Patent Application
20110006523
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and system for a more efficient waste heat recovery system. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method and system for a more efficient and dynamic waste heat recovery system in an automobile.
2. Description of the Related Art
With global energy prices increasing, the cost of operating an automobile for transportation also increases. The cost of operating an automobile may be affected by its weight and also fuel consumption efficiencies. However, traditional automobiles may be overweight and do not fully and efficiently utilize the fuel consumed by the automobile. For example, waste heat in the form of vapor stream may be generated during the consumption of fuel by a motor. Conventional methods and systems have attempted to generate energy from the vapor stream. However such methods and systems may not fully capture the energy potential of the vapor stream where the vapor stream is at certain conditions such as a low velocity. Furthermore, such methods and systems may generate too much energy, requiring that the energy be dissipated by other means, such as through a resistor. This can be problematic with either too little energy being generated or too much energy being generated.
Thus, there is a need for a method and system for a more efficient and dynamic waste heat recovery system in an automobile.
The present invention relates to a method and system for a more efficient and dynamic waste heat recovery system in an automobile. The present invention includes a heat exchanger in the automobile with variable pitch impellers attached to a shaft. The impellers rotate the shaft which is also connected to a generator. The pitch of the impellers can be dynamically varied to more fully capture the energy from a vapor stream received by the heat exchanger. Thus, the impellers can rotate during a variety of conditions of the vapor stream, such as low velocity conditions. The impellers can also be staggered to more fully capture the energy from the vapor stream and rotate the shaft.
The generator includes a rotor connected to the shaft. The rotor rotates within a stator when the shaft rotates. The stator includes windings with different thicknesses and different turn ratios allowing for generation of different energy levels by each of the windings. Each of the windings can be dynamically activated. The pitch of the impellers can be dynamically altered and the windings can be dynamically activated depending on energy requirements of an energy storage unit and/or accessories in the automobile.
The configuration of the impellers in the heat exchanger and the windings in the generator allows the generator to generate more energy from the vapor stream and also generates an amount of energy which more closely matches the energy requirements of the energy storage unit and/or accessories in the automobile.
In one embodiment, the present invention is an automobile including an engine, a heat exchanger receiving heat from the engine and generating a vapor stream, a vapor stream monitoring unit connected to the heat exchanger, the vapor stream monitoring unit generating vapor stream data, a control unit connected to the vapor stream monitoring unit receiving the vapor stream data, and a generator connected to the control unit and the heat exchanger and receiving the vapor stream. The generator can include a rotor, an impeller rotating the rotor from the vapor stream, and a stator surrounding the rotor, the stator including a first winding and a second winding, wherein the stator generates electricity when the rotor rotate. The present invention also includes a battery receiving the electricity from the generator.
In another embodiment, the present invention is an automobile including an engine, a heat exchanger receiving heat from an engine and generating a vapor stream, a vapor stream monitoring unit connected to the heat exchanger, the vapor stream monitoring unit generating vapor stream data, a control unit connected to the vapor stream monitoring unit receiving the vapor stream data, and a generator receiving the vapor stream from the heat exchanger. The generator can include a rotor, a controllable pitch impeller including a plurality of blades, the controllable pitch impeller rotating the rotor from the vapor stream, and a stator surrounding the rotor, the stator including a first winding, wherein the stator generates electricity when the rotor rotates. The present invention can also include a battery receiving the electricity from the generator.
In yet another embodiment, the present invention is a method for generating electricity in an automobile using a generator including generating a vapor stream using heat from an engine, rotating an impeller using the vapor stream, rotating a rotor surrounded by a stator and connected to the impeller, and generating electricity at a first winding in the stator from the rotation of the rotor within the stator.
The features, obstacles, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the detailed description set forth below when taken in conjunction with the drawings, wherein:
Apparatus, systems and methods that implement the embodiments of the various features of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. The drawings and the associated descriptions are provided to illustrate some embodiments of the present invention and not to limit the scope of the present invention. Throughout the drawings, reference numbers are re-used to indicate correspondence between referenced elements.
