Actively pressurized engine cooling system

摘要

Method and apparatus are disclosed for an engine cooling system with the coolant fluid maintained in a state of nucleate boiling at a selected location in the coolant passages of the engine. The cooling system comprises a radiator and a coolant reservoir with a variable speed circulating pump for circulating the coolant through the coolant passages in the engine and through the radiator. A coolant pressure pump with a servo motor is adapted to pump coolant between the radiator and the reservoir as needed and to adjust the static pressure of the coolant. The coolant flow through the radiator is adjusted to maintain the coolant at a selected location at a control temperature which will maintain a safe metal operating temperature for the engine. The static pressure of the coolant is adjusted to a value at which the saturation temperature of the coolant is near the control temperature so that nucleate boiling will occur at the selected location. The cooling system is controlled by an electronic control module including a microcomputer; temperature and pressure signals from sensors in the engine are supplied to the microcomputer which, under program control, controls the variable speed of the circulating pump and the operation of the pressure pump to maintain the nucleate boiling condition.