ACT Valve: Active Cooling Thermomanagement Valve 2014-01-0632

The future environmental constraints [e.g. WLTC +RDE, CAFE, Euro 6.2, 7] for the pollutant emissions lead to new challenges for the internal combustion engine. One of the solutions to decrease the fuel consumption, the CO2 and pollutant emissions whilst keeping the same driving and thermal comforts is the engine's thermal management, in particular during the warm-up phase. Furthermore, the traditional cooling system is not designed to work at the new engine transient thermal conditions at a non-optimal temperature in terms of fuel economy and exhaust emission. This paper describes a new technology for engine cooling systems that is able to control the coolant flow and temperature in relation to the engine conditions such as load and rotational speed. With a no flow in crankcase cooling strategy and a high engine temperature regulation, the Active Cooling Thermomanagement Valve succeeds in decreasing the fuel consumption without deteriorating engine's performance. To validate this concept, endurance tests were performed to verify the wear and durability. They were carried out on a dedicated laboratory test bench correlated with experimental engine and vehicle conditions To quantify the valve's characteristics and its influence on the engine's performance, functional tests were carried out on a 1.6L turbocharged diesel engine and on hydraulic test benches.