented along an axial direction  108  including outer heat exchanging radial ribs  110  mounted about outer surface  111  and shoulder ends  112  which include supporting bearings  114 . 
         [0034]    Intercooler core  106  includes an axial chamber  117  which is made of a hollow center  116  which has there around axial channels  118  defined in the outer wall  120 . 
         [0035]    Intercooler  106  further includes a driven sprocket  122  which is driven by drive sprocket  124  which in turn is driven by motor  126 . 
         [0036]    Intercooler housing  104  includes a housing cavity  130  which will receive intercooler core  106  therein. 
         [0037]    Intercooler housing  104  further includes air inlets  134  which direct air through air passage ways  134  thereby directing the air flow  136 . 
         [0038]    Intercooler housing  14  further includes an air outlet  138  thereby directing the outlet flow of airflow  136 . 
         [0039]    Intercooler assembly  100  further includes flanges  140  which include an outlet  142  at one end and not shown an inlet at the other end. 
         [0040]    In the diagrams only one flange is shown however in practice there likely would be two flanges one mounted on the outlet end  146  similar to what is depicted and the other mounted on the inlet end  144 . 
         [0041]    Referring now to  FIG. 5  intercooler core  106  normally would include a baffle  148  as shown in the cross sectional diagram and also would include seals  150  at both the inlet end  144  and the outlet end  146 . 
         [0042]      FIG. 5  also depicts the normal flow of air and fluids through the intercooler core. Namely cooling fluid  151  flows in the axial direction  108  through intercooler core  106  as shown by the arrows  150 . The charging medium which normally is air is directed around the outer surface  111  of intercooler core  106 . 
         [0043]    The charging medium eventually leads its way into the internal combustion engine is depicted by the arrows denoted by air flow  136 . Air flow  136  is in transverse direction to cooling fluid flow  150 . Cooling fluid  151  is normally a liquid but other fluids such as gases may also be used. 
         [0044]    Air flow  136  is typically around the outer periphery of intercooler core  106  and makes contact with ribs  110 . The charging medium namely charge air  137  is cooled as it passes over outer surface  111 . Charge air  137  is also referred to a simply air  137 . 
         [0045]      FIG. 3  shows an alternate embodiment namely core assembly  202  which includes an intercooler core  206  which includes a driven pulley  250 , a drive belt  252  and a drive pulley  254  driven by motor  256 . In all other aspects intercooler core  206  is similar to intercooler core  106 . 
         [0046]    Referring now to  FIGS. 4 &amp; 5  yet another alternate embodiment of a core assembly namely core assembly  302  which includes an intercooler core  306  and also includes axial ribs  350  as well as radial ribs  110 . 
         [0047]    The purpose of axial ribs  350  is to create rotation of intercooler core  306  as depicted in  FIGS. 10 &amp; 11 . 
         [0048]    Referring now to  FIGS. 10 &amp; 11  which depict an intercooler assembly  302  which includes an intercooler housing  304  which includes air inlets  132  which are similar to the air inlets as depicted in  FIGS. 1  creating airflow  136  and also includes air inlets  332  which are angled air passageways  360  which defines airflow  336 . 
         [0049]    The angled air passageways  360  are positioned above the axial ribs  350  in order to direct airflow  336  against the axial ribs  350  thereby initiating core rotation  370  in paddle wheel fashion. 
         [0050]    Modified airflow  336  creates rotation of intercooler core  306  in the core rotation direction  370  as depicted in  FIGS. 10 &amp; 11 . 
         [0051]    Referring now to  FIGS. 12 and 13  which depicts another embodiment of the core assembly shown generally as  402  which includes a turbine  404 , an intercooler core  406 , an outer surface  111 , an end shoulder  112  with cooling fluid  151  flowing through the intercooler core  406  shown as fluid flow  150  and air flow  137  flowing around outer surface  111  shown as air flow  136 . As cooler fluid  151  flows over turbine  404  it creates rotation of turbine  404  which in turn rotates intercooler core  406 . Cooling fluid  151  flows across turbine  404  and further on through axial extending channels  118  as well as through the hollow centre  116 . The diagrams do not show the housing required in order to direct the flow of cooling fluid  151  through turbine  404  and then further on through the axial extending channels  118  and the hollow centre  116 . 
