Cooling system kit, method to retrofit, and method to operate a turbocharged engine system
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorAndrew M. Johnson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for retrofitting a cooling system of a turbocharged engine system. The method comprises reconfiguring the cooling system so that at least some coolant flows from a first radiator to a second radiator, and from the second radiator to an inlet of an intercooler without first passing through a lubricant cooler. The method may be applied to a cooling system originally configured so that at least some of the coolant would flow through the first and second radiators in parallel, and from the first and second radiators to the lubricant cooler, before flowing to the inlet of the intercooler.
Claims21
A kit for retrofitting a cooling system of a turbocharged engine system having a cooling system, the cooling system including first and second banks of radiators, a flow-through coolant tank coupled to a lubricant cooler, a cylinder jacket, a coolant pump, an intercooler, and a plumbing system interconnecting the first and second banks of radiators, the flow-through coolant tank, the lubricant cooler, the cylinder jacket, the coolant pump, and the intercooler, the kit comprising:
- a plumbing patch configured to couple to the cooling system, the plumbing patch comprising:
- a first plumbing segment configured to couple an outlet of the intercooler to an inlet of the coolant pump, a second plumbing segment configured to couple the cylinder jacket to the first and second banks of radiators, and a third plumbing segment configured to couple the second bank of radiators to an inlet of the intercooler, to the flow-through coolant tank, and to an outlet of the coolant pump, the third plumbing segment comprising at least one control valve configured to be operatively coupled to an electronic control system;
- and
- media embodying human-readable instructions that specify how to install the plumbing patch.
A method for retrofitting a cooling system of a turbocharged engine system, the method comprising:
- reconfiguring the cooling system, said reconfiguration converting a cooling-system flow from a first, original configuration to a second, retrofitted configuration,
- wherein in the first, original configuration at least some coolant flows through a first radiator and a second radiator in parallel and from the first and second radiators to a lubricant cooler before flowing to an inlet of an intercooler in the cooling system;
- and
- wherein in the second, retrofitted configuration, the at least some coolant flows from the first radiator to the second radiator in series, and form the second radiator to the inlet of the intercooler without first passing through the lubricant cooler.
A method for operating a modified cooling system of a turbocharged engine system, the method comprising:
- operating the cooling system in a first operating mode when a lubricant temperature is below a threshold and in a second operating mode when the lubricant temperature is above the threshold, the cooling system comprising a set of components conforming to an original specification of the turbocharged engine system, the set of components comprising:
- first and second banks of radiators, a flow-through coolant tank coupled to a lubricant cooler, a cylinder jacket, a coolant pump, an intercooler, and a plumbing system interconnecting the first and second banks of radiators, the flow-through coolant tank, the lubricant cooler, the cylinder jacket, the coolant pump, and the intercooler;
- wherein operating the cooling system in the first operating mode comprises directing coolant from the second bank of radiators to an inlet of the intercooler;
- and
- wherein operating the cooling system in the second operating mode comprises directing the coolant from the second bank of radiators to the flow-through coolant tank and from an outlet of the coolant pump to an inlet of the intercooler.
A plumbing patch for retrofitting a cooling system of a turbocharged engine system having a cooling system, the cooling system including first and second banks of radiators, a flow-through coolant tank coupled to a lubricant cooler, a cylinder jacket, a coolant pump, an intercooler, and a plumbing system interconnecting the first and second banks of radiators, the flow-through coolant tank, the lubricant cooler, the cylinder jacket, the coolant pump, and the intercooler, the plumbing patch configured to couple to the cooling system, the plumbing patch comprising:
- a first plumbing segment configured to couple an outlet of the intercooler to an inlet of the coolant pump, a second plumbing segment configured to couple the cylinder jacket to the first and second banks of radiators, and a third plumbing segment configured to couple the second bank of radiators to an inlet of the intercooler, to the flow-through coolant tank, and to an outlet of the coolant pump, the third plumbing segment comprising at least one control valve configured to be operatively coupled to an electronic control system.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.