Engine Cooling System – Engine Heat Flux

Engine Cooling System – Engine Heat Flux

The engine heat rejection to the coolant is transferred
largely by forced convection. In those areas of high heat flow,
The different modes of engine cooling heat transfer for example cylinder combustion head, heat is also transferred
consist of forced and natural convection, radiation and by nucleate boiling.
conduction.
The coolant flow has major effect on nucleate boiling of the
The primary mode we are concerned with is the forced coolant. If not enough coolant is available, the critical heat flux
convection of heat from the coolant to the air stream temperature is reached where the hot engine wall have a layer
flowing through the radiator under steady state conditions. of superheated steam and heat transfer drops. This condition
The engine designer is concerned with the level of heat is aggravated by air in the cooling system.
flow through the combustion chamber walls and it is the Boiling is a liquid to a vapor phase change process just like
magnitude of the local “heat flux,” Q/A, or BTU per unit evaporation, but there are significant differences between the
time and area, that is important and not the heat flow to two.
the cooling system which is the cooling engineers‟ concern.

Slide # 1
Slide # 2

Boiling Heat Transfer Classification of boiling

Pool Boiling Flow Boiling
 Evaporation occurs at  Boiling occurs at the  Boiling is called pool  Boiling is called flow
the liquid–vapor solid–liquid interface boiling in the presence
interface when the when a liquid is brought boiling in the absence of
bulk fluid flow. of bulk fluid flow.
vapor pressure is less into contact with a
than the saturation surface maintained at a  Any motion of the fluid  In flow boiling, the fluid
pressure of temperature is due to natural is forced to move in a
sufficiently above the heated pipe or over a
the liquid convection currents and
saturation temperature the motion of the surface by external
at a given
of the liquid bubbles under the means such as a pump.
temperature.
influence of buoyancy.

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Engine Cooling System – Engine Heat Flux Engine Cooling System – Engine Heat Flux
As a form of convection heat transfer, the boiling heat flux  thermal distortion of engine components, particularly
from a solid surface to the fluid is expressed from Newton‟s the head
Law of cooling as:  Increased fuel and oil consumption
qboiling = h(Ts – Tsat) = h ΔTexcess  Thermal decomposition, oxidation and degradation of
lubricants
where ΔTexcess = Ts – Tsat is called the excess temperature,
which represents the temperature excess of the surface above  When the engine is running, heat is transferred from the
the saturation temperature of the fluid. engine to the coolant by means of forced convection and
sometimes by means of nucleate boiling at very high heat fluxes.
The average gas temperature during combustion process is up Forced convection: The transfer of heat from a solid to a
to 1700ºF. If the metal temperature on the water side fluid due to fluid flow across the surface of the solid, produced
exceeds the critical flux temperature, serious problems will by mechanical means (such as a fan or pump).
result, such as:
Natural convection: The transfer of heat from a solid to a
 physical property changes in the engine materials of fluid due to fluid flow across the surface of the solid produced
construction from differences in density (induced by the heating of the
 loss of lubricating film on wearing surfaces fluid).
Slide # 5 Slide # 6

1
 Boiling Curve for Water at 1 Atm Boiling Curve
A-B Convection: Bubbles do not form on the heating surface
until the liquid is heated a few degrees above the
saturation temperature (about 2 to 6°C for water)
the liquid is slightly superheated in this case.

B-C Nucleate boiling: the name

given to the boiling process
when the vapor bubbles remain
very small (microscopicscale).
These bubbles are dissipated
in the liquid shortly after they
separate from the surface.
The space vacant by the rising
bubbles is filled by the liquid in
the vicinity of the heat
surface, and the process is
repeated.
Slide # 7 Slide # 8

Boiling Curve Engine Cooling System – Engine Heat Flux

The stirring and agitation caused by entrainment of the liquid
to the surface is primarily responsible for the increased heat Heat fluxes of 60000 – 70000 BTU/hr occur near
transfer coefficient and heat flux in the nucleate boiling. the exhaust parts during severe operating conditions.
At 70 mph on a level road about 80% of heat transfer
C-D Critical Heat Flux: is by nucleate boiling.
„D‟ is at the critical heat flux
point where any increase in  Nucleate boiling is initiated when the temperature
wall temperature will result at the metal-liquid interface exceeds the boiling pint
in a decrease in the amount about 10 – 20ºF.
of heat transferred due to
vapor blanketing of the metal It must be noted that during nucleate boiling, a
surface. great increase in heat flux (Q/A) is obtained by a
small increase in surface temperature.
D-E: Transition boiling zone

E-F: Film boiling regime

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Engine Cooling System – Engine Heat Flux Engine Cooling System – Flow Requirement
The cooling system must provide flow to the radiator,
Film boiling; cannot be tolerated in an engine. The heater, engine and any HEX in general in vehicles (ie.
heat transfer between the combustion wall and the oil coolers), which should be adequate for performance
coolant catastrophically decreases, which caused a but not to exceed the flow rate that will cause an
hot spot and engine over heat. unacceptable amount of erosion.
Note that for a common 50/50 ethylene-glycol This flow requirement must be met under all
coolant, the vapour bubbles are steam bubbles with operating conditions, throughout the life of a vehicle.
a very low concentration of ethylene glycol.
 Remember! no radiator or fan system can protect
A typical fin and tube
against a poor coolant flow passage within the
HEX performance curve
engine or a faulty pump.
is shown in the figure.

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Engine Cooling System – Flow Requirement Engine Cooling System – Flow Requirement

The general guideline for the required flow situation when a

The curve is steep thermostat is open and closed.
at low coolant flow
rates, and flat at At thermostat open:
high coolant flow The operating point
rates. should be at the point of
best efficiency.

At low coolant rates, At thermostat closed:

large gains in The operating point
performance can be should correspond to the
achieved with small flow rate of no less than
increase in flow rates. 80% of flow rate with
the thermostat open.

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Engine Cooling System – Flow Requirement

When the required flow rate is not achieved, try the

following:
o find ways to reduce the hydraulic resistance of
the components (such as reducing hose bends)
o increase the output of the pump
o decrease the flow requirements of the components

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