Exhaust Gas Cleaning Component For Cleaning The Exhaust Gases Of An Internal Combustion Engine

Abstract

An exhaust gas cleaning component, having a housing with an inflow port and an outflow port, a first honeycomb structure in the housing with a casing, the casing having an outer surface over which exhaust gas can flow, and also having an applicator device by which an exhaust gas cleaning additive can be applied to the outer surface of the casing.

Claims

1.-9. (canceled)

10. An exhaust gas cleaning component, comprising: a housing with an inflow port and an outflow port; a first honeycomb body arranged in the housing; a shell of the first honeycomb body having an outer surface over which exhaust gas can flow within the housing; and a feed device configured to feed an exhaust gas cleaning additive onto the outer surface of the shell.

11. The exhaust gas cleaning component as claimed in claim 10, further comprising: at least one bypass duct formed between the outer surface of the shell and the housing through which duct a partial exhaust gas flow of an exhaust gas flow flowing from the inflow port to the outflow port can bypass the first honeycomb body, wherein the feed device is arranged at the at least one bypass duct and configured so that the exhaust gas cleaning additive is fed into the at least one bypass duct.

12. The exhaust gas cleaning component as claimed in claim 11, further comprising: a second honeycomb body, through which the partial exhaust gas flow flowing through the at least one bypass duct flows, is arranged in the at least one bypass duct upstream of the feed device in an exhaust gas flow direction.

13. The exhaust gas cleaning component as claimed in claim 11, further comprising: a heater arranged in the at least one bypass duct upstream of the feed device in an exhaust gas flow direction and configured to heat the partial exhaust gas flow flowing through the at least one bypass duct.

14. The exhaust gas cleaning component as claimed in claim 11, further comprising: a surface heating system arranged at an impact region of the outer surface of the shell at which the exhaust gas cleaning additive fed by the feed device impinges and configured to heat the outer surface of the shell.

15. The exhaust gas cleaning component as claimed in claim 11, further comprising: a heater arranged upstream of the at least one bypass duct and the first honeycomb body in an exhaust gas flow direction and configured to heat the partial exhaust gas flow flowing through the at least one bypass duct and a main exhaust gas flow flowing through the first honeycomb body.

16. The exhaust gas cleaning component as claimed in claim 11, wherein the first honeycomb body is arranged such that all of an exhaust gas flow flowing into the exhaust gas cleaning component through the inflow port flows through the first honeycomb body, wherein the exhaust gas cleaning component further comprises at least one deflection device, configured to deflect an exhaust gas flow flowing out of the first honeycomb body such that there is flow over the outer surface of the shell.

17. The exhaust gas cleaning component as claimed in claim 16, further comprising: at least one bypass duct, is formed on the at least one deflection device through which a partial exhaust gas flow of the exhaust gas flow flowing out of the first honeycomb body can flow to an outflow port of the housing without flowing over the outer surface of the shell.

18. A motor vehicle, comprising: an internal combustion engine; and an exhaust gas treatment device for cleaning exhaust gases of the internal combustion engine by means of an exhaust gas cleaning component comprising: a housing with an inflow port and an outflow port; a first honeycomb body arranged in the housing; a shell of the first honeycomb body having an outer surface over which the exhaust gases can flow within the housing; and a feed device configured to feed an exhaust gas cleaning additive onto the outer surface of the shell.

19. The exhaust gas cleaning component as claimed in claim 12, further comprising: a heater arranged in the at least one bypass duct upstream of the feed device in the exhaust gas flow direction and configured to heat the partial exhaust gas flow flowing through the at least one bypass duct.

20. The exhaust gas cleaning component as claimed in claim 12, further comprising: a surface heating system arranged at an impact region of the outer surface of the shell at which the exhaust gas cleaning additive fed by the feed device impinges and configured to heat the outer surface of the shell.

