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Integrated vehicle cooling system

  • US 7,669,558 B2
  • Filed: 07/16/2007
  • Issued: 03/02/2010
  • Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2007
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. An integrated cooling system for a motor vehicle, comprising:

  • a shared heat exchanger comprising;

    an engine heat exchanger comprising a first inlet, a first outlet and a plurality of engine coolant passages communicating between said first inlet and said first outlet; and

    an auxiliary heat exchanger comprising a second inlet, a second outlet and a plurality of auxiliary coolant passages communicating between said second inlet and said second outlet;

    a high temperature cooling subsystem;

    a moderate temperature cooling subsystem;

    a shared coolant comprising an engine coolant portion and an auxiliary coolant portion;

    an inlet tank connected to said first and second inlets, said inlet tank having a baffle separating said first inlet with respect to said second inlet such that all of said engine coolant portion flows through said engine coolant passages and all of said auxiliary coolant portion flows through said auxiliary coolant passages;

    an outlet tank connected to said first and second outlets, wherein said first and second outlets freely fluidically communicate with each other;

    a shared coolant reservoir;

    piping fluidically connecting said shared coolant with each of said at least shared coolant reservoir, said high temperature cooling subsystem, said moderate temperature cooling subsystem, and said at least one heat exchanger, wherein said plurality of engine coolant passages are connected by said piping to said high temperature cooling subsystem, and wherein said plurality of auxiliary coolant passages are connected by said piping to said moderate temperature cooling subsystem; and

    an air separator connected with said piping at said moderate temperature cooling subsystem;

    wherein said piping further connects said shared coolant reservoir to said air separator;

    wherein said shared coolant is stratified by said baffle at said inlet tank and by coolant flow through said outlet tank so as to thereby substantially retain thermal identity as between the engine coolant portion and the auxiliary coolant portion thereof; and

    wherein the engine coolant portion of said shared coolant is utilized in said hot temperature cooling subsystem, and wherein the auxiliary coolant portion of said shared coolant is utilized in said moderate temperature cooling subsystem.

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