CA2279711A1 - Pneumatic system for storing engines hot oil in cold weather - Google Patents

Pneumatic system for storing engines hot oil in cold weather Download PDF

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Publication number
CA2279711A1
CA2279711A1 CA 2279711 CA2279711A CA2279711A1 CA 2279711 A1 CA2279711 A1 CA 2279711A1 CA 2279711 CA2279711 CA 2279711 CA 2279711 A CA2279711 A CA 2279711A CA 2279711 A1 CA2279711 A1 CA 2279711A1
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CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
engine
oil
vessel
lubricant
air
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Abandoned
Application number
CA 2279711
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Luiz Claudio Vieira Fernandes
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Priority to CA 2279711 priority Critical patent/CA2279711A1/en
Publication of CA2279711A1 publication Critical patent/CA2279711A1/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • FMECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F01MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; ENGINE PLANTS IN GENERAL; STEAM ENGINES
    • F01MLUBRICATING OF MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; LUBRICATING INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES; CRANKCASE VENTILATING
    • F01M11/00Component parts, details or accessories, not provided for in, or of interest apart from, groups F01M1/00 - F01M9/00
    • F01M11/04Filling or draining lubricant of or from machines or engines
    • F01M11/0458Lubricant filling and draining
    • FMECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F01MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; ENGINE PLANTS IN GENERAL; STEAM ENGINES
    • F01MLUBRICATING OF MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; LUBRICATING INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES; CRANKCASE VENTILATING
    • F01M5/00Heating, cooling, or controlling temperature of lubricant; Lubrication means facilitating engine starting
    • F01M5/02Conditioning lubricant for aiding engine starting, e.g. heating

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Lubrication Details And Ventilation Of Internal Combustion Engines (AREA)
  • Lubrication Of Internal Combustion Engines (AREA)

Abstract

The invention provides a system and method of maintaining the temperature of the oil in conventional gasoline and diesel engines/
compressors at satisfactorily high levels to ensure starting in cold weather.
The invention pneumatically removes oil from the oil pan and stores it in an insulated vessel, where its temperature may be maintained for extended period of time while the engine is not operating. When it is time to restart the engine, the warm oil from the insulated vessel is pumped back into the engine facilitating its cranking. The system can also be used as a simple and quick way to effect an oil change.

Description

Application for Letters Patent Pneumatic System for Storing Engines Hot Oil in Cold Weather Fernandes Table of Contents INVENTOR -__________________________________________________-______________________________ I

ABSTRACT -_______________________________________________________________________________ __ BACKGROUND --___________________________________________________________________________ SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION -_____________________________________________________ DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS -_________________________________________________ DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION ----------------------------------CLAIMS -_______________________________________________________________________________ ______ g FIGURES-____________________________________________________________________ _______________ I 1 INVENTOR:
Luiz Claudio Vieira Fernandes 30 Carlyle Ave.
Ottawa, Ontario Canada K1S 4Y3 Pneumatic System for Storing Engines Hot Oil in Cold Weather This invention deals with the field of internal combustion engines/
compressors that stores oil in an oil pan and in particular a system and method for storing heat in the lubricant oil for improved engine starting in cold weather.
BACKGROUND:
In regions with severe winters, temperatures are often so low that the use of external heat sources such as electric engine block heaters, oil dipstick heaters to ensure engine start-up and comfort are used. Such heaters are inefficient and expensive to operate, since the majority of heat generated escapes to the atmosphere as there is no insulation of the metal engine parts in contact with the exterior.
As well, very often no electricity is available at the location where a vehicle must be parked. Presently, remote starters address this problem by automatically starting the engine when the temperature of the coolant in the engine drops to a certain level. The engine then run for several minutes, warming the said coolant and then shuts off automatically. The heat generated is stored in the engine block and dissipates over time until the temperature of the coolant again drops to the predetermined temperature. This process is repeated until the driver returns.
Obviously this method is costly and inefficient as well.
For the trucking industry, it is common practice to leave the engine running as long as the truck is parked, to either avoid the risk of not having enough cranking when the lubricant oil is extremely cold.