As seen in
The energy storage unit 110 can be, for example, a battery. The accessories 162 can be, for example, a music player, an air conditioning unit, a headlight, a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant, an electric outlet, a motor, or any other type of equipment or component which requires energy or stores energy. The waste heat from the engine 102 can be used, for example, by the heat exchanger 104 and the generator 108 to generate energy for the energy storage unit 110 and/or the accessories 162.
The engine control unit 112 is connected to the engine 102, the catalytic converter 160, the heat exchanger 104, the vapor stream monitoring unit 106, the generator 108, the energy storage unit 110, and the accessories 162. The engine control unit 112 can control and/or monitor the engine 102, the catalytic converter 160, the heat exchanger 104, the vapor stream monitoring unit 106, the generator 108, and the energy storage unit 110. The engine control unit 112 can also transmit information between each of the components of the automobile 100.
The engine 102 is connected to the heat exchanger 104 and the engine control unit 112. The engine 102 can be, for example, an internal combustion engine, a hydrogen engine, a natural gas engine, an ethanol engine, or any other type of engine sufficient to generate power to move the automobile 100. Once activated engine 102 generates heat during the combustion process and waste air is generated. The waste air from the combustion process is passed to the catalytic converter 160 and can have, for example, a temperature of about 1,600 degrees Fahrenheit. The engine 102 transfers the waste air to the catalytic converter 160.
The catalytic converter 160 is connected to the engine 102 and the engine control unit 112. The catalytic converter 160 receives the waste air from the engine 102 and cleans the waste air to reduce the toxicity of the waste air. This can be accomplished, for example, through chemical reactions. The catalytic converter 160 then transfers the waste air to the heat exchanger 104.
The heat exchanger 104 is connected to the catalytic converter 160, the vapor stream monitoring unit 106, the generator 108, and the engine control unit 112. As seen in
The vapor stream 140 is used to rotate impellers 118, 120, 122, and 124 in a direction 128 and exits the heat exchanger 104 as a vapor stream 142. In
Although impellers are used in
The staggering of the impellers 118, 120, 122, and 124 can be selected to improve the rotational speed and/or the torque of the shaft 116 based upon the operation of the generator 108 and/or the vapor stream 140. The impellers 118, 120, 122, and 124, can also be dynamically staggering and the staggering can be altered in the middle of operation depending on the vapor stream data, the operational requirements of the generator 108, the energy requirements of the energy storage unit 110, and/or the energy requirements of the accessories 162.
The impellers 118, 120, 122, and 124 are variable pitch impellers and each of the blades can rotate in a direction 130 to change the pitch of the impellers 118, 120, 122, and 124. The pitch of the impellers 118, 120, 122, and 124 can be modified by modifying the pitch of the blades of the impellers 118, 120, 122, and 124 using a pitch control system 126. The pitch control system 126 can be, for example, a push-pull system, a magnetic system, a chain system, a motorized system, a mechanized system, a gear system, or any other type of system which can change the pitch of the impellers 118, 120, 122, and 124. Furthermore, each of the blades of the impellers 118, 120, 122, and 124 can have a pitch different from the other blades of the impellers. By varying the pitch of the blades of the impellers 118, 120, 122, and 124, the impellers can be dynamically and strategically positioned to rotate the shaft 116 based upon the vapor stream data, the operational requirements of the generator 108, the energy requirements in the energy storage unit 110, and/or the energy requirements of the accessories 162.
The pitch of the blades of the impellers, such as the impeller 118, can be varied as shown in
To activate the winding 152 and/or the winding 154, a switch 164, in the generator 108, can be used as shown in
The winding 152 can have a smaller thickness than the winding 154 allowing for a larger turn ratio than the winding 154. By having a larger turn ratio, the winding 152 can generate a larger amount of power, such as 120 volts. The winding 154 with its smaller turn ratio can generate, for example, a smaller amount of power such as 12 volts.
