Engine cooling system and method for an engine

• US 9,303,549 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2013
• Issued: 04/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Chellan, Gokulnath, Marsh, Gregory Alan, Patni, Hemant
• Primary Examiner(s): Low, Lindsay
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brauch, Charles
• Application Number:
  US14/066,166
• Publication Number:
  US 20140123917A1
• Time in Patent Office: 889 Days
• Field of Search: 123/41.04
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 11/085 with adjustable shutters or blinds
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 11/10 Guiding or ducting cooling-air, to, or from, liquid-to-air heat exchangers
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2007/143 using restrictions
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 7/02 the coolant being cooling-air
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 7/10 by throttling amount of air flowing through liquid-to-air heat exchangers
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 7/12 by thermostatic control
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 7/164 by varying pump speed
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/12 Improving ICE efficiencies

Abstract

Various embodiments for a thermal management system are provided. In one example, a thermal management system includes a coolant pump that provides coolant to a first cooling circuit and a second cooling circuit in parallel. The first cooling circuit includes an air-to-coolant radiator system and the second cooling circuit includes an engine coolant jacket. The thermal management system further comprises a fan and a cooling shutter for controlling a flow of air through the air-to-coolant radiator system.

Claims

1. A thermal management system, comprising:

a first cooling circuit including an air-to-coolant radiator system;

a second cooling circuit including an engine coolant jacket, the engine coolant jacket surrounding a plurality of cylinders of an engine;

a coolant pump configured to provide coolant to the first cooling circuit and the second cooling circuit in parallel, wherein the air-to-coolant radiator system of the first cooling circuit is configured to cool coolant from the coolant pump;

a fan operable to provide air flow to the air-to-coolant radiator system;

a cooling shutter, positioned on another side of the air-to-coolant radiator system and remote from the fan, and being adjustable to control the air flow through the air-to-coolant radiator system, where coolant is pumped from the coolant pump through the first coolant circuit without first passing through one or more elements of the second cooling circuit; and

a passive orifice flow restrictor, positioned between an outlet of the coolant pump and an inlet of the air-to-coolant radiator system, to control a flow of coolant to the air-to-coolant radiator system.

2. The thermal management system of claim 1, wherein coolant is pumped from the coolant pump through the second cooling circuit without first passing through one or more elements of the first cooling circuit, and wherein the air-to-coolant radiator system includes a first sub-cooler, a second sub-cooler, and a radiator positioned within an air flow path of the air flow provided by the fan when the fan is operable, the air flow path passing through the second sub-cooler to the first sub-cooler and through the first sub-cooler to the radiator.

3. The thermal management system of claim 2, further comprising a split passageway attached to an outlet of the radiator and configured to split coolant exiting the radiator into a first portion of coolant provided to the coolant pump and a second portion of coolant provided to the first sub-cooler.

5. The thermal management system of claim 3, wherein an output of the second sub-cooler is connected to a water-based intercooler of the engine, for coolant exiting the second sub-cooler to be directed to the water-based intercooler.

6. The thermal management system of claim 5, further comprising a first vent line positioned between the engine and an expansion tank, a second vent line positioned between the water-based intercooler and the expansion tank, and a third vent line positioned between the air-to-coolant radiator system and the expansion tank, the first vent line having a larger diameter than a diameter of the second vent line and having a larger diameter than a diameter of the third vent line.

7. The thermal management system of claim 5, wherein an output of the water-based intercooler of the engine is connected to an oil cooler and an output of the oil cooler is connected to an inlet of the coolant pump, the thermal management system being configured for coolant exiting the water-based intercooler of the engine to be directed to the oil cooler and coolant exiting the oil cooler to be directed to the inlet of the coolant pump.

8. The thermal management system of claim 7, wherein an output of the engine coolant jacket, an output of the oil cooler, and an output of the radiator are each connected to the inlet of the coolant pump, the thermal management system being configured for coolant exiting the engine coolant jacket, coolant exiting the oil cooler, and coolant exiting the radiator to be mixed before entering the inlet of the coolant pump.

9. The thermal management system of claim 1, wherein a diverter section is connected to an output of the coolant pump, the thermal management system being configured for an equal amount of coolant directed through the diverter section to be directed to the first cooling circuit and to the second cooling circuit.

10. The thermal management system of claim 1, further comprising a controller configured to control the shutter based at least in part on one or more sensed ambient conditions in response to a sensed coolant temperature relative to a minimum temperature threshold value.

11. The thermal management system of claim 1, further comprising a controller configured to control the cooling shutter and the fan in response to a sensed intake manifold air temperature.

