Drive Device, In Particular For A Vehicle

Abstract

A drive device for a vehicle with and an exhaust gas tract connected to engine. The exhaust gas tract has a main line with an exhaust gas turbine of a turbocharger and a catalytic convertor downstream of the turbine. The exhaust gas tract has a bypass, by which at least some of the is conductible past a turbine wheel of the turbine such that the exhaust gas is conductible out of the main line at at least one a conducting-out region into the bypass line upstream of the turbine wheel. The bypass exhaust gas flow in the bypass line is conductible into the main line at downstream of the turbine wheel (41) and upstream of the catalytic convertor. To prevent overheating of the catalytic convertor, a cooling device is provided, by which the bypass exhaust gas flow flowing through the bypass line is coolable.

Claims

1. A drive device for a vehicle, comprising: an internal combustion engine; an exhaust gas tract connected to the internal combustion engine, comprising: an exhaust gas main line with at least one exhaust gas turbine of an exhaust gas turbocharger; at least one catalytic convertor arranged downstream of the exhaust gas turbine, in a direction of flow of exhaust gas; and at least one bypass line, by which at least some of the exhaust gas flowing through the exhaust gas tract is conducted passed a turbine wheel of the exhaust gas turbine such that the exhaust gas is conducted out of the exhaust gas main line at at least one exhaust gas conducting-out region arranged upstream of the turbine wheel and is conducted into the at least one bypass line, and that a bypass exhaust gas flow flowing through the at least one bypass line is conducted again into the exhaust gas main line at an exhaust gas conducting-in region arranged downstream of the turbine wheel and upstream of the at least one catalytic convertor; and a cooling device by which the bypass exhaust gas flow flowing through the at least one bypass line is cooled to prevent overheating of the at least one catalytic convertor.

2. The drive device according to claim 1, wherein the cooling device has at least one bypass heat exchanger assigned to the at least one bypass line by which heat is removed from the bypass exhaust gas flow flowing through the at least one bypass line, wherein at least one of: a liquid coolant flows through the at least one bypass heat exchanger, and the at least one bypass heat exchanger is formed by a component separate from the exhaust gas turbine.

3. The drive device according to claim 2, wherein the at least one bypass heat exchanger is part of a coolant circuit.

4. The drive device according to claim 2, wherein the at least one bypass heat exchanger is part of an energy recovery system, by which thermal energy of the exhaust gas is converted into a useable form of energy, wherein conversion of energy takes place by a thermodynamic cycle.

5. Drive device according to claim 1, further comprising: a control device by which an exhaust gas quantity conducted into the at least one bypass line is controllable depending on at least one control parameter, wherein the control device has at least one valve assigned to the at least one bypass line.

6. The drive device according to claim 5, wherein the control device has a control unit, by which the at least one valve is activatable to set at least one defined valve position, wherein at least one control parameter is formed by at least one of: a charging pressure of combustion air flowing through an intake tract of the internal combustion engine and an exhaust gas temperature in a region of the at least one catalytic convertor.

7. The drive device according to claim 5, wherein the at least one valve is formed by an air pressure actuable valve, wherein the at least one valve is connected in terms of flow to an intake tract of the internal combustion engine such that the at least one valve automatically opens and closes based at least in part on a charging pressure of combustion air flowing through the intake tract.

8. The drive device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of: the exhaust gas conducting-out region is arranged upstream of the exhaust gas turbine, and the exhaust gas conducting-in region is arranged downstream of the exhaust gas turbine.

9. The drive device according to claim 1, wherein the exhaust gas main line has an exhaust gas combining portion formed by at least one exhaust gas manifold by which a plurality of partial exhaust gas flows coming from the internal combustion engine are combined to form a single overall exhaust gas flow, wherein a combining region of the exhaust gas tract at which the plurality of partial exhaust gas flows are combined to form an overall exhaust gas flow is arranged at least one of: upstream of the exhaust gas turbine and upstream of the turbine wheel of the exhaust gas turbine.

10. The drive device according to claim 9, wherein at least one of: the at least one exhaust gas conducting-out region of the exhaust gas tract is arranged downstream of the exhaust gas flow combining region, in a defined near region in the region of the exhaust gas turbine, and the at least one exhaust gas conducting-out region of the exhaust gas tract is arranged upstream of the exhaust gas flow combining region.

11. The drive device according to claim 9, wherein at least one exhaust gas conducting-out region is provided at respective ones of a plurality of line portions of the exhaust gas main line, through which line portions a partial exhaust gas flow flows.

