Construction Machine Reserve Tank Cooling via Airflow Positioning
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing configuration of a construction machine with a reserve tank for supplying water to a radiator is prone to heat damage due to inadequate air movement and direct exposure to engine heat, leading to thermal issues when the engine is stopped.
Innovation Solution
The reserve tank is positioned above the engine and aligned with the airflow path within the engine room, ensuring it is cooled by external air sucked in by the cooling fan and discharged air, while being covered by an exterior cover to minimize heat exposure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the reserve tank is disposed at the upper portion of the shroud of the cooling fan to save space, then the space utilization is improved, but the reserve tank is seriously affected by heat from the engine due to inadequate air movement
Solution Approach 1:
The reserve tank is repositioned from the traditional location above the cooling fan to a new position above the engine and facing the exterior cover opening. This spatial reconfiguration places the tank in the airflow path from a different dimension, allowing it to be cooled by external air while maintaining compact space utilization within the engine room.
Solution Approach 2:
The airflow characteristics are optimized locally around the reserve tank by positioning it to face the exterior cover opening. This creates a localized cooling zone where external air directly contacts the tank, providing targeted heat dissipation without affecting the overall engine room temperature distribution.
2Volume of moving object
If the reserve tank is disposed close to the engine to utilize available space, then the space efficiency is improved, but the tank is thermally affected by engine heat generation when the engine is stopped
Solution Approach 1:
External air acts as an intermediary cooling medium between the engine heat source and the reserve tank. By positioning the tank to face the exterior cover opening, a continuous flow of external air passes over the tank surface, serving as a thermal barrier that protects the tank from engine heat while maintaining close proximity for space efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling airflow is designed to continuously pass over the reserve tank surface, ensuring constant heat dissipation. This continuous cooling action maintains the tank temperature within acceptable ranges even during prolonged engine operation or idle periods, preventing thermal accumulation.
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 effectively reduces the reserve tank's exposure to engine heat, maintaining its temperature and ensuring efficient water supply to the radiator, while also maintaining a compact turning radius and facilitating maintenance access.
Implementation Method 1
a cooling fan, the cooling fan sucking external air and cooling the radiator
Implementation Method 2
a flow of air inside the engine room is formed so that external air sucked into the engine room by the cooling fan is discharged from the opening
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
To make a reserve tank be hardly affected by the heat of an engine. An engine room (5) is totally covered by an exterior cover (9) including openings (44) at the upper surface, and includes in the inside thereof an engine (13), a radiator (24), a cooling fan (20) for sucking external air and cooling the radiator, and a reserve tank (30) for storing cooling water of the engine. The reserve tank (30) is disposed at a position above the engine (13) and facing the openings (44) and a position on the upstream side of the flow of the air with respect to the openings (44).