Chapter ten

Engine Cooling system

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 Introduction
 The burning of fuel in an internal combustion engine
produces heat, which is sufficient to melt the metal of
the cylinder.(Platinum, a metal which has one of the
highest melting points, melts at 1750 °C, iron at
1530°C and aluminum at 657°C.)
 It is the function of the cooling system to prevent the
engine from overheating
 But it must also allow it to operate at a temperature
high enough to assist in effective combustion.
 If the engine operating temperature were allowed to go
unchecked, it would burn and dry up the lubricating
oil film, so that the pistons would seize in their
cylinders and distortion would result from over-
expansion of metals.
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 Need for Cooling
 The engine burns fuel in the cylinder to transform its
thermal energy (heat energy) into a driving power.
 But the thermal energy of the fuel is not converted into
power entirely.
 It can be stated that approximately 25 per cent of the
energy contained in the fuel is converted into useful
work; 30 per cent is absorbed by the engine itself, and
the remaining 45 per cent passes away in the hot
exhaust gases or frictional losses & pumping losses.
 The heat that is absorbed by the engine must be
discharged to the atmosphere because the engine will
become overheated and eventually seize up.
 Therefore a cooling system is built into the engine to
cool it and prevent overheating.
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 Need for Cooling cont…
 The temperature attained during combustion in the
cylinder of a petrol engine may be as high as 2000C.
 These temperatures are considerably higher than the
melting points of the materials used in the construction
of the engine.
 Therefore, it is essential that excessive heat is removed
quickly and efficiently to avoid serious damage to the
engine.
 To ensure that the engine operates efficiently it must
be kept within a given range of temperatures. In the
case of a normal water-cooled engine this would be in
the region of 75C-90C; for air-cooled engines this
range would be higher.

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 Effects of Increased Working Temperatures (overheating)
 Operation at high temperatures, high loads, or extremely high
speeds without adequate cooling, results in oxidation of the
lubricating oil.
 This, in turn, may result in high temperature varnish and sludge
deposits being formed, also piston ring sticking. Ring scuffing may
follow ring sticking.
 In some cases, oil oxidation may cause corrosion of some types of
bearings.
 If working temperatures are too high, excessive expansion will take
place in the pistons and the crankshaft journals, causing them to
exceed their running tolerances and, as a result, they may seize into
their bearings.
 Areas within the combustion chamber such as the exhaust valve
seats, sparking plugs, etc., may become overheated and ignite the
fresh charge of mixture before the spark occurs.
 This condition is known as ‘pre-ignition’ and may result in
permanent damage to the engine if allowed to continue.
 If the fresh charge of mixture entering the cylinder is overheated, its
density will be reduced and a loss of power will result. 6
 Effects of Reduced Working Temperatures (Overcooling)

 Excessive cooling may result in lower thermal

efficiency, which prevents proper vaporization of the
fuel, leading to dilution of the engine oil by the
Unvaporized fuel, which gets past the piston.
 Unvaporized fuel tends to remove the oil film from the
cylinder walls and therefore increases cylinder bore
wear.
 The engine lubricating oil is unable to maintain its
correct working temperature and will not flow freely,
resulting in greater frictional losses and inefficiency.
 In general, overcooling causes loss of power, poor fuel
economy, and reduced engine life.

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 Types of cooling system
There are two types of cooling systems:
1. Air cooling system and
2. Water-cooling system.

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 Air cooling
 When the engine is air-cooled, excess heat is radiated
from the cylinder bores and head directly into the
surrounding air.
 In order to increase the surface area exposed to the
cooling effect of the air, fins are formed on the external
surfaces of the engine.
 The fins are cast integrally with the cylinder and
cylinder head and act as a means of increasing the
amount of radiation surface presented to the cooling air
stream.
 Heat produced by the combustion process passes
through the walls of the cylinder and cylinder head to
the fins, where it is dissipated into the passing air.