21. The exhaust gas cleaning component as claimed in claim 14, further comprising: a heater arranged upstream of the at least one bypass duct and the first honeycomb body in an exhaust gas flow direction and configured to heat the partial exhaust gas flow flowing through the at least one bypass duct and a main exhaust gas flow flowing through the first honeycomb body.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0039] The invention and the technical field are explained in greater detail below by means of the figures. The figures show particularly preferred illustrative embodiments, although the invention is not restricted thereto. In particular, attention should be drawn to the fact that the figures and, especially, the size ratios depicted in the figures are only schematic. In the figures:

[0040] FIG. 1 is an exhaust gas cleaning component described;

[0041] FIG. 2 is an exhaust gas cleaning component described;

[0042] FIG. 3 is an exhaust gas cleaning component described;

[0043] FIG. 4 is an exhaust gas cleaning component described;

[0044] FIG. 5 is a cross section through the exhaust gas cleaning component described; and

[0045] FIG. 6 is a motor vehicle having an exhaust gas cleaning component described.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0046] FIGS. 1 to 4 each illustrate different variant embodiments of the exhaust gas cleaning component 1 described. All the exhaust gas cleaning components 1 illustrated have a housing 2 with an inflow port 3, through which an exhaust gas flow 17 can flow into the exhaust gas cleaning component 1, and an outflow port 4, through which the exhaust gas flow 17 can flow out of the exhaust gas cleaning component 1. A first honeycomb body 5, through which the exhaust gas can flow, is arranged in each of the exhaust gas cleaning components 1.

[0047] Also provided in each case is a feed device 9, by which liquid exhaust gas cleaning additive can be fed onto an outer surface 8 of a shell 7 of the first honeycomb body 5. The variant embodiments of the exhaust gas cleaning component in FIGS. 1 and 4 furthermore each show, by way of example, a lambda sensor 19 and a temperature sensor 11, by which the functions of the exhaust gas cleaning component 1 can be monitored. In this case, the lambda sensor 19 is arranged ahead of the first honeycomb body 5 in an exhaust gas flow direction from the inflow port 3 to the outflow port 4. The temperature sensor 11 extends through the housing 2 into the first honeycomb body 5 in order to be able to monitor the temperature in the first honeycomb body 5. The lambda sensor 19 monitors the lambda value in a region of the exhaust gas cleaning component 1 ahead of the first honeycomb body 5. Both the lambda sensor 19 and the temperature sensor 11 are illustrated only by way of example in FIGS. 1 and 4 and are intended to illustrate the fact that a person skilled in the art can arrange any desired sensors on the exhaust gas cleaning component 1. The exhaust gas cleaning component according to the invention does not require these sensors. However, these sensors can also be transferred to the illustrative embodiments shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

[0048] Provided in each of FIGS. 1 to 3 is a bypass duct 6, which extends between the outer surface 8 of the shell 7 of the first honeycomb body 5 and the housing 2 and through which a partial exhaust gas flow 10 of the exhaust gas flow 17 flows. In each case, a main exhaust gas flow 16 flows through the first honeycomb body 5. The exhaust gas flow 17 is divided by the first honeycomb body 5 into the partial exhaust gas flow 10 and the main exhaust gas flow 16. The bypass duct 6 is formed by a gap between the first honeycomb body 5 and the housing 2 and between the shell 7 and the housing 2.

[0049] According to FIG. 1, a second honeycomb body 12 is provided in the bypass duct 6 ahead of the feed device 9 in the exhaust gas flow direction. FIG. 1 shows by way of example that this second honeycomb body 12 is a heater 15, by which the partial exhaust gas flow 10 that flows through the bypass 6 can be heated. However, the second honeycomb body 12 can also be a “conventional” catalyst substrate having a catalytically active coating, which causes a temperature increase in the partial exhaust gas flow 10.

[0050] According to FIG. 2, a second honeycomb body 12 is likewise arranged ahead of the feed device 9 in the bypass duct 6. Here, however, there is additionally a surface heating system 14, which is arranged on the outer surface 8 of the shell 7, in an impact region 13. In this impact region, the liquid exhaust gas cleaning additive added by means of the feed device 9 impinges on the outer surface 8 of the shell 7. This surface heating system 14 can be embodied as an electric heating system, for example, which is formed by electric conductor tracks on the outer surface 8 of the shell 7. Here, such conductor tracks can be printed or adhesively bonded on, for example. In particular, such conductor tracks should be resistant to high temperatures so that they are not damaged by the temperatures in the exhaust gas cleaning component.

