Internal combustion engine cooling system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9810134-B2
Application number	US-201514825577-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 13, 2015
Priority date	Aug 13, 2015
Publication date	Nov 7, 2017
Grant date	Nov 7, 2017

Abstract

An engine has a cylinder block defining a cooling circuit with an inlet passage adjacent to a first end of the block and fluidly connected to a continuous open channel positioned between a side wall of the block and a plurality of in-line cylinders. The channel intersects a block deck face and extends alongside each cylinder of the plurality of cylinders. The channel is configured to direct coolant to a cylinder head.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An engine comprising:
a cylinder block having a block deck face, an intake side wall, an exhaust side wall, and first and second opposed end walls, the block defining a plurality of cylinders arranged in-line with a first end cylinder adjacent to the first end wall and a second end cylinder adjacent to the second end wall, the block defining a block cooling circuit having an inlet passage extending along the first end wall and fluidly connected to a feed channel, the feed channel intersecting the block deck face and having a continuous perimeter extending lengthwise from a first end adjacent to the first end wall to a second end adjacent to the second end wall, the channel positioned between the exhaust side wall and the plurality of cylinders, wherein the inlet passage of the block extends through the block from the intake side to the exhaust side, the inlet passage having an inlet port on the intake side of the engine, the block having a cap configured to connect to the exhaust side of the engine and enclose an intersection fluidly connecting the inlet passage and the feed channel; and
a cylinder head having a head deck face and defining a head cooling circuit with at least one inlet port intersecting the head deck face and aligned with the feed channel to receive coolant therefrom.

2. The engine of claim 1 further comprising a head gasket interposed between the block deck face and the head deck face, the head gasket defining a series of apertures positioned between and fluidly connecting the feed channel and the at least one inlet port.

3. The engine of claim 2 wherein the series of apertures of the head gasket are spaced apart along the length of the feed channel, wherein each aperture is associated with a respective cylinder in the plurality of cylinders and a cross sectional area of each aperture increases downstream in the feed channel.

4. The engine of claim 1 wherein the block cooling circuit includes a fluid jacket surrounding the plurality of cylinders and fluidly connected to the inlet passage upstream of the feed channel.

5. The engine of claim 4 wherein the inlet passage of the block cooling circuit is configured to direct a portion of the coolant within the inlet passage to the fluid jacket, and a remainder of the coolant in the inlet passage to the feed channel; and
wherein all coolant in the head cooling circuit is provided from the inlet passage of the block cooling circuit.

6. The engine of claim 1 wherein the block cooling circuit defines a return channel intersecting the block deck face and positioned between the intake side wall and the plurality of cylinders, the return channel generally opposed to the feed channel; and
wherein the head cooling circuit defines at least one outlet port intersecting the head deck face and aligned with the return channel to provide coolant thereto.

7. The engine of claim 1 wherein a distance between a floor of the channel and the block deck face decreases along a length of the channel in a downstream direction thereby providing coolant to each cylinder in the cylinder head at substantially the same pressure.

8. The engine of claim 1 wherein the cap has a concave surface configured to form a wall of the cooling circuit between the inlet passage and the feed channel and direct flow from the inlet passage to the feed channel.

9. An engine comprising:
a cylinder block defining a cooling circuit having an inlet passage adjacent to a first block end and fluidly connected to (i) a fluid jacket circumferentially surrounding a plurality of cylinders and (ii) a continuous open channel positioned between a side block wall and the jacket and configured to direct coolant to a cylinder head, the channel intersecting a block deck face and extending alongside each cylinder of the plurality of cylinders.

10. The engine of claim 9 wherein the channel has a floor spaced apart from the deck face and a continuous side wall extending from the floor to the deck face.

11. The engine of claim 10 where a distance between the floor of the channel and the deck face is decreasing along a length of the channel and away from the inlet passage.

12. The engine of claim 10 wherein the plurality of cylinders extends along a longitudinal axis of the block with a first cylinder adjacent to the first end of the block and a second cylinder adjacent to a second end of the block; and
wherein the continuous open channel is substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis and extends from the first cylinder to the second cylinder.

13. The engine of claim 12 wherein the inlet passage is fluidly connected to the channel adjacent to the first cylinder.

14. The engine of claim 13 wherein the floor of the channel has a protrusion extending towards the deck face and adjacent to the inlet passage, the protrusion configured to redirect coolant towards the first cylinder.

15. The engine of claim 14 wherein the protrusion has an upstream side, the upstream side being concave.

16. The engine of claim 9 wherein the fluid jacket is fluidly connected to the inlet passage upstream of the channel.

17. The engine of claim 9 wherein the cooling circuit of the block defines a return channel intersecting the block deck face and positioned between another block side wall and the fluid jacket, the return channel generally opposed to the continuous channel, the return channel configured to receive coolant from the cylinder head.

18. The engine of claim 9 wherein the block defines a series of head bolt columns along the side wall, the channel positioned between the series of head bolt columns and the side wall.

19. A method of cooling an engine comprising:
providing coolant from a pump to an inlet passage of a cooling system formed within an engine block, the cooling system having an inlet passage fluidly connected to (i) a fluid jacket circumferentially surrounding a plurality of cylinders and (ii) an open feed channel intersecting a block deck face and having a first end fluidly connected to the inlet passage adjacent to a first end of the block and a second end adjacent to a second opposed end of the block, the feed channel positioned between the fluid jacket and a first side of the block;
splitting a first portion of the coolant in the inlet passage to the fluid jacket;
directing a second portion of the coolant in the inlet passage to the open feed channel;
metering the second portion of the coolant from the feed channel through a series of apertures in a head gasket and to at least one inlet port in a cylinder head deck face;
flowing the second portion of the coolant from the at least one inlet port in the cylinder head across the plurality of cylinders in the head to at least one outlet port in the cylinder head deck face, the second portion of the coolant in a parallel flow circuit with the first portion of the coolant in the fluid jacket of the block;
directing the second portion of the coolant from the at least one outlet port in the head to a return channel formed in the block, the return channel intersecting the block deck face and generally opposed to the feed channel, the return channel positioned between the fluid jacket and a second side of the block; and
mixing and providing the first and second portions of coolant to the pump.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Maki Clifford E
• Katragadda Sunil
• Gopal Ravi
• Slike Jody Michael

Classifications

• F01P2003/027

  Cooling cylinders and cylinder heads in parallel · CPC title

• F02F7/0007

  Crankcases of engines with cylinders in line · CPC title

• F02F1/14 Primary

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

• F01M2011/023

  between oil sump and cylinder head · CPC title

• F01P3/02 Primary

  Arrangements for cooling cylinders or cylinder heads · CPC title