Energy recovery system for an internal combustion engine

Abstract

An energy recovery system includes an exhaust line which is capable of collecting exhaust gas from an exhaust manifold of the engine and which is equipped with a particulate filter, a secondary line which is thermally linked with, but distinct from, the exhaust line, and which carries a fluid. The particulate filter has a filtering part in which exhaust gases can flow and a heat exchanging part in which the fluid can flow, the filtering part and heat exchanging part being arranged to transfer heat by conduction from the exhaust gases to said fluid. The secondary line is connected to energy recovery means capable of recovering energy from the heat.

1 . An energy recovery system for an internal combustion engine, the system comprising an exhaust line capable of collecting exhaust gases from an exhaust manifold of the engine, the exhaust line being equipped with a particulate filter, the system further comprises a secondary line which is thermally linked with, but distinct from, the exhaust line and which carries a fluid, in use, and in that the particulate filter has a filtering part in which exhaust gases can flow and a heat exchanging part in which the fluid can flow, the filtering part and heat exchanging part being arranged to transfer heat by conduction from the exhaust gases to the fluid, the secondary line being connected to energy recovery means which are capable of recovering energy from the heat. 
     
     
         2 . The system according to  claim 1 , the secondary line is a closed loop forming a Rankine thermodynamic cycle, the energy recovery means including:
 displacement means for moving a liquid towards the particulate filter, in which the liquid is evaporated into a gas;   a turbine located downstream from the particulate filter, capable of expanding the gas going out of the particulate filter;   a condenser located downstream from the turbine, capable of condensing the expanded gas into a liquid which is carried towards the displacement means.   
     
     
         3 . The system according to  claim 1 , the secondary line is an open loop forming a Brayton thermodynamic cycle, the energy recovery means including:
 a compressor located upstream from the particulate filter, capable of compressing a gas;   a turbine located downstream from the particulate filter, capable of expanding the gas going out of the particulate filter.   
     
     
         4 . The system according to  claim 1 , the energy recovery means comprise a thermoelectric generator and/or an endothermic reformer. 
     
     
         5 . The system according to  claim 1 , the particulate filter comprises a central filtering part and a heat exchanging area which surrounds at least partially the central filtering part and in which the fluid can flow. 
     
     
         6 . The system according to  claim 5 , the central filtering part comprises a silicon carbide (SiC) and/or a metallic foam. 
     
     
         7 . The system according to  claim 5 , the central filtering part and the heat exchanging area are housed in a canning, the canning being covered with an outer thermally insulating layer ( 11 ). 
     
     
         8 . An internal combustion engine, comprises a system according to  claim 1 .