Air Cooling System
Air Cooling System in Engine
In the air cooling system, the heat is dissipated directly to the air after being conducted
through the cylinder walls. Air cooling systems have fins and flanges on the outer
surfaces of the cylinders. The heads serve to increase the area exposed to the cooling air,
and so raise the rate of cooling.
The basic principle involved in this method is to have a current of air flowing
continuously over the heated surface of the engine from where the heat is to be
removed. The amount of heat dissipated is based on the following factors.
1. The surface area of metal in contact with air.
2. The rate of airflow.
3. A temperature difference between the heated surface and the air.
4. The conductivity of the metal.
For complete use of air-cooling, the surface area of the metal which comes in contact
with air is improved by providing fins over the cylinder barrels. The more the surface
area in a contact with air, the more the heat is dissipated. The higher the rate of airflow,
the higher the heat is dissipated.
Similarly higher the temperature difference between the heated surface and the air, the
higher will be the heat dissipation. A metal having conductivity dissipates more
amount of heat.
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Air Cooling System
Components of Air-Cooled Engines
The components of most air-cooling systems are very simple.
The cooling fan is placed in a semicircular ducting. The ducting covers the cylinder
head. Its interior is fitted with baffles that direct the flow of air over the engine cooling
fins and through an oil cooler. Below the cylinders, the air is delivered over a
thermostat, which operates a valve via a lever.
The valve controls the amount of air reaching the fan, thus maintaining the correct
engine temperature. After passing over the engine and thermostat, the air is forced out
of the rear of the car or passed through a heat transfer system that supplies hot water to
the car's heater.
One problem connected with the use of air-cooled engines is the requirement of enough
heating and demisting systems for the car.
Water-cooled engines always have a constant supply of hot water and it is easy enough
to convert this into hot air. Air-cooled engines usually have an independent heater or
harness the heat of the exhaust system.
Some older models have heating systems that combine both of these methods. An
electrically-operated heater which burns petrol supplies hot air to the car interior by
way of a blower fan.
The same fan fed the hot air from the heat exchangers, which were finned alloy castings
on the exhaust system. Hot air was fed into a mixer chamber, where it was blended
with fresh air to give a controlled amount of heat.
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Air Cooling System
Advantages of Air Cooling System Engine
1. Lighter in weight due to there being no radiator, cooling jackets and coolant.
2. No topping up the cooling system
3. No leaks to guard against.
4. Anti-freeze is not required.
5. The engine warms up faster than with a water-cooled design.
6. This system can work in cold climates where water may freeze.
7. Can be used in areas where there is a scarcity of cooling water.
Disadvantages of Air Cooling System Engine
1. Less efficient cooling system, because the coefficient of heat transfer for air is less
than that for water.
2. It is not easy to maintain even cool around the cylinder, the cylinder deformation
can occur.
3. More noisy operation.
4. Limited use in motorcycles, and scooters where the cylinders are exposed to the
air stream.
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Cooling Fins
The surface area over the cylinder is get bigger by means of fins. These fins are either
cast as an essential part of the cylinder or different finned barrels are placed over the
cylinder barrel. Sometimes particularly in aero engines, the fins are machined from the
forged cylinder blanks.
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Air Cooling System
As a rule, the fins are usually made of about the cylinder wall thickness at their roots,
tapering down to about one-half the root thickness. The length of the fins varies from
one-quarter to one-third of the cylinder diameter. The distance between the two fin
centers is about one-quarter to one-third of their length. The total length of the finned
cylinder barrel is from 1 to 1½ times the cylinder bore.
Another rule based upon experimental considerations is to allow 1400 to 2400 cm² of
cooling fins area per horsepower. This gives about the correct cylinder temperature at
50 to 70 km/hr airspeed.
Fan Cooling
Fan cooling is used in larger air-cooled engines, particularly on cars. A fan, having two
or four blades, is driven either at engine speed or twice the engine's speed, and the
airflow is directed in the cylinder heads. The cooling depends chiefly upon the engine
speed and not upon the forward speed of the car. The fan usually absorbs about H.P.
for every 15 to 20 H.P. output.
In the case of small single-cylinder engines, an excellent arrangement of fan cooling is a
fan of about flywheel diameter. The fan is mounted on the main shaft and enclosed in a
metal casing. So arranged that the air is drawn in at the center and expelled
peripherally through a belt-mounted duct directing it onto the exhaust side of the
cylinder.
In small air-cooled engines, the blower-type fan works quite well, if suitable guides and
ducts are provided for the air streams. The system is also used for the larger engine.
With the cooling system on the suction side of the fan, a more satisfactory cooling effect
is obtained. Sometimes, the flywheel itself is tightened to function as a cooling fan. And
the air is discharged backward through it, after having been drawn past the cylinder
barrels.
In fiat and Corvair engines, the quality of cooling air is regulated thermostatically.
When the temperature of the air discharged from the cylinder increase above the
normal value, the thermostat actuates a larger valve, or disc in the air outlet duct to
allow a greater quality of air to flow.
Example Of Air Cooling System in Engines
At present, air cooling is used on engines ex. like scooters, motorcycles, airplanes,
combat tanks, and small stationary installations. And in many models of an American
rear-engine car. In Germany, air cooling is used in some petrol and C.I. engines
including 2, 4 and 8 cylinder models.
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Air Cooling System
A good example of the modern air-cooled type is the Krupp four-cylinder opposed
compression ignition engine. This has a cooling fan fitted at the front end and is driven
by the engine. It forced the cooling air through a casing around the front end of the
crankcase and hence to the horizontal cylinder barrels which are ribbed and enclosed in
a rectangular casing.
Another more recent example is the Krupp eight-cylinder V-type petrol engine, Which
has a very similar cooling arrangement.
The Volkswagon, Dutch D.A.F. Citroen-two-cylinder opposed. Chevrolet Corvair six-
cylinder horizontally opposed, fiat 500D, two cylinders in line. And N.S.U. two
cylinders are examples of modern air-cooled engines.
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