JP2007120398A - Air bubble separator - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air bubble separator capable of stably separating air bubbles in all flow rate range of oil used in a lubricating device for an internal combustion engine. <P>SOLUTION: The air bubble separator 1 is a centrifugal separation type for removing air bubbles contained in oil used in the lubricating device for the internal combustion engine, and is provided with an oil introducing part 3 introducing oil containing air bubbles to an inside of a main body, a gas discharge part 4 discharging separated air bubbles to an outside of the main body, and an oil discharge part 5 discharging separated oil to the outside of the main body on the cylindrical main body 2. The oil discharge part is provided with a flow rate control means (flow control valve 7) controlling flow rate of oil discharged from the oil discharge part according to flow rate of oil introduced to the inside of the main body from the oil introducing part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a bubble separator, and more particularly to a bubble separator that can perform stable bubble separation in the entire flow rate range of oil used in a lubricating device for an internal combustion engine.

  Conventionally, a dry sump type and a wet sump type are generally known as lubrication modes of an internal combustion engine. The former dry sump type is a form in which engine oil is stored in an oil tank, engine oil is pumped from the oil tank to each part of the engine by a feed pump and lubricated, and oil that has fallen in the oil pan is returned to the oil tank by a scavenge pump. . The latter wet sump type is a form in which engine oil is sucked up from an oil pan with a pump and pumped to each part of the engine for lubrication, and the oil after lubrication is naturally dropped into the oil pan.

In the dry sump type, a large amount of bubbles are mixed in the oil returned to the oil tank by the scavenge pump. Although the bubbles contained in the oil are separated by an oil filter or the like, there is a risk that the bubbles are not perfect and poor lubrication occurs.
On the other hand, in the wet sump type, only a relatively small amount of bubbles are mixed in the oil, and the bubbles are crushed by the pressure of the pump. However, there is a demand for downsizing the pump in order to improve fuel efficiency, and in this case, there is a risk that bubbles are not sufficiently collapsed and lubrication is poor.
As described above, in any of the dry sump type and the wet sump type, it is necessary to reduce the bubble ratio in the oil in the lubricating device of the internal combustion engine.

In order to solve the above problem, it has been proposed to use a gas-liquid separator in a lubricating device for an internal combustion engine.
As said conventional gas-liquid separator, what centrifuges the gas-liquid mixed fluid introduce | transduced in a cylindrical main body into a liquid and gas is known (for example, refer patent document 1 and 2).
In Patent Documents 1 and 2, the volume is variable according to the flow rate of the gas-liquid mixed fluid (blow-by gas including oil mist) used in a PCV (positive crankcase ventilation) circuit. A main body is provided, and the separated gas (blow-by gas) is discharged from the gas discharge portion provided at the upper portion of the main body to the outside, and the liquid (oil) separated from the liquid discharge portion provided at the lower portion of the main body is provided. ) Is discharged to the outside. A gas-liquid separator is disclosed.
Note that Patent Documents 1 and 2 are oil separators that remove a small amount of oil contained in a large amount of blow-by gas, and are not intended to remove a small amount of bubbles contained in a large amount of oil.

As described above, since the oil separator used in the PCV circuits of Patent Documents 1 and 2 above separates oil in blow-by gas (gas is a main component), originally, with respect to the inlet of blow-by gas, The oil outlet is relatively small.
Therefore, even when the oil separators of Patent Documents 1 and 2 are applied to those that separate gas components in engine oil (oil is the main component), when the resistance of the oil discharge port is large and the inflow oil increases. Even if the volume is increased to reduce the pressure in the main body, there is a problem that the oil level rises in the main body and the oil is discharged from the gas discharge port.
To solve the above problem, if the oil discharge port is set larger than the oil introduction port, gas-liquid separation can be performed while suppressing the rise of the oil level in the main body even if the inflowing oil increases. . However, when the amount of inflowing oil is small, the pressure in the main body is too low, and sufficient centrifugal force cannot be obtained, resulting in a problem that the bubble separation performance is deteriorated. From the above, it has been desired to realize a bubble separator capable of performing stable bubble separation in the entire flow rate range of the inflowing oil.

JP 2005-155423 A JP 2005-106002 A

  The present invention has been made in view of the above situation, and an object of the present invention is to provide a bubble separator capable of performing stable bubble separation in the entire flow range of oil used in a lubricating device for an internal combustion engine. .

