Method for operating a combustion engine having a split cooling system and cylinder shutdown

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10563566-B2
Application number	US-201615006999-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 26, 2016
Priority date	Jan 26, 2015
Publication date	Feb 18, 2020
Grant date	Feb 18, 2020

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for a coolant system. In one example, a method may include flowing coolant to an active cylinder during a cold-start.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
deactivating a first cylinder group of an engine during a cold-start;
independently flowing coolant to an engine block coolant jacket, a first region of a cylinder head coolant jacket, and a second region of the cylinder head coolant jacket, the second region of the cylinder head coolant jacket corresponding to a second, active cylinder groups;
stagnating coolant in the first region of the cylinder head coolant jacket corresponding to the first cylinder group and the engine block coolant jacket; and
flowing coolant to each individual cylinder head of the second, active cylinder group through separate paths, and flowing coolant through a crossover path from a coolant passage surrounding one cylinder head of the second, active cylinder group to a coolant passage surrounding another cylinder head of the second, active cylinder group,
wherein the second, active cylinder group is located interior to the first cylinder group, and
wherein each of the first and second regions of the cylinder head coolant jacket are fluidly sealed from each other and the engine block coolant jacket.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising stagnating coolant in the engine block coolant jacket located below the cylinder head coolant jacket.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising flowing coolant through the engine block coolant jacket when a temperature of coolant of the second region of the cylinder head coolant jacket exceeds a first threshold.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising controlling coolant flow from the cylinder head coolant jacket and the engine block coolant jacket into a return line of a coolant circuit using valves positioned downstream of outlets of coolant jackets of each of the first region of the cylinder head coolant jacket, the second region of the cylinder head coolant jacket, and the cylinder block coolant jacket.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the crossover path mixes coolant of two individual cylinder heads of the second, active cylinder group before the coolant enters a return line and coolant flows through the second region of the cylinder head coolant jacket when coolant in one or both of the first region of the cylinder head coolant jacket and the engine block coolant jacket is stagnated.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising flowing coolant to the first region of the cylinder head coolant jacket when a temperature of the first cylinder group.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising stagnating coolant flow in the first region of the cylinder head coolant jacket and flowing coolant to the engine block coolant jacket in response to deactivating the first cylinder group.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein coolant flows directly between two cylinder heads of the second, active cylinder group via the crossover path and the crossover path is not directly connected to a supply or discharge line, and
further comprising flowing warmed coolant from the second region of the cylinder head coolant jacket into the first region of the cylinder head coolant jacket before activating the first cylinder group.

9. A system comprising:
an engine having a cylinder head and an engine block, where the cylinder head is physically coupled to a top of the engine block;
the cylinder head and the engine block comprising a head coolant jacket and a block coolant jacket, respectively, and where the jackets are fluidly separated from one another within the engine;
the head coolant jacket comprising two outer regions positioned above pistons configured to be deactivated and one central region positioned above active cylinders where the two outer regions and one central region are hermetically sealed from each other and the block coolant jacket;
the one central region including a crossover path extending from a passage surrounding one cylinder head of the central region to a passage surrounding another cylinder head of the central region;
valves in the head coolant jacket and the block coolant jacket positioned to stagnate coolant flow in the engine block, stagnate coolant flow in the two outer regions, and stagnate coolant flow in the engine block and the two outer regions, and
a coolant circuit comprising a coolant pump fluidly coupled to the head coolant jacket and the block coolant jacket.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein one of the valves is located on a coolant circuit branch comprising only the two outer regions, one of the valves is located on a coolant circuit branch comprising the central region and the two outer regions, and one of the valves is located on a coolant circuit branch comprising only the engine block.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the valves independently control coolant flow from each of the two outer regions, the central region, and the block coolant jacket into a return line.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein two of the valves are located between an outlet of the two outer regions and a return line and between an outlet of the block coolant jacket and the return line.

13. The system of claim 9 , wherein one of the valves is positioned in a coolant path between a junction of outlets of the two outer regions and a junction of the outer regions and a central region outlet, one of the valves is positioned in a coolant path between a junction of inlets of the two outer regions and a junction of the outer regions and a central region inlet, one of the valves is positioned in a coolant path between a junction of the outer regions and the central region and a junction of the head coolant jacket and the block coolant jacket, and one of the valves is positioned between an engine block outlet and the junction of the head coolant jacket and the block coolant jacket.

14. A method for operating a combustion engine having a split cooling system, comprising:
flowing coolant to an engine block having an engine block coolant jacket and a separate cylinder head having a cylinder head coolant jacket,
independently flowing coolant into each of two separate subregions within the cylinder head coolant jacket and the engine block coolant jacket, each subregion sealed from the other subregion and the engine block coolant jacket,
stagnating coolant flow through one of the subregions of the cylinder head coolant jacket of one or more deactivated cylinders and the engine block coolant jacket while flowing coolant to one of the subregions of the cylinder head coolant jacket of active cylinders in response to a cold-start,
flowing coolant through the engine block coolant jacket in response to a first temperature exceeding a first threshold, and
flowing coolant through the subregion of the cylinder head coolant jacket of the one or more deactivated cylinders and maintaining flow through the engine block coolant jacket in response to a second temperature exceeding a second threshold.

15. The method of claim 14 , further including flowing coolant which has already been warmed by the subregion of the cylinder head coolant jacket of the active cylinders through the subregion of the cylinder head coolant jacket of the one or more deactivated cylinders in response to a request to activate the one or more deactivated cylinders.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising flowing coolant through all of the subregions of the cylinder head coolant jacket in response to the request to activate the one or more deactivated cylinders.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising flowing coolant through the engine block coolant jacket in response to the request to activate the one or more deactivated cylinder

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Brinkmann Franz J
• Smiljanovski Vanco
• Kemmerling Joerg
• Quix Hans Guenter
• Haupts Volker
• Kindl Helmut Matthias
• Willems Werner

Classifications

• F01P7/16

  by thermostatic control · CPC title

• F01P3/20

  Cooling circuits not specific to a single part of engine or machine (F01P3/22 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F02F1/40

  cylinder heads with means for directing, guiding, or distributing liquid stream · CPC title

• F01P2003/024

  Cooling cylinder heads · CPC title

• F01P2003/027

  Cooling cylinders and cylinder heads in parallel · CPC title