Patent Application
20210071967
The present disclosure relates to a radiator tank including a static hydraulic flow diverter.
This section provides background information related to the present disclosure, which is not necessarily prior art.
Radiators are commonly used to transfer heat from hot engine coolant flowing therethrough to air flowing across the radiator. While current radiators are suitable for their intended use, they are subject to improvement. The present disclosure provides for radiators having numerous advantages over existing radiators, as well as various unexpected results as explained in detail herein and as one skilled in the art will recognize.
This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.
The present disclosure includes a radiator including a tank, an inlet port extending from the tank through which coolant is introduced into the tank, and a static fluid generator at a wall of the tank opposite to the inlet port. The static fluid generator is configured to generate a static fluid dome from coolant flowing into contact with the static fluid generator from the inlet. Subsequent coolant flowing through the inlet deflects off of the static fluid dome and is diverted throughout the tank and to a core of the radiator.
The present disclosure further includes a radiator including a tank, an inlet port extending from the tank through which coolant is introduced into the tank, and a static fluid generator at a wall of the tank opposite to the inlet port. The static fluid generator includes a concave surface that is concave relative to the inlet port, a rim extending around at least a portion of the concave surface, and a sloped surface extending from a side of the rim opposite to the concave surface. The concave surface is configured to generate a static fluid dome from coolant flowing into contact with the concave surface from the inlet. Subsequent coolant flowing through the inlet deflects off of the static fluid dome and the sloped surface, and is diverted throughout the tank and to a core of the radiator.
Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The radiator 10 is a heat exchanger that transfers thermal energy between fluid circulated through the radiator 10 and the surrounding atmosphere. The radiator 10 may be configured for use in any suitable application, such as in a vehicle to cool engine coolant. The engine coolant is introduced into the first tank 20 through the inlet port 24. From the first tank 20 the coolant flows through tubes of the core 12 to the second tank 22. As the coolant flows through the core 12, heat is transferred from the coolant to the surrounding atmosphere to cool the coolant. Coolant flows out of the second tank 22 through the outlet port 26 back to the engine.
With additional reference to
The static fluid generator 40A of
The static fluid generator 40A includes a concave surface 42A, which is concave relative to the inlet port 24. A longitudinal axis Y of the static fluid generator 40A extends along a vertex V (see
With particular reference to
With additional reference to
With reference to
Coolant flowing into contact with the concave surface 42D generates the static fluid dome over the concave surface 42D, and coolant flowing into contact with the concave surface 42D′ generates another static fluid dome over the concave surface 42D′. The static fluid domes at the concave surfaces 42D and 42D′ are each similar to the static fluid dome 110 of
The present disclosure provides numerous advantages over the art. For example, the static fluid generators 40A, 40B, 40C, and 40D create a static fluid dome 110 (or two domes 110 in the case of static fluid generator 40D), which promotes a smooth transition for incoming coolant from the inlet port 24. The static fluid generators 40A-40D have no moving parts and there is no potential for cavitation erosion to the first tank 20 because the incoming coolant contacts the static fluid dome 110 and the outer sloped surfaces 60A-60D, and does not initially impact the wall 30. Instead, the incoming coolant impacts its own static fluid, which creates a smooth transition for incoming coolant from the inlet port 24 into the first tank 20 to divert the coolant along the length L of the first tank 20.
The static fluid generators 40A-40D advantageously reduce pressure drop as much as 1.2% at 200 liters per minute. Furthermore, the static fluid generators 40A-40D reduce or eliminate reverse coolant flow by reducing negative pressure formations where the inlet port 24 meets the first tank 20. Vortex formations often caused by random scatter and acceleration of coolant upon impact with the wall 30 are also reduced due to the presence of the static fluid generators 40A-40D. Improved flow distribution provides reduced maximum coolant velocities through individual tubes of the core 12, thus improving erosion durability. In other words, the static fluid generators 40A-40D distribute coolant more evenly along the length L of the first tank 20, which distributes coolant more evenly throughout the core 12.
The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.
Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and “having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.
When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “engaged to,” “connected to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly engaged to,” “directly connected to,” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the example embodiments.
Spatially relative terms, such as “inner,” “outer,” “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper,” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the example term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.