The present invention is as follows.
1. A centrifugal-type bubble separator for removing bubbles contained in oil used in a lubricating device of an internal combustion engine,
The cylindrical main body includes an oil introduction part that introduces oil containing bubbles into the main body, a gas discharge part that discharges the separated air bubbles to the outside of the main body, and the separated oil outside the main body. And an oil discharge part for discharging
The oil discharge part is provided with a flow rate control means for controlling the flow rate of oil discharged from the oil discharge part according to the flow rate of oil introduced into the main body from the oil introduction part. Characteristic bubble separator.
2. The flow rate control means includes a valve body that is movably supported so as to change an opening amount of an oil discharge port provided in the oil discharge portion, and a direction in which the valve body narrows the opening of the oil discharge port. And a biasing member that biases. The bubble separator as described.
3. The oil discharge section is configured to discharge the separated oil in one direction. Or 2. The bubble separator according to 1.
4). The oil discharge portion is configured to discharge the separated oil along a circumferential surface of the main body. Or 2. The bubble separator according to 1.

According to the bubble separator of the present invention, oil containing bubbles is introduced into the main body by the oil introduction unit, the bubbles separated by the gas discharge unit are discharged to the outside of the main unit, and the oil separated by the oil discharge unit is discharged. It is discharged outside the main body. Then, the flow rate control means controls the flow rate of the oil discharged from the oil discharge portion to be optimum according to the flow rate of the oil introduced into the main body. As a result, even if the flow rate of oil introduced into the main body changes excessively, the volume and pressure in the main body remain at a certain fixed value and hardly change. The oil discharge can be suppressed, and when the oil flow rate is small, the deterioration of the bubble separation performance can be suppressed. As a result, stable bubble separation can be performed in the entire flow range of oil used in the lubricating device of the internal combustion engine.
Moreover, when the said flow control means is provided with a valve body and an urging | biasing member, a flow control means can be made into a simpler and cheap structure.
Further, when the oil discharge portion is configured to discharge the separated oil in one direction, an oil passage (pipe or the like) can be easily connected to the oil discharge portion.
Further, when the oil discharge portion is configured to discharge the separated oil along the circumferential surface of the main body, the oil is uniformly dispersed and discharged along the circumferential surface. It is possible to prevent a high discharge pressure from being concentrated in one direction. As a result, even when the bubble separator is installed in an oil tank in a dry sump type lubrication device, the disturbance of the oil level accumulated in the oil tank is reduced, and the re-entrainment of bubbles is suppressed. Can do.

1. Bubble Separator The bubble separator according to this embodiment is of a centrifugal separation type for removing bubbles contained in oil used in a lubricating device for an internal combustion engine.
The cylindrical main body constituting the bubble separator is provided with an oil introduction section, a gas discharge section, and an oil discharge section described below.

  The “oil introduction part” is not particularly limited in its arrangement position, configuration, shape, and the like as long as oil containing bubbles can be introduced into the main body. For example, the oil introduction portion may be composed of an oil introduction pipe extending in a tangential direction from the upper part of the peripheral wall of the main body.

  As long as the above-mentioned “gas discharge part” can discharge the separated bubbles to the outside of the main body, the arrangement position, configuration, shape, etc. thereof are not particularly limited. This gas discharge part can consist of a gas exhaust pipe extended in the up-down direction from the center part of the upper end wall of a main body, for example.

As long as the “oil discharger” can discharge the separated oil to the outside of the main body, the arrangement position, configuration, shape, etc. thereof are not particularly limited. The oil discharge part is provided with a flow rate control means to be described later.
Examples of the oil discharger include (1) a configuration configured to discharge separated oil in one direction (tangential direction of the main body, radial direction, axial direction, etc.), and (2) separated oil. The form etc. which are comprised so that the oil which discharged may be discharged along the surface of the circumferential direction of a main body can be mentioned.
In the form (1), the oil discharge part can be composed of, for example, an oil discharge pipe extending in one direction from the lower part or the lower end wall of the peripheral wall of the main body.
In the form (2), the oil discharge part can be formed, for example, by forming one or more oil discharge ports extending along the circumferential direction on the peripheral wall of the main body.

  As long as the “flow rate control means” can control the flow rate of oil discharged from the oil discharge portion in accordance with the flow rate of oil introduced into the main body from the oil introduction portion, its configuration, control form, etc. It doesn't matter. For example, the flow rate control means can be configured to change the opening amount of the oil discharge port formed in the oil discharge portion according to the flow rate of the introduced oil. In this case, the flow rate control means includes a valve body that is movably supported inside the oil discharge section so that the opening amount of the oil discharge port formed in the oil discharge section can be changed, and the valve body is configured to remove the oil from the oil discharge section. And an urging member disposed inside the oil discharge portion so as to urge in the direction of narrowing the opening of the outlet.

