System and method for storing and supplying water to an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle

Abstract

A system for storing and supplying water to an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle with a reservoir (1) for the water, with at least a delivery pump (5) for the water, and with at least a pipeline system comprising at least a feed line (4) to a consumer which is preferably designed in the form of at least a metering unit, and at least a return line (9) into the reservoir (1) as well as with means for demineralizing the water which are disposed inside the reservoir (1) or in the pipeline system.

Claims

1. A motor vehicle system to store water and supply the water to an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle, comprising: a reservoir for the water, at least a delivery pump for the water, at least a pipeline system comprising at least a feed line to a consumer, at least a return line into the reservoir, and a water demineralizer, wherein the water demineralizer is arranged inside the reservoir or on the reservoir, and wherein the water demineralizer comprises at least one filter, and the at least one filter is arranged in the feed line or the return line.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the water demineralizer is arranged in front of a delivery connection of the reservoir or is arranged in the feed line or in a supply line to the consumer.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one filter comprises an exchangeable filter.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one filter is arranged in the feed line.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one filter is arranged in the return line.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one filter comprises a mixed bed filter.

7. The system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the mixed bed filter comprises at least one mixed bed resin.

8. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the mixed bed resin comprises cation and anion exchange resins.

9. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the mixed bed resin is selected from a group of resins comprising acidic cation exchangers and basic anion exchangers of the type CA2+, NI2+, MG2+, SO42−, HSO4−, and NO3−.

10. The system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the mixed bed filter is formed as a multi-chamber filter or multi-membrane filter.

11. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the consumer comprises at least one metering unit.

12. A method to supply water to an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle, comprising: providing a system to store the water and supply the water to the internal combustion engine, comprising a reservoir for the water, at least a delivery pump for the water, at least a pipeline system comprising at least a feed line to a consumer, at least a return line into the reservoir, and a water demineralizer, wherein the water demineralizer is arranged inside the reservoir or on the reservoir, and wherein the water demineralizer comprises at least one filter, and the at least one filter is arranged in the feed line or the return line, and demineralizing the water with the filter.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the water is demineralized before supplying to the consumer.

14. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the at least one filter is arranged in the feed line.

15. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the at least one filter is arranged in the return line.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention will now be explained below with reference to four exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings.

(2) In the drawings:

(3) FIG. 1 shows a water injection system according to a first exemplary embodiment of the invention;

(4) FIG. 2 shows a water injection system according to a second exemplary embodiment of the invention;

(5) FIG. 3 shows a water injection system according to a third exemplary embodiment of the invention; and

(6) FIG. 4 shows a water injection system according to a fourth exemplary embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(7) The system diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 1 comprises a reservoir 1 for water with a filling pipe 2 with means for ventilating the reservoir 1 as well as with means for detecting the filling level. The reservoir 1 is attached to a feed line 4 via a delivery connection 3. A delivery pump 5 is arranged in the feed line 4 and supplies water via a supply line 6 to a distributor 7 to which in turn injection nozzles 8 are attached as metering units or as the consumer.

(8) The system furthermore comprises a return line 9 with which water not removed by the injection nozzles 8 can be supplied back into the reservoir 1 via a return connection 10. A multiway valve 14 is connected in front of the return connection 10 via which the pipeline system, comprising the feed line 4 and a return line 9 as well as where applicable for service purposes the reservoir 1, can be emptied. The return connection 10 is provided inside the volumetric area of the reservoir 1 with a throttle which enables relaxing of the pressurized return into the reservoir 1.

(9) A conductivity detector (not shown in further detail) is arranged in the reservoir and detects the conductivity of the water located in the reservoir 1 and produces a corresponding warning signal when required.

(10) With the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 1 an exchangeable filter cartridge 12 is provided in the feed line 4 behind the delivery pump 5, thus on the pressure side of the delivery pump 5, and is filled with a mixed bed resin which comprises by way of example strongly basic anions and strongly acidic cations, which take up the ions in the pipe water so that the water located in the reservoir 1 is desalinated as it is supplied with the delivery pump 5 and removed from the reservoir 1.

(11) The mixed bed resin provided in the filter cartridge 12 can be a granular material. This can be by way of example a single-use mixed bed resin which is known in the trade by the trade name Resinex and acts as an ion exchanger.

(12) An alternative configuration of the system according to the invention is shown in FIG. 2. In FIG. 2 the component parts which correspond function-wise to those of the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 1 are provided with the same reference numerals.

(13) The exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 2 differs from that according to FIG. 1 in that the filter cartridge 12 is inserted interchangeably in the supply line 6 of the system. The filter cartridge 12 is then likewise connected to the outlet side of the delivery pump 5.

(14) With the system illustrated in FIG. 2 it is proposed to supply the water intermittently through the filter cartridge 12 in metered amounts to the injection nozzles 8. The filter cartridge 12 is then not integrated into the circuit, i.e. into the feed line 4 and into the return line 9. The filter cartridge 12 is equally arranged connected in front of the injection nozzles 8 in the supply line 6.

(15) The exemplary embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 3 differs from that according to FIGS. 1 and 2 in that an exchangeable filter cassette or filter pack 11 is arranged as a filter inside the reservoir 1. The filter pack 11 can comprise a mixed bed 15 and at least a filter medium 16 positioned in front of the mixed bed, i.e. arranged upstream thereof. The filter medium 16 can be formed as a woven or packed filter medium, as a filter fleece or the like.

(16) The filter pack 11 or mixed bed 15 and the filter medium 16 are more expediently arranged on and covering the bottom of the reservoir 1. The filter pack 11 is preferably arranged on the suction side of the delivery pump 5.

(17) A further advantageous variation of the system according to the invention is shown in FIG. 4. The variation of the system illustrated in FIG. 4 differs from those variations which are described in FIGS. 1 to 3, in that the filter cartridge 12 is arranged on a side wall of the reservoir 1 and is attached there directly to a connection module 17 which closes the reservoir. The connection module 17 can be provided by way of example as a multi-way valve for controlling the discharge of fluid from the reservoir 1 and/or for emptying and/or for filling the pipeline system. With this variation of the system the filter cartridge 12 is arranged on the suction side of the delivery pump 5, which is not shown.

(18) The filter cartridge 12 according to the exemplary embodiment according to FIGS. 2 and 4 can likewise comprise a mixed bed 15, like the filter cartridge 12 according to the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 1.

REFERENCE NUMERAL LIST

(19) 1 Reservoir 2 Filler pipe 3 Delivery connection 4 Feed line 5 Delivery pump 6 Supply pipe 7 Distributor 8 Injection nozzles 9 Return line 10 Return connection 11 Filter pack 12 Filter cartridge 13 Insert 14 Multi-way valve 15 Mixed bed 16 Filter medium 17 Connection module