Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F01—MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; ENGINE PLANTS IN GENERAL; STEAM ENGINES
  • F01D—NON-POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, e.g. STEAM TURBINES
  • F01D17/00—Regulating or controlling by varying flow
  • F01D17/10—Final actuators
  • F01D17/12—Final actuators arranged in stator parts
  • F01D17/14—Final actuators arranged in stator parts varying effective cross-sectional area of nozzles or guide conduits
  • F01D17/16—Final actuators arranged in stator parts varying effective cross-sectional area of nozzles or guide conduits by means of nozzle vanes
  • F01D17/165—Final actuators arranged in stator parts varying effective cross-sectional area of nozzles or guide conduits by means of nozzle vanes for radial flow, i.e. the vanes turning around axes which are essentially parallel to the rotor centre line
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
  • F02B—INTERNAL-COMBUSTION PISTON ENGINES; COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL
  • F02B37/00—Engines characterised by provision of pumps driven at least for part of the time by exhaust
  • F02B37/12—Control of the pumps
  • F02B37/24—Control of the pumps by using pumps or turbines with adjustable guide vanes
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02T—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION
  • Y02T10/00—Road transport of goods or passengers
  • Y02T10/10—Internal combustion engine [ICE] based vehicles
  • Y02T10/12—Improving ICE efficiencies

