US-12624651-B2 - Internal combustion engine

Abstract

An internal combustion engine includes a centrifuge, a centrifuge pump, and a controller. The centrifuge is configured to separate foreign particles from a lubricant, wherein the centrifuge is so designed that a lubricant volumetric flow directed into the centrifuge produces and/or maintains a rotational movement of the centrifuge. The centrifuge pump is configured to produce and/or increase the lubricant volumetric flow directed into the centrifuge. A controller is configured to provide control of the centrifuge pump according to a setpoint value for a kinematic operating parameter and/or for a setting parameter of the centrifuge pump. The controller is configured to gradually change the setpoint value for control of the centrifuge pump upon shutdown or starting of the centrifuge pump.

Inventors

• Gunther WALL
• Wolfgang Madl
• Johannes Laubach
• Peter Feyrsinger
• Helmuth Steinhardt
• Manfred Maderbock

Assignees

• INNIO JENBACHER GMBH & CO OG

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20240604

Claims (20)

1. 1 . A method, comprising: controlling a fluid flow into a centrifuge to drive a rotational movement of the centrifuge, wherein the centrifuge is configured to separate an undesirable substance from a fluid in the fluid flow via the rotational movement of the centrifuge; and changing the fluid flow into the centrifuge via a flow control upstream of the centrifuge at least during a transient operation of the centrifuge to reduce instabilities of the centrifuge.
2. 2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the transient operation comprises a startup or a shutdown of the centrifuge.
3. 3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein changing the fluid flow via the flow control upstream of the centrifuge comprises gradually increasing the fluid flow during the startup or gradually decreasing the fluid flow during the shutdown of the centrifuge.
4. 4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein changing the fluid flow via the flow control upstream of the centrifuge comprises deducting or adding at most one revolution per second to the rotational movement of the centrifuge.
5. 5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein changing the fluid flow via the flow control upstream of the centrifuge comprises changing a rotary frequency of a fluid pump supplying the fluid flow by between 0.5 Hz/s and 3 Hz/s.
6. 6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the centrifuge is driven only by the fluid flow supplied by the flow control upstream of the centrifuge.
7. 7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the fluid comprises a lubricant and the undesirable substance comprises particles.
8. 8 . The method of claim 1 , comprising supplying the fluid flow from an engine to the centrifuge, and returning the fluid from the centrifuge to the engine.
9. 9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the engine comprises a reciprocating piston engine, and the flow control is configured to supply the fluid flow to the centrifuge independent from and/or without operation of the reciprocating piston engine.
10. 10 . The method of claim 8 , wherein supplying the fluid flow from the engine to the centrifuge comprises supplying the fluid flow from a backflush line of a backflush filter, a discharge of a lubricant reservoir, a lubricant return line from an oil mist separator of a crankcase breather system, a lubricant return line from a turbocharger, or a combination thereof, of the engine.
11. 11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the flow control comprises a fluid pump upstream of the centrifuge, and changing the fluid flow at least during the transient operation comprises controlling a setpoint value for the fluid pump.
12. 12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the fluid pump is separate from a lubricant pump coupled to a lubricant reservoir, and the fluid pump is configured to supply the fluid flow into a plurality of centrifuges in a parallel configuration.
13. 13 . A system, comprising: a controller configured to: control a fluid flow into a centrifuge to drive a rotational movement of the centrifuge, wherein the centrifuge is configured to separate an undesirable substance from a fluid in the fluid flow via the rotational movement of the centrifuge; and change the fluid flow into the centrifuge via a flow control upstream of the centrifuge at least during a transient operation of the centrifuge to reduce instabilities of the centrifuge.
14. 14 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the transient operation comprises a startup or a shutdown of the centrifuge, the flow control comprises a fluid pump upstream of the centrifuge, and the controller is configured to change the fluid flow via the flow control upstream of the centrifuge at least by gradually increasing the fluid flow during the startup or gradually decreasing the fluid flow during the shutdown of the centrifuge.
15. 15 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the controller is configured to change the fluid flow via the flow control upstream of the centrifuge to deduct or add at most one revolution per second to the rotational movement of the centrifuge, or to change a rotary frequency of a fluid pump supplying the fluid flow by between 0.5 Hz/s and 3 Hz/s, or a combination thereof.
16. 16 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the centrifuge is driven only by the fluid flow supplied by the flow control upstream of the centrifuge.
17. 17 . The system of claim 13 , comprising an engine having one or more fluid lines supplying the fluid flow to the centrifuge.
18. 18 . A system, comprising: a centrifuge configured to receive a fluid flow into the centrifuge to drive a rotational movement of the centrifuge, wherein the centrifuge is configured to separate an undesirable substance from a fluid in the fluid flow via the rotational movement of the centrifuge; and a fluid supply comprising a flow control upstream of the centrifuge, wherein the flow control is configured to change the fluid flow into the centrifuge at least during a transient operation of the centrifuge to reduce instabilities of the centrifuge.