12. The drive device according to claim 1, wherein at least two exhaust gas turbochargers are provided, wherein the at least one exhaust gas conducting-out region is arranged upstream of the turbine wheels of the plurality of exhaust gas turbochargers, and in that the exhaust gas conducting-in region is arranged one of downstream of the turbine wheels of the plurality of exhaust gas turbochargers and between two turbine wheels of the plurality of exhaust gas turbochargers, as seen in the direction of flow of the exhaust gas.

13. The drive device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one catalytic convertor is formed by an SCR catalytic convertor, by which nitrogen oxides of the exhaust gas emitted by the internal combustion engine are reducible with ammonia as a reducing agent, wherein the SCR catalytic convertor has vanadium as an active component.

14. A method for operating a drive device, wherein the drive device has an internal combustion engine and an exhaust gas tract which is connected to the internal combustion engine, wherein the exhaust gas tract has an exhaust gas main line with at least one exhaust gas turbine of an exhaust gas turbocharger and at least one catalytic convertor arranged downstream of the exhaust gas turbine, as seen in the direction of flow of the exhaust gas, conducting via at least one bypass line of the exhaust gas tract at least some of the exhaust gas flowing through the exhaust gas tract is conducted past a turbine wheel of the exhaust gas turbine in such a manner that the exhaust gas is conducted out of the exhaust gas main line at at least one exhaust gas conducting-out region arranged upstream of the turbine wheel and conducted into the at least one bypass line; conducting bypass exhaust gas flow flowing through the at least one bypass line into the exhaust gas main line at an exhaust gas conducting-in region arranged downstream of the turbine wheel and upstream of the at least one catalytic convertor; and cooling, by a cooling device, the bypass exhaust gas flow flowing through the at least one bypass line to prevent overheating of the at least one catalytic convertor, wherein a control device is provided, by which an exhaust gas quantity conducted into at least one of the at least one bypass line and a cooling power of the cooling device is controlled depending on at least one control parameter.

15. A vehicle, with a drive device comprising: an internal combustion engine; an exhaust gas tract connected to the internal combustion engine, comprising: an exhaust gas main line with at least one exhaust gas turbine of an exhaust gas turbocharger; at least one catalytic convertor arranged downstream of the exhaust gas turbine, in a direction of flow of exhaust gas; and at least one bypass line, by which at least some of the exhaust gas flowing through the exhaust gas tract is conducted passed a turbine wheel of the exhaust gas turbine such that the exhaust gas is conducted out of the exhaust gas main line at at least one exhaust gas conducting-out region arranged upstream of the turbine wheel and is conducted into the at least one bypass line, and that a bypass exhaust gas flow flowing through the at least one bypass line is conducted again into the exhaust gas main line at an exhaust gas conducting-in region arranged downstream of the turbine wheel and upstream of the at least one catalytic convertor; and a cooling device by which the bypass exhaust gas flow flowing through the at least one bypass line is cooled to prevent overheating of the at least one catalytic convertor.

16. The drive device according to claim 3, the at least one bypass heat exchanger is incorporated into a coolant circuit for cooling the internal combustion engine.

17. The drive device according to claim 4, wherein the thermodynamic cycle is a Clausius-Rankine cycle.

18. The drive device according to claim 10, wherein at least one exhaust gas conducting-out region is provided at respective ones of a plurality of line portions of the exhaust gas main line, through which line portions a partial exhaust gas flow flows.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] The invention and its advantageous embodiments and/or developments and also the advantages thereof are explained in more detail merely by way of example below with reference to drawings.

[0029] In the drawings:

[0030] FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration, from which the construction of a drive device is clear;

[0031] FIG. 2 is an illustration according to FIG. 1, in which, in comparison to FIG. 1, a bypass exhaust gas flow through a bypass line of the drive device is opened out;

[0032] FIG. 3 is, in an illustration according to FIG. 2, of a drive device;

[0033] FIG. 4 is, in an illustration according to FIG. 2, a drive device;

[0034] FIG. 5 is, in an illustration according to FIG. 2, a drive device;

[0035] FIG. 6 is, in an illustration according to FIG. 2, a drive device;

[0036] FIG. 7 is, in an illustration according to FIG. 2, a drive device; and

[0037] FIG. 8 is, in a schematic illustration, part of a drive device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0038] FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of a first embodiment of a drive device 1 according to one aspect of the invention. The drive device 1 has an internal combustion engine 3 with, by way of example here, six cylinders, an intake tract 5, an exhaust gas tract 7 and a coolant circuit 9.

