Air management system for heavy duty truck under-hood heat control

• US 8,556,013 B2
• Filed: 04/21/2009
• Issued: 10/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Enviro-Cool, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Enviro-Cool, Inc.
• Inventors: Sturmon, George R., Murray, Edward M.
• Primary Examiner(s): VANAMAN, FRANK BENNETT
• Application Number:
  US12/427,400
• Publication Number:
  US 20090277706A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,638 Days
• Field of Search: 180/2.1, 180/2.2, 180/68.1, 180/68.2, 180/68.4, 180/68.6, 293/193.09, 293/193.1
• US Class Current: 180/68.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 11/08 Air inlets for cooling; Shutters or blinds therefor radiator or grille guards B60R19/52
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/14 Trucks; Load vehicles, Busses
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/142 Heavy duty trucks
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 1/06 Arrangements for cooling other engine or machine parts
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 11/10 Guiding or ducting cooling-air, to, or from, liquid-to-air heat exchangers
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2001/005 Cooling engine rooms

Abstract

A system for removing heat from the engine compartment (9) of a heavy duty truck. A first ventilating system removes heat from the radiator. It is isolated from a second ventilating system that removes heat from the engine compartment. The first system takes heat from the radiator through a plenum by centrifugal squirrel cage blowers, and is directs it out to ambient by ductwork. The second system draws ambient air generally from back to front of the engine compartment, preferably by cowl induction, without the use of ram air from the vicinity of the radiator. The exits of the two systems are into a slip stream of the heavy duty truck, and the exit of the second ventilating system is into a slip stream of the first, to scavenge air out of the engine compartment.

Claims

1. A vehicle capable of on-road highway travel, the vehicle comprising:

an operator compartment,

a windshield forming a part of a front wall of the operator compartment,

an engine compartment,

an engine in the engine compartment,

a radiator in front of the engine, the radiator receiving coolant from the engine,

a first ventilating system attached behind the radiator and forming an enclosure behind the radiator, the enclosure preventing air drawn through the radiator from entering the engine compartment, the first ventilating system comprising at least one fan,

a duct attached to the first ventilating system, the duct forming a smooth channel guiding air exhausted from the first ventilating system rearwardly along an exterior surface of the vehicle, the air exhausted from the duct being directed into the ambient slip stream of the vehicle when the vehicle is moving forward, and

a second ventilating system arranged to flow air through the engine compartment, the second ventilating system comprising an induction cowl cooperative with the windshield to flow ambient air into the engine compartment when the vehicle is moving forward and an exhaust exit into a low pressure area of the duct forward of the cowl and downstream of the fan.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the first ventilating system forms a plenum behind the radiator.

3. The vehicle of claim 1 further comprising a hood defining at least a part of the engine compartment, the hood being rotatably mounted to a body of the vehicle, the duct attached to the first ventilating system leading to ambient through the hood, the duct comprising a first section fixed with respect to the radiator and a second section attached to the hood.

4. The vehicle of claim 3 further comprising a gasket between the first section and the second section of the ducting.

5. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the vehicle is a vocational heavy duty truck adapted for off-road use as well as on-road highway travel.

6. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the vehicle is a tractor portion of a tractor-trailer over-the-road rig.

7. A vehicle capable of on-road highway travel, the vehicle comprising:

an operator compartment,

a windshield forming a part of a front wall of the operator compartment,

an engine compartment,

an engine in the engine compartment,

a radiator in front of the engine, the radiator receiving coolant from the engine,

a first ventilating system attached behind the radiator and forming an enclosure behind the radiator, the enclosure preventing air drawn through the radiator from entering the engine compartment, the first ventilating system comprising at least one fan and a duct attached to the first ventilating system downstream of the fan, the duct forming a smooth channel guiding air exhausted from the first ventilating system rearwardly along an exterior surface of the vehicle, and

a second ventilating system arranged to flow air through the engine compartment, the second ventilating system comprising an induction cowl cooperative with the windshield to draw air into the engine compartment when the vehicle is moving forward and an exhaust exit into a low pressure area of the duct.

8. The vehicle of claim 7 wherein the duct of the first ventilating system comprises a channel extending along the outside of a side wall of the engine compartment.

9. The vehicle of claim 7 wherein the vehicle has a gross vehicle weight of at least 11,794 kilograms and is capable of on-road highway travel at a speed of at least ninety-seven kilometers per hour.

10. The vehicle of claim 7 further comprising a hood defining at least a part of the engine compartment, the hood being rotatably mounted to a body of the vehicle, the duct attached to the first ventilating system leading to ambient through the hood, the duct comprising a first section fixed with respect to the radiator and a second section attached to the hood.

11. A vehicle capable of on-road highway travel, the vehicle comprising an operator compartment;

an engine compartment;

an engine in the engine compartment;

a radiator in front of the engine, the radiator receiving coolant from the engine;

a first ventilating system behind the radiator, the first ventilating system comprising a plenum attached to the radiator forward of the engine, at least one fan mounted to the plenum, and ducting having an exhaust exit to ambient, said at least one fan being arranged to draw air through the radiator, and to push air through the ducting and out the exhaust exit of the first ventilating system, the first ventilating system being constructed to prevent air drawn through the radiator from entering the engine compartment; and

a second ventilating system constructed to remove heat from the engine compartment, the second ventilating system being constructed to flow ambient air into a rear part of the engine compartment and to exhaust air heated by the engine compartment toward an exit in a forward part of the engine compartment, the system being so constructed and arranged that exhaust air from the first ventilating system draws air out the exit of the second ventilating system into a low pressure area created by the first ventilating system downstream of the fan at the forward part of the engine compartment.

12. The vehicle of claim 11 wherein the vehicle has a gross vehicle weight of at least 6350 kilograms and is capable of a highway speed of ninety-seven kilometers per hour.

13. The vehicle of claim 12 wherein the vehicle is a heavy duty truck having a gross vehicle weight of at least 11,794 kilograms.

14. The vehicle of claim 13 wherein the vehicle is a vocational heavy duty truck adapted for off-road use as well as on-road highway travel.

15. The vehicle of claim 13 wherein the vehicle is a tractor portion of a tractor-trailer over-the-road rig.

16. The vehicle of claim 11 wherein the second ventilating system further comprises air induction structure on at least one of the top or sides of the engine compartment, the air induction structure being adapted to flow ambient air into the engine compartment when the vehicle is moving forward.

17. The vehicle of claim 16 wherein the second ventilating system comprises a windshield forming a part of a front wall of the operator compartment, the vehicle further comprising an induction cowl cooperative with the windshield.

18. The vehicle of claim 11 wherein the second ventilating system comprises an air outlet in a side wall of the engine compartment.

19. The vehicle of claim 11 further comprising a hood defining at least a part of the engine compartment, the hood being rotatably mounted to a body of the vehicle, the ducting comprising a first section fixed with respect to the radiator and a second section attached to the hood.