US2322047A - Oil cooler - Google Patents

Description

June 15, 1943. A, R MORMILE 2,322,047

OIL COOLER v Filed Marchvls, 1942 3 sheets-sheet 1 `Fume 15, 1943.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 O o mw QQ www QW O. O z @wwa Vsmw495V SSX?? im@ w\\\ n Sw k @w muh m5 www June 15, 1943 A. R. MoRMlLE OIL COOLER Filed March 16,V 1942 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 I Patented .une l5, l943 .UNITED STATES PATENT oi-Fica on.' cooLnn Anthony R. Mormile, New Haven, Conn., assignor to The G & Manufacturing Company, New Haven, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application Maren is, 1942, serias No. 434,878

. claim. (ci, 257-2) This invention relates to oil coolers such as used for cooling the lubricating oil of internal combustion engines and other devices.

Coolers of this nature have been used in which a valve-controlled by-pass structure is employed section having horizontal tubesr and also having associated therewith crtain intermediate vertical Vby-pass conduits,. as hereinafterr described.

for the purpose of hastening the warming up and circulation of the oil when the latter has been congealed by exposure to low temperatureabut previous devices have been open to certain objections and drawbacks which, by the present invention, it is aimed to overcome.

One of the objects of the present invention is to simplify the structure of the cooler and render itv easier to construct, more serviceable, and adapted to withstand heavy strains and stresses and rough usage, and temperature variations throughout a very wide range.

Another object -is to provide an improved arrangement of cooling sections and by-pass conduits or passages, lending itself to a simple, compact and strong cooler structure.

To these' andppther ends' the invention consists in the novel features and combinations of 'partsr to be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. l isv a front elevationof an oil cooler embodying my improvements, thev connecting piping being omitted, as well'ascertain portions of the means for supporting the cooler in the upright position;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the device;

Fig. 2A is a somewhat diagrammatic section on line EA-Aof Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a section on an enlarged scale taken online 3 3 of Fig. 2, the valve controlling the oil by-pass being shown in the open position; Fig. 4 is a section on line 5id of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a section on line 5--5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5A is a detail showing portions of the upper -header and the main cooling section as they appear before being juxtaposedvin assembiage; f

Fig. 6 is a detail endview of the valve housing showing it detached from the cooler body; and

' Fig. 'l is a detail sectional view of several of the cooling tubes.

In the preferred form shown in the drawings, my improved oil cooler is characterized by a relaf tively shallow rectangular body somewhat elongated so that its vertical dimension is considerably greater than its lateral dimension. The depth, that is to say, the distance .from the front face to the rear face, is, on the other hand, considerably less than the'lateral dimension. The main part of the body is constituted by a cooler Above-and below the main section are headers attached toand forming parts of the cooler body. e

munication with by-pass conduits arranged between certain cooler tube sections.

In the drawings, the cooler body is indicated generally at I0, the lower or receiving header at II, the upper header at I2, and the valve housing at I3. The lubricating oil coming from the motor or the like is conducted to the right-hand end (Fig. 1) of. lower header II by a connection I6, and oil passing from the valve housing I3 is carried back to the motor or the like by a suitable connection I5 attached to housing I3. By

suitable means the cooler is rigidly supported, when in use, in the, vertical position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and in this particular instance I have shown brackets I5 and II attached to the upper and lower headers, respectively, constituting one means by which the cooler can be fastened to a suitable support.

The main cooling section extends from the rlower header to the upper header, and in this particular case comprises three portions or banks of cooling tubes, namely, a middle portion I8 and two end portions which are indicated at I9 and 20, respectively. Interposed between portions I8 and I9 is a vertical by-pass conduit or passage 2I, and between portions I8 and 2t is a second by-pass conduit 22, and it may be observed that in this particular case the cooling tube capacity available atl opposite lateral faces of each by-pass conduit is substantially the same, this being accomplished by properly dimensioning the 'middle -tube portion I8 with respect to portions I9 and 20.

