Cooling module

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10557404-B2
Application number	US-201715653836-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 19, 2017
Priority date	Jul 19, 2017
Publication date	Feb 11, 2020
Grant date	Feb 11, 2020

Abstract

A cooling module for use with an internal combustion engine having separate cooling circuits, the cooling module having a cuboid shaped structure having walls defining an internal open portion, at least one of the walls comprising a low-temperature heat exchanger circuit and one of the walls comprising a high-temperature heat exchanger circuit and a fan located within the open portion of the structure and enclosed by the walls. The fan is configured to act as a sucker fan to draw air from outside the structure through the at least one low-temperature heat exchanger circuit and to act as a blower fan by redirecting the air out of the structure through the at least one high-temperature heat exchanger circuit. The cooling module has increased fan efficiency, reduced noise, and optimal functional heat exchanger face area per given space.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cooling module comprising:
a box-shaped structure comprising at least four sides forming walls of the structure, the walls including at least four sidewalls and a top wall, the walls defining an open portion within the structure, wherein at least one of the sidewalls includes at least one low-temperature heat exchanger circuit and the top wall includes at least one high-temperature heat exchanger circuit that is separate from the at least one low-temperature heat exchanger circuit; and
at least one fan located within the open portion of the structure, wherein the fan is configured to draw air from outside the structure through the at least one low-temperature heat exchanger circuit and redirect the air out of the structure through the at least one high temperature heat exchanger circuit.

2. The cooling module of claim 1 , wherein at least two of the sidewalls comprise the at least one low-temperature heat exchanger circuit.

3. The cooling module of claim 2 , wherein the at least two sidewalls comprising the low-temperature heat exchanger circuits are oppositely disposed with respect to each other and wherein the structure includes a bottom wall.

4. The cooling module of claim 2 , wherein air from outside the structure flows through the low-temperature heat exchanger circuits and exits in an upward direction through the high-temperature heat exchanger circuit.

5. The cooling module of claim 1 , wherein the at least one fan comprises a constant volumetric flow machine.

6. The cooling module of claim 5 , wherein the at least one fan is configured to function as a sucker fan relative to the at least one low-temperature heat exchanger circuit and a blower fan relative to the at least one high-temperature heat exchanger circuit.

7. The cooling module of claim 1 , wherein the at least one fan is enclosed within the sidewalls and the top wall of the structure.

8. The cooling module of claim 2 , wherein the low-temperature heat exchanger circuits in the at least two sidewalls of the structure have a face area that is greater than a face area of the at least one high-temperature heat exchanger circuit.

9. The cooling module of claim 8 , wherein the face area of the low-temperature heat exchanger circuits is at least twice as large as the face area of the at least one high-temperature heat exchanger circuit.

10. The cooling module of claim 1 , wherein the at least low-temperature heat exchanger circuit and the at least one high-temperature heat exchanger circuit includes multiple cores.

11. The cooling module of claim 1 , wherein the structure comprises a cuboid having six of the walls disposed orthogonal to each other.

12. The cooling module of claim 11 , wherein the six of the walls comprise four sidewalls, a top wall, and a bottom wall, and wherein at least two of the sidewalls comprise the at least one low-temperature heat exchanger circuit, at least two others of the sidewalls comprise panels or the at least one low-temperature heat exchanger circuits, the top wall comprises the at least one high-temperature heat exchanger circuit, and the bottom wall comprises either a panel or the at least one low-temperature heat exchanger circuit.

13. The cooling module of claim 11 , wherein two or more of the six walls are sized differently with respect to each other.

14. A cooling module for use with an internal combustion engine having separate cooling circuits, the cooling module comprising:
(a) a cuboid shaped structure having walls defining an internal open portion, at least one of the walls comprising a low-temperature heat exchanger circuit and one of the walls comprising at least one high-temperature heat exchanger circuit that is separate from the low-temperature heat exchanger circuit; and
(b) at least one fan located within the open portion of the structure and enclosed by the walls, wherein the fan is configured to draw air from outside the structure through the at least one low-temperature heat exchanger circuit and redirect the air out of the structure through the at least one high-temperature heat exchanger circuit.

15. The cooling module of claim 14 , wherein the walls comprise four sidewalls, a top wall and a bottom wall, and wherein at least two of the sidewalls each comprises the low-temperature heat exchanger circuit and the top wall comprises the high-temperature heat exchanger circuit.

16. The cooling module of claim 15 , wherein the fan comprises a constant volumetric flow machine that is configured to function as a sucker fan relative to the low-temperature heat exchanger circuits to draw air from the outside of the structure through the low-temperature heat exchanger circuits and to function as a blower fan relative to the high-temperature heat exchanger circuit to redirect and blow the air in an upward direction out of the structure through the high-temperature heat exchanger circuit.

17. The cooling module of claim 15 , wherein the high-temperature heat exchanger circuit includes jacket water and is configured to cool an engine block and the low-temperature heat exchanger circuit is configured to cool turbo air from the engine.

18. The cooling module of claim 15 , wherein the internal combustion engine is a diesel engine.

19. A cooling module comprising:
a box-shaped structure formed by sidewalls interconnected with each other and defining an open portion of the structure, the structure also including a top wall interconnected with the sidewalls, at least one of the sidewalls including a first heat exchanger circuit and the top wall including a second heat exchanger circuit that is separate from the first heat exchanger circuit; and
a fan positioned between the open portion defined by the sidewalls of the structure and the top wall, the fan positioned to draw air from outside the open portion of the structure through the first heat exchanger circuit in the at least one of the sidewalls and direct the air out of the open portion of the structure through the second heat exchanger circuit in the top wall.

20. The cooling module of claim 19 , wherein the first heat exchanger circuit is a lower temperature heat exchanger circuit and the second heat exchanger circuit is a higher temperature heat exchanger circuit.

Assignees

• Westinghouse Air Brake Tech Corp

Inventors

• Tapley Joseph
• Korth Jay S
• Romero Rory Mahlon
• Plewa Jake

Classifications

• F01P2070/50

  mounting fans to heat-exchangers · CPC title

• F02B29/0431 Primary

  Details or means to guide the ambient air to the heat exchanger, e.g. having a fan, flaps, a bypass or a special location in the engine compartment · CPC title

• F02B29/0493

  Controlling the air charge temperature · CPC title

• F01P2003/185

  arranged in parallel · CPC title

• F01P3/18

  Arrangements or mounting of liquid-to-air heat-exchangers (such arrangements on cylinders or cylinder heads F01P3/04; relative to vehicles B60K11/04) · CPC title