Breather air—oil seperator
View Patent ↗A breather system for a crankcase of an internal combustion engine includes a gas compressor configured to elevate the pressure of crankcase blow-by gas. At least one gas-oil separator receives gas with entrained oil from the compressor, separates oil from the gas and discharges cleaned gas. The oil is re-circulated back to the crankcase. The cleaned gas is either discharged through the engine exhaust system or re-circulated back into the engine combustion air intake. A bypass conduit allows cleaned gas to be re-circulated from the gas-oil separator outlet to the compressor inlet to balance the blow-by production with the capacity of the compressor.
1. A breather system for a crankcase of an internal combustion engine, comprising:
a gas compressor having a compressor inlet and a compressor outlet, the gas compressor configured to elevate the pressure of gas received into the inlet and to discharge elevated pressure gas from the compressor outlet;
an inlet conduit arranged to connect the crankcase to the compressor inlet;
at least one gas-oil separator having a gas inlet for receiving the elevated pressure gas from the compressor, an oil outlet for discharging oil separated from the elevated pressure gas, and a gas outlet for discharging a gas having a reduced oil content; and
at least one outlet conduit connecting the compressor outlet to the gas inlet, wherein the at least one gas-oil separator includes a gas outlet and comprising a bypass conduit flow connected between the gas outlet and the compressor inlet.
2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the compressor comprises a piston pump.
3. The system according to claim 2 , wherein the piston pump is oriented so the compressor outlet is positioned below the piston.
4. The system according to claim 2 , wherein the pump comprises at least one one-way valve.
5. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one gas-oil separator comprises a swirl chamber separator in series with an impact separator.
6. The system according to claim 5 , wherein the swirl chamber separator and the impact separator are cast as a unitary housing.
7. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the oil outlet is flow-connected to return the oil to the crankcase.
8. The system according to claim 7 , wherein the gas outlet is flow connected to an air intake for the engine to re-circulate the gas with a reduced oil content discharged from the at least one gas-oil separator.
9. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the gas outlet is flow connected to an air intake for the engine to re-circulate the gas with a reduced oil content discharged from the at least one gas-oil separator.
10. An internal combustion engine comprising:
an engine crankcase having cylinders and a crankcase gas outlet to relieve the engine of blow-by gas;
an air intake manifold and a fuel delivery into the cylinders;
an exhaust conduit receiving exhaust gas from the cylinders;
a gas compressor having a compressor housing having a gas inlet and a gas outlet;
a crankcase gas conduit connecting the crankcase gas outlet to the compressor gas inlet; and
at least one gas-oil separator connected to the compressor gas outlet, wherein the at least one gas-oil separator includes a gas outlet and comprising a bypass conduit flow connected between the gas outlet and the compressor gas inlet.
11. The engine according to claim 10 , wherein the at least one gas-oil separator comprises a swirl chamber separator and an impact separator.
12. The engine according to claim 10 , wherein the at least one gas-oil separator includes an oil outlet that is flow-connected to return separated oil to the crankcase.
13. The engine according to claim 12 , wherein the at least one gas-oil separator includes a gas outlet that is flow connected to an air intake for the engine to re-circulate cleaned gas discharged from the at least one gas-oil separator.
14. The system according to claim 10 , wherein the at least one gas-oil separator includes a gas outlet that is flow connected to an air intake for the engine to re-circulate cleaned gas discharged from the at least one gas-oil separator.
15. A method for separating oil from crankcase gas from an internal combustion engine, comprising the steps of:
receiving crankcase gas outside of the crankcase and into a compressor;
pressurizing the crankcase gas using the compressor;
channeling the pressurized crankcase gas into a gas-oil separator;
separating oil from the crankcase gas in the gas-oil separator;
returning the separated oil from the gas-oil separator to the crankcase; and
if the capacity of the compressor exceeds the crank case gas production, directing gas flow from the gas-oil separator to the compressor.
16. The method according to claim 15 , comprising the further step of directing crankcase gas from the gas-oil separator to a combustion air intake of the engine. the gas-oil separator to the compressor.