Engine Cooling System – An Overview
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 An automobile engine is considered to be a “heat engine”, which means
that it burns fuel and air inside a combustion chamber (located inside
what we call the engine block), to produce power. In this process,
temperatures can reach up to 2200C (4000F).
 A cooling system of some kind is necessary in any I.C. engines. If no
cooling systems were provided, parts would melt from the heat of the
burning fuel, and pistons would expand so much that they could not move
in the cylinders (called “Seize”). When they get cooled, the cylinder
head or block gets cracked.
 On the other hand, we don’t want the engine to run too cool. Cold engine
problems include poor oil flow, sludge formation in the oil, and poor fuel
vaporization.
 Ideally, we want to run the engine as warm as possible without
overheating (causes the engine coolant to boil at 125C or 260F). This
will make the engine as efficient as possible and, in turn, yield the most
power with the least amount of pollution.
 Automotive engines use a cooling system to remove excess combustion
heat.
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Engine Cooling System – An Overview (Contd..)
 A modern automobile engine at operating temperature will generate
about 150,000 BTUs (44 kWh) of heat when traveling at 60 mph (97
km/h). That is enough heat to warm and maintain a 6-room house at
70F or 21C, even when the outside temperature is a chilly 0F (-
18C).
 The exhaust system takes away much of the heat; but parts of the
engine, such as the cylinder walls, pistons, and cylinder head, absorb
large amount of the heat. If a part of the engine gets too hot, the oil
film fails to protect it. This lack of lubrication can ruin the engine.
 Therefore, the purpose of the engine’s cooling system is to
1) remove excess heat from the engine,
2) to keep the engine operating at its most efficient temperature,
3) to get the engine up to the correct temperature as soon as
possible after starting.
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shared outside of the Blackboard Learn-University of Windsor platform."
Engine Cooling System – An Overview (Contd..)
 From ignition to flame quench, the burn is over in less than two
milliseconds. For this period, peak heat transfer rates to the
combustion chamber surfaces and piston crown from radiation
are brief but intense.
 After flame quench, these surfaces continue to be exposed to
the high combustion gas temperatures, and the primary heat
transfer mechanism becomes convection.
 About 60% of the heat transfer to the engine mass and
ultimately the coolant takes place in the cylinder head.
 Gasface wall temperatures do not normally exceed 350F.
 Exhaust gas temperatures are in the range of 600 to 700F
during light engine loads, such as idling, 800 to 900F during
light city traffic conditions, and 1600 to 1700F at WOT.
 The high velocity of the gas enhances the convective heat
transfer.
"The lecture presentations and slides are provided for educational purposes in this course. No part of them should be
shared outside of the Blackboard Learn-University of Windsor platform."
Engine Cooling System – An Overview (Contd..
 As fuel is burned in the engine, part of that heat energy in the fuel is
converted into power (~30%); part of it goes out the exhaust (~30%);
part of it is absorbed through the engine lubrication oil and friction
losses (~10%); and the rest (~30%) is absorbed into the engine coolant.
 The distribution of the heat losses changes for different engine speeds,
loads and weather conditions. In moderate weather, at low engine
speeds and loads, such as idling and city traffic, the fraction of the
heat transferred to the coolant is roughly equal to that carried away
with the exhaust.
 With increasing engine speeds and loads, the fraction of the waste heat
carried by the exhaust gas increases, ultimately accounting for nearly
50% of the heat at peak power output, while that rejected to the
coolant decreases proportionally.
 The heat released by the combustion and that carried away with the
exhaust and rejected to the coolant is substantial, in the order of
several thousand BTUs per minute for a vehicle.
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Engine Cooling System – An Overview (Contd..)
 The temperature of engine coolant should be maintained within
the following limits:
I) The coolant temperature rise through the engine does
not exceed, generally, 12 or 13F.
II) Sufficient coolant flow rate to avoid localized boiling.
III) The temperature of the coolant should be controlled
within a specific operating range, generally, 185 to 205F,
with infrequent excursions up to 230-245F
 The higher the density of the fuel/air charge in the chamber,
the more fuel there is to burn, the higher the heat release and
the higher the end temperature and pressure of the
combustion gases. At maximum charge densities (wide open
throttle), flame front temperatures will exceed 4000F.
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Engine Cooling System – An Overview (Contd..)
 The coolant flow and heat transfer phenomena within the
engine is carefully mapped to ensure that the engine operates
under sever continuous load within the functional objectives of
the Vehicle.
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1
 Engine Cooling System – An Overview (Contd..)
 The presence of compressible fluids- exhaust gas, air, steam in
the coolant could seriously damage both the engine and the
pump.
 The heat transfer process, in the engine, radiator and heater,
is hindered by the presence of compressible gases by lowering
the forced convection heat transfer coefficient.
 Compressible gases entering the suction side of the centrifugal
pump cause a rapid loss in pump capacity by increasing the
minimum required net positive suction head (NPSH), defined as
the difference between the pump’s inlet stagnation pressure
head and the vapor pressure head
P V2
NPSH  (  )
ρg 2g
"The lecture presentations and slides are provided for educational purposes in this course. No part of them should be
shared outside of the Blackboard Learn-University of Windsor platform."
Engine Cooling System – An Overview (Contd..)
 There are two types of cooling systems; Air Cooling and Liquid Cooling
used in engines. Most auto engines are cooled by liquid type; air
cooling is used more frequently for airplanes, motorcycles, lawn
mowers etc.
Schematic of Engine Cooling System
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shared outside of the Blackboard Learn-University of Windsor platform."
Engine Cooling System – An Overview (Contd..)
 Pumps are typically design for 100,000 miles.
 The design of the engine cooling passages to accomplish
optimum “engine to coolant” heat transfer is a complex design
and development procedure requiring the expertise of several
engineers, designers and technicians.
 The radiator model includes heat rejection vs. air flow and
coolant flow, flow non-uniformity, air side pressure drop,
coolant side pressure drop, frontal area and radiator type.
 The radiator is characterized for overall, outside and inside
heat transfer coefficients.
 Modern cooling systems are designed to maintain a temperature
of about 185 to 205F. A coolant mixture of water and
antifreeze is used, and because it is under pressure the coolant
Pv would have a higher boiling point of water at atmospheric
conditions.
ρg
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Slide # 9