Combustion chambers for internal combustion engines equipped with a turbo-compressor unit with reheating upstream of the turbine

Claim 2

Combustion chamber for a turbo-compressor unit associated with an internal combustion engine operable for reheating gases upstream of the turbine of said turbo-compressor unit, said combustion chamber being adapted to be supplied with fuel and at the same time by exhaust gases emerging from the engine and by fresh air taken through a bypass pipe connected between the outlet of the compressor and the inlet of said turbine of said turbo-compressor unit in bypass relation to the engine, said combustion chamber comprising a tubular element having a closed end and an open end, at least one fuel injector located toward the closed end of the tubular element, a primary air intake conduit adapted to communicate with said bypass pipe and having an outlet arranged to introduce fresh air into the tubular element in a combustion zone in the vicinity of its closed end, an exhaust gas intake conduit adapted to communicate with the exhaust outlet of the engine and having an oulet arranged to introduce the exhaust gases into the tubular element in the neighborhood of its open end at a mixing zone located downstream of said combustion zone and wherein the primary air or the products of combustion thereof with the fuel first meet the exhaust gases, said exhaust gas conduit outlet being oriented to effect said introduction with minimum load loss and in the direction of the open end of said tubular element, and a secondary air intake conduit adapted to communicate with said bypass pipe and having an outlet arranged to introduce fresh air into the tubular element downstream of the upstream end of said mixing zone, said secondary air conduit outlet being arranged to introduce fresh air in the form of a jet stream oriented in a direction transverse to the flow of the exhaust gases in said mixing zone such that the flow of secondary air into said mixing zone is opposed by the flow of the exhaust gases in said mixing zone whereby the interaction of the secondary air jet stream with the exhaust gas stream varies the ratio of primary air to secondary air entering said tubular element in accordance with the flow of exhaust gases into said mixing zone.

Claim 3

The combustion chamber set forth in claim 1 wherein said primary air intake conduit defines a primary space surrounding the closed end of the tubular element, said tubular element having a plurality of orifices distributed regularly over its circumference for admitting primary air from sAid primary space into said combustion zone.

Claim 4

The combustion chamber set forth in claim 2 wherein said exhaust gas intake conduit defines a space of annular shape intermediate said primary space and said secondary air conduit and wherein said exhaust conduit outlet is connected to the tubular element downstream of the primary space.

Claim 5

The combustion chamber set forth in claim 3 wherein said exhaust conduit outlet comprises an annular orifice.

Claim 6

The combustion chamber set forth in claim 1 wherein the secondary air intake conduit defines a secondary space surrounding at least a portion of said exhaust conduit, and said secondary air conduit outlet comprises a plurality of orifices arranged in the downstream portion of said exhaust conduit and oriented such that the secondary air is introduced into said mixing zone in the form of a circumferentially distributed array of jets directed into the flow of exhaust gases in said mixing zone in a direction generally radially of the axis of said tubular element, said exhaust gases flowing generally axially of said tubular element in said mixing zone.

Claim 7

The combustion chamber set forth in claim 5 wherein said exhaust gas intake conduit defines a space of annular shape intermediate said primary conduit and said secondary air conduit and wherein said exhaust conduit outlet is connected to the tubular element downstream of the primary conduit.

Claim 8

The combination set forth in claim 6 wherein said secondary conduit is connected to said primary conduit by passages traversing said intermediate space of said exhaust conduit.

Claim 9

The combustion chamber set forth in claim 6 wherein said primary air conduit has a streamlined shape around which are arranged an upstream portion of said exhaust conduit and an upstream portion of said secondary air conduit, these upstream conduit portions having a continuous shape leading to their connections respectively to the exhaust pipe and to the bypass pipe.

Claim 10

The combustion chamber set forth in claim 8 wherein the downstream portion of said exhaust conduit is connected to the tubular element by a conduit of frustoconic shape convergent towards the open end of the tubular element and encircling the outlet of said combustion zone.

Claim 11

The combustion chamber set forth in claim 9 wherein the downstream portion of said secondary air conduit is connected to the tubular element by having an air deflecting shape for deflecting secondary air into said secondary conduit outlet orifices in the direction of the axis of the tubular element.

Claim 12

In combination, an internal combustion engine and a combustion chamber as defined in claim 1.

Claim 13

In combination, a diesel engine and a combustion chamber as defined in claim 1.

