GB2403771A

GB2403771A - Utilising heat of exhaust system of vehicle i.c. engine

Info

Publication number: GB2403771A
Application number: GB0315808A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Stephen Soos
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2003-07-05
Filing date: 2003-07-05
Publication date: 2005-01-12
Also published as: GB0315808D0

Abstract

In a land, sea or air vehicle in which hot food or beverages are dispensed or retailed, heat for a water boiler 15, an oven 16 and a bain-marie 17 is taken from the manifold or downpipe 10 of the engine exhaust system of the vehicle by pumping oil around a circuit which includes a jacket 11, eg of copper, around the downpipe 10 and heat exchangers associated with the respective items of equipment 15,16,17. The speed of the pump 19 may be variable and each item of equipment may have a thermostat. Thus the danger of carrying fuel especially for the equipment is avoided and using otherwise wasted exhaust heat is ecologically desirable.

Description

"Utilising Heat of Exhaust System of Internal Combustion Engine" The

exhaust system of an internal combustion engine wastes an enormous amount of heat.

"Exhaust system" as used herein and in the appended claims means the pipe or pipes through which spent gases are expelled from an internal combustion engine, at least one silencer manifold being included in such a pipe. It is usually desirable to have the ability to heat the interior of a vehicle driven by the engine and there are vehicles which have in their interiors equipment such as water boilers and ovens which require a source of heat. As used herein and in the appended claims "vehicle" is intended to embrace water as well as land craft and air craft other than jet aircraft or aircraft with air cooled engines. Ships large and small have ovens and there are commercial land vehicles which transport, dispense and retail hot food and drink and which have in their interiors equipment for the purpose such as ovens, Bains Marie and boilers.

A principal object of the present invention is to utilise heat of an exhaust system which would otherwise be wasted to provide a heat source for such equipment, making independent sources of heat such as gas burners either redundant or of less importance.

The transport of fuel such as gas or oil for burning in such equipment represents an unavoidable danger and the dissipation of heat from a vehicle exhaust system is ecologically undesirable as well as wasteful of fuel.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of utilising the waste heat of the exhaust system of an internal combustion engine of a vehicle which comprises jacketting at least a portion of said system in a fluid housing and passing a fluid between the housing and a heat exchanger located in the body of the vehicle.

Said portion preferably comprises the manifold and/or the downpipe of the exhaust system.

Said fluid is preferably oil, and is preferably a thermo conductive heating oil with high carbonization point, high ignition point and low expansion rate.

The housing and heat exchanger are preferably included in a fluid circuit which also includes a pump. The circuit preferably also includes an expansion tank upstream of the pump.

Said heat exchanger may be the source of heat for a water boiler, an oven or a Bains Marie.

Any number of heat exchangers may be included in the same circuit to provide heat for respective items of equipment.

The boiler, oven and the Bains Marie may be located in the body of a commercial vehicle used for transporting, dispensing and/or retailing hot food and/or beverages.

Preferably the manifold and/or the downpipe of the exhaust system of the internal combustion engine of said vehicle is or are jacketted by a copper housing having an internal rib or ribs to produce a spiral flow of fluid through the housing between an inlet and an outlet thereof.

The inlet and outlet of the housing are preferably included in a fluid circuit which also includes a pump, and means is preferably provided to vary the pump pressure thereby to control the amount of heat collected by the fluid.

Plural heat exchangers within the body of the vehicle may be included in the circuit, each heat exchanger being associated with a thermostat controlling the rate of flow of the fluid through said heat exchanger and/or a fan to maintain said heat exchanger within a predetermined temperature range.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of non limitative example with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a flow diagram illustrating a fluid circuit in accordance with the present invention.

The downpipe 10 of the exhaust system of an internal combustion engine (not shown) is shrouded by a copper jacket 11. Between an inlet 12 and an outlet 13 of the jacket 11 a helical rib 14 within the jacket will produce a helical flow of a fluid pumped through the jacket. s

In the present example the internal combustion engine is the prime mover of a road vehicle used for retailing hot food and beverages. The body of the vehicle is provided with a water boiler 15, an oven 16 and a Bains Marie 17. These are all included in an oil circuit which also indudes the jacket 11, an expansion tank 18 and a pump 19. Pump 19 pumps oil in the direction of arrow A through the jacket 11 and thence in turn to respective heat exchangers of the boiler 15, oven 16 and Bains Marie 17. Finally the oil passes through the expansion tank 18 before returning to the pump 19.

Each of the boiler 15, oven 16 and Bains Marie 17 may be provided with a thermostat (not shown) controlling the rate of flow of oil through the respective heat exchanger to maintain the respective item of equipment within a predetermined temperature range. Fans (not shown) may also be provided for cooling purposes. The speed ofthe pump 19 may also be variable to vary heat delivery to the equipment.

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. A method of utilising the waste heat of the exhaust system of

an internal combustion engine of a vehicle which comprises jacketting at least a portion of said system in a fluid housing and passing a fluid between the housing and a heat exchanger located in the body of the vehicle.
2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said portion comprises the manifold of the exhaust system.
3. A method as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said portion comprises the down pipe of the exhaust system.
4. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said fluid is oil.
5. A method as claimed in claim 4, wherein said oil is a thermo conductive heating oil with high carbonization point, high ignition point and low expansion rate.
6. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the housing and heat exchanger are included in a fluid circuit which also includes a pump.
7. A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the circuit includes an expansion tank upstream of the pump.
8. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the heat exchanger is the source of heat for a water boiler
9. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the heat exchanger is the source of heat for an oven. l
10. A method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the circuit also includes a Bains Marie.
11. A method as claimed in claim 9 or claim 10, wherein the oven or the oven and the Bains Marie are located in the body of a commercial vehicle used for transporting, dispensing and/or retailing hot food and/or beverages.
12. A vehicle equipped with apparatus for carrying out the method of any one of the preceding claims.
13. A vehicle as claimed in claim 12, wherein the manifold and/or the downpipe of the exhaust system of the internal combustion engine of the vehicle is or are jacketted by a copper housing having an internal rib or ribs to produce a spiral flow of fluid through the housing between an inlet and an outlet thereof.
14. A vehicle as claimed in claim 12 or claim 13, wherein the inlet and outlet of the housing are included in a fluid circuit which also includes a pump, and wherein means is provided to vary the pump pressure thereby to control the amount of heat collected by the fluid.
15. A vehicle as claimed in claim 14 wherein plural heat exchangers within the body of the vehicle are included in the circuit, each heat exchanger being associated with a thermostat controlling the rate of flow of the fluid through said heat exchanger and/or a fan to maintain said heat exchanger within a predetermined temperature range.
16. A method of utilising the waste heat of the exhaust system of an internal combustion engine of a vehicle substantially as hereinbefore described.
17. Apparatus for carrying out the method claimed in any one of claims 111 and 16 substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawing.