Cooling System Control Method for Engine Thermal Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Coolant boiling in engine blocks occurs due to shared cooling system loops, leading to potential damage to heat exchange elements and engines, as the temperature of the engine block coolant increases, despite separate cooling adjustments for cylinder heads and engine blocks.
Innovation Solution
A control method for a cooling system that includes a coolant control valve unit with a cam to adjust coolant passage openings, temperature sensors for cylinder head and engine block coolant, and a controller to operate the valve and injector based on sensor signals, preventing coolant boiling by determining overheating conditions and limiting injector operation, with a fail-safe thermostat for coolant discharge.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If separate cooling is applied to cylinder head and engine block, then fuel efficiency is improved and NOx generation is reduced, but coolant boiling occurs in the engine block due to shared cooling loop
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is segmented into separate cooling loops for the cylinder head and engine block, allowing independent temperature control of each component. This enables the cylinder head to be cooled to reduce NOx and knocking while the engine block operates at higher temperatures for improved fuel efficiency, without causing coolant boiling in the block.
Solution Approach 2:
Different temperature conditions are applied to different parts of the cooling system. The cylinder head coolant is maintained at lower temperatures for emission control, while the engine block coolant operates at higher temperatures for efficiency, with each zone having optimized cooling characteristics suited to its specific thermal requirements.
2Device complexity
If one cooling loop is used for both cylinder head and engine block, then system complexity is reduced, but independent temperature adjustment is lost causing coolant boiling
Solution Approach 1:
The single cooling loop is divided into separate cooling circuits for the cylinder head and engine block, with independent control mechanisms for each. This segmentation enables precise temperature management for each component while maintaining reasonable system complexity through modular architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling system incorporates dynamic control capabilities with adjustable flow rates and temperature setpoints for each cooling zone. This allows the system to adaptively respond to varying operational conditions, maintaining optimal temperatures for both the cylinder head and engine block under different driving scenarios.
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
Prevents coolant boiling by independently managing coolant temperatures in the cylinder head and engine block, ensuring safe operation and preventing damage to heat exchange elements and engines.
Implementation Method 1
a first coolant temperature sensor configured to measure the temperature of the coolant flowing through the cylinder head
Implementation Method 2
a second coolant temperature sensor configured to measure the temperature of the coolant flowing through the cylinder block
Implementation Method 3
operating the coolant control valve unit to move the cam to a maximum position
Implementation Method 4
The coolant control valve unit may be equipped with a fail-safe thermostat for selectively discharging coolant to the radiator
Data Source
AI summary
A control method for a cooling system is provided. The method includes determining whether the output signals of a first coolant temperature sensor and a second coolant temperature sensor satisfy a predetermined coolant overheating condition. A coolant control valve unit is operated to move the cam to a maximum position when the predetermined coolant overheating condition is satisfied. Additionally, a control temperature is determined according to an output signal of the first coolant temperature sensor and the second coolant temperature sensor and an operation of the injector is limited according to the determined control temperature.