Ground Milling Machine Cooling System With Separate Air Ducts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ground milling machines require oversized cooling devices to ensure efficient cooling, leading to high energy consumption and fuel usage, as they often use already heated cooling air for both engine and hydraulic fluid cooling, resulting in inefficient cooling performance.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a separate cooling air duct system for the hydraulic fluid cooling device, which aspirates fresh ambient air and guides it independently through the hydraulic fluid heat exchanger, while the engine cooling device receives separate cooling air that circumvents the engine compartment, ensuring 'fresh' air reaches the heat exchangers and optimizing cooling power with reduced energy consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single cooling air duct is used for both engine cooling and hydraulic fluid cooling, then the cooling system structure is simplified, but the cooling efficiency decreases because the air is preheated by the engine
Solution Approach 1:
The single cooling air duct is divided into two separate cooling air ducts: a first cooling air duct for engine cooling and a second cooling air duct for hydraulic fluid cooling. This segmentation allows each duct to independently supply fresh cooling air to its respective heat exchanger, preventing the preheating problem while maintaining structural organization through dedicated pathways for each cooling function.
2Power
If oversized fans are used to provide sufficient cooling air for both systems, then the cooling power requirement is met, but the energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The single oversized fan is segmented into two separate fans: a first fan coupled to the first cooling air duct for engine cooling and a second fan coupled to the second cooling air duct for hydraulic fluid cooling. Each fan is sized appropriately for its specific cooling load, eliminating the need for an oversized fan while maintaining sufficient cooling power for both systems independently.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling air flow parameters are optimized separately for each system. By providing independent cooling air supply pathways and fans, the air flow rate, pressure, and temperature parameters can be tailored to the specific requirements of the engine cooling system and hydraulic fluid cooling system, improving overall energy efficiency compared to a single oversized system.
3Device complexity
If cooling air is circulated through the engine compartment, then the cooling system is compact, but the cooling air becomes preheated reducing cooling performance
Solution Approach 1:
The second cooling air duct for hydraulic fluid cooling is extracted from the engine compartment pathway. Instead of circulating air through the engine compartment, the second duct is configured to supply fresh ambient air directly to the hydraulic fluid heat exchanger, bypassing the engine compartment entirely. This extraction eliminates the preheating of cooling air while maintaining system compactness through optimized duct routing.
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 configuration allows for efficient cooling of both the internal combustion engine and hydraulic system with lower power consumption, as the cooling air is not preheated by the engine, resulting in improved cooling performance and reduced energy usage.
Implementation Method 1
a first fan (34), which moves cooling air (39) through the engine cooling device (50)
Implementation Method 2
a cooling circuit with an engine heat exchanger (32), through which the cooling air (39) flows
Implementation Method 3
a second fan (37), which moves cooling air (41) through the hydraulic fluid cooling device (51)
Implementation Method 4
a hydraulic fluid heat exchanger (35), through which the cooling air (41) flows
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a ground milling machine with two cooling ducts, which allow a mutually separated guidance of cooling air. The present invention further relates to such a cooling system and a method for cooling a ground milling machine.