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Title:
FLAME ARRESTER
Document Type and Number:
WIPO Patent Application WO/2009/136674
Kind Code:
A1
Abstract:
The present invention relates to a flame arrester for internal combustion engines, which is installed in a port of a crank case of a main engine and a sub-engine of a ship or another vehicle. In the flame arrester of the present invention, a plurality of embossments of a flame arresting unit, which is formed by layering a plurality of metal strips for arresting flame belching from the crank case, are circumferentially placed such that they are inclined relative to a radial axis of the flame arresting unit, thus increasing the flame transferring distance and flame heat dissipating and cooling surface area, and realizing exclusion of oxygen, thereby efficiently arresting flame.

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Inventors:
KIM HONG SOON (KR)
KANG BU NYUNG (KR)
LEE DONG HYUNG (KR)
LEE JIN WOO (KR)
LEE JEONG YEOB (KR)
JANG BYOUNG WOO (KR)
Application Number:
PCT/KR2008/002803
Publication Date:
November 12, 2009
Filing Date:
May 20, 2008
Export Citation:
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Assignee:
KWANGSAN CO LTD (KR)
KIM HONG SOON (KR)
KANG BU NYUNG (KR)
LEE DONG HYUNG (KR)
LEE JIN WOO (KR)
LEE JEONG YEOB (KR)
JANG BYOUNG WOO (KR)
International Classes:
F02B77/10
Foreign References:
JP2000126323A2000-05-09
JPH10280975A1998-10-20
JP2007146827A2007-06-14
KR20060001854A2006-01-06
Attorney, Agent or Firm:
CHOI, Han Soo (San 84-2 Eomgung-dong, Sasang-gu, Busan 617-030, KR)
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Claims:

Claims

[1] A flame arrester coupled to a port of a crank case in an internal combustion engine and arresting flame belching from the crank case, comprising: a flame arresting part comprising a flame arresting unit, the flame arresting unit being configured by layering a plurality of ring-shaped metal strips, having a predetermined width, on top of one another, with a plurality of embossments continuously formed in each layered metal strip in circumferential directions so as to pass flame belching from the crank case, each of the embossments being formed such that the embossment is inclined relative to a radial axis of the metal strip at a predetermined inclination angle; a lower plate supporting the flame arresting part at a location below the flame arresting part; an upper lid covering an upper end of the flame arresting part; and a plurality of locking bolts placed along an inner circumference of the flame arresting part and locking the upper lid, the flame arresting part and the lower plate to each other.

[2] The flame arrester according to claim 1, wherein the flame arresting part comprises an inner flame arresting unit and an outer flame arresting unit placed at a predetermined interval from the inner flame arresting unit, thus forming a double unit structure, with a plurality of metal nets contained in a space between the inner and outer flame arresting units such that the metal nets are in close contact with the inner and outer flame arresting units.

[3] The flame arrester according to claim 1 or 2, wherein each of the embossments has a V-shaped cross-section.

Description:

Description FLAME ARRESTER

Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates, in general, to a flame arrester for internal combustion engines of ships and other vehicles and, more particularly, to a flame arrester, which is coupled to a port of a crank case in an internal combustion engine of ships or other vehicles and arrests flame belching from the crank case. Background Art

[2] Generally, in an engine of a vehicle or a ship, which uses an internal combustion engine as a power source, fossil fuel is ignited and combusted, thus generating high temperature and high pressure gas, which is used for rotating a crank shaft connected to pistons received in respective cylinders of the internal combustion engine. The crank shaft is housed within a crank case and the interior of the crank case is always in a high temperature and high pressure environment due to combustion of fuel within the internal combustion engine. When the temperature and pressure inside the crank case are excessively high, peripheral devices of the engine may be ill-affected by the temperature and pressure inside the crank case. Thus, in order to regulate the temperature and pressure inside the crank case such that the temperature and pressure therein do not exceed reference values, a flame arrester for arresting flame belching from the crank case has been used in a state in which the flame arrester is coupled to the crank case.

[3] FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a conventional flame arrester for arresting flame belching from the crank case in an internal combustion engine, which is disclosed in Korean Patent No. 10-0767283. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of another conventional flame arrester for arresting flame belching from the crank case in an internal combustion engine, which is disclosed in Korean Patent No. 10-0325021.

[4] As shown in FIG. 1, flame, belching from the crank case of an internal combustion engine, can be absorbed and dampened by the flame arrester through several steps. In order to realize the function, the conventional flame arrester comprises a first flame guide duct unit 10, a flame heat absorbing net unit 20, a deformation preventing space 30 and a second flame guide duct unit 40, which are sequentially arranged in a radial outward direction from a port of the crank case. The above-mentioned construction is somewhat advantageous in that it can arrest the flame, belching from the internal combustion engine, through two steps. However, the conventional flame arrester is problematic in that embossments formed in a plurality of strips 11 are arranged in parallel to radial axes of the first and second flame guide duct units 10 and 40, which pass through the centers of the two flame guide duct units, so that the flame may

quickly pass through the embossments at high speeds. In other words, the flame merely stays in the flame arrester for too short a time, so that the flame arrester may fail to realize a sufficient reduction in pressure inside the crank case and a desired flame heat dissipating and cooling effect, which may result from contact of the flame with embossment surfaces.

[5] Further, the deformation preventing space 30, which is placed between the flame heat absorbing net unit 20 and the second flame guide duct unit 40, is provided as a reserve space for deformation of the flame heat absorbing net unit 20 due to pressure of flame gas. However, the reserve space forms an undesired condition, which may lead oxygen into the space and may cause flame to be rekindled due to contact with the oxygen.

[6] As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, in the conventional flame arrester, embossments 60 having a trapezoidal cross-section are formed in metal sheets. However, the trapezoidal embossments 60 are problematic in that they increase the production costs of flame arresters due to the complicated shape thereof and may be easily deformed by pressure of flame gas.

Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem

[7] Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the related art, and is intended to provide a flame arrester, in which embossments for guiding and arresting flame are formed in layered ring-shaped metal strips such that the embossments are inclined relative to radial axes of the ring- shaped metal strips at predetermined inclination angles, thus realizing a high flame heat dissipating and cooling effect regardless of a limited installation area for the flame arrester.

[8] Further, the present invention serves to provide a flame arrester, in which flame arresting units each having the embossments are arranged to form a double unit structure with an inner unit and an outer unit, and metal nets are closely interposed between the inner and outer flame arresting units, thus reducing the size of an oxygen supply space and intercepting the supply of oxygen, thereby improving the flame intercepting and flame heat dissipating and cooling performance thereof.

[9] Further, in the present invention, the cross-section of each of the embossments is configured as a triangular cross-section, that is a V-shaped cross-section, so that the embossments realize a stable structure and can be easily manufactured. Thus, the embossments can reduce the production costs of the flame arrester and can efficiently resist deformation regardless of high explosive pressure of flame gas. Technical Solution

[10] In an aspect, the present invention provides a flame arrester coupled to a port of a

crank case in an internal combustion engine and arresting flame belching from the crank case, comprising: a flame arresting part comprising a flame arresting unit, the flame arresting unit being configured by layering a plurality of ring-shaped metal strips, having a predetermined width, on top of one another, with a plurality of embossments continuously formed in each layered metal strip in circumferential directions so as to pass flame transferred from the crank case, each of the embossments being formed such that the embossment is inclined relative to a radial axis of the metal strip at a predetermined inclination angle; a lower plate supporting the flame arresting part at a location below the flame arresting part; an upper lid covering an upper end of the flame arresting part; and a plurality of locking bolts placed along an inner circumference of the flame arresting part and locking the upper lid, the flame arresting part and the lower plate to each other.

[11] Here, the flame arresting part may comprise an inner flame arresting unit and an outer flame arresting unit placed at a predetermined interval from the inner flame arresting unit, thus forming a double unit structure, with a plurality of metal nets contained in a space between the inner and outer flame arresting units such that the metal nets are in close contact with the inner and outer flame arresting units.

[12] Further, each of the embossments may have a V-shaped cross-section.

Advantageous Effects

[13] As described above, in the flame arrester according to the present invention, the embossments are arranged such that each of the embossments is inclined relative to a radial axis of each layered metal strip at a predetermined inclination angle, thus increasing the flame passing distance. Therefore, the flame arrester of the present invention is advantageous in that it increases the flame heat dissipating surface area, increases flame heat dissipating and cooling efficiency, and efficiently reduces explosive pressure of flame gas. Particularly, the flame arrester of the present invention realizes a desired flame passing distance without increasing the size of the flame arrester within a place having a limited installation area, such as a ship.

[14] Another advantage of the present invention resides in that the flame arresting units are arranged to form a double unit structure, with the metal nets closely interposed between the flame arresting units, thus increasing the flame arresting effect.

[15] Further, the cross-section of the embossments, which function as flame paths, is configured as a triangular cross-section, that is a V-shaped cross-section, so that the embossments realize a stable structure and can be easily manufactured. Thus, the flame arresting units having the embossments can be easily manufactured at low cost and can efficiently resist deformation regardless of high explosive pressure of flame gas. Brief Description of Drawings

[16] FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a conventional flame arrester for arresting flame belching from a crank case in an internal combustion engine;

[17] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of another conventional flame arrester for arresting flame belching from a crank case in an internal combustion engine;

[18] FIG. 3 is a sectional view illustrating embossments provided in the conventional flame arrester;

[19] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a flame arrester according to the present invention;

[20] FIG. 5 is a sectional view illustrating embossments provided in the flame arrester of

FIG. 4;

[21] FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of the flame arrester according to the present invention; and

[22] FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the portion B of FIG. 6.

[23] <Description of the elements in the drawings>

[24] 100: flame arrester 110: inner flame arresting unit

[25] 110a: flame path 110b: embossment

[26] 120: outer flame arresting unit

[27] 130: metal net 141 : upper lid

[28] 142: lower plate 143: locking bolt

Best Mode for Carrying out the Invention

[29] The construction and operation of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[30] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a flame arrester according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view illustrating embossments when the embossments are viewed in a direction of A of FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of the flame arrester according to the present invention. FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the portion B of FIG. 6.

[31] As shown in the drawings, the flame arrester 100 according to the present invention comprises flame arresting units 110 and 120, each of which is formed by laying a plurality of ring-shaped metal strips on top of one another. To produce the flame arresting units 110 and 120, a plurality of embossments 110b, functioning as flame paths for allowing flame to pass, are formed in a thin metal strip and, thereafter, the metal strip having the embossments 110b is subjected to a process of forming the metal strip into a circular structure. Thereafter, a plurality of metal strips, each having the embossments 110b, are laid on top of one another to form a laminated structure, thus producing each of the flame arresting units 110 and 120. The flame arrester 100 functions to arrest flame belching from an internal combustion engine. In a con-

ventional flame arrester, the embossments are simply and linearly arranged in each of circular ring-shaped flame arresting units along radial directions. Described in detail, in the conventional flame arrester, the embossments are arranged in each of the ring- shaped flame arresting unit along radial directions such that the embossments are in parallel to radial axes of the ring-shaped flame arresting units, which pass through the center of the ring-shaped flame arresting units each comprising a plurality of circular metal strips. Thus, the embossment structure of the conventional flame arrester is problematic in that the time in which flame passes through the embossments is too short and the flame cannot sufficiently contact with the side surfaces of the embossments, so that the conventional flame arrester cannot realize a high flame heat dissipating and cooling effect. Further, the conventional embossments let the flame simply and linearly pass through the embossments without being in sufficient contact with the side surfaces of the embossments, so that the conventional embossments cannot reduce pressure of flame gas currents to a desired level.

[32] However, in the present invention, the embossments 110b and 120b are configured such that each of the embossments 110b and 120b is inclined relative to a radial axis of the ring-shaped metal strip at a predetermined inclination angle. Thus, the flame, which quickly belches from a crank case and is introduced into the inlet ports of the embossments HOb and 120b in radial directions of the flame arrester 100, passes through the flame paths 110a and 120a of the flame arresting units 110 and 120 in a state in which the flame repeatedly collides with the side surfaces of the embossments 110b and 120b and continuously changes the flowing direction thereof without simply or quickly passing through the embossments 110b and 120b. Therefore, the flame flows in turbulent currents and the flowing distance of the flame is increased, so that the contact of the flame with the side surfaces of the embossments is activated and pressure of flame gas is reduced, and the passing time of the flame in the embossments is increased. Thus, the flame arrester 100 of the present invention efficiently dampens the intensity of flame, thus efficiently arresting the flame. Further, when the embossments are inclinedly formed in the flame arrester 100 as described above, the lengths of the flame paths 110a and 120a can be increased without increasing the diameter of the flame arrester 100, so that the flame arrester 100 can reduce production cost thereof and can realize a desired flame arresting effect regardless of a limited area for installing the flame arrester.

[33] In the present invention, the flame arresting part of the flame arrester 100 may comprise a single flame arresting unit. However, as shown in FIG. 4, it is preferred that the flame arresting part of the flame arrester 100 be configured to comprise an inner flame arresting unit 110 functioning as a first flame arresting unit, a metal net 130 functioning as a second flame arresting unit, and an outer flame arresting unit 120

functioning as a third flame arresting unit. Further, the inclination angles of the embossments formed in the inner and outer flame arresting units 110 and 120 may be configured to be equal to each other or different from each other, as desired. For example, the inclination angle of the embossments 120b formed in the outer flame arresting unit 120 may be configured to be larger than that of the embossments 110b formed the inner flame arresting unit 110.

[34] In the present invention, the metal net 130 is formed through repeatedly crossing metal wires and it is preferred that a plurality of metal nets 130 be installed in the flame arrester. In operation of the flame arrester 100, flame currents, which flow from the inner flame arresting unit 110 to the metal nets 130, collide with the metal wires of the metal nets 130, so that the flame currents are impeded. Further, the flame currents in the above state are dispersed by the meshes of the metal nets 130, so that the energy of flame gas currents is consumed and pressure of the flame gas currents is reduced. Further, the flame gas currents are in repeated contact with the metal wires of the metal nets, so that the heat of the flame can be efficiently dissipated. In the present invention, the metal nets 130 are closely installed in a space between the inner and outer flame arresting units 110 and 120, so that, when flame passes through the metal nets 130, the flame cannot be rekindled due to contact with oxygen.

[35] As shown in FIG. 5, each of the embossments 110b in the flame arrester 100 according to the present invention is configured to have a triangular or V-shaped cross- section. The triangular or V-shaped cross-section of the embossments 110b is improved from the trapezoidal cross-section of the conventional embossments. When reviewing the cross-section of the embossments from a geometrical point of view, the triangular or V-shaped cross-section is advantageous in that it realizes a stable structure, which can efficiently resist a deformation compared to the conventional trapezoidal cross-section. Thus, even when the embossments HOb having the triangular or V-shaped cross-section according to the present invention are exposed to flame gas currents under high explosive pressure, the embossments 110b are less deformed than the conventional embossments having the trapezoidal cross-section, so that the embossments 110b can realize an improved function. Further, the embossments 110b having the triangular or V-shaped cross-section can be easily formed in a metal strip having a predetermined width by simply pressing the metal strip, so that the embossments can be easily produced at low cost.

[36] As shown in FIG. 6, an upper lid 141 is placed on the top of the flame arresting part, and a lower plate 142 is placed under the flame arresting part. The upper lid 141, the flame arresting part, and a lower plate 142 are locked to each other using a plurality of locking bolts 143, which are arranged along the inner circumference of the inner flame arresting unit 110. In the drawing, the reference numeral 144 denotes a handling ring,

which may be gripped by a user when the flame arrester is moved.