Engine Cooling System – Engine Heat Flux

Engine Cooling System – Engine Heat Flux

The different modes of engine cooling heat transfer
consist of forced and natural convection, radiation and
conduction.
The primary mode we are concerned with is the forced
convection of heat from the coolant to the air stream
flowing through the radiator under steady state conditions.
The engine designer is concerned with the level of heat
flow through the combustion chamber walls and it is the
magnitude of the local “heat flux,” Q/A, or BTU per unit
time and area, that is important and not the heat flow to
the cooling system which is the cooling engineers‟ concern.
The engine heat rejection to the coolant is transferred
largely by forced convection. In those areas of high heat flow,
for example cylinder combustion head, heat is also transferred
by nucleate boiling.
The coolant flow has major effect on nucleate boiling of the
coolant. If not enough coolant is available, the critical heat flux
temperature is reached where the hot engine wall have a layer
of superheated steam and heat transfer drops. This condition
is aggravated by air in the cooling system.
Boiling is a liquid to a vapor phase change process just like
evaporation, but there are significant differences between the
two.

Slide # 1
Slide # 2

Boiling Heat Transfer Classification of boiling

 Evaporation occurs at
the liquid–vapor
interface when the
vapor pressure is less
than the saturation
pressure of
the liquid
at a given
temperature.
 Boiling occurs at the
solid–liquid interface
when a liquid is brought
into contact with a
surface maintained at a
temperature
sufficiently above the
saturation temperature
of the liquid
Pool Boiling
 Boiling is called pool
boiling in the absence of
bulk fluid flow.
 Any motion of the fluid
is due to natural
convection currents and
the motion of the
bubbles under the
influence of buoyancy.
Flow Boiling
 Boiling is called flow
boiling in the presence
of bulk fluid flow.
 In flow boiling, the fluid
is forced to move in a
heated pipe or over a
surface by external
means such as a pump.

Slide # 3 Slide # 4

Engine Cooling System – Engine Heat Flux
As a form of convection heat transfer, the boiling heat flux
from a solid surface to the fluid is expressed from Newton‟s
Law of cooling as:
qboiling = h(Ts – Tsat) = h ΔTexcess
where ΔTexcess = Ts – Tsat is called the excess temperature,
which represents the temperature excess of the surface above
the saturation temperature of the fluid.
The average gas temperature during combustion process is up
to 1700ºF. If the metal temperature on the water side
exceeds the critical flux temperature, serious problems will
result, such as:
 physical property changes in the engine materials of
construction
 loss of lubricating film on wearing surfaces
Slide # 5
Engine Cooling System – Engine Heat Flux
 thermal distortion of engine components, particularly
the head
 Increased fuel and oil consumption
 Thermal decomposition, oxidation and degradation of
lubricants
 When the engine is running, heat is transferred from the
engine to the coolant by means of forced convection and
sometimes by means of nucleate boiling at very high heat fluxes.
Forced convection: The transfer of heat from a solid to a
fluid due to fluid flow across the surface of the solid, produced
by mechanical means (such as a fan or pump).
Natural convection: The transfer of heat from a solid to a
fluid due to fluid flow across the surface of the solid produced
from differences in density (induced by the heating of the
fluid).
Slide # 6

1
 Boiling Curve for Water at 1 Atm Boiling Curve
A-B Convection: Bubbles do not form on the heating surface
until the liquid is heated a few degrees above the
saturation temperature (about 2 to 6°C for water)
the liquid is slightly superheated in this case.

B-C Nucleate boiling: the name

given to the boiling process
when the vapor bubbles remain
very small (microscopicscale).
These bubbles are dissipated
in the liquid shortly after they
separate from the surface.
The space vacant by the rising
bubbles is filled by the liquid in
the vicinity of the heat
surface, and the process is
repeated.
Slide # 7 Slide # 8

Boiling Curve Engine Cooling System – Engine Heat Flux

The stirring and agitation caused by entrainment of the liquid
to the surface is primarily responsible for the increased heat Heat fluxes of 60000 – 70000 BTU/hr occur near
transfer coefficient and heat flux in the nucleate boiling. the exhaust parts during severe operating conditions.
At 70 mph on a level road about 80% of heat transfer
C-D Critical Heat Flux: is by nucleate boiling.
„D‟ is at the critical heat flux
point where any increase in  Nucleate boiling is initiated when the temperature
wall temperature will result at the metal-liquid interface exceeds the boiling pint
in a decrease in the amount about 10 – 20ºF.
of heat transferred due to
vapor blanketing of the metal It must be noted that during nucleate boiling, a
surface. great increase in heat flux (Q/A) is obtained by a
small increase in surface temperature.
D-E: Transition boiling zone

E-F: Film boiling regime

Slide # 9 Slide # 10

Engine Cooling System – Engine Heat Flux
Film boiling; cannot be tolerated in an engine. The
heat transfer between the combustion wall and the
coolant catastrophically decreases, which caused a
hot spot and engine over heat.
Note that for a common 50/50 ethylene-glycol
coolant, the vapour bubbles are steam bubbles with
a very low concentration of ethylene glycol.
 Remember! no radiator or fan system can protect
against a poor coolant flow passage within the
engine or a faulty pump.
Engine Cooling System – Flow Requirement
The cooling system must provide flow to the radiator,
heater, engine and any HEX in general in vehicles (ie.
oil coolers), which should be adequate for performance
but not to exceed the flow rate that will cause an
unacceptable amount of erosion.
This flow requirement must be met under all
operating conditions, throughout the life of a vehicle.
A typical fin and tube
HEX performance curve
is shown in the figure.

Slide # 11 Slide # 12

2
Engine Cooling System – Flow Requirement Engine Cooling System – Flow Requirement

The general guideline for the required flow situation when a

The curve is steep thermostat is open and closed.
at low coolant flow
rates, and flat at At thermostat open:
high coolant flow The operating point
rates. should be at the point of
best efficiency.

At low coolant rates, At thermostat closed:

large gains in The operating point
performance can be should correspond to the
achieved with small flow rate of no less than
increase in flow rates. 80% of flow rate with
the thermostat open.

Slide # 13 Slide # 14

Engine Cooling System – Flow Requirement

When the required flow rate is not achieved, try the

following:
o find ways to reduce the hydraulic resistance of
the components (such as reducing hose bends)
o increase the output of the pump
o decrease the flow requirements of the components

Slide # 15