19. 19 . The system of claim 18 , comprising an engine comprising the fluid supply, wherein the transient operation comprises a startup or a shutdown of the centrifuge, the flow control comprises a fluid pump upstream of the centrifuge, and the fluid pump is configured to change the fluid flow at least by gradually increasing the fluid flow during the startup or gradually decreasing the fluid flow during the shutdown of the centrifuge.
20. 20 . The system of claim 19 , wherein the fluid supply comprises a backflush line of a backflush filter, a discharge of a lubricant reservoir, a lubricant return line from an oil mist separator of a crankcase breather system, a lubricant return line from a turbocharger, or a combination thereof, of the engine.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 17/618,388, filed on Dec. 10, 2021, which is a National Stage entry from, and claims benefit of, PCT Application No. PCT/AT2019/060193, filed on Jun. 12, 2019; entitled “INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.” BACKGROUND The present application concerns an internal combustion engine having the features of the classifying portion described below. Internal combustion engines of the general kind set forth include: at least one centrifuge for separating foreign particles from a lubricant, wherein the at least one centrifuge is so designed that a lubricant volumetric flow directed into the at least one centrifuge produces and/or maintains a rotational movement of the at least one centrifuge,at least one centrifuge pump for producing and/or increasing the lubricant volumetric flow directed into the at least one centrifuge, andan open-loop or closed-loop control device for open-loop and/or closed-loop control of the at least one centrifuge pump according to a setpoint value for a kinematic operating parameter and/or for a setting parameter of the centrifuge pump. An internal combustion engine having an oil centrifuge is known, for example, from DE 10 2015 204 293 A1. Further embodyments known by the state of the art are disclosed, for example, by DE 10 2015 211 103 A1, DE 10 2017 000 427 A1, DE 10 2017 006 348 A1, U.S. Pat. No. 6,620,090 B2, and DE 296 09 980 U1. Centrifuges are particularly well suited for separating foreign particles in a lubricant, which are present in the lubricant in large amounts, more specifically in dependence on the difference in density between the medium and the particles, and irrespective of the size of the foreign particles. Many situations involve using centrifuges, which are driven by the pressure in the lubricant to be centrifuged (e.g., in the lubricant volumetric flow directed into the centrifuge) or by the backpressure caused by the medium issuing at tangential outlet bores at the centrifuge rotor. It is also known for the centrifuge to be of a self-lubricated design, that is to say, the lubricant to be centrifuged is also used for lubricating the centrifuge rotor. Centrifuges are also known, which are driven directly externally, for example, by means of an electric motor. Particularly, when dedicated centrifuge pumps are used in order to generate or boost the lubricant volumetric flow directed into the centrifuge, the problem which arises in that respect is that, for example, when the centrifuge pump is shut down, the pressure in the lubricant to be centrifuged suddenly decreases greatly because the centrifuge pump is no longer being driven. That also has the consequence that lubrication of the rotor of the centrifuge, based on the described principle of self-lubrication, is no longer adequate. As those centrifuges are operated at very high rotary speeds, the abrupt drop in lubrication leads to instability of the rotor, and in particular, wobbling movements within the housing and severe friction at the bearings of the rotor and spindle. As a result, severe vibrations occur which entail damage to the centrifuge or at least greatly increased wear. BRIEF DESCRIPTION Therefore, an aspect of the invention is to provide an internal combustion engine, wherein instabilities of the rotor of the centrifuge are avoided or at least reduced during shutdown of the centrifuge pump. That aspect is attained by the features described and claimed below. That is effected in that the open-loop or closed-loop control device is adapted to gradually change the setpoint value for open-loop or closed-loop control of the at least one centrifuge pump upon shutdown or starting of the centrifuge pump. It is preferably provided that shutdown or starting of the centrifuge pump is effected independently of shutdown or starting of the internal combustion engine. The centrifuge pump (which is part of an oil purification system) can therefore be operated possibly independently of operation of the engine. Oil purification is effected generally, but not exclusively, in the course of operation of the internal combustion engine. If the oil purification system is turned off, then the centrifuge pump must be shut down. Expressions like “separating foreign particles from the lubricant” are used, in particular, to mean at least partial separation or filtration of the foreign particles out of the lubricant. The reference to the effect that the lubricant volumetric flow is directed into the at least one centrifuge does not necessarily mean a spatial orientation of the lubricant volumetric flow. According to an embodiment of the invention, however, it is established that the lubricant volumetric flow serves on the one hand to create the rotational movement of the at least one centrifuge (e.g., in particular, the centrifuge rotor) and on the other hand the lubricant forming the lubricant volumetric flow experiences separation of fore