  In addition, as an oil tank structure, for example, the first embodiment described above. And the bubble separator described in the above item is provided in an oil tank. This oil tank can be for dry sump, for example.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.
(1) Configuration of Bubble Separator As shown in FIG. 1, the bubble separator 1 according to this embodiment is for removing bubbles (blow-by gas) contained in oil used in a lubricating device for an internal combustion engine. Is.

  The bubble separator 1 includes a cylindrical tapered main body 2. An oil introduction pipe 3 extending in a tangential direction for introducing oil (oil containing air bubbles) into the inside of the main body 2 (illustrated as an “oil introduction portion” according to the present invention) is provided on the upper portion of the peripheral wall of the main body 2. Is provided. In addition, a gas discharge pipe 4 (illustrated as a “gas discharge section” according to the present invention) for exhausting the separated bubbles to the outside of the main body 2 is provided at the center of the upper end wall of the main body 2. Yes. Further, at the lower part of the peripheral wall of the main body 2, as shown in FIG. 2, an oil discharge pipe 5 (an “oil discharge portion” according to the present invention) extending in a tangential direction for discharging the separated oil to the outside of the main body 2. As an example). A circular oil discharge port 5 a is formed on the lower side of the outer periphery of the oil discharge pipe 5. The cross-sectional area (opening amount) of the oil discharge port 5a is set to a value larger than the cross-sectional area (opening amount) of the oil introduction port 3a (see FIG. 1) of the oil introduction pipe 3.

  A flow rate control valve 7 is provided inside the tip end side of the oil discharge pipe 5. As shown in FIG. 3, the flow rate control valve 7 is a cylindrical shape that is supported so as to be movable in the axial direction inside the oil discharge pipe 5 so that the opening amount X of the oil discharge port 5a can be changed. The valve body 8 is provided. The valve body 8 is urged in a direction to narrow the opening of the oil discharge port 5a by a coil spring 9 (illustrated as “an urging member” according to the present invention).

(2) Operation of the bubble separator Next, the operation of the bubble separator 1 having the above configuration will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, oil (oil containing air bubbles) is introduced into the main body 2 from the oil introduction pipe 3. Then, due to the centrifugal force of the introduced oil, oil having a large specific gravity collects on the inner wall side of the main body 2 and bubbles having a small specific gravity collect on the center side of the main body 2. As a result, the separated bubbles are exhausted from the gas discharge pipe 4 to the outside of the main body 2, while the separated oil (oil from which the bubbles have been removed) passes from the oil discharge pipe 5 through the oil discharge port 5a. It will be discharged outside the main body 2.
Here, when the pressure in the main body 2 starts to change according to the flow rate of oil (oil containing oil bubbles) introduced into the main body 2 from the oil introduction pipe 3, the pressure P (see FIG. 1) is changed to the valve body 8. Accordingly, the opening amount X (see FIG. 3) of the oil discharge port 5a is adjusted by the balance with the urging force of the coil spring 9. Specifically, when the flow rate of the oil introduced into the main body 2 increases, the opening amount X of the oil discharge port 5a is changed to the opening amount of the oil introduction port 3a by the action of the valve body 8 (shown by a solid line in FIG. 3). When the flow rate of the oil introduced into the main body 2 becomes smaller, the opening amount X of the oil discharge port 5a becomes smaller than that of the oil introduction port 3a by the action of the valve body 8 (indicated by a phantom line in FIG. 3). It becomes a state smaller than the opening amount.