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 Air cooling cont…
Direct Cooling
 It is the most straightforward method and
normally used on motorcycles which have an
engine exposed to the air stream on its forward
motion and no surrounding bodywork.
 To improve the thermal conductivity of cylinders
and cylinder heads, they are usually alloy castings
with cooling fins (in some cases the crankcase
also) to maximize the cooling effect.
 Drawback: cooling effect depends on vehicle
speed & outside temperature
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 Air cooling cont…
 Fan (or) Blower Cooling
 Fan cooling enables engines enclosed within bodywork, for instance
in cars, trucks and motor scooters, to be adequately cooled.
 The fan can be mounted directly on the crankshaft or driven by a V-
belt.
 The cowling (enclosed bodywork) often encloses the engine to
control the flow of air over the hotter sections of the engine.
 In many arrangements, baffles or deflector plates are located near or
between the cylinders to deflect the air through the finning and
around the rear of the engine cylinders.
 A thermostat may be fitted on an air-cooled engine to prevent the
fan from forcing air past the engine cylinders until they have
reached their normal working temperature.
 This will take the form of a flap or shutter assembly which is
controlled by a thermostatically operated valve.

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 Advantages of Air-Cooling system
1. Its design of air-cooled engine is simple.
2. It is lighter in weight than water-cooled engines
due to the absence of water jackets, radiator,
circulating pump and the weight of the cooling
water.
3. It is cheaper to manufacture.
4. It needs less care and maintenance.
5. This system of cooling is particularly
advantageous where there are extreme climatic
conditions in the arctic or where there is scarcity
of water as in deserts.
6. No risk of damage from frost, such as cracking
of cylinder jackets or radiator water tubes
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 Disadvantages of Air-Cooling system

Relatively large amount of power is used to

drive the cooling fan.
Engines give low power output.
Cooling fins under certain conditions may
vibrate and amplify the noise level.
Cooling is not uniform.
Engines are subjected to high working
temperature.

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 Water cooling (indirect air-cooling)
The term ‘indirect air cooling’ refers to the
conventional liquid-or water-cooled engine.
 In a water-cooled system the heat from the
cylinders is transferred to the coolant
contained in jackets surrounding the
cylinders.
This coolant then passes through a radiator
which transfers heat to the cool air flowing
around it.

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 Water cooling (indirect air-cooling) cont...
 METHODS OF CIRCULATION
 For the efficient and successful operation of a liquid
cooling system it is necessary to maintain constant
circulation of the coolant under all operating
conditions.
 The simplest method of coolant circulation is the
‘thermo-syphon’ system which depends upon the
natural circulation of heated water.
 An improvement on this basic method of circulation
can be found in the modern ‘forced circulation (or)
pump assisted’ cooling system which ensures a more
positive circulation of the coolant.

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 Water cooling (indirect air-cooling) cont...
1.Thermo-Syphon Cooling System
 It this simple cooling system, which is rarely used
in modern vehicle engines, movement of the
coolant depends upon the natural circulation.
 The water surrounds each of the cylinders,
combustion chambers, valves, etc.
 As the water in these areas absorbs heat it
expands, becomes less dense, and so rises to the
top of the radiator, thus making room for cold
water from the bottom of the radiator to take its
place and so maintain circulation by natural
means.
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 Water cooling (indirect air-cooling) cont...

2.Forced Circulation (or) Pump Assisted

Pressurized Cooling System
The pump provides for more positive
circulation of the coolant and is essential for
powerful engines and complex cooling
systems

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 Water cooling (indirect air-cooling) cont...
 Advantages of a Pressurized Cooling System
 The engine is able to operate at a higher, more efficient
temperature without the coolant boiling and producing
dangerous steam pockets.
 By pressurizing the cooling system, water pump efficiency
is maintained irrespective of coolant temperature.
 By using the radiator pressure cap to seal the cooling
system, losses of coolant by evaporation and surging are
prevented.
 This in turn improves cooling system operation and
eliminates the need for frequent topping-up of the radiator.
 As coolant losses are minimized and cooling efficiency is
increased, a smaller size of radiator may be used.
 Alternatively, a smaller cooling fan requiring less engine
power may be fitted, therefore improving the effective
horsepower of the engine. 22
 Water cooling (indirect air-cooling) cont...

The main component parts of a pump assisted

pressurized cooling system are:
1.Water jacket 4. Cooling fan
2.Radiator 5. Thermostat
3.Water pump 6. Radiator pressure cap

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Water cooling (indirect air-cooling) cont...
1.Water jacket

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Water cooling (indirect air-cooling) cont...
2. Radiator

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Water cooling (indirect air-cooling) cont...
3.Water Pump

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Water cooling (indirect air-cooling) cont...
4.Cooling Fan

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Water cooling (indirect air-cooling) cont...

5.Thermostat

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Water cooling (indirect air-cooling) cont...
6.Radiator Pressure Cap

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Thank you

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