Patent Application
20210254539
The present disclosure relates generally to a cooling system for an engine, and more particularly relates to a cooling system that utilizes a passive diverter fitting to divert fluid within the cooling system.
Internal combustion engines used to operate motor vehicles or heavy mechanical equipment generate considerable heat that must be dissipated. If not properly dissipated, heat reduces operating efficiency of the engine and can ultimately lead to damage of the engine. Engines typically include a cooling system that is configured to circulate coolant through the engine block such that the coolant captures the heat from the engine to cool the engine. The coolant then moves through a radiator such that the coolant loses the heat to the atmosphere before moving back through the engine block.
In some instances, the engine cooling system can be used to provide auxiliary cooling to coolers for engine accessories (e.g., transmission coolers, brake coolers, etc.). For example, conventional transmission coolers and/or brake coolers often use the engine's coolant to cool the hydraulic fluid used with the transmission and/or brake coolers. These coolers for engine accessories typically take the form of a shell and tube heat exchanger, which means that these coolers are typically too large to fit on the engine and must be located elsewhere in the machine chassis.
German Patent No. DE10127711 (“the '711 patent”) discloses a three-way valve that can be used as a replacement to a thermostatic valve in a cooling system for an engine. The three-way valve is used to control the mixing ratio between a supply line to a radiator and a bypass line that bypasses the radiator. The three-way valve includes a throttle body that is actively controlled to control the diversion of coolant flow to the radiator and the bypass line.
An exemplary coolant diverter fitting includes a base defining an interior cavity, an inlet opening extending through the base that is in fluid communication with the interior cavity, an outlet opening that is in fluid communication with the interior cavity, and a bypass opening that is in fluid communication with the interior cavity. The base is configured to be removably disposed in a cavity of an engine block. The inlet opening is in fluid communication with an area exterior to the engine block when the diverter fitting is disposed in the cavity of the engine block. The outlet opening is in fluid communication with the area exterior to the engine block when the diverter fitting is disposed in the cavity of the engine block. The bypass opening is in fluid communication with an interior coolant passage of the engine block when the diverter fitting is disposed in the cavity of the engine block.
An exemplary embodiment of an internal combustion engine includes an engine block defining a block interior coolant passage, a cavity disposed in the engine block, and a diverter fitting disposed in the cavity. The cavity includes a receiving opening for receiving coolant, an inner opening that is in fluid communication with the block interior coolant passage, and an outer opening that is in fluid communication with an area exterior to the engine block. The diverter fitting includes a base defining an interior cavity, an inlet opening, an outlet opening, and a bypass opening. The inlet opening is in fluid communication with the receiving opening of the cavity. The outlet opening is in fluid communication with the outer opening of the cavity. The bypass opening is in fluid communication with the inner opening of the cavity.
An exemplary cooling system includes a pump, an engine having an engine block, a diverter fitting, and a radiator. The pump is configured to pump coolant through the cooling system. The engine block includes a block interior coolant passage, a cavity, and a return opening. The cavity is in fluid communication with the block interior coolant passage and an area exterior to the housing, and the return opening is in fluid communication with the block interior coolant passage and the area exterior to the housing. The diverter fitting includes a base defining an interior cavity, an inlet opening, an outlet opening, and a bypass opening. The inlet opening is in fluid communication with the pump. The outlet opening is in fluid communication with the inlet opening, and the bypass opening is in fluid communication with the inlet opening of the diverter fitting and the block interior coolant passage of the engine block. The external cooler has an inlet passage in fluid communication with the outlet opening of the diverter fitting and an outlet passage in fluid communication with the return opening of the engine block. The radiator is in fluid communication with the engine block and the pump. The pump is configured to pump coolant through the diverter fitting such that a first portion of the coolant moves through the outlet opening of the diverter fitting and into the external cooler and a second portion of the coolant moves through the bypass opening of the diverter fitting and into the block interior coolant passage of the engine block.
The Detailed Description describes exemplary embodiments of the invention and is not intended to limit the scope of the claims in any way. Indeed, the invention is broader than and unlimited by the exemplary embodiments, and the terms used in the claims have their full ordinary meaning. Features and components of one exemplary embodiment may be incorporated into the other exemplary embodiments. Inventions within the scope of this application may include additional features, or may have less features, than those shown in the exemplary embodiments.
