Unified rotary flow control valve for internal combustion...

Details Unified rotary flow control valve for internal combustion... Unified rotary flow control valve for internal combustion...

2001-10-01

2003-11-18

Denion, Thomas (Department: 3748)

Internal-combustion engines

Cooling

With cooling of additional parts or materials

C123S563000, C137S625410, C137S625460, C060S599000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06647934

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a cooling system for high power internal combustion engines, and more particularly, to a unified rotary flow control valve for use in a cooling system used in a diesel engine powered rail traction vehicle.
Cooling systems for internal combustion engines, such as diesel engines used in locomotives and off highway vehicles, are known in the art for the purpose of maintaining engine and lubricating oil temperatures within desired operating ranges. Turbocharged engines are also known to utilize cooling systems for conditioning the combustion inlet air after it is compressed in a turbocharger. For example, it is believed that U.S. Pat. No. 5,415,147 (“the '147 patent”), assigned to the assignee of the present invention, describes a temperature regulating system containing turbocharged internal combustion engine having one coolant fluid pump and one or more flow paths where coolant fluid may be directed depending on the engine operating conditions. The temperature regulating system of the '147 patent defines three modes of operation as follows:
Mode 1: Used when coolant temperatures are highest, such as when the engine is at the highest power levels and/or when the highest ambient air temperatures are encountered. Entire hot coolant outflow from the engine is directed to the radiator/subcooler. Coolant passing through the subcooler is used to cool the engine intake air in the intercooler.
Mode 2: Used when engine coolant temperature is high enough to warrant cooling but heating of the intake air is desired to obtain optimal engine operation. The radiator/subcooler are used to cool only a portion of the hot coolant outflow from the engine. The remainder is used to heat the engine intake air in the intercooler.
Mode 3: Used when the heat demand on the engine is lowest, such as at low power loads and/or cold ambient air temperatures. None of the coolant outflow from the engine is cooled in the radiator, but some of this heated coolant is used to heat the engine intake air in the intercooler. The radiator and subcooler are drained in this mode.
Particular flow paths for each of the three Modes described above are disclosed in the '147 patent along with the flow control system valve requirement that is required to implement this cooling flow control system. The flow control system includes a two position, three way “T-port”, rotary valve shafted to an external air powered actuator and an on-off butterfly type valve for drainage of a radiator inlet piping (collectively V1 as illustrated in Table 1), and a second two-position three-way “L-port” valve shafted to an external air powered actuator and its associated second on-off butterfly valve (collectively V2 as illustrated in Table 2) for drainage of the subcooler outlet piping. Table 1, provided below, illustrates the possible combination of valve positions for the three way valves, with the flow ports of the valves designated as A, B, and C. Three of the four combinations are used for implementing Modes 1, 2, and 3 described above, and the fourth combination is unused in the prior art embodiments. The abbreviations used in Table 1 are as follows: Eng is engine; W/T is water tank; I/C is intercooler; Rad is radiator; and S/C is subcooler.
TABLE 1
Cooling System Mode vs. Valve Position
V1
V1
V2
V2
T-Port
B'Fly
L-Port
B-Fly
Mode
3-way
2-way
3-way
2-way
Flow Path
3
C to B
Open
C to B
Open
Eng to W/T & I/C Rad
& S/C to W/T
2
C to A
Closed
C to B
Open
Eng to Rad & I/C,
S/C to W/T
1
C to A
Closed
A to B
Closed
Eng to Rad, S/C to I/C
X
C to B
Open
A to B
Closed
Not Used
U.S. Pat. No. 6,098,576 (hereinafter “the '576 patent”), assigned to the assignee of the present invention, provides for a lower lube oil temperature for given high temperature ambient air conditions in a diesel electric locomotive with an enhanced split cooling system. The '576 patent extended the split cooling concept of the '147 patent by including a turbo charger, an oil cooler and an oil subcooler. Like the '147 patent, the '576 patent included two valve assemblies that are used for coolant flow control. While the first valve assembly in the '576 patent is essentially identical to that used in the '147 (identified as V1 in Table 2), the second assembly is considerably more complex, having eight ports in the rotary valve instead of three (identified as V2 in Table 2). However, even though the '576 patent has several benefits over the '147 patent, the increase in components increases the costs of parts as well as the costs of assembling the cooling system and increases the costs of maintenance costs over the life of the system. Furthermore, the reliability of the cooling system is lessened because of a higher parts count.
Like the '147 patent, in the '576 patent four modes are possible but only three modes are utilized in practice. The modes are as follows:
Mode 1: A normal engine operating mode in which coolant is used for cooling and the entire outflow from the engine is passed to the radiator. A portion of the coolant from the radiators is returned to the coolant tank while another portion is passed to the lube oil subcoolers. A portion of the lube oil subcooler's coolant outflow is sent to the lube oil cooler while another portion of the outflow is sent to the intercooler subcoolers and then to the intercoolers.
Mode 2: Used at lower operating temperatures than Mode 3, wherein said hot coolant outflow from the engine is used to heat the engine intake air in the intercooler, some is used to heat the engine lube oil in the lube oil cooler, and some coolant flows to the radiators and is returned to the coolant tank.
Mode 3: Used at start-up or in extremely cold weather when engine heat is needed to heat the engine intake air in the intercooler and to heat the engine lube oil in the lube oil cooler.
Particular flow paths for each of the three modes described above are disclosed in the '576 patent along with the flow control system valve configuration requirement that is needed to implement this cooling flow control system. The flow control system includes a three way rotary valve shafted to an external air powered actuator and an on-off butterfly type valve for drainage of a radiator inlet piping, and a four-way rotary valve shafted to an external air powered actuator and an associated second on-off butterfly valve for drainage. Table 2, provided below, illustrates the possible combination of valve positions for the valves, with the actuators for the first valve labeled 1 and the second valve labeled 2, flow ports at the three-way valve assembly labeled A-C, and the flow ports at the four-way valve assembly labeled A-H. Three of the four combinations are used for implementing Modes 1, 2, and 3 described above, and the fourth combination is unused in the prior art embodiments.
TABLE 2
Enhanced Cooling System Mode vs. V1 and V2
Position
V1 3-
V1
V2
V2
V2
V2
Way
2-Way
3-Way
2-Way
IC
O/C
V2
MODE
B'Fly
B'Fly
T-Port
B'Fly
4-Way
4-Way
B'Fly
3
2
1
C to B
Open
C to B
G to F
Open
Flow Description: Positions of Engine Outflow go to the Coolant Tank,
Oil Cooler and Intercooler. Radiators, Oil Cooler Subcoolers and
Intercooler Subcoolers drain to the Coolant Tank
2
1
1
C to A
Closed
C to B
G to F
Open
A to D
E to H
Flow Description: All Engine Outflow goes to the Radiators, Subcoolers
and Coolant Tank. Another Portion of Engine Outflow goes to the Oil
Cooler and Intercoolers.
1
1
2
C to A
Closed
A to B
E to F
Closed
C to D
E to H
Flow Description: All Engine Outflow goes to the Radiators. Radiators
drain to the Coolant Tank and Oil Cooler Subcoolers. Oil Cooler
Subcoolers drain to the Oil Cooler and Intercooler Subcoolers. Intercooler
Subcoolers drain to the Intercoolers.
X
2
2
C to B
Open
A to B
E to F
Closed
C to D
G to H
Flow Description: Not used
A disadvantage of the prior art discussed above is the potential for coolant leaks. Having two rotary valves doubles the chance of a coolant leak since either valve can develop a

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