[0039] Combustion air 11 from the free surroundings is supplied here to the internal combustion engine 3 by the intake tract 5. The intake tract 5 has here, as seen in the flow direction of the air, a compressor 13 of an exhaust gas turbocharger 15, an air cooler 17 and a pressure sensor 19. The combustion air 11 drawing into the intake tract 5 is first of all compressed by the compressor 13. Subsequently, the compressed combustion air 11 is cooled by the air cooler 17 and is finally supplied to the internal combustion engine 3. The charging pressure of the combustion air 11 directly upstream of the internal combustion engine 3 is measured by the pressure sensor 19. The charging pressure measured by the pressure sensor 19 is then transmitted to a control unit 23 of the drive device 1, said control unit being connected to the pressure sensor 21 in terms of signalling.

[0040] Furthermore, an exhaust gas 25 emitted by the external combustion engine 3 is conducted into the free surroundings by the exhaust gas tract 7, which is connected to the internal combustion engine 3. The exhaust gas tract 7 here has a main exhaust gas line 26 which, as seen in the direction of flow of the exhaust gas, has an exhaust gas combining portion 27, an exhaust gas turbine 29 of the exhaust gas turbocharger 15, an injector 31, a temperature sensor 33 and an SCR catalytic convertor 35.

[0041] The partial exhaust gas flows, six here by way of example, coming from the cylinders of the internal combustion engine 3 are combined by the exhaust gas combining portion 27 to form a single overall exhaust gas flow. The exhaust gas combining portion 27 is formed here by way of example by a single exhaust gas manifold element which here by way of example has six inflow openings and a single outflow opening. In addition, a combining region 37 at which the partial exhaust gas flows are combined to form the overall exhaust gas flow is arranged here upstream of the exhaust gas turbine 29.

[0042] Furthermore, the exhaust gas turbine 29 of the exhaust gas turbocharger 15 is driven with the exhaust gas 25 flowing through the main exhaust gas line 26. Here by way of example, an aqueous urea solution can be injected into the main exhaust gas line 26 by the injector 31. The exhaust gas temperature immediately upstream of the SCR catalytic convertor 35 is measured by the temperature sensor 33 arranged here directly upstream of the SCR catalytic convertor 35. The exhaust gas temperature measured by the temperature sensor 33 is then transmitted to the control unit 23, which is connected in terms of signalling to the temperature sensor 33. By the SCR catalytic convertor 35, nitrogen oxides of the exhaust gas 25 emitted by the internal combustion engine 3 are reduced with ammonia as the reducing agent. The ammonia is provided here by the aqueous urea solution conducted into the main exhaust gas line 24 by the injector 31. In addition, the SCR catalytic convertor 35 has here by way of example vanadium as the active component.

[0043] As is furthermore clear from FIG. 1, the exhaust gas tract 7 also has a bypass line 39. By the bypass line 39, at least some of the exhaust gas 25 flowing through the exhaust gas tract 7 can be conducted past a turbine wheel 41 (FIG. 8) of the exhaust gas turbine 29. The exhaust gas 25 is conducted here out of the exhaust gas main line 26 at an exhaust gas conducting-out region 43 arranged downstream of the combining region 37 and upstream of the exhaust gas turbine 29 and conducted into the bypass line 39. At an exhaust gas conducting-in region 45 arranged downstream of the exhaust gas turbine 29 and upstream of the injector 31, the bypass exhaust gas flow flowing through the bypass line 39 is then conducted again into the exhaust gas main line 26.

[0044] According to FIG. 1, the bypass line 39 is also assigned here a heat exchanger 47, by which heat can be removed from the bypass exhaust gas flow flowing through the bypass line 39 or can be cooled by the bypass exhaust gas flow flowing through the bypass line 39. The bypass heat exchanger here is part of the coolant circuit 9 and a liquid coolant 49 of the coolant circuit 9 flows through it. By the coolant circuit 9, not only is the bypass exhaust gas flow, but also the internal combustion engine 3, cooled here. The coolant circuit 9 has the bypass heat exchanger 47, the internal combustion engine 3 and a coolant cooler 51, as seen in the direction of flow of the coolant.

