Advanced Engine Cooling System for a Gas-Engine Vehicle Part I: A New Coolant Flow Control During Cold Start

In this paper, we present a novel algorithm designed to accurately trigger the engine coolant flow at the optimal moment, thereby safeguarding gas-engines from catastrophic failures such as engine boil. To achieve this objective, we derive models for crucial temperatures within a gas-engine, including the engine combustion wall temperature, engine coolant-out temperature, engine block temperature, and engine oil temperature. To overcome the challenge of measuring hard-to-measure signals such as engine combustion gas temperature, we propose the use of new intermediate parameters. Our approach utilizes a lumped parameter concept with a mean-value approach, enabling precise temperature prediction and rapid simulation. The proposed engine thermal model is capable of estimating temperatures under various conditions, including steady-state or transient engine performance, without the need for extra sensors. Moreover, it exhibits greater robustness compared to temperature estimation systems in gas-engine advanced engine cooling systems. We discuss calibration and verification results to demonstrate the superiority of the proposed engine thermal model and the effectiveness of the coolant flow triggering system.