Crankcase Oil Catcher Directs Oil to Reduce Heat Loss
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Solution Overview
Problem
The engine block structure acts as a large heat sink, causing oil to lose heat and increase viscosity, leading to higher friction losses, worse fuel consumption, and cabin heating during engine warm-up due to its thermal inertia being greater than the coolant and oil.
Innovation Solution
A crankcase assembly with a crankcase oil catcher system that directs dispersed oil away from the crankcase casing wall and towards a sump, utilizing guides to collect and channel oil into a primary sump volume, reducing heat loss and increasing engine warm-up rate by restricting initial sump volume exposure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If oil is allowed to contact the crankcase casing wall for cooling, then the crankcase structure provides thermal management, but the oil loses excessive heat and increases viscosity during warm-up
Solution Approach 1:
The sump is divided into a primary sump volume and a secondary sump volume, with the oil catcher positioned between them. This segmentation allows hot oil to be directed into the primary sump volume during warm-up, preventing excessive heat loss to the crankcase walls, while still allowing thermal management through the secondary volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The oil catcher acts as an intermediary device that intercepts oil before it contacts the crankcase casing wall. It has surfaces configured to catch dispersed oil and direct it away from the cooler crankcase wall, preventing harmful heat loss while maintaining thermal management capabilities.
2Ease of operation
If the crankcase provides thermal management through its structure, then cooling is achieved, but the thermal inertia causes delayed oil warm-up and increased viscosity
Solution Approach 1:
The sump is divided into a primary sump volume and a secondary sump volume, with the oil catcher positioned between them. This segmentation allows hot oil to be directed into the primary sump volume during warm-up, preventing excessive heat loss to the crankcase walls, while still allowing thermal management through the secondary volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the effective sump volume parameter dynamically during different operating conditions. During warm-up, oil is directed to the primary volume, effectively reducing the thermal mass the oil must heat. This parameter change accelerates warm-up and reduces viscosity-related friction losses.
3Loss of energy
If oil is directed away from the crankcase wall using oil catchers and guides, then heat loss is reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The oil catcher is integrated with the crankcase structure, merging the oil catching function with the existing crankcase assembly. The guides are also integrated into the crankcase, combining multiple functions (structural support, oil direction, and thermal management) into a unified design, thereby reducing overall complexity despite adding functionality.
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
This solution reduces heat loss, lowers oil viscosity during warm-up, decreases friction losses, improves combustion efficiency, and enhances fuel economy by efficiently directing and warming the oil, thereby addressing the thermal inertia issue.
Implementation Method 1
the engine block structure acts as a large heat sink because the thermal inertia of the engine block structure is an order of magnitude greater than the coolant and oil
Implementation Method 2
The resulting colder oil has a higher viscosity, which leads to higher friction losses
Data Source
AI summary
A crankcase assembly for an engine is provided. The crankcase assembly includes a crankcase comprising a crank sump, the crank sump including a primary sump volume and a secondary sump volume, one or more crankcase oil catchers, the crankcase oil catchers comprising one or more surfaces configured to catch dispersed oil in the crankcase and direct the oil along the surfaces of the crankcase oil catcher away from a crankcase casing wall and towards the crank sump, wherein the crankcase oil catchers are provided above a crankshaft and below an associated piston of the engine, and one or more guides configured to collect oil captured by the crankcase oil catchers and guide the oil to the primary sump volume.