Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
  • B63H—MARINE PROPULSION OR STEERING
  • B63H20/00—Outboard propulsion units, e.g. outboard motors or Z-drives; Arrangements thereof on vessels
  • B63H20/24—Arrangements, apparatus and methods for handling exhaust gas in outboard drives, e.g. exhaust gas outlets
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
  • B63H—MARINE PROPULSION OR STEERING
  • B63H20/00—Outboard propulsion units, e.g. outboard motors or Z-drives; Arrangements thereof on vessels
  • B63H20/28—Arrangements, apparatus and methods for handling cooling-water in outboard drives, e.g. cooling-water intakes
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F01—MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; ENGINE PLANTS IN GENERAL; STEAM ENGINES
  • F01P—COOLING OF MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; COOLING OF INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES
  • F01P3/00—Liquid cooling
  • F01P3/20—Cooling circuits not specific to a single part of engine or machine
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F01—MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; ENGINE PLANTS IN GENERAL; STEAM ENGINES
  • F01P—COOLING OF MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; COOLING OF INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES
  • F01P7/00—Controlling of coolant flow
  • F01P7/14—Controlling of coolant flow the coolant being liquid
  • F01P7/16—Controlling of coolant flow the coolant being liquid by thermostatic control
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
  • F02B—INTERNAL-COMBUSTION PISTON ENGINES; COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL
  • F02B61/00—Adaptations of engines for driving vehicles or for driving propellers; Combinations of engines with gearing
  • F02B61/04—Adaptations of engines for driving vehicles or for driving propellers; Combinations of engines with gearing for driving propellers
  • F02B61/045—Adaptations of engines for driving vehicles or for driving propellers; Combinations of engines with gearing for driving propellers for marine engines