The operational requirements of the generator 108 can depend, for example, on the activation of the winding 152 and/or the winding 154 can depend on the rotational speed of the shaft 116, the energy requirements of the energy storage unit 110, and/or the energy requirements of the accessories 162. The operational requirements of the generator 108 may be periodically or constantly updated by the ECU 112.
The winding 152 can be activated, for example, when a large amount of energy is needed by the energy storage unit 110 and/or the accessories 162. Thus, the winding 152 may be activated if the energy storage unit 110 is low and/or the accessories 162 are drawing a large amount of energy. The winding 154 can be activated, for example, when a small amount of energy is needed by the energy storage unit 110 and/or the accessories 162. Thus, the winding 154 may be activated if the energy storage unit 110 is near capacity and/or the accessories 162 are drawing a low amount of energy.
Furthermore, if an amount of energy larger than the amount the winding 152 can provide is required, then the winding 154 can be activated along with the winding 152. Furthermore, the amount of energy generated by the winding 152 and the winding 154 can be controlled by the rotation of the shaft 116 and the pitch of the blades of the impellers 118, 120, 122, and/or 124. The heat exchanger 104 and the generator 108 can cooperate to generate an energy amount required by the energy storage unit 110 and/or the accessories 162.
The cooperation between heat exchanger 104 and the generator 108 allows more energy to be extracted from the vapor stream 140 since dynamically varying the pitch of the blades of the impellers 118, 120, 122, and 124 and/or controlling the activation of the winding 152 and the winding 154 allows energy to be generated from a variety of conditions of the vapor stream 140. Whereas conventional methods and systems may have been unable to generate energy from certain conditions of the vapor stream 140, the heat exchanger 104 and the generator 108 allow energy generation from more conditions of the vapor stream 140. Also, whereas conventional methods and systems may have a reduced energy output during certain conditions of the vapor stream 140, the heat exchanger 104 and the generator 108 more fully captures the energy generation potential from the vapor stream 140.
For example, the pitch of the blades of the impellers 118, 120, 122, and 124 can be dynamically placed in a first position to rotate the shaft 116 when the vapor stream 140 has a low velocity. The pitch of the blades of the impellers 118, 120, 122, and 124 can be dynamically placed in a second position to rotate the shaft 116 when the vapor stream 140 has a high velocity.
Furthermore, the cooperation between the heat exchanger 104 and the generator 108 allow a more accurate amount of energy to be generated since the impellers 118, 120, 122, and 124 and/or the windings 152 and 154 can be dynamically controlled to reduce energy output even when the vapor stream 140 can support higher energy output. This reduces a necessity that a resistor or other device will be used to dump excess energy. With the reduced usage of the resistor, safety can be increased since the temperature of the resister will not be as high.
In another embodiment, the present invention can be embodied as a process shown in
In Step S906, a pitch of a plurality of blades in the impeller is controlled. For example, the ECU 112 can vary the pitch of the blades of the impellers 118, 120, 122, and/or 124 using the pitch control system 126 as shown in
In Step S910, a first winding and/or a second winding can be activated. For example, the winding 152 and/or the winding 154 in the stator 146 can be activated as shown in
Those of ordinary skill would appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and algorithm steps described in connection with the examples disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. Furthermore, the present invention can also be embodied on a machine readable medium causing a processor or computer to perform or execute certain functions.
To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the disclosed apparatus and methods.
The various illustrative logical blocks, units, modules, and circuits described in connection with the examples disclosed herein may be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.
The steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with the examples disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. The steps of the method or algorithm may also be performed in alternate order from those provided in the examples. A software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC). The ASIC may reside in a wireless modem. In the alternative, the processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in the wireless modem.
The previous description of the disclosed examples is provided to enable any person of ordinary skill in the art to make or use the disclosed methods and apparatus. Various modifications to these examples will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the principles defined herein may be applied to other examples without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosed method and apparatus. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive and the scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.