Claim 14

In combination, a supercharged internal combustion engine of the expansible chamber type comprising a turbo-compressor with at least one compressor and at least one turbine for driving said compressor, a bypass pipe communicating with the outlet of said compressor and with the turbine inlet, said engine having a combustion chamber system connected between said compressor and said turbine such that said engine combustion chamber system is in parallel air flow relation with said bypass pipe, an auxiliary combustion chamber operable for reheating gases upstream of said turbine, said auxiliary combustion chamber being supplied with fuel and at the same time by exhaust gases emerging from said engine combustion chamber system and by fresh air taken through said bypass pipe, said auxiliary combustion chamber comprising a tubular element having a closed end and an open end, at least one fuel injector located toward the closed end of the tubular element, a primary air intake conduit communicating with said bypass pipe and having an outlet arranged to introduce fresh air into the tubular element in a combustion zone in the vicinity of its closed end, an exhaust gas intake conduit communicating with the exhaust outlet of said engine combustion chamber system and having an outleT arranged to introduce the exhaust gases into the tubular element in the neighborhood of its open end at a mixing zone located downstream of said combustion zone and wherein the primary air or the products of combustion thereof with the fuel first meet the exhaust gases, said exhaust gas conduit outlet being oriented to effect said introduction with minimum load loss and in the direction of the open end of said tubular element, and a secondary air intake conduit communicating with said bypass pipe and having an outlet arranged to introduce fresh air into the tubular element downstream of the upstream end of said mixing zone, said secondary air conduit outlet being arranged to introduce fresh air in the form of a jet stream oriented in a direction transverse to the flow of the exhaust gases in said mixing zone such that the flow of secondary air into said mixing zone is opposed by the flow of the exhaust gases in said mixing zone whereby the interaction of the secondary air jet stream with the exhaust gas stream varies the ratio of primary air to secondary air entering said tubular element in accordance with the flow of exhaust gases into said mixing zone.

Claim 15

In combination, a supercharged internal combustion engine of the expansible chamber type comprising a turbo-compressor with at least one compressor and at least one turbine for driving said compressor, a bypass pipe communicating with the outlet of said compressor and with the turbine inlet, said engine having a combustion chamber system connected between said compressor and said turbine such that said engine combustion chamber system is in parallel air flow relation with said bypass pipe, an auxiliary combustion chamber operable for reheating gases upstream of said turbine, said auxiliary combustion chamber being supplied with fuel and at the same time by exhaust gases emerging from said engine combustion chamber system and by fresh air taken through said bypass pipe, said auxiliary combustion chamber comprising a tubular element having a closed end and an open end, at least one fuel injector located toward the closed end of the tubular element, a primary air intake conduit communicating with said bypass pipe and having an outlet arranged to introduce fresh air into the tubular element in a combustion zone in the vicinity of its closed end, an exhaust gas intake conduit communicating with the exhaust outlet of said engine combustion chamber system and having an outleT arranged to introduce the exhaust gases into the tubular element in the neighborhood of its open end at a mixing zone located downstream of said combustion zone and wherein the primary air or the products of combustion thereof with the fuel first meet the exhaust gases, said exhaust gas conduit outlet being oriented to effect said introduction with minimum load loss and in the direction of the open end of said tubular element, and a secondary air intake conduit communicating with said bypass pipe and having an outlet arranged to introduce fresh air into the tubular element downstream of the upstream end of said mixing zone, said secondary air conduit outlet being arranged to introduce fresh air in the form of a jet stream oriented in a direction transverse to the flow of the exhaust gases in said mixing zone such that the flow of secondary air into said mixing zone is opposed by the flow of the exhaust gases in said mixing zone whereby the interaction of the secondary air jet stream with the exhaust gas stream varies the ratio of primary air to secondary air entering said tubular element in accordance with the flow of exhaust gases into said mixing zone.

Claim 16

The combination set forth in claim 13 wherein said primary air intake conduit defines a primary space surrounding the closed end of the tubular element, said tubular element having orifice means for admitting primary air from said primary space into said combustion zone.

Claim 17

The combination set forth in claim 14 wherein said exhaust gas intake conduit defines a space of annular shape intermediate said primary space and said secondary air conduit and wherein said exhaust conduit outlet is connected to the tubular element downstream of the primary space.

Claim 18

The combination set forth in claim 15 wherein said exhaust conduit outlet comprises an annular orifice.

Claim 19

The combination set forth in claim 16 wherein the secondary air intake conduit defines aecondary space surrounding at least a portion of said exhaust conduit, and said secondary air conduit outlet comprises a plurality of orifices arranged in the downstream portion of said exhaust conduit and oriented such that the secondary air is introduced into said mixing zone in the form of a circumferentially distributed array of jets directed into the flow of exhaust gases in said mixing zone in a direction generally radially of the axis of said tubular element, said exhaust gases flowing generally axially of said tubular element in said mixing zone.

Claim 20

The combination set forth in claim 17 wherein said secondary conduit is connected to said primary conduit by passages traversing said intermediate space of said exhaust conduit.

Claim 21

The combination set forth in claim 18 wherein said primary air conduit has a streamlined shape around which are arranged an upstream portion of said exhaust conduit and an upstream portion of said secondary air conduit.

Claim 22

The combination set forth in claim 19 wherein the downstream portion of said exhaust conduit is connected to the tubular element by a conduit of frustoconic shape convergent towards the open end of the tubular element and encircling the outlet of said combustion zone.

Claim 23

The combination set forth in claim 20 wherein the downstream portion of said secondary air conduit is connected to the tubular element by having an air deflecting shape for deflecting secondary air into said secondary conduit outlet orifices in the direction of the axis of the tubular element.