20. A vehicle, comprising the thermal management system of claim 1.

4. A thermal management system comprising:

a first cooling circuit including an air-to-coolant radiator system;

a second cooling circuit including an engine coolant jacket, the engine coolant jacket surrounding a plurality of cylinders of an engine;

a coolant pump configured to provide coolant to the first cooling circuit and the second cooling circuit in parallel, wherein the air-to-coolant radiator system of the first cooling circuit is configured to cool coolant from the coolant pump;

a fan operable to provide air flow to the air-to-coolant radiator system;

a cooling shutter, positioned on another side of the air-to-coolant radiator system and remote from the fan, and being adjustable to control the air flow through the air-to-coolant radiator system, where coolant is pumped from the coolant pump through the first coolant circuit without first passing through one or more elements of the second cooling circuit, wherein coolant is pumped from the coolant pump through the second cooling circuit without first passing through one or more elements of the first cooling circuit, and wherein the air-to-coolant radiator system includes a first sub-cooler, a second sub-cooler, and a radiator positioned within an air flow path of the air flow provided by the fan when the fan is operable, the air flow path passing through the second sub-cooler to the first sub-cooler and through the first sub-cooler to the radiator;

a split passageway attached to an outlet of the radiator and configured to split coolant exiting the radiator into a first portion of coolant provided to the coolant pump and a second portion of coolant provided to the first sub-cooler; and

further comprising a first passive orifice flow restrictor, positioned between the outlet of the radiator and an inlet of the coolant pump, and a second passive orifice flow restrictor, positioned between an outlet of the engine coolant jacket and the inlet of the coolant pump, to control a flow of coolant to the coolant pump.

12. A thermal management method comprising:

pumping coolant from a coolant pump of an engine to two or more cooling circuits in parallel, one of the cooling circuits including an air-to-coolant radiator system and another of the cooling circuits including an engine coolant jacket surrounding a plurality of cylinders of the engine, the coolant pumped from the coolant pump to the air-to-coolant radiator system controlled via a passive orifice flow restrictor, positioned between an outlet of the coolant pump and an inlet of the air-to-coolant radiator system, and without passing through the engine coolant jacket;

detecting one or more operating parameters of the engine;

adjusting a fan to adjust air flow provided by the fan to the air-to-coolant radiator system, the air flow being adjusted based on one or more detected operating parameters; and

adjusting a cooling shutter to adjust air flow provided to the air-to-coolant radiator system based on one or more detected operating parameters.

13. The thermal management method of claim 12, wherein detecting one or more operating parameters of the engine further comprises detecting an engine coolant temperature.

14. The thermal management method of claim 12, wherein detecting one or more operating parameters further comprises detecting an intake manifold air temperature.

15. The thermal management method of claim 12, further comprising pumping coolant to the two or more cooling circuits in parallel under all operating conditions that include operating the coolant pump.

16. A thermal management system, comprising:

a coolant pump configured to provide coolant to a first cooling circuit by directing coolant from an outlet of the coolant pump to an air-to-coolant radiator system, to a water-based intercooler, to an oil cooler, and then to an inlet of the coolant pump, the coolant pump further configured to provide coolant to a second cooling circuit by directing coolant from the outlet of the coolant pump to an engine coolant jacket surrounding a plurality of cylinders of an engine and then to the inlet of the coolant pump without passing through the air-to-coolant radiator system;

a fan operable to provide air flow to the air-to-coolant radiator system;

a cooling shutter, positioned on an opposite side of the air-to-coolant radiator system from the fan, adjustable to control the air flow through the air-to-coolant radiator system; and

a passive orifice flow restrictor, positioned between the outlet of the coolant pump and an inlet of the air-to-coolant radiator system, to control a flow of coolant to the air-to-coolant radiator system.

17. The thermal management system of claim 16, further comprising a first orifice flow restrictor, positioned between an outlet of a radiator of the air-to-coolant radiator system and the inlet of the coolant pump, and a second orifice flow restrictor, positioned between an outlet of the engine coolant jacket and the inlet of the coolant pump, to control a flow of coolant to the coolant pump.

18. The thermal management system of claim 16, wherein coolant exiting the coolant pump flows through a diverter section that passively splits the coolant to direct a first portion of the coolant to the first cooling circuit and a second portion of the coolant to the second cooling circuit.

19. The thermal management system of claim 18, wherein the first portion includes an equal amount of coolant to the second portion, and wherein coolant provided to the second coolant circuit is only cooled via mixing with coolant from the first coolant circuit at the inlet of the cooling pump.