Marine Cooling System Active Drainage Pump
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cooling systems for marine vessels face challenges in fully draining cooling water, particularly when the engine is located below the waterline, leading to potential corrosion and the need for more expensive and heavier cast iron components instead of aluminum, as gravity alone is insufficient for complete drainage.
Innovation Solution
A system that includes a pump configured to actively remove cooling water from the cooling system in response to specific conditions such as engine shutdown, low engine speed, or temperature changes, with a controller managing the pump's operation and incorporating sensors for temperature, pressure, and water level to ensure complete drainage without re-entry into the system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If gravity-based drainage is used for cooling systems, then the system structure is simple, but complete drainage is not achieved when the engine is located below the waterline
Solution Approach 1:
The pump is activated before the engine shutdown to initiate drainage of cooling water from the system. This preliminary action ensures that water is removed proactively rather than reactively, allowing complete drainage even when the engine is below the waterline by creating positive pressure to overcome gravity's limitations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the passive gravity-based drainage mechanism with an active pump-driven system. The pump provides mechanical force to move cooling water against gravity and pressure differentials, ensuring complete evacuation of the cooling system regardless of the engine's position relative to the waterline.
2Reliability
If cast iron components are used instead of aluminum, then corrosion resistance is improved, but weight and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-service by automatically draining cooling water through the pump and controller mechanism. This complete drainage prevents water from remaining in the system, thereby eliminating the corrosion problem that would otherwise require using corrosion-resistant cast iron components. The lightweight aluminum components are protected through the self-draining function rather than through material substitution.
3Device complexity
If manual drainage intervention is required, then system complexity is reduced, but operational efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The controller receives feedback from the engine management system regarding engine shutdown status and automatically activates the pump accordingly. This feedback mechanism eliminates the need for manual intervention while ensuring drainage occurs at the appropriate time, improving operational efficiency without requiring complex automation hardware.
Solution Approach 2:
The drainage system operates autonomously by detecting engine shutdown conditions and automatically activating the pump to drain cooling water. This self-service capability eliminates manual intervention entirely, allowing operators to simply shut down the engine while the system handles drainage automatically, thereby improving productivity without adding significant complexity.
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 allows for effective drainage of cooling water, enabling the use of aluminum components and preventing corrosion, while ensuring the cooling system operates efficiently without manual intervention, even when the vessel is not in the water.
Implementation Method 1
a pump configured to actively remove cooling water from the cooling system
Implementation Method 2
A first temperature sensor determines a temperature of the cooling water in the cooling system
Implementation Method 3
The controller is configured to stop the pump in response to the temperature of the cooling water exceeding a threshold temperature
Data Source
AI summary
A system for draining a cooling system of a power generation system on a marine vessel includes a pump in fluid communication with the cooling system, the pump actively removing cooling water from the cooling system. An outlet drain discharges the cooling water. A controller starts the pump in response to an operator command to stop a prime mover of the marine power generation system and/or a speed of the prime mover being below a threshold speed. In one example, a temperature sensor determines a temperature of the cooling water in the cooling system, and the controller stops the pump in response to the temperature of the cooling water exceeding a threshold temperature. In another example, a sensor determines a pressure and/or a level of the cooling water in the cooling system, and the controller stops the pump in response to the pressure and/or the level of the cooling water dropping below a threshold pressure or a threshold level, respectively.