Combine Airflow Scroll Pre-Cleaning for Engine Cooling and Filtration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern combines with transverse mounted engines face issues such as the need for expensive and energy-consuming bevel gear sets, weight imbalance, poor crop residue separation in air pre-cleaners, and short filter life due to inadequate air cleaning, leading to inefficiencies and safety concerns with flammable residues.
Innovation Solution
A dual-engine harvesting combine design with a centralized cooling package, including a stationary screen, independent combustion air coolers, a common radiator, and a centrifugal scroll pre-cleaner, which enhances airflow and filtration by drawing clean air from the top and directing it through the machine to pre-clean and filter out debris, reducing the risk of fire and extending filter life.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If a single engine is mounted transverse to the rotor with a bevel gear set to turn power, then the rotor can be driven, but the system becomes expensive, heavy, and energy-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the bevel gear set from the power transmission system by mounting the engine axially to the rotor, directly coupling the engine's output to the rotor drive. This extraction of the unnecessary bevel gear component simplifies the system, reduces weight, and eliminates energy losses associated with the gear set while maintaining full power transmission capability.
2Device complexity
If the engine is mounted parallel to the threshing cylinder to eliminate the bevel gear set, then the gear set complexity is reduced, but weight imbalance occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs asymmetric engine mounting where the engine is positioned offset from the centerline but oriented axially to the rotor. This asymmetric configuration allows the engine to drive the rotor directly without bevel gears while the offset position creates a counterbalancing effect that mitigates weight imbalance, achieving both simplified mechanics and balanced weight distribution.
3Manufacturing precision
If larger spin tubes are designed to separate crop residue, then the separation capability is improved, but the pre-cleaner effectiveness remains insufficient for light debris
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional straight or angular spin tubes with curved or spiral configurations. The curved path of the spin tubes creates more effective centrifugal separation by maintaining debris against the tube walls longer and at higher velocities, improving separation of light debris like soybean fuzz while maintaining overall pre-cleaner reliability.
4Device complexity
If crop residue is not effectively separated, then the airflow system remains simple, but filter life becomes poor due to inadequate air cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a multi-stage pre-cleaning system that performs preliminary separation of crop residue and dust before air enters the main filter. By using spin tubes, screens, and airflow separation chambers upfront, the system removes the majority of contaminants before they reach the expensive filters, dramatically extending filter life while maintaining a relatively simple overall system architecture.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution improves airflow and filtration efficiency, reduces the risk of fire from crop residues, and addresses weight imbalance and energy consumption issues, resulting in a more effective and safer harvesting process.
Implementation Method 1
a scroll assembly that takes a portion of the air from the cooling fan assembly and separates solids therefrom and directs the separated air into the internal combustion engine
Implementation Method 2
a fan, two independent combustion air coolers (CAC), a radiator that is common to both engines with comingled coolant
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 1A
Figure 2
AI summary
Disclosed is a complete engine cooling system for an engine carried by a grain harvesting combine having an internal combustion engine and hot exhaust components and having a front operator cab. The system includes a generally horizontal fan assembly located atop the harvesting combine for drawing in air, a radiator associated with the engine and over which air flows for engine cooling, and charge air coolers for combustion air cooling, and air conditioning and hydraulic coolers, a centrifugal scroll that takes the drawn in air and removes entrained particles to produce a clean exhaust air and dirty exhaust air; and a filter assembly through which the pre-cleaned exhaust air flows for producing filtered air for admittance into the engine for combustion.