(3) Effects of the Example According to the bubble separator 1 of the present example, the flow rate of the oil discharged from the oil discharge pipe 5 is changed by the flow rate control valve 7 according to the oil flow rate introduced into the main body 2. Controlled to be optimal. Thereby, even if the flow rate of the oil introduced into the main body 2 changes excessively, the volume and pressure in the main body 2 remain at arbitrary predetermined values and hardly change. Therefore, even when the oil flow rate is increased, it is possible to suppress the oil level accumulated in the main body from rising and the oil being discharged from the gas discharge pipe 4. Further, even when the oil flow rate is small, it is possible to prevent the bubble separation performance from being deteriorated due to insufficient centrifugal force or collapse of the bubbles. As a result, stable bubble separation can be performed in the entire flow range of oil used in the lubricating device of the internal combustion engine.
In the present embodiment, the flow rate control valve 7 includes a valve body 8 capable of changing the opening amount X of the oil discharge port 5a, and a coil spring 9 that urges the valve body 8 in a direction to narrow the opening of the oil discharge port 5a. Therefore, the flow rate control valve 7 and thus the bubble separator 1 can be made simpler and less expensive.
Further, in the present embodiment, the oil discharge pipe 5 extending in the tangential direction is provided at the lower portion of the main body 2, and therefore, for example, an oil passage (on the downstream side of the oil pump in the wet sump type lubricating device) is provided in the oil discharge pipe 5 ( Piping, etc.) can be easily connected.

  In the present invention, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the present invention depending on the purpose and application. That is, in the above embodiment, the “oil discharge portion” according to the present invention is configured from the oil discharge pipe 5, and the bubble separator 1 that discharges oil in the tangential direction of the main body 2 by this oil discharge pipe 5 is illustrated. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the cap member 12 is attached to the opening edge 10 a of the main body 10 via a rib (not shown), and the peripheral wall of the main body 10 is aligned along the circumferential direction. A slit-like oil discharge port 11 is formed to form an oil discharge portion, and the oil discharge port 11 may be used as a bubble separator 1 ′ that discharges oil along the circumferential surface of the main body. Thereby, oil can be uniformly distributed along the circumferential surface and discharged, and high discharge pressure is prevented from being concentrated in one direction. Therefore, even when the bubble separator 1 'is installed in an oil tank in a dry sump type lubrication device, the disturbance of the oil level accumulated in the oil tank is reduced and the re-entrainment of bubbles is suppressed. can do. In this case, inside the cap member 12, a valve body 8 ′ supported so as to be movable in the vertical direction so that the opening amount X of the oil discharge port 11 can be changed, and the valve body 8 ′ are provided with an oil drain. A flow rate control valve 7 ′ comprising a coil spring 9 ′ that urges the outlet 11 in the direction of narrowing the opening is provided.

Further, the bubble separator 1 of the above embodiment is disposed in an oil tank in a dry sump type lubrication device, or is disposed in the middle of an oil passage (pipe, etc.) downstream of the oil pump in the wet sump type lubrication device. Can be installed.
Furthermore, in the said Example, although the flow control valve 7 provided with the valve body 8 slidably supported inside the oil discharge pipe 5 was illustrated, it is not limited to this, For example, as shown in FIG. A flow control valve comprising a valve body 14 that is swingably supported in the oil discharge pipe 5 via a hinge 13, and a coil spring 15 that urges the valve body 14 in a direction to narrow the opening of the oil discharge port 5a. It may be 16.

  It is widely used as a technique for removing bubbles contained in oil used in a lubricating device for an internal combustion engine. In particular, it is suitably used as a technique for removing bubbles contained in oil used in a dry sump type lubricating device.

It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the bubble separator which concerns on a present Example. It is the II-II sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a principal part enlarged view of FIG. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the other form of a bubble separator. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the other form of a flow control valve.

Explanation of symbols

  1, 1 '; bubble separator, 2, 10; main body, 3; oil introduction pipe, 4; gas discharge pipe, 5; oil discharge pipe, 5a, 11; oil discharge port, 7, 7', 16; Valve, 8, 8 ', 14; Valve body, 9, 9', 15; Coil spring, X: Opening amount.

Claims (4)

A centrifugal-type bubble separator for removing bubbles contained in oil used in a lubricating device of an internal combustion engine,
The cylindrical main body has an oil introduction part for introducing oil containing bubbles into the main body, a gas discharge part for discharging the separated air bubbles to the outside of the main body, and the separated oil outside the main body. And an oil discharge part for discharging
The oil discharge part is provided with a flow rate control means for controlling the flow rate of oil discharged from the oil discharge part according to the flow rate of oil introduced into the main body from the oil introduction part. Characteristic bubble separator.   The flow rate control means includes a valve body that is movably supported so as to change an opening amount of an oil discharge port provided in the oil discharge portion, and a direction in which the valve body narrows the opening of the oil discharge port. The bubble separator according to claim 1, further comprising a biasing member that biases.   The bubble separator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the oil discharge part is configured to discharge the separated oil in one direction.   The bubble separator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the oil discharge part is configured to discharge the separated oil along a circumferential surface of the main body.

Images