The present application discloses diverter fittings used for diverting fluid within a cooling system of an engine. While the diverter fitting described herein is described as being used with an engine, it should be understood that the diverter fitting can be used with any other suitable type of cooling system or any other type of system in which fluid is to be diverted.
Referring to
In the illustrated embodiment, the diverter fitting 108 includes an inlet opening 224 (
In addition, the diverter fitting 108 is positioned in the cavity 242 such that the outlet opening 226 is in fluid communication with the exterior 246 of the engine block 238 (and the external cooler 110 when the external cooler 110 is attached to the engine block 238), and such that the bypass opening 228 is in fluid communication with the interior coolant passage 240 of the engine block 238. In certain embodiments, the diverter fitting 108 is a modular component that is able to be inserted into and removed from the engine 102.
When the diverter fitting 108 is positioned in the cavity 242, coolant 232 pumped by the pump 104 through the passage 248 moves into the inlet opening 224 of the diverter fitting 108 and is split such that a first portion 234 (
Referring again to
In certain embodiments, the cooling system 100 includes an oil cooler 106 disposed between the pump 104 and the engine 102. In these embodiments, the pump 104 may first pump coolant through the oil cooler 106 such that the coolant cools oil that is used for lubricating components of the engine 102. The oil cooler 106 may be attached to an exterior of the engine block 238 (
In some embodiments, the cooling system 100 includes a thermostat housing 112 disposed between and in fluid communication with the engine 102 and the radiator 114. After the coolant moves through the engine 102, the coolant enters the thermostat housing 112. The thermostat housing 112 houses a thermostat 130 that is configured to regulate the temperature of the coolant. If the coolant is below a predetermined temperature, the thermostat 130 maintains a normally-closed position such that the coolant moves through a bypass line 118 (rather than moving into the radiator 114) and into the pump 104. If the coolant is above a predetermined temperature, the thermostat 130 moves to an open position such that the coolant moves into the radiator 114.
In some embodiments, the pump 104 pumps a portion of the coolant to an aftercooler 116. Coolant moving through the aftercooler 116 cools compressed air leaving a turbocharger compressor (not shown) prior to the air entering the engine 102. In certain embodiments, as shown in
Referring to
In the illustrated embodiment, the base 320 includes a cylindrical side wall 374, an open first end 370 and a closed second end 372. The outlet opening 226 is defined by the open first end 370 of the base 320. The cylindrical side wall 374 includes an inner surface 376 and an outer surface 378, in which the inner surface 376 defines the interior cavity 322. The inlet opening 224 extends through the cylindrical side wall 374 such that the inlet opening 224 is in fluid communication with the interior cavity 322. The inlet opening 224 may be positioned on the base 320 such that an axis extending through the inlet opening 224 is perpendicular to an axis that extends through the outlet opening 226. The bypass opening 228 extends through the cylindrical side wall 374 such that the bypass opening 228 is in fluid communication with the interior cavity 322. The bypass opening 228 may be positioned on the base 320 such that an axis extending through the inlet opening 228 is perpendicular to an axis that extends through the outlet opening 226. In certain embodiments, the inlet opening 224 is positioned on the base substantially opposite the position of the bypass opening 228 (e.g., between about 150 degrees and about 210 degrees about the cylindrical side wall 374 of the base 320, such as about 180 degrees). Although the base 320 is described as having a cylindrical shape, it should be understood that the base 320 can take any suitable form that is capable of being positioned in the cavity 242 of the engine block.
In certain embodiments, such as the illustrated embodiment, the diverter fitting 108 includes a protrusion or rib 380 that extends from the inner surface 376 of the base 320. The rib 380 is configured to strengthen the base 320 to prevent failure of the diverter fitting 108. For example, coolant entering the interior cavity 322 of the base 320 through the inlet opening 224 may engage the inner surface 376 of the base 320 prior to moving through either the outlet opening 226 or the bypass opening 228, and the pressure exerted on the inner surface 376 by the coolant may cause the diverter fitting 108 to wear over time. The rib 380 is configured to provide stiffness to the base 320 to strengthen the base and prevent failure of the diverter fitting 108 due to this wear. In some embodiments, the rib 380 is positioned on the inner surface 376 substantially opposite to the inlet opening 224 (e.g., between about 150 degrees and about 210 degrees about the cylindrical side wall 374 of the base 320, such as about 180 degrees). The rib 380 may, however, be positioned at any location on the base 320 that allows the diverter fitting to strengthen and prevent failure of the diverter fitting.
