Cooling System for Fuel Pump and Turbocharger
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern internal combustion engines with direct fuel injection face issues with the high-pressure fuel pump overheating during shut-down, leading to fuel evaporation and insufficient fuel pressure upon restart, which existing solutions address with costly measures like increased pre-feed pressure or active water cooling.
Innovation Solution
A cooling system that utilizes a common coolant duct and pump to cool both the high-pressure fuel pump and the exhaust gas turbocharger, ensuring the fuel does not evaporate during hot engine shut-down, by redesigning the existing cooling system for the turbocharger to also cool the fuel pump, with a pump delivering coolant through a duct that extends through the fuel pump's housing or holding fixture, and optionally incorporating a coolant cooler and fan for enhanced cooling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If active water cooling is used to cool the high-pressure fuel pump, then the fuel pump temperature is reduced and fuel evaporation is prevented, but additional components are required and space is consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The existing cooling system designed for the exhaust gas turbocharger is redesigned to serve dual purposes: cooling both the turbocharger and the high-pressure fuel pump. The coolant duct is extended or configured to reach the fuel pump, allowing the same cooling infrastructure to protect multiple heat-prone components without adding separate cooling systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling functions for the exhaust gas turbocharger and the high-pressure fuel pump are merged into a single integrated cooling system. By combining these cooling requirements into one system with a common coolant circuit, the patent eliminates the need for separate cooling systems, reducing overall system complexity and component count.
2Temperature
If the pre-feed pressure is increased to raise the boiling temperature of the fuel, then fuel evaporation is prevented, but the fuel system must be designed for higher pressures which increases costs
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of changing the pressure parameter to prevent fuel evaporation, the patent changes the temperature parameter by providing active cooling to the fuel pump. This maintains the original fuel system pressure design while achieving the same protective effect against fuel vaporization through thermal management.
3Temperature
If a separate cooling system is designed for each component, then each component is adequately cooled, but additional costs and space requirements arise
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is designed as a universal infrastructure that can serve multiple components. The coolant duct network is configured to distribute cooling capacity to both the exhaust gas turbocharger and the high-pressure fuel pump, allowing one cooling system to perform the function of what would traditionally require separate systems.
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 approach prevents fuel evaporation and ensures reliable engine start-up without additional costs, as the existing cooling system for the turbocharger is repurposed to efficiently cool the fuel pump, minimizing heat transmission and energy consumption through demand-based control.
Implementation Method 1
a cooling system after engine shut-down with a pump (24), a coolant duct (26) for a coolant and at least one component to be cooled, wherein the coolant duct (26) is assigned to a fuel pump (16)
Data Source
AI summary
A cooling system after engine shut-down includes a pump, a coolant duct for a coolant, and at least one component to be cooled. The coolant duct is associated with a fuel pump. A cylinder head for an internal combustion engine and a method for operating the cooling system after engine shut-down are provided.