ENGINE COOLING SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ENGINE COOLING

• US 20140026831A1
• Filed: 07/26/2012
• Published: 01/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Global Sourcing LLC (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Mahrs, Johan Fredrick, Schmidt, Kyle E., Zhang, John Y.
• Granted Patent: US 8,931,440 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 123/41.05
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2025/13 Ambient temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2025/42 Intake manifold temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2025/62 Load
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2031/36 Failure of coolant pump
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 7/04 by varying pump speed, e.g. by changing pump-drive gear ratio
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 7/10 by throttling amount of air flowing through liquid-to-air heat exchangers
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 29/0431 Details or means to guide the ambient air to the heat exchanger, e.g. having a fan, flaps, a bypass or a special location in the engine compartment
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/12 Improving ICE efficiencies

Abstract

Various methods and systems are provided for adjusting the speed of a cooling system fan. In one example, a method includes adjusting a speed of a cooling system fan based on ambient temperature, engine output, and a desired engine temperature.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

adjusting a speed of a cooling system fan based on ambient temperature, engine output, and a desired engine temperature.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the cooling system fan is a first fan directing air flow to an air-to-air intercooler.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the desired engine temperature is a desired manifold air temperature.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the cooling system fan is a second fan directing air flow to an air-to-coolant radiator.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the desired engine temperature is a desired engine coolant inlet temperature.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a rate that the speed of the fan is adjusted is based on a slew rate of the fan.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the speed of the cooling system fan is further adjusted based on the desired engine temperature as compared to actual engine temperature independent of and in addition to adjusting the speed of the cooling system fan based on ambient temperature and engine output.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising adjusting a position of a cooling system fan shutter based on the ambient temperature and the engine output.

9. A method comprising:

adjusting air flow provided by a first fan to an air-to-air intercooler to maintain a desired manifold air temperature and to maintain an expected fan speed of the first fan for a given ambient temperature and gross horsepower.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising maintaining a desired engine coolant inlet temperature by adjusting air flow provided by a second fan to an air-to-coolant radiator.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the air flow provided by the second fan is further adjusted based on an expected speed of the second fan at the ambient temperature and gross horsepower.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising if a measured fan speed of the first fan is different from the expected fan speed by greater than a threshold amount, indicating cooling system degradation.

13. An engine cooling system, comprising:

a first fan to provide air flow to an air-to-air intercooler;

a second fan to provide air flow to an air-to-coolant radiator;

a first regulator configured to adjust a speed of the first fan based on manifold air temperature and further based on ambient temperature and gross horsepower, wherein the first regulator is further configured to adjust the speed of the first fan based on a determination of a first error and application of a first gain; and

a second regulator configured to adjust a speed of the second fan based on an engine coolant inlet temperature and further based on the ambient temperature and the gross horsepower, the second regulator further configured to adjust the speed of the second fan based on a determination of a second error and application of a second gain, the second gain lower than the first gain.

14. The engine cooling system of claim 13, wherein the first regulator is configured to determine the first error as a difference between the manifold air temperature and a desired manifold air temperature, and wherein the second regulator is configured to determine the second error as a difference between the engine coolant inlet temperature and a desired engine coolant inlet temperature.

15. The engine cooling system of claim 13, wherein the first regulator and the second regulator are configured to adjust the first gain and the second gain, respectively, based on the ambient temperature and the gross horsepower.

16. The engine cooling system of claim 13, wherein the radiator includes a radiator unit and one or more sub-coolers, and wherein the second fan is configured to provide air flow to the radiator unit and one or more sub-coolers.

17. The engine cooling system of claim 13, further comprising a third fan to provide air flow to the air-to-air intercooler, the first regulator configured to maintain the third fan at a speed equal to the speed of the first fan.

18. The engine cooling system of claim 13, further comprising an air-to-coolant intercooler, wherein the air-to-air intercooler and air-to-coolant intercooler are fluidly coupled for intake air to pass through the air-to-air intercooler and an air-to-coolant intercooler before reaching the engine.

19. The engine cooling system of claim 13, further comprising an oil cooler and an air-to-coolant intercooler, wherein the oil cooler, the air-to-coolant intercooler, and the air-to-coolant radiator are fluidly coupled for engine coolant to be routed from the engine to the air-to-coolant radiator, to the oil cooler, and through the air-to-coolant intercooler before returning to the engine.

20. The engine cooling system of claim 13, further comprising a shutter to direct air flow around the air-to-coolant radiator, and wherein the second regulator is configured to adjust a position of the shutter based on the ambient temperature and the gross horsepower.