Engine Cooling System – Essential Components

Engine Cooling System – Essential Components

Water Jackets:
 When an engine cylinder block or head is cast, cavities called
water jackets are formed around the cylinder walls and combustion
chambers.

√The placement and sizes of the passages in the head gasket

Essential Components control the flow to ensure adequate flow to all areas, especially
the hottest.

 The cooling system of a liquid-cooled engine consists  These water jackets allow coolant to circulate around the
of: the engine’s water jacket, a thermostat, a water very hot areas, including the exhaust valve seats, as well as
pump, a radiator, a cooling fan (electric or belt- the relatively cooler areas of the lower cylinders. The coolant
driven), hoses, the heater core, coolant, and usually absorbs heat from the hot areas and transfers this heat to
the colder areas in the engine or radiator.
an expansion tank.

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Engine Cooling System – Essential Components Engine Cooling System – Essential Components
Thermostat: Thermostat:
√The thermostat is a temperature controlled coolant valve. In √ Coolant velocity (and pressure)
most engines, it is located at the upper radiator hose connector, affects the coolant boiling point and
which forms the thermostat housing. heat flux at the metal wall. The
√ Two major functions of a thermostat are to: speed engine warm greater the heat flux, the greater
up, and regulate operating temperature. the heat transfer between the
√The thermostat is closed when the coolant is cold; it opens when combustion chamber and the coolant.
the coolant warms up. High heat flux and low coolant
√A bypass is located right next to the thermostat. During cold velocity results in heat transfer by
engine operation while the thermostat is closed, coolant circulates nucleate boiling.
through this bypass to the water pump and back to the water
jackets. √ During nucleate boiling the coolant temperature (and
√Most modern cars use 82, 88, or 91°C (180, 190, or 195°F) pressure) remains fairly constant because of phase change
thermostat. A thermostat begins to open within a few degrees of in coolant. In this case, the thermostat should be fully open
the temperature rating and should be fully open about 11°C (20°F) without any cycling.
higher.
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Engine Cooling System – Essential Components Engine Cooling System – Essential Components
Thermostat:
Cooling Fan:
√ Low heat flux and high coolant  The fan ensures adequate airflow through the radiator while the vehicle
velocity reduces the tendency to is stopped or moving at low speed.
nucleate boiling and most of the
 A fan requires power to operate or drive (about 2 to 6 hp). This power
heat transfer between the requirement varies with diameter, blade pitch, and number of blades.
combustion wall and coolant is
 Five or six bladed fans are usually found on air-conditioned cars,
forced convection.
whereas a four bladed fan is standard on non air-conditioned cars.
√ During forced convection heat  On most RWD cars, the fan is mounted on the water pump shaft
transfer at low engine loads and (engine driven fan) and driven through fan clutch.
cool ambient temperatures, there
is no phase change in coolant. In  Most FWD cars use one or two electric fans.
this case the  The electric fan is attached directly to the shaft of the electric
coolant temperature is sensitive to moderate engine load motor.
fluctuations and thermostat cycling (figure B) would be
more prevalent.
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Engine Cooling System – Essential Components Engine Cooling System – Essential Components
Heater Core:
Water/Coolant Pump:
 The heater core is a heat exchanger much like the condenser,
 In most vehicles, the water pump is evaporator, and radiator. Heat transfers from the coolant to the
driven by the fan belt. Coolant fins, and to the air passing through the core.
enters at the center of the pump, is  When the control valve is open, a small percentage of heated
caught by the impeller, and is spun engine coolant is circulated through the heater core instead of
outward to the outlet. the radiator core.
 At road speed, coolant may be  When cooling, in a climate control system, hot coolant is allowed to
circulated at a rate as great as 150 flow through the heater core to heat the cool air flowing through the
gallons (600 L) minutes with the evaporator to maintain in-car relative humidity comfort as well.
water pump turning as fast as 4500
to 5000 rpm.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HeaterCore1.jpg

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Engine Cooling System – Essential Components Engine Cooling System – Essential Components
Expansion Tank: Coolant:
 Most cooling systems include a separate expansion tank or
 Coolant is the working fluid to transfer heat in a cooling system,
reservoir either in place of or in conjunction with the radiator
much like the refrigerant in A/C system.
overflow pipe. This tank is usually made of translucent plastic that
is marked to indicate operating level of the system or the  Water is the base fluid for coolant. It freezes at too high a
requirement of additional coolant. temperature and boils at too low a temperature. It can also cause
The expansion tank accommodates the increased volume of the metal corrosion (formation of rust on steel and oxide on
coolant as the coolant temperature is increased. The tank prevents aluminum).
the loss of coolant as the temperature increases.  The chemicals in high quality antifreeze improve water to make
 As the engine warms up and the coolant expands it provides the an excellent coolant. These chemicals are designed to lower its
pressure increase required to raise the boiling point of the coolant freezing point, raise its boiling point, reduce foaming, reduce
during high temperature operation. The pressure valve in the cavitation, and prevent rust and corrosion.
radiator cap opens when the cooling system pressure reaches a
 Ethylene glycol (C2H6O2) is the base for most domestic
predetermined value. This allows some of the coolant to flow into
the expansion tank. When the coolant cools and contracts, lowering antifreeze brands.
the system pressure below that of operating pressure, the vacuum  A 50-50% mixture is recommended for year-round protection.
valve opens. The coolant is then pushed from the reservoir tank
back into the radiator.
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Engine Cooling System – Essential Components Engine Cooling System – Essential Components
Coolant (cont…):
 In very cold areas, the mixture can be more concentrated, but the limit Radiator:
is 67% (i.e. 2/3 antifreeze & 1/3 water).
 Coolant boiling point increases as antifreeze is added but the freezing  This is the most important component in cooling system. It
point drops until it reaches about 2/3 antifreeze by volume percentage. may be constructed of copper or aluminum. There are two
 Thus the recommended concentration is between 60% and 67%. basic types of radiator; downflow & crossflow. Coolant flows
from the top of the tank to the bottom in the downflow, and
from one side to the other in crossflow.

 The 1st tank is referred to as the collector as it collects

coolant from the engine, and the 2nd tank is termed as the
receiver, because it receives coolant after passing through
the many tubes of the radiator core.

 The collector usually contains a baffle plate to aid in even

distribution of coolant through the core.

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Engine Cooling System – Essential Components

Radiator (contd..):

 The receivers, on some automatic transmission equipped

cars, contain a transmission oil cooler.

 Two types of cores are found in automotive radiators:

cellular (honeycomb) and tubular.

 The cellular core is fabricated by a process of soldering

together thin, preformed sheets of metal, usually brass or
copper.

 The tubular core is constructed of small round or narrow

tubes that are soldered to headers of the collectors and
receivers.

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