Coolant circuit for engine with bypass line

Abstract

A coolant circuit for cooling of an engine in a power system. The coolant circuit includes an inlet line and an outlet line. The coolant circuit further includes a heat exchanger with a plurality of heat exchanging elements. The coolant circuit also includes a bypass line disposed in parallel to the heat exchanger, between the inlet line and the outlet line. A control valve is disposed in the coolant circuit regulating the flow of a coolant, such that the coolant flows through the heat exchanger and the bypass line when the control valve is in a fully open position.

1 . A coolant circuit for cooling an engine, the coolant circuit comprising:
 an inlet line configured to receive a coolant from the engine;   a heat exchanger connected to the inlet line for receiving the coolant, the heat exchanger configured to extract heat from the coolant;   an outlet line disposed between the heat exchanger and the engine, the outlet line configured to receive the coolant from the heat exchanger;   a bypass line disposed between the inlet line and the outlet line; and   a control valve to regulate the flow of the coolant, the control valve allows the coolant through the heat exchanger and the bypass line in a fully open position.   
     
     
         2 . The coolant circuit of  claim 1 , wherein the heat exchanger is a plate-type heat exchanger. 
     
     
         3 . The coolant circuit of  claim 1 , wherein the bypass line is integrated with the heat exchanger, fluidically coupling the inlet line and the outlet line. 
     
     
         4 . The coolant circuit of  claim 1 , wherein the bypass line is a tubular structure having a diameter in the range of about 0.5 inches to 1.5 inches. 
     
     
         5 . The coolant circuit of  claim 1 , wherein the control valve is a three-way valve. 
     
     
         6 . The coolant circuit of  claim 1 , wherein the control valve includes a thermostat configured to switch the control valve in at least one of the fully open position or a closed position. 
     
     
         7 . The coolant circuit of  claim 1 , wherein the control valve is in the fully open position when the temperature of the coolant is above a threshold temperature. 
     
     
         8 . A power system comprising:
 an engine;   a coolant circuit for cooling the engine, the coolant circuit including:
 an inlet line configured to receive a coolant from the engine; 
 a heat exchanger connected to the inlet line for receiving the coolant, the heat exchanger configured to extract heat from the coolant; 
 an outlet line disposed between the heat exchanger and the engine, the outlet line configured to receive the coolant from the heat exchanger; 
 a bypass line disposed between the inlet line and the outlet line; and 
 a control valve to regulate the flow of the coolant, the control valve allows the coolant through the heat exchanger and the bypass line in a fully open position. 
   
     
     
         9 . The power system of  claim 8 , wherein the heat exchanger is a plate-type heat exchanger. 
     
     
         10 . The power system of  claim 8 , wherein the bypass line is integrated with the heat exchanger, fluidically coupling the inlet line and the outlet line. 
     
     
         11 . The power system of  claim 8 , wherein the bypass line is a tubular structure having a diameter in the range of about 0.5 inches to 1.5 inches. 
     
     
         12 . The power system of  claim 8 , wherein the control valve is a three-way valve. 
     
     
         13 . The power system of  claim 8 , wherein the control valve includes a thermostat to switch the control valve in at least one of the fully open position or the closed position. 
     
     
         14 . The power system of  claim 8  further including a sea-water circuit to cool the coolant in the heat exchanger of the coolant circuit using sea-water. 
     
     
         15 . The power system of  claim 14  further including a separate circuit. 
     
     
         16 . A method for cooling an engine, the method comprising:
 receiving a coolant from the engine by an inlet line in fluid communication with a heat exchanger;   regulating flow of the coolant through the heat exchanger in conjunction with the bypass line by a control valve, the coolant passes through the heat exchanger and the bypass line when the control valve is in a fully open position;   passing the coolant from the heat exchanger and the bypass line to the outlet line; and   sending the coolant from the outlet line to the engine.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16  further includes regulating the flow of the coolant to pass through a service line when the control valve is in a closed position 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16  further includes maintaining the flow of the coolant using a coolant pump. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16  further includes passing sea-water through the heat exchanger. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19  further includes maintaining the flow of the sea-water using a sea-water pump.