Cooling system with active debris separation

• US 7,431,073 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2004
• Issued: 10/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Deere & Company
• Original Assignee: Deere & Company
• Inventors: Radke, Daniel Dean, Flaminio, Bradley A., Rathsam, Timothy James, Bollweg, Nicholas Edward, Yoder, Anne Louise, Woehrle, Kimberly Marie
• Primary Examiner(s): Leo; Leonard R
• Application Number:
  US11/005,138
• Publication Number:
  US 20060118281A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,401 Days
• Field of Search: 165/119, 165/112, 553/853
• US Class Current: 165/119
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 11/08 Air inlets for cooling; Shutters or blinds therefor radiator or grille guards B60R19/52
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 11/10 Guiding or ducting cooling-air, to, or from, liquid-to-air heat exchangers
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 11/12 Filtering, cooling, or silencing cooling-air
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2003/182 with multiple heat-exchangers

Abstract

A powered precleaner separates debris from atmospheric air through the use of a blower and a separation chamber. The chamber includes people are inlet orifice and at least two exit orifices, including an outlet orifice and an exit orifice containing at least one heat exchanger. The blower blows air and debris along an inner surface of the separation chamber and out of the outlet orifice. The outlet orifice is sized to allow large debris to exit the chamber. Sufficient backpressure is created to cause a predetermined amount of precleaned air to flow through the exit orifice containing the heat exchanger. A screen may be added to trap larger light debris and prevent it from flowing to and plugging the heat exchanger.

Claims

1. A cooling system for a work vehicle, comprising:

a blower having an inlet and an outlet;

at least one heat exchanger; and

a separation chamber, the separation chamber having at least a screen with a predetermined mesh, a first sidewall, a second sidewall, a third sidewall, a fourth sidewall, a first end, a second end, a first end wall and a second end wall, the first end having a first cross-sectional area, the second end having a second cross-sectional area, the second end wall having a chamber outlet orifice, the first sidewall having an orifice containing the at least one heat exchanger, the at least one heat exchanger arranged such that air may flow through the at least one heat exchanger from an area inside the separation chamber to an area outside the separation chamber, the second sidewall being in proximity to the outlet and arranged such that air leaving the outlet flows substantially tangential to the surface of the second sidewall, the blower blowing air from the first end to the second end, the chamber outlet orifice large enough to allow a passage of debris, the blower hurling debris away from a center of the blower and along the second sidewall toward the chamber outlet orifice, the chamber outlet orifice being small enough to produce a backpressure of sufficient level to cause a predetermined amount of air to flow through the at least one heat exchanger from the area inside the separation chamber, the screen spanning a length and width of the separation chamber, the screen located between the first sidewall and the second sidewall, the screen being above the outlet and above the chamber outlet.

2. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the distance between the first sidewall and the second sidewall is greater at the first end than at the second end.

3. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the first cross-sectional area is greater than the second cross-sectional area.

4. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the separation chamber contains the blower.

5. The cooling system of claim 4, wherein the fourth sidewall comprises at least a first inlet and a second inlet, including at least a first orifice for the first inlet and a second orifice for the second inlet.

6. The cooling system of claim 5, wherein air flow in into the at least the first inlet and the second inlet is substantially limited to air flowing through the at least the first orifice and the second orifice respectively.

7. The cooling system of claim 4, wherein fourth sidewall includes an orifice for an inlet.

8. The cooling system of claim 7, wherein air flow into the inlet is substantially limited to air flowing through the sidewall orifice.

9. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the blower is located outside the separation chamber.

10. The cooling system of claim 9, wherein the first end wall contains a chamber inlet orifice sized to include the outlet, air flowing through the chamber inlet orifice being substantially limited to air flowing from the outlet.

11. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the blower is a centrifugal fan.

12. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the blower is a tangential fan.

13. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the screen is located from about the top of the outlet to about the top of the chamber outlet.

14. The cooling system of claim 13, wherein the predetermined mesh is sized to trap debris large enough to plug the at least one heat exchanger.

15. A work vehicle, including a cooling system, the cooling system comprising:

a blower having an inlet and an outlet;

at least one heat exchanger; and

a separation chamber, the separation chamber having at least a screen with a predetermined mesh, a first sidewall, a second side wall, a third sidewall, a fourth sidewall, a first end, a second end, a first end wall and a second end wall, the first end having a first cross-sectional area, the second end having a second cross-sectional area, the second end wall having a chamber outlet orifice, the first sidewall having an orifice containing the at least one heat exchanger, the at least one heat exchanger arranged such that air may flow through the at least one heat exchanger from an area inside the separation chamber to an area outside the separation chamber, the second sidewall being in proximity to the outlet and arranged such that air leaving the outlet flows substantially tangential to the surface of the second sidewall, the blower blowing air from the first end to the second end, the chamber outlet orifice large enough to allow a passage of debris, the blower hurling debris away from a center of the blower and along the second sidewall toward the chamber outlet orifice, the chamber outlet orifice being small enough to produce a backpressure of sufficient level to cause a predetermined amount of air to flow through the at least one heat exchanger from the area inside the separation chamber, the screen spanning a length and width of the separation chamber, the screen located between the first sidewall and the second sidewall, the screen being above the outlet and above the chamber outlet.

16. The work vehicle of claim 15, wherein the distance between the first sidewall and the second sidewall is greater at the first end than at the second end.

17. The work vehicle of claim 15, wherein the first cross-sectional area is greater than the second cross-sectional area.

18. The work vehicle of claim 15, wherein the separation chamber contains the blower.

19. The work vehicle of claim 18, wherein the fourth sidewall comprises a first inlet and a second inlet, including a first orifice for the first inlet and a second orifice for the second inlet.

20. The work vehicle of claim 19, wherein air flow in into the first inlet and the second inlet is substantially limited to air flowing through the first orifice and the second orifice respectively.

21. The work vehicle of claim 18, wherein the fourth sidewall includes an orifice for an inlet.

22. The work vehicle of claim 21, wherein air flow into the inlet is substantially limited to air flowing through the sidewall orifice.

23. The work vehicle of claim 15, wherein the blower is located outside the separation chamber.

24. The work vehicle of claim 23, wherein the first end wall contains a chamber inlet orifice sized to include the outlet, air flowing through the chamber inlet orifice being substantially limited to air flowing from the outlet.

25. The work vehicle of claim 15, wherein the blower is a centrifugal fan.

26. The work vehicle of claim 15, wherein the blower is a tangential fan.

27. The work vehicle of claim 15, wherein the screen is located from about the top of the outlet to about the top of the chamber outlet.

28. The work vehicle of claim 27, wherein the predetermined mesh is sized to trap debris large enough to plug the at least one heat exchanger.