The by-pass conduits 2i and 22 are co-exten- Vsive in depth with the associated cooling core portions, having exposed front and rear faces flush or substantially flush, with the mouths of the horizontal air passages. .Inv this particular case the by-pass conduits are of elongated rectangular cross-section. the elongationbeing depth-wise of the core.

In the form shown, the headers are constructed of sheet metal, and have the rounded crosssectional form shown, for example, in Fig. 4, the body portions of rounded cross-sectional form being provided at the front and rear with lateral securing flanges. In Fig. 4 the lateral ange which is at the front of the lower header is indicated at 23, and it will be seen that it-ex tends Afrom the body of the header to the front face of the cooling section. A similar ilange 24 is provided on the header at the rear, the flanges 28 and 24 underlying the horizontal cooling tubes 25, and also underlying lower corner portions of the conduits 2|, 22, as shown in Fig. 4.

From the lower ends oi' the conduits 2|, 22,l

portions 26 are bent down so as to extend to a degree into the interior of the lower header these portions 26 providing mouths or entrances at the lower ends of the conduits into which oil is supplied from a distributing tube 21 extending lengthwise of the lower header. This header has at the right-hand end (Fig. 3) an opening 26, and one end of the tube 21 is fastened to the header so as to be in communication with this opening 28. At the opposite end, the distributing tube 21 is rigidly supported within the header by suitable means, as, for example, by bending up a portion 29 at the end of the tube, and attaching it by means such as rivet 30 to the end wall of the header. This tube 21 is provided with suitable upper distributing openings for facilitating passage of oil in the proper amount and proportions to the lower ends of the conduits 2| and 22, and the lower ends of the cooling portions I6, i9. 2G. In this particular instance an opening 2| is provided in the distributing tube below cooling portion 20, an opening 32 is provided below and in line with the lower mouth of conduit 22. another opening 33 is similarly provided in association with conduit 2|, and an opening 34 is provided beneath cooling portion I9. Such an arrangement provides very effective distribution of the oil coming in at the inlet, but is shown only by way of example.

The cooling tubes 25 are provided with en-` larged hexagonal end portions95 so that when the tubes are placed in a bank with the ends or heads abutted against each other in the relation shown in Fig. "I, the body portions 25il of the tubes are spaced apart to provide passages throih which the oil may pass upwardly while air is passing through the tubes substantially horizontally. In order to conform to the lowermost tubes which are supported thereon. the header flange 23 is provided with bent zig- zag portions 36, 31 and l35, as shown particularly in Fig. 1, and in the places Where the flange underlies and supports portions required for locating and holding the associated tube heads. Additional ller strips 48 are also used in association with the right-hand wall of the conduit 2| (Fig. 3), and similar iller strips are also used at both sides of the conduit 22.

At the right-hand side of the core the construcof the by-pass conduits, it is provided with at portions 39. It is to be understood, of course. that the corresponding flange 24 at the rear is similarly formed, and also that the upper header |2 has correspondinglyformed front and rear securing flanges 40 and 4|.

It will be observed from Fig. 3 that the end walls 42 and 43 of the lower header are extended upwardlv somewhat beyond the level of the flanges 23, 24. Similarly, the end wall 44 and 45 of the upper'header are continued downwardly somewhat beyond the flanges 40 and 4|. -It will be observed from Fig. 3 also that adjacent the' left-hand boundary of the tubesl of portion I9 a tion is the same as at the left-hand side, there being another corrugated tube-head-seating plate 46, and another plate 41 at the exterior.

At ,their upper ends each of the conduits 2|' and 22 is provided with an open flanged portion 48 extending upwardly somewhat into the upper header, which in plan is' of a generally elliptical shape. Each portion 49 serves to receive a leg of a manifold 50 located in the upper header. This manifold is preferably formed as a casting, and it has a hollow tubular body 5| in communication at the left-hand end (Fig. 3) with a hollow leg 52, the lower end of which is inserted into flanged portion 49 of conduit 2|. Adjacent the right-hand end (Fig. 3) the manifold has a simiassembled. The legs 52 and 53are of substantially elliptical cross-section, and so is the body portion 50 of the manifold. The lug 54 is associated with the left-hand end of the manifold (Fig. 3) and the lug 55 near the right-hand end. At the right-hand end of the manifold (Fig. 3)