The inlet opening 224, the outlet opening 226, and the bypass opening 228 may have any suitable size and shape based on the intended use of the diverter fitting 108. That is, these openings 224, 226, 228 may have any size and shape with any suitable cross-sectional areas that allows for adequate cooling of the external cooler 110. In the illustrated embodiment, the outlet opening 226 and the bypass opening 228 have a circular shape. In certain embodiments, an area defined by the bypass opening 228 is less than an area defined by the outlet opening 226. For example, the area defined by the bypass opening 228 may be between about 5% and about 25% of the size of the area defined by the outlet opening 226.
Referring to
Referring again to
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Current cooling systems that include an external cooler move the entire amount of coolant into the external cooler prior to the coolant entering the interior of the engine block. The external cooler 110 may be, for example, a transmission cooler or a brake cooler. Transmission and brake coolers, however, typically take the form of shell and tube style coolers, and shell and tube style coolers are typically too large to be able to fit on an engine, which means these coolers often need to be located elsewhere on a chassis of a machine. External coolers may, however, take the form of a 4-port style cooler. In these situations, the external cooler can be attached to the engine because a 4-port style cooler does not have the same size restrictions as the shell and tube style cooler.
In certain situations, it is advantageous to have a system in which the entire amount of coolant is not moved through the external cooler, but only a portion of the coolant is moved through the external cooler. For example, if a 4-port style external cooler is used and the entire amount of coolant is moved through the external cooler, the external cooler can be over-cooled and/or cause a pressure restriction for the pump that is pumping the coolant through the cooling system. In addition, moving the entire amount of coolant through the 4-port style cooler is a waste of power for the cooling system. In situations in which a shell and tube external cooler is used, the shell and tube cooler may not require the entire coolant for proper cooling, which means it is a waste of power to move the entire amount of coolant through the external cooler. While a 4-port external cooler and a shell and tube external cooler are described above, it should be understood that any type of external cooler could be used in situations in which it is not advantageous to move the entire amount of coolant through the external cooler.
The disclosed diverter fitting 108 is configured to be used in cooling systems for engines to limit the amount of coolant that moves into an external cooler. Referring to
In certain embodiments, the diverter fitting 108 is modular, which is advantageous because it allows the diverter fitting to be removed and replaced, if needed, as well as allowing the diverter fitting to be used on multiple engines. The replaceability of the diverter fitting 108 is advantageous because it allows diverter fittings 108 having different size outlet openings 226 and bypass openings 228 to be used depending on the situation in which the diverter fitting is being used. For example, if a situation requires more coolant to be supplied to the external cooler, a diverter fitting with a smaller bypass opening 228 can be used, which will allow more of the coolant to move through the outlet opening 226 and into the external cooler 110. In some situations, the cooling system 100 may not include an external cooler 110, and the diverter fitting 108 is not needed. In these situations, a modular diverter fitting 108 is advantageous because the diverter fitting can be removed or omitted, and the openings 242, 244 of the engine block 238 can be capped off. In addition, the passive design of the diverter fitting 108 is advantageous because it does not require active controlling of the diverter fitting 108 during use of the cooling system.
It will be appreciated that the foregoing description provides examples of the disclosed system and technique. However, it is contemplated that other implementations of the disclosure may differ in detail from the foregoing examples. All references to the disclosure or examples thereof are intended to reference the particular example being discussed at that point and are not intended to imply any limitation as to the scope of the disclosure more generally. All language of distinction and disparagement with respect to certain features is intended to indicate a lack of preference for those features, but not to exclude such from the scope of the disclosure entirely unless otherwise indicated. Accordingly, this disclosure includes all modification and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the disclosure unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.
