EP3033503B1

EP3033503B1 - Supercharging device for a combustion engine

Info

Publication number: EP3033503B1
Application number: EP14836887.1A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Alessio SCHERI
Original assignee: BorgWarner Inc
Current assignee: BorgWarner Inc
Priority date: 2013-08-14
Filing date: 2014-07-31
Publication date: 2020-07-22
Anticipated expiration: 2034-07-31
Also published as: EP3033503A1; EP3033503A4; WO2015023444A1

Description

The invention relates to a supercharging device for a combustion engine as per the preamble of claim 1.
In the case of a known supercharging device of said type, as a cooling arrangement, provision is made merely of an air-type cooling arrangement which, firstly, is inadequate and, secondly, leads to a bulky design of the supercharging device, because the compressor housing is equipped with a spiral.
US 6,129,524 discloses a motor-driven compressor-electronic motor power package assembly that places temperature-sensitive components of the electric motor or the electronic power package for the electric motor, or both, in heat transfer relationship with the flow of compressed air from the compressor.
DE 102 38 527 discloses an electrically driven air compressor, in particular for internal combustion engines, with a housing with at least one air inlet and with at least one air outlet as well as with at least one compressor wheel arranged on a driving shaft and in a compression space of the housing. An electric motor drives the compressor wheel. The at least one compressor wheel is displaceable relatively to the driving shaft and the driving shaft comprises a driver at its compressor side end.
By contrast, it is an object of the present invention to provide a supercharging device as per the preamble of claim 1 which makes it possible to realize a space-saving design and an improved cooling arrangement.
This object is achieved by the features of claim 1.
In this way, firstly, a more compact design is attained because the compressor of the supercharging device according to the invention dispenses with a spiral arrangement. The performance of the compressor of the supercharging device according to the invention is nevertheless at least as good as that of conventional compressors with spirals.
Furthermore, certain improvements are attained with regard to the swirling of the compressed outlet air flow, wherein it is possible for the compressor of the supercharging device according to the invention to be equipped with a diffuser arrangement provided with flow-guiding surfaces.
The dependent claims contain advantageous developments of the invention.
Through the provision of a motor-holding device which, in a particularly preferred embodiment, may be provided with flow-guiding blades, it is possible to form a heat exchanger for the electric motor, which considerably improves the dissipation of heat. For the control of and supply of energy to the electric motor, a motor control unit and power supply unit is provided, the lines of which for control and for the supply of electrical energy can, in a particularly preferred embodiment, be guided through leadthroughs in one or more of the flow-guiding blades.
In a particularly preferred embodiment, it is possible for multiple so-called cascades of flow-guiding blades to be arranged in series. The flow-guiding blades of individual cascades may in this case preferably have different circumferential spacings.
Further details, advantages and features of the present invention emerge from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the drawing, in which:

Figure 1 shows a first view of a schematically slightly simplified sectional illustration through an embodiment of a supercharging device according to the invention;
Figure 2 shows an illustration, corresponding to Figure 1, of a second view of the embodiment of the supercharging device according to the invention,
Figure 3 shows a perspective, sectional partial view of a further embodiment of a supercharging device according to the invention, and
Figure 4 shows a diagrammatic sketch of a combustion engine that may be provided with a supercharging device according to the invention corresponding to the embodiment as per Figure 1 and Figure 2.
Figure 1 shows an embodiment of a supercharging device 1 having an electrically driven compressor 2. The compressor 2 has a compressor housing 3 in which a compressor wheel 6 is arranged. The compressor wheel 6 is fastened to one end of a motor shaft 7 of an electric motor 8. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the compressor housing 3 does not have a spiral duct.