Definitions

• the system of this invention provides a retrofit substitute for the midsection and the lower unit of a standard outboard motor, having a substitute closed- loop cooling system with an exterior heat exchanger, a substitute oil reservoir, a substitute exhaust system, and a substitute propulsion system, allowing an existing standard outboard-motor powerhead to be used in conditions not conducive to standard open-loop water cooling, such as shallow-water, muddy-water, obstructed-water, seawater, or corrosive-water conditions.
• the system of this invention was designed in part because boats that navigate inland waterways, coastal marshes, and swamps encounter areas that are shallow, sometimes filled with invasive vegetation, or silted up with mud that is too soft to walk in or use any other sort of vehicle to access. Boats, particularly shallow draft boats, are the only vehicle practical to access these areas, but outboard motors become useless once they travel outside of channels deep enough for cooling and exhaust systems to work properly. Also, the lower unit gearbox section is not designed to deflect obstructions, and was not designed intended for rugged use when encountering submerged obstructions such as, mud, logs, sand, and so forth. [0003] There are boat motors built for use in these areas and situations, called
• Outboard motors would be an acceptable alternative to the limited horsepower air-engines, but were designed and are built specifically for raw water cooling outboard lower ends.
• the outboard engine crankshaft has no external shafting.
• the crankshaft does not extend out of the engine base like the presently used air-cooled engines, and only accepts the driveshaft of its intended mate, the outboard motor lower unit. It is water cooled, with its water pump being built into its mate, the lower unit.
• the outboard-motor powerhead has no exhaust system except for its mate, the conventional lower unit and midsection. The exhaust travels through the midsection and out of the lower unit. This hot exhaust is cooled by raw cooling water after it has been supplied to the powerhead, and exiting the cooling jackets of the powerhead.
• outboard-motor powerhead is compact, lightweight, and reliable, it is not considered to be an option for shallow water outboard motors, or any other machinery, because it was designed and built with the outboard motor midsection and lower unit as a necessary part of the complete operable engine.
• This invention provides an outboard-motor closed-loop cooler system as a retrofit substitute for the midsection and the lower unit of an outboard motor, having a substitute closed-loop cooling system with an exterior heat exchanger, a substitute oil reservoir, and a substitute exhaust system, allowing an existing outboard-motor powerhead to be used in conditions not conducive to standard water cooling, such as a shallow-water, muddy-water, obstructed-water, seawater, or corrosive-water conditions.
• This invention provides a machined engine base and other parts that reroute conventional paths needing lubricating oil, cooling water, and combustion exhaust gases to areas above and outside of the midsection of the outboard motor.
• This invention provides a solution for making outboard-motor powerheads usable on shallow water outboard motors.
• Outboard-motor powerheads are available in horsepower ranges from 2 to 250, or even larger. This invention makes all of these engines useable on shallow water outboard motors.
• this invention eliminates the possibility of debris such as leaves, branches, weeds, and invasive vegetation from clogging the cooling system, and avoids exposure of the engine's cooling jackets to damaging salt water.
• FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the outboard-motor closed-loop cooler system of the invention in use
• FIG. 2 is a side view of the exterior heat exchanger of a preferred embodiment of the outboard-motor closed-loop cooler system of the invention
• FIG. 3 is a schematic top view of the exterior heat exchanger of a preferred embodiment of the outboard-motor closed-loop cooler system of the invention.
• FIG. 4 is a schematic top view of the exterior heat exchanger of a preferred embodiment of the outboard-motor closed-loop cooler system of the invention.
• FIG. 5 is a schematic section view of the exterior heat exchanger of a preferred embodiment of the outboard-motor closed-loop cooler system of the invention.
• FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the outboard-motor closed-loop cooler system of the invention. Detailed Description of the Invention
• a standard outboard-motor powerhead 100 is mounted on the conversion-adapter base 1 of the outboard-motor closed-loop cooler.
• the combined unit is mounted on a boat, such as the essentially flat-bottomed shallow-water boat illustrated, using the provided mounting clamp 2.
• the surface-drive outboard-motor lower unit 7 mounted to the conversion-adapter base 1 provides propulsion in shallow, weedy, or otherwise difficult-to-navigate waters.
• the outboard-motor closed-loop cooler provides a closed loop of water or other coolant to the standard outboard-motor powerhead 100 through a coolant-supply tube 8 driven by a coolant pump 9. Coolant heated by the standard outboard-motor powerhead is returned in a closed loop by the coolant-return tube 12. Returned heated coolant is cooled again by the heat exchanger 10.
• the heat exchanger is mounted to the boat below the waterline, such as on the keel or bottom surface of the flat-bottomed boat illustrated.
• the coolant in the closed loop can be pure water, or can be a mixture of water and a non-toxic antifreeze agent such as propylene glycol.
