US2013708A

US2013708A - Oil cooling system

Info

Publication number: US2013708A
Application number: US688086A
Authority: US
Inventors: Valentino L Bianchi; Mina Louis
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1933-09-05
Filing date: 1933-09-05
Publication date: 1935-09-10
Anticipated expiration: 1952-09-10

Description

Sept. 10, 1935.

INVENTOCQS VAZE/YTl/VO 4. BIA/V THEJPA TTORNEY V L BIANCHI ETAL OIL COOLING SYSTEM Flled Sept 5, 1956 LOU/.5 8Y6 Our invention relates to a system for cooling Patented Sept. 10, 1935 OIL COOLING SYSTEM Valentino L. Bianchi, Oakland, and Louis Mina, San Francisco, Calif.

Application September 5, 1933, Serial No. 688,086

2 Claims. (01. 257-125) ZMBJM from the engine through the cooling cell. The

the lubricating oil of an internal combustion engine; one object being to provide cooling means whereby the oil may be maintained at the temperature of maximum lubricating efficiency.

Another object is to reduce oil consumption by minimizing the pumping of oil past the pistons, and vaporization of the oil in the crank case.

Another object is to provide an oil cooling system associated with the water cooling system of an internal combustion engine, and operating conjcintly therewith for cooling the lubricating oil supply of the engine.

Another object is to provide a cooling system which may be easily and economically installed in either old or newstructures.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing, will be set forth in the following description of our invention. It is to be understood that we do not limit ourselves to this disclosure of species of our invention, as we may adopt variant embodiments thereof within the scope of the claims.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure l is a broken side view, partly in vertical section, showing one embodiment of our cooling system as applied to the engine and water cooling radiator of an automobile.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken upon the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

In the operation of internal combustion engines, the high temperatures occurring in the cylinders, and the relatively high speed at which the pistons operate, necessitate a constant circulation of oil to the moving parts to ensure proper lubrication. The oil so circulated rapidly becomes heated to a relatively high temperature and as a result the viscosity of the oil and its lubricating efiiciency is greatly reduced. The greater fluidity of the oil when hot permits the oil to be more readily pumped past the pistons, with the result that an excessive amount of the lubricating oil passes into the cylinders and is burned up. Our present invention is directed to a system of cooling the lubricating oil when the engine is in operation so as to maintain substantially the desired degree of viscosity, and thereby obtain maximum lubricating efiiciency and minimum oil consumption.

Broadly, our invention comprises a cooling cell, preferably associated with the Water cooling system commonly provided for internal combustion engines, and means for circulating the heated oil invention also contemplates the provision of means for regulating the rate of oil circulation, and also visual means for indicating the prevailing pressure and temperature of the oil.

In terms of greater detail, an oil cooling cell I is arranged in association with a water cooling radiator 2 such as is commonly provided for an internal combustion engine 3. In the preferred embodiment shown in Figure 1 of the drawing,

the cell i is formed within the radiator 2 by means of partitions d and 5 disposed over opposite ends of a limited number of the tubes 6 providedfor the circulation of water through the radiator. The partitions 4 and 5 are shaped to form chambers l and 8 at the upper and lower ends respectively of the tubes 6. The partitions a and 5, and the chambers l and 8 formed thereby, serve to exclude water from the tubes 6 selected for use as the oil cooling cell, and to prevent intermingling of the oil with the water circulating through the remaining tubes of the radiator.

As the water from the engine enters the radiator 2 in a highly heated condition, a second partition 9 is preferably mounted in spaced relation to the partition 1 to provide an air passage Iii therebetween. The partitions 9 and air pas= sage it serve as a shield to insulate the chamber i from the hot water entering the top of the radiator 2. Openings H and I2 allow a free circulation of air through the air passage 90. A group of four rows of tubes 5 such as provided in the ordinary automobile radiator affords an oil cooling cell of sufficient size for most purposes without materially impairing the efficiency of the radiator for cooling the water circulating therethrough. The number of tubes 6 included in the cell l may of course be varied to suit particular requirements and a greater or lesser number may be utilized if desired.

