Shuttered radiator system with control

• US 5,669,311 A
• Filed: 02/22/1996
• Issued: 09/23/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Hill, James Arnold, Marsh, Gregory Alan, Smith, Myron Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Mark T.
• Application Number:
  US08/605,608
• Time in Patent Office: 579 Days
• Field of Search: 105/62.1, 105/62.2, 105/59, 123/41.04, 123/41.05, 123/41.06, 123/41.07, 123/41.11, 123/41.12, 123/41.49, 165/41, 165/51, 165/52, 165/299
• US Class Current: 105/62.2
• CPC Class Codes: B61C 5/02 Arrangement or disposition of intakes and apparatus for supplying, circulating, and filtering air for combustion and engine-cooling purposes
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2003/185 arranged in parallel
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2025/13 Ambient temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2025/32 Engine outcoming fluid temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2025/40 Oil temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 7/026 Thermostatic control
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 7/04 by varying pump speed, e.g. by changing pump-drive gear ratio
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 7/12 by thermostatic control

Abstract

A radiator assembly for a locomotive is provided. The locomotive has an engine for driving the locomotive and a cooling water system for circulating cooling water through the engine to operatively control the temperature of the engine, the assembly including a radiator in fluid communication with the cooling system and a fan which selectively draws air through the radiator and into the inlet of the fan. The radiator assembly also includes a shutter for selectively controlling the drawn air flow through the radiator and a control system operatively attached to the shutter for actuating the shutter to control the drawn air flow in dependence on a determined control temperature. The control assembly is also operatively attached to the fan to select and set the speed of the fan in dependence on the determined control temperature.

Claims

1. In a locomotive having an engine for driving the locomotive and a cooling water system for circulating cooling water through the engine to operatively control the temperature of the engine, a radiator assembly comprising:

a radiator in fluid communication with the cooling system;

a fan means for selectively drawing air through the radiator and into the inlet of the fan means;

a shutter means for selectively controlling the drawn air flow through the radiator; and

control means comprising an engine control computer responsive to a water temperature sensor, an ambient air temperature sensor and an oil temperature sensor, the control means being operatively attached to the shutter means for actuating the shutter means to control the drawn air flow in dependence on a determined control temperature, the control means including means operatively attached to the fan means for selecting and setting the speed of the fan means in dependence on the determined control temperature;

said locomotive including a carbody, the engine being disposed within the carbody, the radiator means being rigidly attached to a frame which extends about the periphery of the radiator, the shutter means being rigidly attached to the frame and the fan means being rigidly attached to the frame, the frame being removably attached to the carbody.

2. A monocoque locomotive comprising:

a generally horizontally extending platform;

a pair of generally vertical sidewalls attached to and extending along the sides of the platform; and

a radiator assembly removably attached to the sidewalls, the assembly including;

a radiator,

fan means for selectively drawing air through the radiator and into the inlet of the fan means,

shutter means for selectively controlling the drawn air flow through the radiator, and

control means comprising an engine control computer responsive to a water temperature sensor, an ambient air temperature sensor, and an oil temperature sensor, the control means being operatively attached to the shutter means for actuating the shutter means to control the dram air flow in dependence on a determined control temperature, the control means including means operatively attached to the fan means for selecting and setting the speed of the fan means in dependence on the determined control temperature.

3. The assembly of claim 2 wherein the shutter means is disposed between the radiator means and the fan means.

4. The assembly of claim 2 wherein the assembly includes a frame, the radiator means being rigidly attached to the frame which extends about the periphery of the radiator means, the shutter means being rigidly attached to the frame and the fan means being rigidly attached to the frame, the frame being removably attached to the sidewalls.

5. The assembly of claim 2 wherein the control means includes means for selecting a first control temperature level for comparison to the determined control temperature level in dependence on whether the determined control temperature is increasing or decreasing.

6. The assembly of claim 2 wherein the control means includes means for cycling said shutter means in dependence on the temperature of the ambient air.

7. The assembly of claim 2 wherein the control means includes means for cycling the shutter means in dependence on the determined control temperature.

8. A locomotive comprising:

a carbody; and

a radiator assembly attached to the carbody, the assembly including;

a radiator,

fan means for selectively drawing air through the radiator and into the inlet of the fan means, and

control means comprising an engine control computer responsive to a water temperature sensor, an ambient air temperature sensor, and an oil temperature sensor, the control means being operatively attached to the fan means for selecting and setting the speed of the fan means in dependence on a determined control temperature, the control means including means for selecting a first control temperature level for comparison to the determined control temperature level in dependence on whether the determined control temperature is increasing or decreasing.

9. The locomotive of claim 8, wherein the radiator assembly includes a shutter means for selectively controlling the drawn air flow through the radiator, the control means operatively attached to the shutter means for actuating the shutter means to control the drawn air flow in dependence on the determined control temperature.