The compressor wheel 6 is in the form of a radial compressor wheel and thus draws in air via a compressor inlet 4 and delivers said air to a diffuser 9 that is provided with flow-guiding blades 32, 33.
As can be seen from a juxtaposition of Figures 1 and 2, there is arranged in the compressor housing 3 a motor-holding device 11 which serves for mounting the electric motor 8 and which is fixed in a suitable manner in the compressor housing 3.
Here, a juxtaposition of Figures 1 and 2 likewise shows that the outer contour 12 of the motor-holding device 11 is matched to the inner contour 13 of the compressor housing 3.
In detail, the motor-holding device 11 has a cylindrical first housing section 14 which is arranged in an associated cylindrical first housing section 15 of the compressor housing 3. Here, said first housing section 15 of the compressor housing 3 adjoins the diffuser 9. As viewed in the flow direction S of the air flowing through the compressor housing 3, a second housing section 16 of funnel-like form is arranged downstream of the cylindrical housing section 14 of the motor-holding device 11, which second housing section adjoins the first housing section 14.
Accordingly, the cylindrical first housing section 15 is adjoined by a second housing section 17, which is of funnel-like form, of the compressor housing 3, which second housing section merges into a cylindrical housing section 18 that leads to the compressor housing outlet 5.
Here, Figures 1 and 2 show that the compressor housing inlet 4 and the compressor housing outlet 5 are in the form of an axial inlet and axial outlet respectively, thus enabling the supercharging device 1 according to the invention to be used as a so-called plug-in/plug-out arrangement, which is easy to handle. According to the invention, an "axial" orientation of the inlet 4 and of the outlet 5 is to be understood to mean an orientation of the inlet and outlet surface, respectively, at least substantially, preferably exactly, perpendicular to the longitudinal axis or flow direction S.
Furthermore, the supercharging device 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the invention has a flow-guiding blade arrangement which is provided on an outer circumferential surface 19 of the cylindrical housing section 14 of the motor-holding device 11, wherein three blades of the flow-guiding blade arrangement are denoted, as representatives for all of the guide blades, by the reference numeral 20. Said flow-guiding blade arrangement improves the flow behavior within the compressor housing 3 and makes it possible for the cylindrical section 14 to additionally perform the function of a heat exchanger, which improves the dissipation of heat from the electric motor 8.
Here, the flow-guiding blade arrangement 20 is illustrated merely in schematically simplified form. It may have both rigid guide blades and also adjustable guide blades. The rigid guide blades 20 preferably hold the motor holding device 11 mechanically in a central and coaxial position in the compressor housing 3 and lock said holding device in the compressor housing 3.
As also shown in Figure 1, the region between the cylindrical housing sections 15 and 18 forms a longitudinal diffuser 10, which likewise has a positive influence on the flow behavior of the compressor 2.
Figure 3 shows a further particularly preferred embodiment of the supercharging device 1 according to the invention which is provided with cascades of flow-guiding blades in series with one another, wherein two of said flow-guiding blades are denoted, by way of example for all of the cascaded flow-guiding blades, by the reference signs 20A and 20B. The flow-guiding blades 20A and 20B of individual cascades may preferably have different circumferential spacings.
Figure 4 is a schematically highly simplified illustration of a combustion engine 21, for example in the form of an internal combustion engine (diesel or Otto-cycle engine). The combustion engine 21 has an intake line 22 in which the compressor 2 of the supercharging device 1 is arranged, said compressor being driven by the electric motor 8. A charge-air cooler 23, followed by a throttle 24, can be arranged downstream of the compressor 2 in the intake line 22. The compressed air, which is symbolized by the arrow CA, from the compressor 2 is supplied to an intake manifold 25, and the cylinders of the combustion engine 21 are supplied with the compressed air from said intake manifold.
As is also shown in Figure 4, the supercharging device 1 is provided with a device 34 for motor control and for supplying electrical energy to the electric motor 8. Said control device and power supply unit is symbolized in schematically simplified form in Figure 4 by the block 34. Accordingly, the device 34 is, depending on the embodiment, arranged at a suitable location outside or within the supercharging device 1. In a particularly preferred embodiment, for the leadthrough of lines for control and for energy supply, the flow-guiding blades are provided with corresponding leadthrough recesses, which are symbolized in schematically highly simplified form in Figures 1 and 2 by the circles 35 and 36.
The exhaust gas EG is supplied to an exhaust line 27 via an exhaust manifold 26.
In the particularly preferred embodiment which is illustrated in Figure 4, the internal combustion engine 21 is also provided with an exhaust-gas recirculation line 28 in which an exhaust-gas cooler 29 and a valve 23 are arranged. However, said exhaust-gas recirculation line 28, together with its components 29 and 30, is not mandatory, but rather constitutes merely a particularly preferred embodiment.
In addition to the above written description of the invention, reference is hereby explicitly made, for additional disclosure thereof, to the diagrammatic illustration of the invention in Figures 1 to 4. The scope of the invention is however solely defined by the appended claims.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