An oil inlet fitting i3 is mounted to extend into the upper chamber 7 formed by the partition 4. The fitting is preferably provided with a plurality of discharge outlets Ml so as to distribute the incoming oil over a substantial area at the top of the cell.

A conduit it is connected to communicate at one end with the delivery fitting i3 and at the opposite end with the oil circulating system of the engine 3. A second conduit is connected to provide a passage from the lower chamber 8 of the cooling cell to the oil circulating system or oil supply reservoir in the crank case of the engine. Oil is delivered from the lubricating system to the cell I through the conduit l6 by any suitable means as for example a pump I8. The oil pump commonly provided for circulating oil through the lubricating system in a force feed system may be utilized for this purpose by connecting the conduit it into the pressure side of the pump as indicated in Figure l of the drawing. Where the capacity of the lubricating pump is insufficient to deliver oil to the cooling cell at the rate necessary to effect a proper cooling of the oil without impairing the efficiency of the lubricating system a separate pump of suitable capacity may be provided. The pump may be driven in any convenient manner from the fan belt 20 or other accessible source of power.

The conduit I6 is provided with a suitable valve 2| by which the rate of circulation of oil through the conduit l6 and the cooling cell i may be regulated. Where the conditions under which the engine operates are fairly uniform, the valve 2! may be initially adjusted to regulate the circulation of oil through the cell l to meet the prevailing requirements. Should a difierent condition occur, a slight adjustment of the valve will permit the rate of circulation to be increased or decreased as the new conditions may require. Where the operating conditions change substantially at frequent intervals, the conduit I6 may be provided with a thermostatically controlled valve operating automatically to increase or decrease the rate of circulation of oil in accordance with the prevailing temperature of the oil. Valves operating in response to temperature changes are known and have been utilized in other connections, and as the specific .structure of such valve forms no part of the present invention, a detailed disclosure of the structure and mode of operation thereof is deemed unnecessary.

Oil delivered through the conduit l6 and delivery fitting l3 flows downwardly through the tubes '0 of the cooling cell to the chamber 8 and is cooled by a current of air drawn past the tubes by the fan 23 provided for cooling the radiator 2. From the chamber 8, the oil is delivered back. to the engine through the conduit ll. A suitable screen 24 is preferably provided over the inlet end of the conduit ll to remove solid particles of foreign matter from the oil before its return to the engine.

Suitable temperature indicating means 25 is preferably provided for indicating the temperature of the oil as it returns to the engine. The particular type of temperature indicating mechanism is immaterial, and any device capable of aifording a visual indication of the temperature of the returning oil may be used. A temperature indicating means operating an index 26 located on the instrument panel 21 is particularly desirable in automobile and aeroplane installations.

A pressure gage line 28 is connected into the conduit l6 and extends to a suitable gage 29 for indicating the pressure at which the oil is pumped to the cooling cell i. The gage 29 should be positioned conveniently near to the temperature index 26 so that the temperature and pressure conditions may be observed as an aid to obtaining a proper regulation of the rate of circulation of oil through the cell l.

While we have illustrated the cooling system of our invention in connection with the internal combustion engine and radiator of an automobile, the invention may be applied to internal combustion engines devoted to other uses such as in aeronautics or in stationary power units. The device is of course subject to modification in the details of construction and arrangement to conform to the requirements of any particular installation.

We claim:

1. An oil cooling system for an internal combustion engine having a water cooling radiator comprising an oil cooling cell formed within the radiator, means for circulating oil from the engine through the cell, and a shield having an air passage over the cell for insulating the same from hot water entering the radiator.

2. An oil cooling system for an internal combustion engine having a water cooling radiator comprising an oil cooling cell formed Within the radiator, means for circulating oil from the engine through the cell, a shield having an air passage over the cell for insulating the same from hot water entering the radiator, and means for controlling the circulation of the oil.

VALENTINO L. BIANCHI. LOUIS MINLA.