Exhaust-gas turbocharger for a motor vehicle

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an exhaust-gas turbocharger for a supercharged internal combustion engine having a charge-air cooler. In order to prevent the formation in the charge-air-guiding parts of condensate which above a certain quantity, if it remains within the charge-air-guiding parts, leads to damage to the engine, such as, for example, ice formation, water shock or corrosion, it is proposed to provide a condensate outlet opening on the compressor of the exhaust-gas turbocharger, which opening is provided in a lowermost region of a charge-air flow path through the compressor.

Claims

1. An exhaust-gas turbocharger for a motor vehicle comprising: a compressor defining a charge-air flow path; and a condensate outlet opening arranged in a lowermost region of a charge-air flow path, wherein the condensate outlet opening is arranged at the geodetically lowest point of a pressure spiral of the compressor.

2. The exhaust-gas turbocharger according to claim 1, wherein the condensate outlet opening is provided on a lowermost point of a compressor housing.

3. The exhaust-gas turbocharger according to claim 1, wherein the condensate outlet opening a connection for a condensate discharge line.

4. A drive device for a motor vehicle, comprising: an exhaust-gas turbocharger including a compressor defining a charge-air flow path and a condensate outlet opening arranged in a lowermost region of a charge-air flow path; an internal combustion engine supercharged by the exhaust-gas turbocharger; a charge-air cooler for cooling charge air compressed by the compressor of the exhaust-gas turbocharger; and a first charge-air line which connects a charge-air outlet of the compressor to a charge-air inlet of the charge-air cooler.

5. The drive device according to claim 4, wherein the motor vehicle is a commercial vehicle.

6. The drive device according to claim 4, wherein the first charge-air line is configured to rise continuously starting from the charge-air outlet of the compressor to the charge-air inlet of the charge-air cooler.

7. The drive device according to claim 4, further comprising a condensate discharge line which is connected at one end to the condensate outlet opening and opens at the other end into a second charge-air line which feeds charge air cooled by the charge-air cooler to the internal combustion engine.

8. The drive device according to claim 7, wherein the condensate discharge line opens into the second charge-air line at a charge-air inlet of the internal combustion engine or directly upstream of the charge-air inlet.

9. The drive device according to claim 7, wherein the condensate discharge line has a reservoir for receiving condensate.

10. The drive device according to one of claim 7, further comprising a return check valve arranged in the condensate discharge line preventing return flow into the compressor of condensate or air which has emerged from the condensate outlet opening.

11. The drive device according to claim 10, wherein the reservoir is arranged between the condensate outlet opening and the return check valve.

12. The drive device according claim 7, wherein the condensate discharge line is configured to be heatable.

13. A motor vehicle, in particular a commercial vehicle, comprising: an exhaust-gas turbocharger including a compressor defining a charge-air flow path and a condensate outlet opening arranged in a lowermost region of a charge-air flow path, wherein the condensate outlet opening is arranged at the geodetically lowest point of a pressure spiral of the compressor; an internal combustion engine supercharged by the exhaust-gas turbocharger; a charge-air cooler for cooling charge air compressed by the compressor of the exhaust-gas turbocharger; and a first charge-air line which connects a charge-air outlet of the compressor to a charge-air inlet of the charge-air cooler.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further details and advantages of the present disclosure are described herein below with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of a drive device according to one embodiment of the invention;

(3) FIG. 2a shows an enlarged partial view of the embodiment; and

(4) FIG. 2b shows an enlarged partial view of a further embodiment of the present disclosure.

(5) Identical or functionally equivalent elements are designated with the same reference signs in all the figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(6) FIG. 1 shows a highly schematic illustration of a drive device 1 for a commercial vehicle. The drive device 1 comprises a combustion engine 20 which is supercharged with an exhaust-gas turbocharger 2 in order to increase performance.

(7) The exhaust-gas turbocharger 2 comprises a rotor made up of a turbine 4, a compressor 3 and a drive shaft 5. The turbine 4 and the compressor 3 are coupled in movement via the drive shaft 5. The turbine 4 is driven by an exhaust gas of the combustion engine 20 that is fed to the turbine 4 via the exhaust-gas pipe 15. The compressor 3 is fed with fresh air via a feed line 14. The compressor 3 compresses the charge air to be fed to the combustion engine 20 and thus increases the performance of the combustion engine 20 during normal fired operation.

