Dual Cooling Circuit Engine Thermal Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing engine cooling systems often fail to maintain designated operating temperatures for both engines and other heat exchangers, as the coolant temperature provided is either too cool for engines or too warm for heat exchangers, leading to inefficiencies and potential overheating.
Innovation Solution
A dual cooling circuit system where a coolant pump supplies coolant to both an engine coolant jacket and an air-to-coolant radiator system in parallel, with adjustable orifices and a fan-shutter combination to control coolant and air flow, allowing for precise temperature regulation across different components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single cooling circuit is used to cool both the engine and radiator, then the system complexity is reduced, but the temperature control precision for different components deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is divided into two separate cooling circuits: a first cooling circuit for the engine coolant jacket and a second cooling circuit for the radiator system. This segmentation allows independent temperature control for each component, resolving the contradiction by maintaining simple individual circuits while achieving precise temperature control for both engine and radiator separately.
2Reliability
If coolant flow is increased to improve cooling efficiency, then the cooling performance improves, but the energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs variable speed coolant pumps in both cooling circuits, allowing the pump speeds to be dynamically adjusted based on real-time cooling demands. This enables the system to provide high cooling performance when needed while reducing energy consumption during normal operating conditions, resolving the contradiction between cooling reliability and energy use.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes operational parameters by adjusting coolant flow rates and pump speeds according to temperature sensor feedback. This allows optimal balance between cooling performance and energy consumption by adapting the cooling intensity to actual thermal demands rather than operating at constant high intensity.
3Reliability
If the radiator system is enlarged to improve heat dissipation, then the cooling capacity increases, but the device weight and size increase
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the engine cooling and radiator cooling into independent circuits, the system can optimize each circuit's cooling capacity independently. The radiator circuit can be sized appropriately for its specific heat dissipation needs without being oversized to accommodate engine cooling requirements, reducing overall system weight while maintaining adequate heat dissipation capacity.
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 system effectively maintains designated temperature ranges for engine and heat exchanger components, reducing overheating risks, simplifying assembly and maintenance, and enhancing cost-effectiveness compared to single circuit systems.
Implementation Method 1
The air-to-coolant radiator system of the first cooling circuit is configured to cool coolant from the coolant pump
Implementation Method 2
an air-to-coolant radiator system configured to cool coolant from the coolant pump
Implementation Method 3
a fan operable to provide air flow to the air-to-coolant radiator system
Implementation Method 4
a cooling shutter, positioned on another side of the air-to-coolant radiator system and remote from the fan, and being adjustable to control the air flow through the air-to-coolant radiator system
Implementation Method 5
a coolant pump providing coolant to a first cooling circuit and a second cooling circuit
Implementation Method 6
a second cooling circuit including an engine coolant jacket
Data Source
AI summary
Various embodiments for a thermal management system are provided. In one example, a thermal management system includes a coolant pump that provides coolant to a first cooling circuit and a second cooling circuit in parallel. The first cooling circuit includes an air-to-coolant radiator system and the second cooling circuit includes an engine coolant jacket. The thermal management system further comprises a fan and a cooling shutter for controlling a flow of air through the air-to-coolant radiator system.