Air management system for heavy duty truck under-hood heat control

Abstract

A system for removing heat from the engine compartment ( 9 ) of a heavy duty truck. A first ventilating system removes heat from the radiator. It is isolated from a second ventilating system that removes heat from the engine compartment. The first system takes heat from the radiator through a plenum by centrifugal squirrel cage blowers, and is directs it out to ambient by ductwork. The second system draws ambient air generally from back to front of the engine compartment, preferably by cowl induction, without the use of ram air from the vicinity of the radiator. The exits of the two systems are into a slip stream of the heavy duty truck, and the exit of the second ventilating system is into a slip stream of the first, to scavenge air out of the engine compartment.

1 . A vehicle capable of on-road highway travel, the vehicle comprising an operator compartment ; an engine compartment; an engine in the engine compartment; a radiator in front of the engine, the radiator receiving coolant from the engine;
 a first ventilating system behind the radiator, the first ventilating system comprising ducting having an exhaust exit to ambient and at least one electric fan adapted to draw air through the radiator, through the ducting, and out the exhaust exit of the first ventilating system, the first ventilating system being constructed to prevent air drawn through the radiator from entering the engine compartment; and   a second ventilating system constructed to remove heat from the engine compartment, the second ventilating system being constructed to flow ambient air into a rear part of the engine compartment and to exhaust air heated by the engine compartment toward an exit in a forward part of the engine compartment, the system being so constructed and arranged that exhaust air from the first ventilating system draws air out the exit of the second ventilating system into a low pressure area created by the first ventilating system at the forward part of the engine compartment.   
     
     
         2 . The vehicle of  claim 1  wherein the vehicle has a gross vehicle weight of at least 6350 kilograms and is capable of a highway speed of ninety-seven kilometers per hour. 
     
     
         3 . The vehicle of  claim 2  wherein the vehicle is a heavy duty truck having a gross vehicle weight of at least 11,794 kilograms. 
     
     
         4 . The vehicle of  claim 3  wherein the vehicle is a vocational heavy duty truck adapted for off-road use as well as on-road highway travel. 
     
     
         5 . The vehicle of  claim 3  wherein the vehicle is a tractor portion of a tractor-trailer over-the-road rig. 
     
     
         6 . The vehicle of  claim 1  wherein the second ventilating system further comprises air induction structure on at least one of the top or sides of the engine compartment, the air induction structure being adapted to flow ambient air into the engine compartment when the vehicle is moving forward. 
     
     
         7 . The vehicle of  claim 6  wherein the second ventilating system comprises a windshield forming a part of a front wall of the operator compartment, the vehicle further comprising an induction cowl cooperative with the windshield. 
     
     
         8 . The vehicle of  claim 1  wherein the second ventilating system comprises an air outlet in a side wall of the engine compartment. 
     
     
         9 . The vehicle of  claim 8  wherein the air outlet is in a slip stream of an outlet of the first ventilating system. 
     
     
         10 . The vehicle of  claim 9  wherein the exhaust exit of at least the first ventilating system comprises a channel extending along the outside of a side wall of the engine compartment. 
     
     
         11 . The vehicle of  claim 10  wherein the air outlet of the second ventilating system exhausts air into the channel. 
     
     
         12 . The vehicle of  claim 1  further comprising a hood defining at least a part of the engine compartment, the hood being rotatably mounted to a body of the vehicle, the ducting comprising a first section fixed with respect to the radiator and a second section attached to the hood. 
     
     
         13 . The vehicle of  claim 12  further comprising a gasket between the first section and the second section of the ducting.