Definitions

• the present invention relates to variable geometry turbine vanes for turbochargers.
• a turbocharger basically comprises a compressor and a turbine coupled together, generally with a common shaft. Engine exhaust gases are fed into the compressor and rotate the compressor and the common shaft. This drives the turbine which is used to force air into the engine to enhance its performance.
• variable geometry turbines have the disadvantage that leakage of gases occurs from the low pressure outer (relative to the axis for rotation) side of the vanes which is detrimental to their performance.
• Vanes on previous variable geometry turbines also suffer from the disadvantage that they are only able to pivot about a region roughly half-way along the length of the vane. This contributes to the need for a gap at the side of the vanes because of the deformation along the vanes side edge, over which leakage of gas, and hence loss of efficiency, can occur.
• a variable geometry turbine vane for a turbocharger comprising at least one side plate extending radially from the vane.
• the side plate can be used to restrict the flow of gas around the side of the vane or for mounting attachments to the vane.
• the side plates will extend radially outwardly from the vane in order that the gas flow around the side of the vane can be restricted as much as possible.
• the vane may comprise a leading edge and a trailing edge relative to the gases passing over it.
• the vane additionally comprises a pivot point in the region of the trailing edge of the vane, about which pivot point the vane can pivot in use.
• the present invention also provides a variable geometry turbine wheel for a turbocharger, the turbine wheel comprising a plurality of vanes as referred to above in relation to the first aspect of the present invention.
• the vanes cooperate to provide a substantially contiguous side wall around the turbine wheel to restrict the flow of gas around the side of the vanes of the wheel.
• the vanes comprise side plates extending radially inwardly, in which side plates are provided relief areas with which the pivot point of an adjacent vane cooperates.
• the vanes additionally comprise relief areas whereby the vanes are capable of nesting into one another.
• the vanes are so shaped that the flow of gases over the vanes results in a side pressure on the side plates whereby the side plates are compressed together to enhance the seal of the side plates against side ways leakage.
• the vanes additionally include an axial extension comprising an actuator lever which can be moved by an actuator ring to control the attitude of the vane relative to the gas flow.
• an actuator ring is provided adjacent to the variable geometry turbine to control the aspect of the vanes.
• Figure 1 is a plan view of a turbocharger.
• Figure 2 is an enlarged view of a series of turbine vanes in accordance with the present invention, forming part of the turbine.
• Figure 3 is a side view of an actuator ring for use with the turbine wheel shown in Figure 2.
• Figure 4 is a further enlarged perspective view of one of the turbine vanes shown in Figure 2.
• Figure 5 is a side view of the turbine vane shown in Figure 4.
• Figures 6 and 7 are schematic side views of an adjacent pair of turbine vanes as shown in Figures 4 and 5, illustrating the operation of the present invention.
• turbocharger 2 comprising a turbocharger body 4 including a turbine inlet 6, a turbine outlet 8, a compressor inlet 10 and a compressor outlet 12 as is conventional in the art.
• the turbine wheel 14 comprises a turbine axis 16 from which extend nine turbine wheel blades 18 each of which supports a turbine vane 20.
• the vanes 20, each of which are substantially similar, are described in more detail below in relation to Figures 4 to 7 to which reference is now made.
• Each vane 20 comprises a vane body 22 curved and tapered as is well known in the art.
• the vane body 22 comprises a leading edge 24 and a trailing edge 26 (relative to the gas flow over the vane 20 in use).
• Between the leading 24 and trailing 26 edges of the vane 20 are outer 28 and inner 30 faces, and side faces 32.
• the outer vane surface 28 is the low pressure side of the vane 20
• the inner vane surface 30 is the high pressure side of the vane 20 which is nearer to the turbine axis 16 than the outer surface 28.
• each side plate 34, 36 comprises a sealing element 38 extending outwardly (relative to the axis 16) from the outer face 28, a wing 40 extending inwardly from the inner face 30 and a relief area 42.
• a bearing 44 is provided in the relief area 42 adjacent to the trailing edge 26.
• an actuator lever 46 is provided on the sealing element 38.
• gaps 48 the purpose of which is explained below.
• Figure 6 shows two vanes nested together in a "closed” configuration.
• the bearings 44 of one vane 20 fit into the gaps 48 of the adjacent vane 20, and the wings 40 of one vane 20 fit over the relief areas 42 of the adjacent vane 20.
• These nesting configurations are repeated all around the turbine wheel 14 as can be seen in Figure 2.
• the sealing elements 38 provide a contiguous side wall extending radially outwardly from the side faces 32 of the vane bodies
• Figure 2 shows the turbine wheel 14 with the vanes 20 in their
• An actuator ring 50 shown in Figure 3 is mounted adjacent to the turbine wheel 14 on a common axis.
• the actuator ring 50 can be driven independently of the turbine wheel 14 as is well known in the art.
• the actuator ring 50 can be rotated relative to the turbine wheel 14 such that the actuator levers 46 move outwardly relative to the turbine axis 16 along slots 52 in the actuator ring 50.
• the nine slots 52 in the actuator ring 50 engage the nine actuator levers 46 of the turbine wheel 14.
• the vanes 20 pivot relatively freely about bearings 44.
• the vanes 20 can, in this way, be pivoted to the configuration shown in Figure 7.
• FIG 7 shows the "open" configuration of the vanes 20. It will be appreciated that in this "open” position the attitude of the vane and bodies 22 relative to the gas flow is different to that achieved in the "closed” position shown in Figure 6.
• the sealing elements 38 still provide a contiguous side wall to restrict the flow of gases around the side edges of the vanes 20.
• the upper (radially outward) edges of the sealing elements 38 are, in this "open” configuration, proximate to the inside of the turbocharger body 4 restricting further the flow of gas around the turbine wheel 14.
• the turbine wheel 14 provides a substantially contiguous side wall on each side of the vanes 20 restricting the flow of gases around the sides of the vanes 20.
• the relief areas 42 extending from the side 32 of the vane body 22, are used to provide convenient pivot points (comprising bearings 44) in the vicinity of the trailing edge 26 of d e vane body 22 to enhance the control and performance of the turbine wheel 14.
• each turbine 20 experiences an outwards, sideways (relative to the vane body 22) force by virtue of the action of the gases against the sealing elements 38.
• This force induces the relief area 42 of each vane 20 to be urged towards the inside of the wing 40 of its adjacent trailing vane 20. In this way, the contiguous seal against flow of gases over the side of the vanes 20 is enhanced.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Supercharger (AREA)
• Control Of Turbines (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=10767628

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (5)

Families Citing this family (5)

Family Cites Families (3)

• 1995
  • 1995-01-05 GB GBGB9500148.3A patent/GB9500148D0/en active Pending
• 1996
  • 1996-01-02 EP EP96900028A patent/EP0801708A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 1996-01-02 WO PCT/GB1996/000001 patent/WO1996021094A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 1996-01-02 JP JP8520807A patent/JPH11504092A/ja active Pending
• 1997
  • 1997-07-02 FI FI972838A patent/FI972838A0/fi not_active Application Discontinuation

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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