Cooling circuit for the thermal regulation of an engine independent from other consumers

• US 9,689,304 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2009
• Issued: 06/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Renault Sas (Renault)
• Original Assignee: Renault Sas (Renault)
• Inventors: Benet, Frederic
• Primary Examiner(s): Cronin, Stephen K
• Assistant Examiner(s): Morales, Omar
• Application Number:
  US13/121,832
• Publication Number:
  US 20110232590A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,827 Days
• Field of Search: 123 4109, 123 411, 12356812, 123 4108, 123 4152, 123 4144, 123 4129
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2060/02 Intercooler
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2060/08 Cabin heater
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 3/02 Arrangements for cooling cylinders or cylinder heads
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 3/20 Cooling circuits not specific to a single part of engine or machine F01P3/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 7/165 characterised by systems with two or more loops

Abstract

A thermal regulation device for a cooling system of an engine that includes a pump positioned upstream from a cooling housing of the engine and at least one consumer requiring permanent cooling. The device includes a main pipe for circulating coolant through the cooling housing and a secondary pipe bypassing the cooling housing. A two-way valve is positioned on the main pipe at the outlet of the cooling housing of the engine, and the secondary pipe includes a tapping on the main pipe downstream from the pump and upstream from a portion of the main pipe used for cooling the engine so that the flow is maintained at a constant and permanent level for ensuring the cooling of the at least one consumer.

Claims

1. A thermal regulation device for a cooling system for cooling at least one internal combustion engine, including a pump positioned upstream of a cooling chamber of a crankcase/cylinder block and/or a cylinder head of the engine and at least one consumer requiring permanent cooling, the device comprising:

a main pipe including a first portion extending from an outlet of the pump into an inlet of the cooling chamber of the engine to circulate liquid coolant through the cooling chamber of the engine and a second portion extending from an outlet of the cooling chamber to an inlet of the pump, the main pipe including at least one accessory that is positioned on the second portion of the main pipe and cooled by the liquid coolant circulating through the main pipe;

a secondary pipe that bypasses the cooling chamber of the engine; and

a two-way valve positioned on the second portion of the main pipe, at the outlet from the cooling chamber of the engine,

wherein, an end of the first portion of the main pipe is connected to the outlet of the pump and comprises a distribution gallery that runs alongside the crankcase/cylinder block and/or the cylinder head and that distributes the liquid coolant into plural accessory pipes that lead from the distribution gallery and that are intended for cooling the engine, the gallery not contributing to an exchange of heat with the engine, and

wherein the secondary pipe is branched off from the main pipe on the distribution gallery downstream from the plural accessory pipes, downstream of the pump, and upstream of the two-way valve, and the secondary pipe re-connects to the second portion of the main pipe immediately downstream of the two-way valve and upstream of the at least one accessory of the second portion of the main pipe so that, when the two-way valve is closed, a flow rate of the liquid coolant through the secondary pipe is kept constant and permanent to supply the cooling of the at least one consumer and the at least one accessory, and the liquid coolant does not flow through the cooling chamber of the engine.

2. The thermal regulation device for a system for cooling at least one internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the branch of the secondary pipe off the distribution gallery is positioned to provide an even distribution of flow rates of liquid coolant between the secondary pipe and accessory pipes.

3. A cooling circuit for thermal regulation of an engine and of at least one consumer, including a feed pump for displacing a liquid coolant, wherein the cooling circuit comprises:

a thermal regulation device as claimed in claim 1, the regulation device via the main pipe at the outlet of the engine supplying a first loop that comprises the at least one accessory, and via the secondary pipe supplying a second loop that comprises the at least one consumer that requires permanent and/or continuous cooling while the engine is running, the second loop opening at a downstream end into the first loop of the cooling circuit.

4. The cooling circuit for thermal regulation of an engine and of at least one consumer through the displacement of a liquid coolant as claimed in claim 3, wherein at an outlet from the engine, the main pipe supplies a third loop that cools at least one accessory, a third loop meeting the first loop upstream of the pump, and the third loop comprising a two-way thermostatic valve.

5. The cooling circuit for the thermal regulation of an engine and of at least one consumer through the displacement of a liquid coolant as claimed in claim 4, wherein the third loop meets the first loop via a double-acting thermostatic valve supplied by a pipe that makes a tapping downstream of the two-way valve of the first loop, the double-acting thermostatic valve making it possible to regulate temperature of the liquid coolant while at a same time maintaining a flow of liquid coolant with a constant flow rate through the engine.

6. A method of operating a cooling circuit as claimed in claim 4, wherein the method comprises opening the thermostatic two-way valve mounted on the third loop of the cooling circuit to allow the cooling of the engine and to allow the cooling of the at least one accessory of the third loop, while at a same time maintaining constant cooling of the at least one consumer using the second loop of the cooling circuit.

7. The cooling circuit for the thermal regulation of an engine and of at least one consumer through the displacement of a liquid coolant as claimed in claim 3, wherein the consumer requiring permanent and/or continuous cooling comprises at least one turbocompressor and/or an exhaust gas recirculation device.

8. A method of operating a cooling circuit as claimed in claim 3, wherein the method comprises closing the two-way valve mounted on the first loop of the cooling circuit to suspend the cooling of the engine and to maintain constant cooling of the at least one consumer.

9. A method of operating a cooling circuit as claimed in claim 3, wherein the method comprises opening the two-way valve mounted on the first loop of the cooling circuit to allow the cooling of the engine and to maintain constant cooling of the at least one consumer.

10. The cooling circuit for the thermal regulation of an engine and of at least one consumer through the displacement of a liquid coolant as claimed in claim 3, wherein the first loop contributes to supplying at least one unit heater.

11. The cooling circuit for the thermal regulation of an engine and of at least one consumer through the displacement of a liquid coolant as claimed in claim 4, wherein the third loop contributes to supplying at least one radiator.

12. The cooling circuit for the thermal regulation of an engine and of at least one consumer through the displacement of a liquid coolant as claimed in claim 3, wherein at least one turbocompressor is connected to the secondary pipe downstream of the branch off the main pipe such that the flow rate of the coolant to the turbo compressor is kept constant and permanent even when the two-way valve at the outlet from the cooling chamber of the engine is closed to stop the coolant from flowing through the cooling chamber of the engine.

13. The cooling circuit for the thermal regulation of an engine and of at least one consumer through the displacement of a liquid coolant as claimed in claim 3, wherein an exhaust gas recirculation device is connected to the secondary pipe downstream of the branch off the main pipe such that the flow rate of the coolant to the exhaust gas recirculation device is kept constant and permanent even when the two-way valve at the outlet from the cooling chamber of the engine is closed to stop the coolant from flowing through the cooling chamber of the engine.

14. The thermal regulation device for a system for cooling at least one internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first portion of the main pipe does not include a valve between the pump and the cooling chamber of the engine and the secondary pipe does not include a valve.

15. The thermal regulation device for a system for cooling at least one internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the secondary pipe re-connects to the second portion of the main pipe immediately downstream of the two-way valve such that no consumer to be cooled by the coolant flow through the main pipe is positioned on the second portion of the main pipe between the two-way valve and where the secondary pipe re-connects to the second portion of the main pipe.