f the same is enlarged. and of round open formation, as indicated at 56. This provides removable telescoping connection with'a short tube or sleeve 51 leading to and fastened in an open portion or port 58 in the adjacent end wall of the header. The header end wall also has an additional opening or port 59, preferably of elliptical shape, as shown in Fig. 5,' located below opening 56, and providing an additional passage in communication with the interior of the valve housing I3 previously mentioned. The opening 58 is approximately in line with the bore in the body of the manifold, and the opening 59 is only slightly above the adjacent bank of cooling tubes. VThe manifold 50 can be installed with considerable ease, as the manifold legs can be connected to the by-pass conduits merely by thrusting them therein.

The valve housing i3 has a chambered interior and is equipped with a valve seat 60 horizontally arranged adjacent the right-hand end (Fig. 3) of a duct or passage 6| in communication with the opening 5B previously mentioned. The valve disengage it.. .Preferably the valve device 64 is supported by and reacts against an adjustable screw-threaded plug 66 in the lower part of the valve housing, and the valve may be controlled in its operation by suitable thermostatic means` such as a gas-lled metal bellows or corrugated shell 61 such as commonly used for thermostatic control. Also the valve may be under the ccntrol of a. spring such as the helical spring, 68 placed beneath the valve stem in a suitable socket $9 provided adjacent the inner face of the plug 66. The chamber 63 is in communicaticn with an outlet 1l! provided on the valve housing, and in communication with the pipe' I5 or other ccnnection back to the motor or other apparatus. It will be seen from Fig. 3 that oil in passage 6I will be deflected by a curved wall 1I if the valve seat is open, and will pass downwardly through the valve seat into chamber 63, and thence upwardly to outlet 10. 0n the other hand, oil passing into the valve housing through the .port v62 will move approximately horizontally around the valve, and thence in a slightly upward course to outlet 10.

Preferably the-housing I3 is provided at the inlet end with a ange 12 by means of which it is detachably connectedV as by screws 13 to a corresponding flange 14 that is suitably fastened to the adjacent end wall of the upper header. The port S2 is formed directly in this flanged end wall of the housing, and the passage 6I through this end wall. 'llhe securing flange 16 on the right-hand end of the upper header (Fig. 3) has an opening 6I registering with the passage Si and with the interior of sleeve 51, and is provided with a port 59a registering with port 59 and port 62, and between this flange and the flange of, the valve housing suitable packing material is interposed, as shown at 15. f

In the operation ofmy improved cooler, oil is supplied to the lower header at the right-hand end (Fig. 3), and under conditions of moderate -temperature the oil feeding' upwardlyv from the openings of the distributing-tube of the lower f header will pass upwardly through the cooling portions IS, IB and 20. Under these circum-g stances, the valve device 56 will be in the closed position, the expansion of the bellows being sulficient in degree to hold the valve proper againstA the seat 5u. This will prevent circulation of oil upwardly through theconduits ZI and 22 and through the manifold 58 connected to said con y into the valve housing I3 by way of the port 62,

around the valve, to the outlet 10, and thence w back to the mechanism which is being lubricated. In this manner the oil, while being circulated, is cooled in a very effective manner by the air passing through the tubes 25. There is an additional cooling effect under these circumstances owing to Athe-extraction of heat from those faces of `the conduits 2l and 22 which are exposed to the air,

into which faces heat is carried from the cooling' tubes adjacent the conduits.

