HYBRID COOLING SYSTEM OF AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE

• US 20120118248A1
• Filed: 10/21/2011
• Published: 05/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Mehring, Jan, Steiner, Bernd, Weber, Carsten
• Granted Patent: US 8,893,669 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 123/41.08
• CPC Class Codes: F01M 2001/123 using two or more pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2003/008 the liquid being water and oil
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2003/021 Cooling cylinders
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2003/024 Cooling cylinder heads
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2037/02 starting
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 3/02 Arrangements for cooling cylinders or cylinder heads

Abstract

A hybrid cooling system for an engine is provided. The system comprises a block oil cooling circuit, a head coolant cooling circuit, the head and block circuits having a common heat exchanger. The system also includes a flow device in the head cooling circuit for preventing coolant flow in the head cooling circuit at least during a first phase of a warm-up phase of the internal combustion engine, a delivery device in the block cooling circuit which delivers engine oil constantly under pressure through the block cooling circuit to bearing points in a cylinder block and to bearing points in a cylinder head, and a control element arranged in a control line to reduce the delivery capacity of the delivery device through the block cooling circuit at least during the first phase of the warm-up phase. In this way, heat transfer in the common heat exchanger may be substantially prevented.

Claims

1. A hybrid cooling system for an internal combustion engine, comprising:

a block cooling circuit through which engine oil flows;

a head cooling circuit through which coolant flows, the head and block circuits having a common heat exchanger;

a flow device in the head cooling circuit for preventing coolant flow in the head cooling circuit at least during a first phase of a warm-up phase of the internal combustion engine;

a delivery device in the block cooling circuit which delivers engine oil constantly under pressure through the block cooling circuit also to bearing points in a cylinder block and also to bearing points in a cylinder head; and

a control element arranged in a control line, which control element reduces the delivery capacity of the delivery device through the block cooling circuit at least during the first phase of the warm-up phase.

2. The hybrid cooling system as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the block cooling circuit opens out downstream of the delivery device in an oil side of the heat exchanger;

a connecting line downstream of the heat exchanger opens out in a cooling jacket of the cylinder block, from which the engine oil passes to a junction from which connecting lines lead to the bearing points of the cylinder block; and

the control line branches off from the junction.

3. The hybrid cooling system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the block cooling circuit has a branch line which is arranged downstream of the heat exchanger and upstream of a block cooling jacket, which branch line leads to hydraulic actuating elements in the cylinder head.

4. The hybrid cooling system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the delivery device is a variable oil pump which is pressure-regulated via the control line.

5. The hybrid cooling system as claimed claim 1, wherein the flow device for preventing the coolant flow is a shut-off valve, and wherein the shut-off valve and control element are connected to a control unit which controls at least opening and closing of the shut-off valve and/or the control element as a function of actual temperatures in comparison with predefined temperature limit values.

6. A method for an engine having a block oil circuit, a head coolant circuit, and a common heat exchanger, comprising:

preventing coolant flow in the head circuit at least in a first phase of a warm-up phase of the engine, the warm-up phase including a coolant temperature lower than a first threshold, an oil temperature lower than a second threshold, and a control element of the block circuit being open.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising at least partially opening a shut-off valve if the coolant temperature is higher than the first threshold.

8. The method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising closing the control element only when the oil temperature is greater than the second threshold, and opening a shut-off valve if the coolant temperature is higher than the first threshold.

9. The method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising controlling a coolant flow through a main cooler with a thermostat arranged in the head coolant circuit, wherein the thermostat is closed at least in the first phase of the warm-up phase.

10. A coolant system of a vehicle, comprising:

a cylinder head coolant circuit including a first loop controlled by shut-off valve arranged downstream of a heat exchanger and upstream of a pump, the pump to pump coolant through a head coolant jacket before reaching the heat exchanger;

a cylinder block oil circuit including a control element arranged upstream of variable oil pump, the heat exchanger arranged downstream of the variable oil pump, the variable oil pump to pump oil through the heat exchanger to a block coolant jacket; and

a control system including instructions to;

close the shut-off valve to block flow through the coolant circuit and open the control element to provide a first amount of oil through the oil circuit when a temperature of coolant in a cylinder head jacket is below a first threshold.

11. The coolant system of claim 10, wherein the control system further includes instructions to open the shut-off valve while keeping the control element open when the coolant temperature in the cylinder head jacket is above the first threshold and a temperature of oil in the oil circuit is below a second threshold.

12. The coolant system of claim 10, further comprising a second loop of the cylinder head coolant circuit, the second loop including a thermostat to control coolant flow from a main cooler to the pump.

13. The coolant system of claim 12, wherein the thermostat blocks coolant flow through the second loop when an inlet coolant temperature is below a third threshold.

14. The coolant system of claim 13, wherein the control system further includes instructions to open the shut-off valve to pump coolant through the first loop while keeping the control element open when the coolant temperature in the cylinder head jacket is above the first threshold and a temperature of oil in the oil circuit is below a second threshold, and wherein if the inlet temperature is above the third temperature, coolant also flows through the second loop.

15. The coolant system of claim 13, wherein the control system further includes instructions to open the shut-off valve to pump coolant through the first loop, and close the control element to pump a second amount of oil through the oil circuit when the coolant temperature in the cylinder head jacket is above the first threshold and when the oil temperature is above the second threshold.

16. The coolant system of claim 15, wherein the first oil amount is less than the second oil amount, and wherein the first oil amount is pumped with less pressure than the second oil amount.

17. The coolant system of claim 15, further comprising a check valve to control oil flow to one or more piston cooling jets, and wherein when the control element is closed, pressure from the pumping of the second oil amount opens the check valve to flow oil to the one or more piston cooling jets.