• the coolant will be repeatedly circulated through the cooling jacket of the powerhead, so seawater or salt water or other fluids corrosive to the powerhead' s engine should be avoided.
• the outboard-motor closed-loop cooler provides an oil reservoir 15 as a substitute for the oil reservoir normally contained in the midsection of a standard outboard motor.
• Lubricating oil from the standard outboard-motor powerhead is routed to the oil reservoir 15 through an oil-return tube 14 and is drawn back by the powerhead's oil pump through an oil-supply tube 16.
• the oil reservoir 15 can be configured to contain a volume of lubricating oil greater than the normal capacity of a standard outboard motor in order to provide more time between circulations of any given portion of the oil. As a consequence of the external location of the oil reservoir 15, it is likely that the circulation of lubricating oil will have a cooling effect on the oil.
• the oil reservoir 15 can be configured to act as a heat exchanger to further cool the oil. Also, optionally, the oil reservoir 15 can be configured to filter and clean the lubricating oil as it circulates. The optional inclusion of a viewing window or other indicator in or on the externally located oil reservoir 15 can provide an easy means of visual confirmation of the level and condition of the lubricating oil.
• the standard method of porting an outboard-motor powerhead's exhaust through the standard midsection for discharge under the waterline has some advantages in terms of muffling sound and suppressing sparks, but underwater discharge is not well- suited to operation in shallow or otherwise obstructed waters because the underwater exhaust port can become clogged or obstructed, impairing the function of the motor.
• the outboard-motor closed-loop cooler provides an exhaust pipe 18 with an exhaust muffler 19 as a substitute for the standard underwater exhaust, so that the exhaust can be discharged above the waterline with little risk of clogging or obstruction.
• a preferred embodiment of the heat- exchanger 10 is adapted to be mounted to the bottom surface of the hull of a flat- bottomed boat meant to navigate in shallow or obstructed waters. Other locations are appropriate for other hull configurations.
• the heat-exchanger 10 should be mounted below the waterline because heat is better transferred in water than in air. For operation in extremely cold-air environments, mounting above the waterline might be preferable in order to avoid problems associated with ice below the waterline.
• the heat exchanger 10 is approximately 1 inch deep and approximately 10 feet long, by 16 to 24 inches wide, sized to fit a typical flat-bottomed boat, and presenting a surface area of approximately 13 to 20 square feet in heat-transferring contact with the water.
• the heat exchanger 10 is divided into a number of separate channels communicating in a staggered pattern, forming a continuous path, in order to route any given portion of coolant through the entire heat exchanger and to segregate the coolest coolant from the influence of the hottest coolant.
• the separate channels are defined by heat-exchanger partitions 25.
• a heat-exchanger coolant- in connector 11 is located at one end of the continuous path and is meant to be connected to the coolant-return tube 12, which brings heated coolant from the standard outboard-motor powerhead 100.
• a heat-exchanger coolant-out connector 13 is located at the other end of the continuous path and is meant to be connected to the coolant- supply tube 8, along which is located the coolant pump 9.
• the coolant emerging from the heat-exchanger coolant-out connector 13 has been cooled by transfer of heat formerly contained in the coolant entering the heat-exchanger coolant- in connector 11, with such heat being transferred to the water environment in contact with and passing around the heat exchanger 10.
• a preferred embodiment of the heat exchanger 10 is constructed using aluminum plate of approximately 0.25-inch thickness for the outer envelope, which comprises a heat-exchanger upper plate 21 and a heat-exchanger lower plate 22, which is bent along the lower-plate bends 23, as shown, in order to form sloping sides, and is attached to the upper plate 21 along the plate- attachment points 24 as shown.
• the heat- exchanger partitions 25 can be constructed from aluminum plate or bar of approximately 0.1-inch thickness, in a staggered arrangement, as shown, in order to form one continuous path.
• Other materials can be used for constructing the heat exchanger 10. Such materials should allow sufficient liquid-to-liquid heat transfer and should be strong or resilient enough to withstand the intended use.
• a cooling system having a cold-water inlet 91 leading to a cold-water manifold 92 providing cooling water to a cooling jacket 93 in the combustion cylinders, and a hot-water manifold 94 leading to a hot-water outlet 95.
• cooling water is drawn in through a channel in the standard midsection and is returned and exhausted through another channel in the standard midsection.
• the lubricating oil reservoir is located in the midsection, and the powerhead 100 has an oil pump 96 to draw oil out of the midsection and an oil-return opening 97 to allow the oil to drain back into the midsection.
• the engine exhaust is expelled through the midsection, and the powerhead 100 has an exhaust manifold 98 to collect exhaust gasses and an exhaust outlet 99 intended to channel exhaust through the midsection to be expelled under the waterline.
• the standard outboard motor has a driveshaft 90, which transfers force through the midsection and ultimately to the lower unit or gearbox and to the propeller.
