Mild Hybrid Engine Cooling via Heat Storage Tank
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mild hybrid vehicles face challenges in maintaining combustion stability due to decreased combustion chamber temperature when the engine is operated after coasting, as fuel injection stops during coasting, leading to difficulty in ensuring stable engine operation.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that utilize a heat storage tank integrated into the cooling line of the engine, controlled by a controller to adjust coolant flow, storing coolant when temperatures are high and supplying it to the engine during coasting to maintain combustion chamber temperature, with adjustable coolant amounts based on coasting time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If the engine stops operation and fuel injection stops during coasting to minimize fuel consumption, then fuel efficiency is improved, but combustion chamber temperature decreases leading to poor combustion stability
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary cooling of the combustion chamber before coasting by controlling the cooling line to cool the combustion chamber when the vehicle is not coasting. This preliminary action ensures that the combustion chamber is ready to maintain temperature stability when coasting occurs, allowing the engine to restart quickly with stable combustion after coasting
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling line acts as an intermediary system between the coolant and the combustion chamber. By selectively controlling coolant flow to the combustion chamber during coasting, the cooling line mediates temperature maintenance without requiring fuel injection, thus resolving the contradiction between fuel savings and combustion stability
2Reliability
If the engine operates continuously to maintain combustion chamber temperature, then combustion stability is improved, but fuel consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies local quality by selectively cooling only the combustion chamber rather than the entire engine. The cooling line is configured to direct coolant specifically to the combustion chamber when needed, allowing localized temperature control that maintains combustion stability without requiring continuous full-engine operation, thus reducing overall fuel consumption
3Reliability
If a heat storage tank is added to the cooling line to maintain combustion chamber temperature during coasting, then combustion stability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The heat storage tank is designed with multi-functionality, serving both as a coolant reservoir and a thermal energy storage device. It accumulates hot coolant during non-coasting periods and releases it during coasting to maintain combustion chamber temperature. This universal design reduces the need for separate systems, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity while achieving combustion stability
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 ensures constant combustion chamber temperature and stability by using a heat storage tank to maintain engine temperature during coasting, allowing for stable engine operation after coasting.
Implementation Method 1
a heat storage tank that is disposed at the cooling line and temporarily stores the coolant
Implementation Method 2
a cooling line through which coolant for cooling the combustion chamber flows
Data Source
AI summary
A system for cooling an engine of a mild hybrid vehicle includes an engine that includes a plurality of combustion chambers generating driving torque by combustion of a fuel, an integrated starter-generator, a clutch that selectively transmits the driving torque to a transmission, a driving information detector that detects driving information of the vehicle, a cooling line through which a coolant for cooling the combustion chamber flows, a heat storage tank disposed at the cooling line, and that temporarily stores the coolant, and a controller that controls an inflow coolant amount flowing in the heat storage tank and an exhaust coolant amount exhausting from the heat storage tank depending on the driving information of the vehicle detected by the driving information detector.