Much work has also been done in exploring ways of storing heat for extended periods of time, and then transferring such heat to the engine to aid starting. The inventor wrote a paper on a similar subject, which was presented, to the Annual Conference of the Solar Energy Society of Canada at Penticton, Canada on June 19, 1989.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:
It is the object of the present invention to provide a heat storage system for engine oil/ engine transmission oil which allow trucks/ vehicles to be left unattended without electricity or starting for longer periods of time than is now possible in cold weather, while ensuring that the engine will start.
The present invention accomplishes these objectives in the lubricant oil system of a known engine, consisting of an insulated vessel in fluid communication with the lubricant oil and/or transmission oil; means to store oil warmed by the engine from the previous running; means to transfer hot oil from the insulated vessel to the engine and vice versa using air pressure or an air sub-atmospheric conditions created at the top of the mentioned vessel.
The addition of a heating element to the insulated vessel will allow operation similar to the presently known lubricant oil heaters, but with a much greater increased energy efficiency, as the heated oil would be contained in an insulated vessel. When starting is required, compressed air is provided at the upper part of the insulated vessel, expelling the hot oil that flows back to the to the engine.
When the engine is warmed and shut down, a vacuum is created at the upper part of the insulated vessel so that hot oil is quickly aspirated from the engine to the vessel.
The method of using either compressed or low-pressure air in the insulated vessel to respectively remove or admit engine lubricant oil is also disclosed and claimed.
A simple mini air-compressor can be modified to perform this operation, using both its suction and compression capabilities.

The present invention is simple in operation and requires no heat exchanger or lubricant pump. It simply minimizes heat losses from the engine lubricant oil to the environment. Using hot lubricant oil to start facilitates the pumping action of the existing engine lubricant pump and also reduces dramatically the friction between moving parts such as engine pistons and bearings. This last fact facilitates engine cranking at cold start and reducing engine wear.
The invention also contemplates the possibility of pumping pressurized air in the existing engine oil pump high-pressure circuit during the engine oil removal from the engine and pumping pressurized lubricant oil from the vessel during engine oil filling to the engine. This method is also disclosed and claimed.
It is contemplated that the present invention would prove useful as well in facilitating oil changes, since the engine lubricant oil can be easily removed from the engine.
It is also contemplated that the present invention can be used in any machine that have an oil reservoir, which is exposed, to cold temperatures such as compressors, hydraulic equipment etc.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS:
While the invention is claimed in the concluding portions hereof, preferred embodiments are provided in the accompanying description which may be best understood in conjunction with the accompanying diagrams where like parts in each of the several diagrams are labeled with like numbers, and where:

Figure 1 gives a general view of the system; Figure 2 is a more detailed view where the oil circuit is presented with options to either pump air or lubricant oil to the engine on the high-pressure oil circuit.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION:
The invention, a pneumatic heat storage system for engine oil, is an addition to the lubricant system of a conventional internal combustion engine. Said heat storage system being largely comprised of an insulated vessel in fluid communication with the engine lubricant oil; means to store hot oil heated either by the engine during its normal operation or by an external heater when the engine oil is not hot enough in the insulated vessel; means to transfer oil from the existing engine oil pan to the insulated vessel and vice versa pneumatically, using the insulated vessel as either a slightly air pressurized vessel pumping oil from the vessel to the engine or as a vacuum vessel, removing oil from the engine to the vessel.
Figure 1 shows one preferred embodiment as an addition to the lubricating system of a conventional internal combustion engine, said addition consisting of a thermally insulated storage vessel (1); an oil line that connects to the oil pan (2);
an air line (3) that connects the insulated vessel to a pneumatic system, in the case presented as a mini air compressor (4); an air valve (5) that allows the vessel to operate either pressurized or on vacuum, depending which port of the compressor it is connected. A control system (6) operates in a way that would eliminate the possibility of cranking the engine without oil lubricant. The control system also operates in a way that it would avoid having extremely cold oil in the vessel, which could plug the oil line (2). It also allows the complete drain of oil from the oil line (2) when the engine is not operating, avoiding the formation of a viscous oil plug in the mentioned line, that could create difficulty of moving the hot oil through it. A heater (7) is used to maintain or increase the oil temperature inside the vessel (1).
In operation, when the engine is turned off and the oil temperature is high, the system would create a vacuum in the vessel (1) through the air aspiration in line (3) connected to the compressor (4) suction line. The control system is informed using a temperature sensor about the engine oil temperature situation so that it will only operate if the temperature is hot enough to allow oil to flow easily in the oil line (2) from the engine to the insulated vessel 1. Another control sensor also indicates the presence or not of oil in the line (2); in a negative case it would mean that all lubricant oil would be contained in the insulated vessel (1), so that the system should stop running. Another control temperature sensor, located in the vessel could be used to determine if oil has to be pumped back to the engine in case of the oil becomes excessive cold in the insulated vessel. This would avoid having extremely cold and viscous oil in the vessel that could plug the vessel (1) and oil line (2). The heater (7) can be manually or automatically operated.
Moments before cranking the engine, the system is turned on and hot oil is pumped from the vessel (1) to the engine. It can be pumped using the oil line (2) or to optional lines (2A) as presented in figure 2. The option lines (2A) permits two possibilities: the first possibility is that hot oil can be pumped from the vessel 1 to the engine in different regions other the oil pan. This allows hot oil air to reach engine strategic parts such as piston, crankshaft bearings before starting, reducing friction. The second possibility is to pump air to the to the engine oil circuit when oil is being drained from the engine to the vessel (1). This would empty the engine oil circuit of oil that would eventually cool down and could make difficulty hot oil to flow through it during the engine starting process.

