System and method for the delivery and recovery of cooling fluid and lubricating oil for use with internal combustion engines

An internal combustion engine comprising:

• a sixteen-cylinder, V-shaped engine block, wherein the cylinders are arranged in a bilateral fashion whereby eight of said sixteen cylinders are located along a first side of said engine block and form a first bank of cylinders comprising a first grouping of four cylinders and a second grouping of four cylinders, and whereby the remaining eight of said sixteen cylinders are located along a second side of said engine block and form a second bank of cylinders comprising a third grouping of four cylinders and a fourth grouping of four cylinders, wherein said first bank of cylinders is positioned directly across from said second bank of cylinders such that said first grouping of four cylinders is directly across from said third grouping of four cylinders and said second grouping of four cylinders is directly across from said fourth grouping of four cylinders, and wherein said first bank of cylinders is separated from said second bank of cylinders by a longitudinal centerline of said V-shaped engine block;
• a first section formed in the engine block between middlemost cylinders of the first bank of cylinders;
• a second section formed in the engine block between middlemost cylinders of the second bank of cylinders, wherein each of the first and second sections extend perpendicular to the longitudinal centerline, wherein each of the first and second sections are located substantially at the midpoint of the respective bank of cylinders, wherein each of the first and second sections define a first and second minimum width, respectively, between said middlemost cylinders of the respective bank of cylinders, and wherein the respective minimum width is greater than a respective minimum width defined between any two directly adjacent cylinders that are not the middlemost cylinders of the respective bank of cylinders;
• a first passageway for circulating a coolant, the first passageway comprising:
• a first supply channel located within the first section and defining a centralized point of entry for supplying the coolant to the first bank of cylinders from an area outside of the engine block;
• a first return channel located within the first section and defining a centralized point of exit for returning the coolant from the first bank of cylinders to the area outside of the engine block;
• a first pathway forming a first loop which extends from the first supply channel, about each cylinder in the first grouping of four cylinders, and to the first return channel;
• and
• a second pathway forming a second loop which extends from the first supply channel, about each cylinder in the second grouping of four cylinders, and to the first return channel,
• wherein said first pathway and said second pathway are located entirely within the first bank of cylinders;
• and
• a second passageway for circulating the coolant, the second passageway comprising:
• a second supply channel located within the second section and defining a centralized point of entry for supplying the coolant to the second bank of cylinders from the area outside of the engine block;
• a second return channel located within the second section and defining a centralized point of exit for returning the coolant from the second bank of cylinders to the area outside of the engine block;
• a third pathway forming a third loop which extends from the second supply channel, about each cylinder in the third grouping of four cylinders, and to the second return channel;
• and
• a fourth pathway forming a fourth loop which extends from the second supply channel, about each cylinder in the fourth grouping of four cylinders, and to the second return channel,
• wherein said third pathway and said fourth pathway are located entirely within the second bank of cylinders.