[0045] As is furthermore shown in FIG. 1, the bypass line 39 is assigned a valve 53, which is by way of example a straight-way valve, by which the quantity of exhaust gas conducted into the bypass line 39 can be controlled. The valve 53 is arranged here upstream of the bypass heat exchanger 47, as seen in the direction of flow of the exhaust gas. In addition, the valve 53 which here by way of example is electrically actuable is connected in terms of signalling to the control unit 23, and therefore the valve 53 can be activated by the control unit 23. As a result, the valve opening or the valve position of the valve 53 can be controlled or set by the control unit 23 depending on the charging pressure detected by the pressure sensor 29 and the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 33. In FIG. 1, the valve 53 is in its closed position. In this closed position, the valve 53 blocks the bypass line 39, and therefore exhaust gas 25 cannot flow past the valve 53. In FIG. 2, the valve 53 is in its open position. In said open position, the exhaust gas can then flow past the valve 53 and can therefore flow via the exhaust gas turbine 29 and also via the bypass heat exchanger 47. The exhaust gas 25 flowing via bypass line 39 is then cooled by the bypass heat exchanger 47, as a result of which overheating of the SCR catalytic convertor 35 is effectively countered.

[0046] FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of the drive device 1 according to one aspect of the invention. In comparison to the first embodiment, which is shown in FIG. 2, the exhaust gas combining region 37 is not arranged upstream of the exhaust gas turbine 29, but rather directly at the exhaust gas turbine 29. In addition, the exhaust gas combining portion 27 is formed here by way of example by two separate exhaust gas manifold elements 57, of which each has here by way of example three inlet openings and a single outlet opening. Each exhaust gas manifold element 57 is connected here by flange connections to the internal combustion engine 3 and to the exhaust gas turbine 29. In addition, each exhaust gas manifold element 57 here also has a combining region 59 at which the partial exhaust gas flows flowing through the respective exhaust gas manifold element 57 are combined to form a single exhaust gas flow. In addition, the exhaust gas conducting-out region 43 is provided here at one of the two exhaust gas manifold elements 57 downstream of the connecting region 59 and upstream of the exhaust gas turbine 29.

[0047] FIG. 4 shows a third embodiment of the drive device 1. In comparison to the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, a further exhaust gas conducting-out region 61 is provided at the other of the two exhaust gas manifold elements 57 downstream of the combining region 59 and upstream of the exhaust gas turbine 29. At said exhaust gas conducting-out region 61, the exhaust gas 25 flowing through the exhaust manifold element 57 can then flow into a bypass line 63 which leads at a combining region 65 into the bypass line 39. The combining region 65 is arranged here upstream of the valve 53.

[0048] FIG. 5 shows a fourth embodiment of the drive device 1 according to the invention. In comparison to the first embodiment, which is shown in FIG. 2, the exhaust gas conducting-out region 43 is not arranged here downstream of the exhaust gas combining region 37, but rather upstream of the exhaust gas combining region 37. Specifically, the exhaust gas conducting-out region 43 is assigned here to an outer exhaust gas line 67 of the exhaust gas manifold element, through which exhaust gas line an outer partial exhaust gas flow of the internal combustion engine 3 flows. In addition, the valve 53 is formed here by a valve, which is actuable by air pressure. The valve 53 is connected here in terms of flow to the intake tract 3 of the internal combustion engine via a pressure line 68, and therefore the valve 53 automatically opens and closes depending on the charging pressure of the combustion air 11 flowing through the intake tract 3.

[0049] FIG. 6 shows a fifth embodiment of the drive device. In comparison to the first embodiment, shown in FIG. 2, the drive device 1 here has a further exhaust gas turbocharger 69. The exhaust gas turbocharger 69 forms a low pressure exhaust gas turbocharger here and has a low pressure exhaust gas turbine 71 arranged downstream of the exhaust gas turbine 29 and upstream of the exhaust gas conducting-in region 45, as seen in the direction of flow of the exhaust gas, and a low pressure compressor 73 arranged upstream of the compressor 13, as seen in the direction of flow of the combustion air. In addition, the exhaust gas turbocharger 15 forms a high pressure exhaust gas turbocharger here.

[0050] FIG. 7 shows a sixth embodiment of the drive device. In comparison to the embodiment which is shown in FIG. 6, the exhaust gas conducting-in region 45 is arranged here between the two exhaust gas turbines 29, 71 of the exhaust gas tract 7, as seen in the direction of flow of the exhaust gas. In addition, a further air cooler 75 is arranged here between the two compressors 13, 73, as seen in the direction of flow of the air.

[0051] FIG. 8 shows a seventh embodiment of the drive device 7. In comparison to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 7, the exhaust gas turbine 29 here additionally has a waste gate valve 77. A turbine housing 79 of the exhaust gas turbine 29 forms a valve seat 81 of the waste gate valve 77 here. In addition, the waste gate valve 77 has a valve body or sealing body 83 which is shiftable relative to the turbine housing 79.

[0052] 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.