Thus it can be seen that the invention accomplishes all of its stated objectives. The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention.
Further, since numerous changes and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all such suitable changes or modifications in structure or operation may be resorted to are intended to fall within the scope of the claimed invention.

Claims (7)

1. A pneumatic oil heat storage system for use in addition to the lubricant system of a known internal combustion engine, said pneumatic oil heat storage system generally comprised of an insulated vessel in fluid communication with the lubricant system of said engine; means to store hot oil heated by engine operation or by an external heat source.
2. A pneumatic oil heat storage system for use in addition to the lubricant system of a known internal combustion engine, said pneumatic oil heat storage system generally consisting of an air compressor and sub-atmospheric systems that are utilized to pump oil back and forward from the engine. The two states of either compressed air or sub-atmospheric air conditions are created in the upper part of the said vessel described on claim 1; means to pump hot lubricant oil from the said vessel to the said engine before a cold engine start using compressed air at the upper part of the said vessel; means to suck hot lubricant oil from the said engine to the said vessel using a sub-atmospheric air pressure in the upper part of the said vessel.
3. The pneumatic oil heat storage system described in claims 1 and 2 where in the system is controlled in a way to eliminate the possibility of having no sufficient lubricant oil on the engine before a cold start.
4. A method of transferring lubricant oil from an engine lubricant system to a thermally insulated vessel using air sub-atmospheric pressure in the said vessel created by a vacuum system.
5. A method of transferring lubricant oil from a thermally insulated vessel to an engine lubricating system using pressurized air in the said vessel created by a compressor system.
6. A pneumatic oil heat storage system for use in addition to the lubricant system of a known internal combustion engine, said pneumatic oil heat storage system consisting of an air compressor where both suction and compressed air manifolds are utilized to pump oil between an engine and a thermically insulated vessel as described in claims 4 and 5; means using a valve that allows using either the compressed or the suction air manifolds of the said compressor.
7. A method of facilitating changing engine lubricant oil using the said pneumatic system described on claim 6. The said oil can be transferred from the engine to the said vessel mentioned on claim 1 and from there it could be quickly removed.
CA 2279711 1999-08-06 1999-08-06 Pneumatic system for storing engines hot oil in cold weather Abandoned CA2279711A1 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA 2279711 CA2279711A1 (en) 1999-08-06 1999-08-06 Pneumatic system for storing engines hot oil in cold weather

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA 2279711 CA2279711A1 (en) 1999-08-06 1999-08-06 Pneumatic system for storing engines hot oil in cold weather

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA2279711A1 true CA2279711A1 (en) 2001-02-06

Family

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Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA 2279711 Abandoned CA2279711A1 (en) 1999-08-06 1999-08-06 Pneumatic system for storing engines hot oil in cold weather

Country Status (1)

Country Link
CA (1) CA2279711A1 (en)

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2461304A (en) * 2008-06-27 2009-12-30 Gm Global Tech Operations Inc I.c. engine oil supply system with insulated oil storage for improved cold start efficiency
WO2020159808A1 (en) * 2019-01-28 2020-08-06 Safran Power Units Oil storage and filtration system
DE102019112370A1 (en) * 2019-05-13 2020-11-19 Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft Internal combustion engine with a lubricant circuit
GB2629168A (en) * 2023-04-18 2024-10-23 Cummins Power Generation Ltd Oil heater system for a generator set

Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2461304A (en) * 2008-06-27 2009-12-30 Gm Global Tech Operations Inc I.c. engine oil supply system with insulated oil storage for improved cold start efficiency
WO2020159808A1 (en) * 2019-01-28 2020-08-06 Safran Power Units Oil storage and filtration system
CN113348297A (en) * 2019-01-28 2021-09-03 赛峰动力单元 Oil storage and filtration system
CN113348297B (en) * 2019-01-28 2024-04-12 赛峰动力单元 Oil storage and filtration system
DE102019112370A1 (en) * 2019-05-13 2020-11-19 Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft Internal combustion engine with a lubricant circuit
GB2629168A (en) * 2023-04-18 2024-10-23 Cummins Power Generation Ltd Oil heater system for a generator set

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