Cooling system for engine-driven multi-stage centrifugal compressor

An air cooling system for an engine driven, multi-stage compressor, the cooling system comprising:

• fan means for providing a cooling airstream to the air cooling system;
• a housing which encloses the engine driven, multi-stage compressor, the housing having a forward portion, a rear portion, and a cooling area exhaust, the housing having formed therein an ambient air intake, and wherein the fan means draws cooling air through the ambient air intake, the cooling air flowing in a direction from front to rear within the housing, the cooling air exiting the housing through the cooling area exhaust;
• an intercooler having a predetermined height dimension, the intercooler receiving heated, compressed, interstage air;
• an oil cooler having a predetermined height dimension which is substantially less than the height dimension of the intercooler;
• first means for balancing pressure, and wherein the first pressure balancing means is disposed in a void defined by the height differential between the intercooler and the oil cooler, the first pressure balancing means matching a cooling airstream pressure drop across the oil cooler;
• an engine radiator having a predetermined width dimension, a top header portion into which flows hot cooling fluid from the engine, and a bottom portion from which cooled cooling fluid flows back to the engine, and flow connected intermediate the top and bottom radiator portions is a radiator bypass;
• an aftercooler which receives hot, compressed, final stage air, and which has a predetermined width dimension which is less than the width dimension of the engine radiator to permit access to the radiator bypass, and wherein the intercooler, the oil cooler, the radiator, and the aftercooler are arranged in two banks, each bank comprising two cooling cores juxtaposed one to each other, the intercooler and the engine radiator defining the first bank which is positioned substantially adjacent to the fan means to receive the coolest cooling airstream, and the oil cooler and the aftercooler defining the second bank which receives warmer cooling air which has first passed through the first bank, and wherein the oil cooler is positioned behind the intercooler and the aftercooler is positioned behind the radiator;
• and
• second means for balancing pressure, and wherein the second pressure balancing means is disposed in a void defined by the width differential between the radiator and the aftercooler, the second pressure balancing means matching a cooling airstream pressure drop across the aftercooler.