Arman Shaikh

1. Describe the following basic part of Automotive Design

- Cooling

We know that in case of Internal Combustion engines, combustion of air and fuel takes place
inside the engine cylinder and hot gases are generated. The temperature of gases will be
around 2300-2500°C. This is a very high temperature and may result into burning of oil film
between the moving parts and may result into seizing or welding of the same. So, this
temperature must be reduced to about 150-200°C at which the engine will work most
efficiently.

There are mainly two types of cooling systems : Water cooled system & Air cooled system

Air cooled engines are found on a few older cars, like the original Volkswagen Beetle, the
Chevrolet Corvair and a few others. Many modern motorcycles still use air cooling, but for
the most part, automobiles and trucks use liquid cooled systems

1) Water cooled system

A water-cooled engine block and cylinder head have interconnected coolant channels running
through them. At the top of the cylinder head all the channels converge to a single outlet.
A pump , driven by a pulley and belt from the crankshaft , drives hot coolant out of the engine
to the radiator , which is a form of heat exchanger .

Unwanted heat is passed from the radiator into the air stream, and the cooled liquid then returns
to an inlet at the bottom of the block and flows back into the channels again.Usually the pump
sends coolant up through the engine and down through the radiator, taking advantage of the fact
that hot water expands, becomes lighter and rises above cool water when heated. Its natural
tendency is to flow upwards, and the pump assists circulation.

The radiator is linked to the engine by rubber hoses , and has a top and bottom tank connected
by a core a bank of many fine tubes.The tubes pass through holes in a stack of thin sheet-metal
fins, so that the core has a very large surface area and can lose heat rapidly to the cooler air
passing through it. On older cars the tubes run vertically, but modern, low-fronted cars have
crossflow radiators with tubes that run from side to side.In an engine at its ordinary working
temperature, the coolant is only just below normal boiling point.

The risk of boiling is avoided by increasing the pressure in the system, which raises the boiling
point.The extra pressure is limited by the radiator cap, which has a pressure valve in it.
Excessive pressure opens the valve, and coolant flows out through an overflow pipe.In
a cooling system of this type there is a continual slight loss of coolant if the engine runs very
hot. The system needs topping up from time to time.
Later cars have a sealed system in which any overflow goes into an expansion tank , from
which it is sucked back into the engine when the remaining liquid cools.

2) Air Cooled system

In the air cooling system, the heat is dissipated directly to the air after being conducted
through the cylinder walls. Air cooling systems have fins and flanges on the outer surfaces of
the cylinders. The heads serve to increase the area exposed to the cooling air, and so raise the
rate of cooling. The basic principle involved in this method is to have a current of air flowing
continuously over the heated surface of the engine from where the heat is to be removed. The
amount of heat dissipated based on the following factors.

1. The surface area of metal into contact with air.

2. The rate of air flow.
3. A temperature difference between the heated surface and the air.
4. The conductivity of the metal.
In an air-cooled engine, the block and cylinder head are made with deep fins on the outside.
Fins on an air-cooled cylinder are wider at the top, where most heat is generated.
For complete use of air-cooling, the surface area of the metal which comes in contact with air
is improved by providing fins over the cylinder barrels. More the surface area in a contact
with air, more the heat is dissipated. Higher the rate of air flow, higher the heat is dissipated.

The cooling fan is placed in a semicircular ducting. The ducting covers the cylinder head. Its
interior is fitted with baffles which direct the flow of air over the engine cooling fins and
through an oil cooler. Below the cylinders, the air is delivered over a thermostat, which
operates a valve via a lever. The valve controls the amount of air reaching the fan, thus
maintaining the correct engine temperature. After passing over the engine and thermostat, the
air is forced out of the rear of the car or passed through a heat transfer system that supplies hot
water to the car’s heater.

One problem connected with the use of air-cooled engines is the requirement of enough
heating and demisting system for the car.Water-cooled engines always have a constant supply
of hot water and it is easy enough to convert this into hot air. Air-cooled engines usually have
an independent heater or harness the heat of the exhaust system.

Some older models have heating systems that combine both of these methods. An electrically-
operated heater which burns petrol supplied hot air to the car interior by way of a blower fan.
The same fan fed the hot air from the heat exchangers, which were finned alloy castings on
the exhaust system. Hot air was fed into a mixer chamber, where it was blended with fresh air
to give a controlled amount of heat.