         [0052]    By using turbine  404  one can use the flow of cooling fluid  151  to rotate the intercooler core  406  rather than an external motor and gear and/or belt arrangement. The turbine  404  could be mounted to the entrance or exit of the intercooler core  406 . 
         [0053]    Intercooler core  406  in all other aspects is the same as intercooler core  106  other than the drive sprocket  124 , motor  126  and driven sprocket  122  have been replaced by the turbine arrangement namely turbine  404 . 
         [0054]    The reader will note that the specification has shown four different examples of rotating core assembly  402  namely by using external driving means such as a motor  126  and drive sprockets  124  and driven sprockets  122  and/or a motor  256  with a drive belt  252  and/or by using axial ribs  350  and the airflow  136  and/or by using a turbine  404  and the fluid flow  150  there through. 
       In Use 
       [0055]    Referring to intercooler assembly  100  and intercooler assembly  200  having intercooler core  106  and intercooler core  206  respectively the intercooler core in these embodiments is driven by an external source namely either through a set of sprockets  122  and  124  and/or through a set of pulleys  250  and  254 . 
         [0056]    This mechanical drive arrangement rotates the intercooler core  106  and/or  206  in the rotation direction  190  as depicted in  FIGS. 7  and  FIG. 9 . 
         [0057]    Intercooler cores  106  and  206  both include radial ribs  110  only. There are no axial ribs  350  as in the third embodiment. 
         [0058]    The inventor has found through significant experimentation that increased reduction in air  137  temperatures can be achieved by rotating intercooler core  106  and  206 . In other words a greater air  137  temperature drop is achieved between air inlet  132  and the temperature at the air outlet  138  by rotating intercooler cores  106  and  206 . 
         [0059]    Referring now to the third embodiment namely intercooler assembly  302  which is depicted in  FIGS. 4 and 5  as well as  10  and  11 . The reader will note that intercooler core  306  not only includes radial ribs  110  as the conventional intercooler would have but also includes axial ribs  350 . 
         [0060]    The proportion of axial ribs  350  to the radial ribs  110  depends on a number of factors including the air velocity between air inlet  132  and air outlet  138  as well as the size of intercooler core and the size of the axial ribs  350  themselves. 
         [0061]    Axial ribs  350  act as paddle wheels and air inlet  332  is oriented as an angled air passageway  360  as depicted in the diagrams in order to create radial airflow  336  which will turn intercooler core  306  in the core rotation direction  370  as depicted in  FIG. 11 . 
         [0062]    Referring to  FIG. 5  which is a schematic representation of the intercooler core  306  which includes radial rib  110  as well as axial ribs  350 . 
         [0063]    In most other aspects intercooler core  306  is similar to intercooler core  106  however eliminating the need for an external drive system including the drive sprockets and/or the drive pulleys as depicted in  FIGS. 2 and 3 . 
         [0064]      FIG. 5  depicts flow of cooling fluid  151  as fluid flow  150  which normally is a liquid which is cooling intercooler core  306  as it is being heated by the air  137  flowing over ribs  110  and  350  on outer surface  111 . 
         [0065]    Intercooler core  306  normally includes a baffle  148  as does intercooler core  106  as well as intercooler core  206 . 
         [0066]    Most of the cooling fluid  151  is directed through the axially extending channels  118  which are oriented around the outer periphery of axial chamber  117  of the outer wall  120  of intercooler core  306 . 
         [0067]    The intercooler cores  106 ,  206  and  306  normally would include bearings  114  at each end to support the intercooler core as well as seals  150  to seal out the cooling fluid  151  from the outer surface  111  of the intercooler core. 
         [0068]    Oriented in a transverse direction to fluid flow  150  is airflow  136  which flows around the outer surface  111  of intercooler core  306  due to its positioning within intercooler housing  104 . 
         [0069]    The intercooler housings  104  include air passageways  134  and air inlets  132  and/or air inlets  332  and angled air passageways  360  to create airflow  336 . 
         [0070]    The axial ribs  350  act as paddle wheels to incoming airflow  136  and in turn will rotate intercooler core  306  in the core rotation direction  370 . 
         [0071]    It should be apparent to persons skilled in the arts that various modifications and adaptation of this structure described above are possible without departure from the spirit of the invention the scope of which defined in the appended claim.