(8) The charge air compressed by the compressor 3 is fed via a first charge-air line 7 to a charge-air cooler 8 which functions as a heat exchanger and cools the charge air. The cooled charge air is then fed via the second charge-air line 9 into the combustion engine 20. The first charge-air line 7 is configured to rise continuously starting from the charge-air outlet 3a of the compressor 3 to the charge-air inlet 8a of the charge-air cooler 8. This is not depicted in the schematic illustration of FIG. 1, but in the enlarged partial view of FIG. 2A.

(9) FIG. 2A shows the combustion engine 20 in an end view. Reference sign 21 designates the crankcase of the combustion engine 20 and reference sign 24 designates the centre line of the crankshaft. An oil sump 22 is situated below the crank case 21. Situated in the upper region of the combustion engine 20 is the cylinder head region 23 at which the charge-air pipe line 9 opens into the combustion engine. The charge-air inlet of the combustion engine 20 is designated by reference sign 20a.

(10) The compressor 3 of the exhaust-gas turbocharger 2 has an opening for letting out condensate (condensate outlet opening 6) in a lowermost region of a charge-air flow path of the compressor 3. The condensate outlet opening 6 is mounted on the geodetically lowest point of the compressor housing, in particular on the geodetically lowest point of the pressure spiral of the compressor 3. The condensate outlet opening 6 is configured as a connection for a line 10, designated herein below as a condensate discharge line 10. The connection can be embodied for example as a thread or as a hose connector.

(11) The condensate discharge line 10 is thus connected at one end to the condensate outlet opening 6, and at its other end it opens into the second charge-air line 9 which connects the charge-air outlet of the charge-air cooler 8 to the charge-air inlet 20a of the combustion engine 20.

(12) As is further illustrated in FIG. 2A, a higher pressure P1 prevails in the pressure spiral of the compressor 3 than in the second charge-air line 9, i.e. in the region downstream of the charge-air cooler 8 and before entry into the combustion engine 20. On account of the differential pressure P1-P2, there is obtained a continuous flow through the condensate discharge line 10 from the condensate outlet opening 6 to the connection 12 into the second charge-air line.

(13) In this way, condensate discharged from the compressor 3 is conveyed continuously via the condensate discharge line 10 to the combustion engine 20 and combusted there. On account of the continuously falling profile of the first charge-air line 7 from the charge-air cooler to the compressor 3, condensate which occurs collets at the geodetically lowest point in the compressor 3 and can be reliably discharged there through the condensate outlet opening 6 provided.

(14) FIG. 2B shows a further embodiment of the present disclosure. Here, components with identical reference signs correspond to the components of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2A and are not described separately.

(15) A particular feature of the embodiment variant shown in FIG. 2B lies in the fact that a reservoir 11 for receiving and for collecting condensate is provided in the condensate discharge line 10 in the region of the condensate outlet opening 6. It has already been established above that in normal operating states the pressure P1 at the outlet of the pressure spiral of the compressor 3 is normally greater than the pressure P2 in the second charge-air line. Should, however, operating states occur where this is not the case, the reservoir 11 makes it possible to prevent a situation in which condensate already branched off from the compressor 3 via the condensate outlet opening 6 returns again into the compressor. Instead, the condensate would collect in the reservoir 11.

(16) As an alternative or in addition, this can be ensured by a return check valve 16 which is provided in the condensate discharge line 10. The return check valve 16 can be provided for example directly at the region where the condensate discharge line 10 connects to the condensate outlet opening 6 or, as shown in FIG. 2B, directly downstream of the reservoir 11, the reservoir 11 being arranged between the condensate outlet opening 6 and the return check valve 16.

(17) Even though the present disclosure has been described with reference to particular exemplary embodiments, it is self-evident to a person skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be used as substitutes without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, many modifications may be made without departing from the associated scope. Consequently, the present disclosure is not intended to be restricted to the exemplary embodiments disclosed, but rather is intended to encompass all exemplary embodiments which fall within the scope of the appended patent claims. In particular, the present disclosure also claims protection for the subject matter and the features of the subclaims independently of the claims to which reference is made.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

(18) 1 Drive device 2 Exhaust-gas turbocharger 3 Compressor 3a Charge-air outlet of the compressor 4 Turbine 5 Drive shaft 6 Condensate outlet opening 7 Charge-air line 8 Charge-air cooler 8a Charge-air inlet of the charge-air cooler 9 Charge-air line 10 Condensate discharge line 11 Reservoir 12 Line connection 13 Air filter 14 Air feed 15 Exhaust-gas pipe 16 Return check valve 20 Internal combustion engine 20a Internal combustion engine charge-air inlet 21 Crankcase 22 Oil sump 23 Cylinder head region 24 Centre line of the crankshaft