COOLANT CIRCUIT WITH HEAD AND BLOCK COOLANT JACKETS CONNECTED IN SERIES

• US 20140209046A1
• Filed: 01/06/2014
• Published: 07/31/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Steiner, Bernd, Mehring, Jan, Wirth, Martin, Brinkmann, Bernd
• Granted Patent: US 9,140,176 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 123/41.31
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2003/028 Cooling cylinders and cylinder heads in series
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2060/08 Cabin heater
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2060/16 Outlet manifold
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 3/02 Arrangements for cooling cylinders or cylinder heads
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 5/10 Pumping liquid coolant; Arrangements of coolant pumps

Abstract

A method to operate a split coolant circuit of a combustion engine wherein a cylinder head coolant jacket and an engine block coolant jacket are provided in series with a pump delivering coolant to an inlet of the cylinder head coolant jacket without being directly connected to an inlet of the engine block coolant jacket. This allows for 100% of the pump flow rate to be delivered to the cylinder head coolant jacket before division of coolant flow occurs for various engine operating conditions.

Claims

1. A split coolant circuit of a combustion engine, comprising:

a cylinder head coolant jacket having an outlet housing into which an exhaust coolant jacket and an inlet coolant jacket of the cylinder head coolant jacket open;

an engine block coolant jacket;

a pump delivering coolant to an inlet of the cylinder head coolant jacket without being directly connected to an inlet of the engine block coolant jacket;

a radiator;

a control element;

a heater;

a block line, without a block control element, arranged directly on the outlet housing and leading to an inlet side of the engine block coolant jacket, coolant conducted in a same flow direction through the engine block coolant jacket as through the cylinder head coolant jacket;

a block return line opening directly into the control element arranged on an outlet side of the engine block coolant jacket;

a block shut-off valve arranged in the block return line;

a heater line which leads to a cabin heater arranged on the control element; and

a heater shut-off valve in a heater return line of the cabin heater.

2. The split coolant circuit as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the engine block coolant jacket has a coolant flow direction operating in the same direction as the coolant flow direction in the cylinder head coolant jacket, drawing the coolant from the outlet housing

3. The split coolant circuit as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a pump line connected directly to an inlet side of an integrated exhaust gas collector, coolant from the integrated exhaust gas collector coolant jacket entering the outlet housing.

4. The split coolant circuit as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a bypass opening into a second radiator return line upstream of the pump but downstream of the radiator and connected to the control element.

5. The split coolant circuit as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a heat exchanger return line coming from a heat exchanger opening into the control element; and

a feed line of the heat exchanger connected to the outlet housing.

6. A method comprising:

flowing coolant from a pump to an inlet side of a cylinder head coolant jacket with <

5% flowing to a turbocharger in a parallel line, without any connection between the pump and an inlet side of a block coolant jacket;

flowing coolant from the cylinder head coolant jacket to an outlet housing and a control element;

flowing a first coolant portion from the outlet housing through a block line to the inlet side of the block coolant jacket and then to the control element via a block return line such that coolant is directed in a same flow direction as the cylinder head coolant jacket; and

adjusting a magnitude of the first coolant portion based on an engine temperature via a block shut off valve.

7. The method of claim 6 where adjusting the flow of the first coolant portion is also based on an engine load.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising;

flowing a second coolant potion from the outlet housing through a heat exchanger to the control element via a heat exchanger return line;

adjusting a magnitude of the second coolant portion based on the engine temperature via a reducing element.

9. The method of claim 6 further comprising;

flowing a third coolant portion from the control element through a bypass to a second radiator line to the pump; and

adjusting a magnitude of the third coolant portion based on the engine temperature via a non-return valve.

10. The method of claim 6 further comprising;

flowing a fourth coolant portion from the control element through a heater to a bypass downstream of a non-return valve arranged in the bypass to a second radiator line to the pump;

adjusting a magnitude of the third coolant portion based on the engine temperature via a heater shut-off valve.

11. The method of claim 6 further comprising;

flowing a fifth coolant portion from the control element through a first radiator line through a radiator to a second radiator line to the pump; and

adjusting a magnitude of the third coolant portion based on the engine temperature via the control element.

12. A method comprising:

flowing coolant from a pump to an engine cylinder head inlet and to a turbocharger, in a parallel with one another,

flowing coolant from the cylinder head to a cylinder block, said flow being the only coolant flow to the block.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein less coolant flows to the turbocharger than to the cylinder head from the pump.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the pump flows coolant directly to only two locations, the cylinder head and the turbocharger.

15. The method of claim 13 the cylinder head includes an integrated exhaust manifold.