In starting the motor or the like, or at other times, there may be a condition in which the oil in the tubular sections is congealed, so that oil cannot' take the course` of ow mentioned above,

extends When the oil or can do so only to a', limited degree. Under these conditions, however, the thermostatically controlled valve device 64 (having been set to open at a predetermined temperature) is open and therefore permits upward circulation of the oil through the conduits 2l and 22. Therefore oil, coming into .the distributing tube 21, can pass upwardly through openings 32 and 33 into-the lower ends of the conduits, and can move upwardly in the conduits in a straight course so as to enter the manifold 50 and then pass by a substantially straight path to the valve seat 60, and thence to the outlet 10. Hot oil, moving upwardly through the conduits 2i and 22. in this way, will quickly warm up the oil in the cooling sections. and this oil will start circulating, taking thecourse previously described. Oil moving up through conduit 2l passes into leg 52 of the manifold and through the body of the manifold, and yat a certain point is joined by the body of oil passing upwardly through conduit 22, and these bodies of oil, mixed together, pass through the sleeve 51 and passage BI. When a certain temperature is attained in the region of the valve device (this being a properly selected temperature), the valve closes so as to eliminate any further circulating of the oil through the by-pass system which in this particular case is provided by the vertical passages in Iili the core, the manifold, with its associated maniiosld sleeve 51, and by a part of the valve housing The valve spring 68 is used in addition to the bellows 61 as a matter of precaution. Should the valve stick in the closed position under improper operation of the bellows, at a time when the bypassing of the oil should occur, the downward pressure of the oil above the valve seat 60, when a certain pressure has built up, will cause the valve to open by a thrust overcoming the supporting action of the spring. It is understood, however, that while I have shown herein the valve as being under the control of a thermostatic element and also a resilient element, the particular valve control means is not important in the broader aspects ofthe invention.

` It is of distinct advantage that the cooler of my invention is of a simple, compact and rugged character and not likely to get out of order. The by-pass conduits used in connection with the tubular cooling body are straight,- which facilitates circulation, and on the other hand ample by-pass capacity for the intended purposes is provided. It is of advantage also that the by-pass conduits used in multiple are in communication with a common receiver or manifold which carries the oil in a very direct manner to the valve seat. It is also of advantage that-there is direct and facile communication betweenthe upper ends of the tubular cooling portions and the hot oil outlet of the device. Other advantages of my new structure will also be obvious to those skilled in the art;

It will be understood that in manufacturing the oil cooler, the cooling section comprising the in-l dividual tubes and the interposed by-pass conduits can be readily built up. The headers with their interior parts in position can then be placed against the ends of the cooling section, with their flanges lying in contact withthe ends of the conduits and with the enlarged ends of the adjacent cooling tubes. Then by dipping the respect1ve face portions of the assembly in solder, the individual cooling tubes are secured together in a body and secured to the conduits, and the headers secured to the cooling section. In manufacturing the cooler, all of the various fastenings or securements fnecessary between the structural parts can be made very easily.

In the case shown in the drawings there are two by-pass conduits, each centrally arranged in a section of the cooler disposed at one side of a vertical center line. In some cases, however, the number of the conduits may be varied. also their arrangement. In the case shownin the drawings, the cooling sections are made up from individual cooling tubes, as this is regarded as preferable, but in some instances the tube structure comprising the horizontal air passages and the substantially upright liquid passages may be constructed from bent and folded metal sheets. The heat exchange structure can also be used for other purposes than the regulation of the temperature of lubricating oil.

While I have shown herein only one form of my improved device, it is to be understood that the invention can take various forms, and that various changes in the organization of parts and in the details may be made without departing `from the principles of my invention or the scope of the claim.

What I claim is:

An oil cooler comprising a tubular cooling secof said cooler section, a lower header having an inlet for oil to be cooled, means in said header for distributing oil to the oil passages of the coolin'g section and to the-lower ends of the by-pass conduits, an upper header having its interior in communication with the oil passages of the cool'- ing section and having a discharge for oil issuing from the oil passages. of the cooling section, said upper header also having a second discharge. a manifold within the upper header having a hollow body and hollow legs, the legs being in communication with the upper ends of said by-pass conduits and said manifold being adapted to carry oil from Asaid conduits to said second discharge, a valve housing having portions respectively in communication with the respective discharges of the upper header and divided from each other by a valve seat, and a valve adapted to engage and disengage saidvalve seat and adapted to control by-passing of the oil through the bypass conduits and the manifold.

ANTHONY R. MORMILE.

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