Engine cooling systems

• US 5,590,624 A
• Filed: 03/31/1995
• Issued: 01/07/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Inventors: Saville, Robert G., Emond, Jean P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kamen, Noah P.
• Application Number:
  US08/414,261
• Time in Patent Office: 648 Days
• Field of Search: 123/41.49, 123/198 E, 415/102, 415/211.2, 180/68.1
• US Class Current: 123/41.49
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 11/10 Guiding or ducting cooling-air, to, or from, liquid-to-air heat exchangers
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 5/02 Pumping cooling-air; Arrangements of cooling-air pumps, e.g. fans or blowers
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 19/002 Axial flow fans
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/582 specially adapted for elastic fluid pumps

Abstract

An engine cooling system arrangement for use with construction machinery to reduce noise includes an engine enclosure separated from a cooling system enclosure by a noise barrier. An axial flow fan is disposed in suction mode between a heat exchanger and the noise barrier in the cooling system enclosure. The cooling system enclosure receives ambient air through a first inlet and engine compartment air through a second inlet. The fan induces the flow of cooling air from the first inlet, through the heat exchanger and across the fan to between the fan and noise barrier. A diffuser attached to the fan induces the flow of engine compartment air from the second inlet to between the fan and noise barrier, the cooling air and the engine compartment air being exhausted from between the fan and the noise barrier radially outward through the tops and sides of the cooling system enclosure.

Claims

1. An engine cooling system arrangement for use with construction machinery to reduce noise, comprising:

an engine compartment adapted for enclosing an engine therein;

a cooling system compartment disposed adjacent to said engine compartment;

a noise barrier disposed between said engine compartment and said cooling system compartment, said noise barrier having a second peripheral portion extending outward of a third central portion;

said cooling system compartment including a first inlet in communication with a source of cooling air, a second inlet in communication with engine compartment air from said engine compartment and an outlet for exhausting the cooling air and the engine compartment air from said cooling system compartment;

a heat exchanger disposed in said cooling system compartment;

a fan disposed between said heat exchanger and said noise barrier, said fan being an axial flow fan, said axial flow fan having a first number of blades extending outward of a first central portion and imparting an axial velocity component to the flow of cooling air; and

a diffuser having a first peripheral portion extending outward of a second central portion and adjacent to said first number of blades, said second central portion being attached to said first central portion, a second number of blades extending radially inward of the first peripheral portion, each of said second number of blades extending from said first peripheral portion to within a predetermined small running clearance relative to said third central portion, said diffuser imparting a radial velocity component to the flow of cooling air;

said fan inducing the flow of cooling air from said first inlet, through said heat exchanger and across said fan to between said fan and said noise barrier and inducing the flow of engine compartment air from said second inlet to between said fan and said noise barrier, the cooling air and the engine compartment air being exhausted from between said fan and said noise barrier radially outward through said outlet.

2. The cooling system arrangement of claim 1, wherein:

said first peripheral portion is a conic portion extending at a predetermined angle outward from said second central portion; and

each of said second number of blades is a planar member attached to said conic portion and extending radially inward thereof.

3. An engine cooling system arrangement for a construction machine, comprising:

an engine compartment;

a cooling system compartment positioned adjacent to and open to the engine compartment;

a noise barrier having a central portion, a peripheral portion and a plurality of holes disposed through the noise barrier central portion, said peripheral portion being conical and said noise barrier being connected in an opening between the cooling system compartment and the engine compartment, said plurality of holes being adapted to pass air therethrough;

a radiator disposed in the cooling system compartment;

a fan having a central portion, a plurality of blades extending radially outwardly from the fan central portion, and an axis of rotation, said fan being disposed in the cooling system compartment between the noise barrier and the radiator, said axis of rotation being transverse the noise barrier central portion;

a diffuser having a central portion a peripheral portion extending radially outwardly from said diffuser central portion, said diffuser being connected at the diffuser central portion to the fan and being located between the fan and the noise barrier, said diffuser portion being conical and extending outwardly from said diffuser central portion at a preselected angle toward said noise barrier, said fan drawing cooling air through the radiator and said diffuser drawing engine compartment air through the holes, said diffuser and noise barrier peripheral portions directing the drawn air radially outwardly to an exhaust outlet in the cooling system compartment.

4. The engine cooling system arrangement, as set forth in claim 3, wherein said diffuser includes a plurality of spaced diffuser blades connected to said diffuser peripheral portion, said diffuser blades extending radially outward relative to said axis and axially toward said noise barrier to within a predetermined running clearance with the diffuser central portion.

5. The engine cooling system arrangement, as set forth in claim 4, wherein the diffuser includes an annular backing plate spaced from said diffuser peripheral portion and connected to said radial flow blades.

6. The engine cooling system arrangement, as set forth in claim 4, wherein the plurality of holes are located adjacent the diffuser and within an area defined by the periphery of the diffuser.

7. The engine cooling system arrangement, as set forth in claim 3, wherein said noise barrier peripheral portion extends at a predetermined angle outward of said noise barrier central portion and in a direction away from said fan.