1 Supercharging device
2 Compressor
3 Compressor housing
4 Compressor housing inlet
5 Compressor housing outlet
6 Radial compressor wheel
7 Motor shaft
8 Electric motor
9 Diffuser
10 Longitudinal diffuser
11 Motor-holding device
12 Outer contour
13 Inner contour
14 First housing section of the motor-holding device 11
15 First housing section of the compressor housing 3
16 Second housing section of the motor-holding device 11
17 Second housing section of the compressor housing 3
18 Second cylindrical housing section of the compressor housing 3
19 Outer circumferential surface
20, 20A, 20B Flow-guiding blades/ flow-guiding blade arrangement/flow-guiding vanes
21 Combustion engine
22 Intake line
23 Charge-air cooler
24 Throttle
25 Intake manifold
26 Exhaust manifold
27 Exhaust line
28 Exhaust-gas recirculation line
29 Exhaust-gas cooler
30 Valve
31 Compressor wheel rear side
32, 33 Flow-guiding blades of the diffuser 9
34 Motor control and energy supply device
35,36 Leadthrough recesses
CA Compressed air
EG Exhaust gas
S Flow direction or longitudinal axis of the compressor housing 3/supercharging device 1

Claims

A supercharging device (1) for a combustion engine (21),
having an electrically driven compressor (2) which has a compressor housing (3) with a compressor housing inlet (4) and a compressor housing outlet (5),
in which compressor housing (3) there is arranged a radial compressor wheel (6) which is fastened to one end of a motor shaft (7) of an electric motor (8), and

which compressor housing has a radially outwardly directed diffuser (9),
wherein
the compressor housing outlet (5) is in the form of an axial outlet; characterized in that a cylindrical first housing section (15) of the compressor housing (3) adjoins the radially outwardly directed diffuser (9); and
in that the said diffuser (9) is provided with flow-guiding blades (32, 33).
The supercharging device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the compressor housing (3) has a longitudinal diffuser (10) downstream of the diffuser (9) as viewed in the flow direction (S) of the air flowing through the compressor housing (3).
The supercharging device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein a motor-holding device (11) is arranged in the compressor housing (3).
The supercharging device as claimed in claim 3, wherein an outer contour (12) of the motor-holding device (11) is matched to an inner contour (13) of the compressor housing (3).
The supercharging device as claimed in claim 3 or 4, wherein the motor-holding device (11) has a cylindrical first housing section (14) which is arranged in the associated cylindrical first housing section (15) of the compressor housing (3).
The supercharging device as claimed in claim 5, wherein, as viewed in the flow direction (S), the cylindrical first housing section (14) of the motor-holding device (11) is adjoined by a second housing section (16) of funnel-like form.
The supercharging device as claimed in claim 5 or 6, wherein the cylindrical first housing section (15) of the compressor housing (3) is adjoined by a second housing section (17) which is of funnel-like form and which merges into a cylindrical second housing section (18) in which the compressor housing outlet (5) is arranged.
The supercharging device as claimed in one of claims 5 to 7, wherein an outer circumferential surface (19) of the cylindrical housing section (14) of the motor-holding device (11) is provided with flow-guiding blades (20).
The supercharging device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the flow-guiding blades (20) are adjustable.
The supercharging device as claimed in one of claims 1 to 9, characterized by a motor control and energy supply device (34) for the electric motor (8).
The supercharging device as claimed in claim 10, wherein control lines and/or energy supply lines of the motor control and energy supply device (34) are guided through leadthrough recesses (35, 36) in the flow-guiding blades (20).
The supercharging device as claimed in one of claims 8 to 11, wherein the flow-guiding blades (20A, 20B) are provided in a cascaded arrangement.
The supercharging device as claimed in claim 12, wherein the flow-guiding blades (20A, 20B) of the cascade are arranged in series.
The supercharging device as claimed in claim 12 or 13, wherein the flow-guiding blades (20A, 20B) of individual cascades have different circumferential spacings.