Integral radiator hose and oil cooler
AssigneeGeneral Motors Corporation
InventorsShrikant M. Joshi, Lee C. Whitehead, Frederick V. Oddi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An oil cooler and a radiator hose are combined in an all polymer structure. Generally concentric hoses provide two coolant paths with the wall of the inner hose providing heat transfer from one fluid to the other. The hoses are flexible or can be formed to conform to desired radiator hose routing. The hoses have deflectable vanes extending from their walls into the fluids to flex according to flow rate. The vanes induce turbulence to improve the thermal transfer especially at low flow rates but deflect at high flow rates to minimize pressure drop due to the vanes.
Claims3
In an automotive cooling system, a compound radiator hose for transmitting coolant flow from a radiator to an engine and for cooling oil, comprising:
- an outer hose for coupling to one of the radiator and the oil source,
- an inner hose within the outer hose and radially spaced therefrom to provide a first passage between the inner and outer hoses, and a second passage within the inner hose,
- means for coupling the inner hose to the other of the radiator and the oil source, whereby heat from the oil is conducted through the wall of the inner hose to the coolant passage so that coolant in the coolant passage can cool the oil, and
- the inner hose constructed of polymer material and having flexible vanes extending from at least one surface thereof into the respective passage for causing turbulence in the flow through the respective passage, the vanes being deflected by fluid flow to extend further into the passage during low flow rates in the passage than during high flow rates whereby turbulence in the flow is increased at low flow rates and pressure drop caused by the vanes is reduced at high flow rates.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.