• the conversion- adapter base 1 has a passage machined through it to provide an exit for the exhaust to pass through when the midsection, often referred to as the "leg,” is not present. There are threaded holes around this exhaust passage for attaching an external muffler over the water line, eliminating the possibility of mud of other obstructions blocking the exhaust gasses from exiting the lower unit.
• the bottom of the converter- adapter base 1 has a machined surface with a circular series of threaded holes for mounting the surface-drive outboard-motor lower unit 7 to the standard outboard-motor powerhead 100.
• the mounting is accomplished using bolts or studs passing through the lower-unit attachment surface 5 and screwed into the conversion- adapter base 1.
• a bearing-and-clutch housing 4 enclosing the clutch system for controlling the transfer of rotational force from the powerhead' s driveshaft 90 to the lower-unit drive shaft 6.
• the clutch system is an electric clutch, which comprises an electric magnet, clutch friction drive discs, clutch driven hub, and flanged clutch rotor.
• An external power-take-off shaft 3, or PTO shaft, extends toward the powerhead from the bearing-and-clutch housing 4 and is adapted to be mounted to the powerhead' s driveshaft 90 such that torque or rotational force can be transferred to the lower-unit drive shaft 6 and ultimately used for propulsion.
• An oil collection cup 17 is provided in the conversion-adapter base 1 to accept lubricating oil coming from the powerhead' s oil-return opening 97. From the oil collection cup 17, an oil-return tube 14 conveys the lubricating oil to the exterior oil reservoir 15. From there, the oil-supply tube 16 conveys the lubricating oil back to the standard outboard-motor powerhead under negative pressure provided by the
• the conversion-adapter base 1 such that the exhaust pipe 18 is in communication with the exhaust outlet 99 of the standard outboard-motor powerhead 100.
• the exhaust pipe 18 and exhaust muffler 19 provide the noise and spark suppression that are conventionally provided by the exhaust system in the standard outboard motor midsection. This exhaust pipe 18 and exhaust muffler 19 allow the engine's exhaust to exit above the waterline without excessive noise, and without being restricted by debris in the water, or mud in extremely shallow conditions.
• One end of the coolant-supply tube 8 is arrayed in or on the conversion- adapter base 1, providing communication with the cold-water inlet 91 of the standard outboard-motor powerhead 100.
• the coolant- supply tube 8 supplies coolant from a closed loop of coolant.
• the coolant pump 9 provides the force to push the coolant into the cold-water manifold 92 of the standard outboard-motor powerhead 100, and from there into and through the cooling jacket 93, surrounding the cylinders of the engine, and then into the hot- water manifold 94 and the hot- water outlet 95.
• coolant-return tube 12 One end of the coolant-return tube 12 is arrayed in communication with the hot- water outlet 95, and conveys heated coolant to the heat exchanger 10. Coolant that has been cooled in the heat exchanger 10 is returned to the cold-water inlet 91 of the standard outboard-motor powerhead 100, completing a closed loop.
• the operational state and speed of the coolant pump 9 is controlled with the coolant-pump control system 30, comprising the coolant-pump controller 31 which monitors in real time the RPM sensor 32 and the temperature sensor 33, indicating the conditions within the standard outboard-motor powerhead 100.
• the coolant-pump control system 30 comprising the coolant-pump controller 31 which monitors in real time the RPM sensor 32 and the temperature sensor 33, indicating the conditions within the standard outboard-motor powerhead 100.
• the coolant-pump control system 30 stops or slows the flow of coolant when the engine is colder than its optimal operating temperature, such as when first started or under extremely cold conditions. Stopping or slowing the flow of coolant under such conditions provides a benefit of allowing the engine to come up to optimal operating temperature more quickly. As the engine reaches its optimal operating temperature, the coolant-pump controller 31 motivates the coolant pump 9 to provide the proper flow rate of coolant to maintain that temperature. If the engine is becoming overheated, the coolant-pump controller 31 motivates the coolant pump 9 to provide up to the maximum flow rate in order to lower the engine's temperature. [0033] Many changes and modifications can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit thereof. I therefore strig that rights to the present invention be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Ocean & Marine Engineering (AREA)
• Lubrication Of Internal Combustion Engines (AREA)
• Heat-Exchange Devices With Radiators And Conduit Assemblies (AREA)
• Engine Equipment That Uses Special Cycles (AREA)
• Exhaust Silencers (AREA)

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (3)

Family

ID=60783267

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (8)

Families Citing this family (4)

Family Cites Families (20)

• 2016
  • 2016-11-28 EP EP16906486.2A patent/EP3472043B1/de active Active
  • 2016-11-28 PL PL16906486T patent/PL3472043T3/pl unknown
  • 2016-11-28 AU AU2016410305A patent/AU2016410305B2/en active Active
  • 2016-11-28 MX MX2018016342A patent/MX2018016342A/es unknown
  • 2016-11-28 WO PCT/US2016/063857 patent/WO2017222583A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 2016-11-28 CN CN201680086990.2A patent/CN109641643B/zh active Active
  • 2016-11-28 CA CA3028085A patent/CA3028085C/en active Active
• 2018
  • 2018-12-18 ZA ZA2018/08518A patent/ZA201808518B/en unknown

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events