[0051] According to the variant embodiment in FIG. 3, a second honeycomb body 12 is likewise arranged in the bypass duct 6. According to FIG. 3, there is furthermore a heater 15, which extends over the entire cross section of the housing 2 and which thus covers both the bypass duct 6 (through which the partial exhaust gas flow 10 flows) and the first honeycomb body 5 (through which the main exhaust gas flow 15 flows). As a result, both the main exhaust gas flow 16 and the partial exhaust gas flow 10 are heated by the heater 15. This heater 15 too can preferably be embodied as an electrically heatable honeycomb body.

[0052] Together with FIG. 5, FIG. 4 shows an alternative embodiment of the exhaust gas cleaning component 1, in which the exhaust gas flow 17 is not initially divided into a main exhaust gas flow and a partial exhaust gas flow (before flowing through the first honeycomb body 5). On the contrary, the first honeycomb body 5 is sealed off at the housing 2 by a seal 24, which is here embodied as an encircling bead on the housing 2. This seal 24 embodied as an encircling bead rests on the shell surface 7 of the first honeycomb body 5 and is sealed off there. The seal 24 embodied as a bead also fixes the first honeycomb body 5 mechanically within the housing 2. After the exhaust gas flows out of the first honeycomb body 5, the exhaust gas is deflected by a deflection device 18, with the result that it is guided toward the outer surface 8 of the shell 7. During this process, the exhaust gas also flows over a region of the outer surface 8 of the shell 7 in which exhaust gas cleaning additive is fed onto the outer surface 8 of the shell 7 by means of the feed device 9.

[0053] FIG. 5 shows a section through FIG. 4 along section line A-A. It can be seen in FIG. 5 that there is an annular space 25 around the outside of the first honeycomb body 5 or between the first honeycomb body 5 and the housing 2, through which space the deflected exhaust gas can be guided in the direction of the outflow port 4 (illustrated in FIG. 4) of the exhaust gas cleaning component 1.

[0054] Here, the seal 24 embodied as a bead holds the first honeycomb body 5 firmly in the housing 2 and closes off the annular space 25 from the inflow port 3 of the exhaust gas cleaning component 1. In the variant embodiment of the exhaust gas cleaning component 1 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a bypass 6 is furthermore provided after the first honeycomb body 5, through which bypass a partial exhaust gas flow 10 can flow out without flowing to the feed device 9. In this variant embodiment, a main exhaust gas flow 16 flows to the feed device 9. This distinguishes the variant embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 from the variant embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 3. This bypass duct 6 can be in the form of a perforation of the deflection device 18. This bypass duct 6 is just one special variant embodiment, which does not have to be present in the illustrative embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

[0055] FIG. 6 shows a motor vehicle 22 having an internal combustion engine 20 and an exhaust gas treatment device 21, by means of which the exhaust gases of the internal combustion engine 20 are cleaned. The exhaust gas treatment device 21 has an exhaust gas cleaning component 1 of the type described here. In addition, the exhaust gas treatment device 21 has an SCR catalyst 23, by which the method of selective catalytic reduction can be carried out with the aid of an exhaust gas cleaning additive, wherein the exhaust gas cleaning additive is fed to the exhaust gas treatment device 21 with the aid of the exhaust gas cleaning component 1 described.

[0056] Thus, while there have shown and described and pointed out fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the devices illustrated, and in their operation, may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, it is expressly intended that all combinations of those elements and/or method steps which perform substantially the same function in substantially the same way to achieve the same results are within the scope of the invention. Moreover, it should be recognized that structures and/or elements and/or method steps shown and/or described in connection with any disclosed form or embodiment of the invention may be incorporated in any other disclosed or described or suggested form or embodiment as a general matter of design choice. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto.