Intake system for an internal combustion engine with a membrane preferentially permeable to oxygen molecules

摘要

An intake system (13) for an internal combustion engine (12) which includes a housing (15a) with a filter insert (16) and a membrane (22) for separating nitrogen and enriching the combustion air with oxygen. The membrane is integrated into the filter housing so as to save construction space and provide a lower cost system. The membrane (22) can alternatively be arranged on the clean air side of the air filter insert (16) to prevent the membrane from being soiled and to improve the functional reliability of the oxygen enrichment. Alternatively, instead of arranging the membrane (22) on the clean side of the filter insert (16), the membrane can be protected from being soiled by using a cover (23).