Abstract:
A system is provided for directing airflow through an engine compartment of an off-road agricultural vehicle. The system may include an air dam that, in conjunction with an engine face, provides flow-directing baffling in the engine compartment that directs heated air from a radiator out discharge openings through side walls of a hood that covers the engine compartment. The air dam facilitates forcing heated air from the radiator sideways out the discharge openings of the hood, significantly reducing or preventing a radiator fan from pushing hot air to flow across the components of the rear engine compartment area, including preventing flow across a majority of air inlet components and engine surfaces that are rearward of the front engine face.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This is a non-provisional application based upon U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/153,811, entitled “Heat Transfer Airflow Through Engine Compartment,” filed Apr. 28, 2015, which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates generally to agricultural product application equipment such as self-propelled sprayers and in particular, to a system for directing airflow through an engine compartment of an off-road agricultural vehicle. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     EPA Tier 4 emission standards have driven diesel engine manufacturers to develop various methods and processes to achieve compliance. Some of these compliance methods have increased engine heat energy rejection. Discharge gas recirculation is the main supply of additional heat energy. The discharge must be cooled before re-introduction to the intake manifold. Additionally as self-propelled sprayers get larger, the power requirements to operate the spray systems and other accessories have correspondingly increased. To meet these increasing power requirements, engines in self-propelled sprayers are also getting larger. Larger engines require larger engine-cooling systems to deal with the additional heat created by the larger engines. Heat radiated directly from these larger engines and heated air that is produced by pulling air across the radiator with a tan can together contribute to high engine compartment temperatures. High temperatures and airflow in the engine compartment cause heating of the various components as well as the engine itself Additionally, heated an in the intake system and an cleaner box changes air density and compromises engine performance and effects emissions. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A system is provided for directing airflow through an engine compartment. The system may include an air dam that, in conjunction with an engine face, provides flow-directing baffling that directs heated air from a radiator out discharge openings through side walls of a hood that covers the engine compartment. The air dam acts like a deflector plate that significantly reduces or prevents a radiator fan from directing hot airflow from flowing across the components of the rear engine compartment area, including the engine surfaces rearward of the front engine face. In this way, the air dam divides the engine compartment into a radiator airflow compartment and a non-radiator airflow compartment, with the majority of air inlet components of the engine arranged in the relatively cooler non-radiator airflow compartment. 
     According to another aspect of the invention, the air dam directs airflow from the radiator fan shroud down away from the top wall of a hood and transversely out discharge openings of opposite side walls of the hood. 
     The air dam is mounted in the engine compartment with its front portion connected to the top of the fan shroud. The air dam has an upper segment that extends from the fan shroud over at least a portion of the engine and may have side segments that extend angularly downward from the upper segment, straddling the engine or aligned generally in a plane defined by the front face of the engine, arranged toward back edges of the discharge openings of the side walls of the hood. 
     According to another aspect of the invention, a system is provided for directing airflow through an engine compartment of an off-road agricultural vehicle. The system includes an engine compartment. An engine is arranged in the engine compartment delivering power for use by the off-road agricultural vehicle. A radiator is arranged in the engine compartment and configured to draw cooling air into an intake side of the radiator for transferring heat from the radiator to the cooling air converting the cooling air to heated air released from a discharge side of the radiator facing toward the engine. A radiator discharge chamber may be defined by a space between the engine and the discharge side of the radiator, which is configured to receive the heated air released from the discharge side of the radiator. An air dam may extend between the radiator and the engine. The air dam may define an upper boundary of the radiator discharge chamber and may be configured to vertically contain the heated air below the air dam and block flow of the heated air across an upper portion of the engine or other portions rearward of a front face of the engine. 
     According to another aspect of the invention, a hood with interconnected walls defines an enclosure of the engine compartment. The interconnected walls of the hood include a pair of side walls with air discharges extending through the side walls. The air discharges may define radiator discharge vents with openings extending through the side walls. The radiator discharge vents of the hood are arranged with respect to the radiator discharge chamber for releasing the heated air out of the radiator discharge chamber through the radiator discharge vents. The radiator discharge chamber may be defined within a radiator airflow compartment that is arranged within the engine compartment. The air dam may define at least a portion of a boundary between the radiator airflow compartment and a non-radiator airflow compartment arranged in the engine compartment. The non-radiator airflow compartment is relatively cooler and houses the majority of air intake and other components that can be negatively influenced by high temperatures. 
     According to another aspect of the invention, the air dam may include a top wall extending generally perpendicularly from a radiator shroud. The air dam may include an angled wall extending angularly downward and away from a rear portion of the top wall of the air dam. The air dam may include a back wall extending downwardly from the angled wall of the air dam. The back wall of the air dam and a front wall of the engine define a rear boundary of the radiator discharge chamber. The air dam is configured to provide thermal separation between the heated air leaving the radiator and at least portions of an air intake system of the engine. 
     Other aspects, objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the present invention, are given by way of illustration and not of limitation. Many changes and modifications may be made within, the scope of the present invention without departing from the spirit thereof, and the invention includes all such modifications. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals represent like parts throughout. 
         FIG. 1  is a pictorial view of an off-road agricultural vehicle with a system for directing airflow through an engine compartment according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a is a pictorial view of a hood used with a system for directing airflow through an engine compartment according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a simplified partially schematic side elevation view of a system for directing airflow through an engine compartment according to the present invention; and 
         FIG. 4  is an exploded pictorial view of portions of a system for directing airflow through an engine compartment according to the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring now to the drawings and specifically to  FIG. 1 , a system for directing airflow through an engine compartment is shown as engine compartment airflow system  5  used here with an off-road agricultural vehicle  9 . Off-road agricultural vehicle  9  is represented as an applicator  15 , shown here as a rear-boom self-propelled agricultural sprayer vehicle or rear-boom self-propelled sprayer, such as those available from CNH Industrial, such as the Miller Condor Series sprayers and New Holland Guardian Series rear-boom sprayers. Although applicator  15  is shown as a rear-boom, self-propelled sprayer, it is understood that applicator  15  can instead be configured as a dry product spreader with a dry box or spinner box for broadcast-type delivery of dry product. Furthermore, applicator  15  can, instead, be a front-boom sprayer, such as those available from CNH Industrial, including the Miller Nitro and New Holland Guardian Series front-boom sprayers. it is further understood that off-road agricultural vehicle  9  may include other self-propelled implements, tractors, or other off-road agricultural vehicles  9 . 
     Referring again to  FIG. 1 , applicator  15  includes chassis  20  having chassis frame  25  that supports various assemblies, systems, and components. These various assemblies, systems, and components include boom system  17 , cab  30 , and engine  35  housed in engine compartment  37  defined inwardly of hood  38 . In mechanical drive applications, a mechanical transmission receives power from engine  35  and delivers power for rotating wheels  45  by way of power-transmitting driveline components such as drive shafts, differentials, and other gear sets in portal, drop boxes, or other housings. For hydraulic drive systems, a hydraulic system receives power from engine  35  and includes at least one hydraulic pump which may be in a hydrostat arrangement for providing hydraulic pressure for operating hydraulic components within the hydraulic system, including hydraulic motors that are operably connected to the hydraulic pump(s) for rotating wheels  45 . Applicator  15  has a spray system  47  that includes storage containers such as a rinse tank storing water or a rinsing solution and product tank  55  that stores a volume of product  60  for delivery onto an agricultural field with applicator  15 . Product  60  includes any of a variety of agricultural liquid products, such as various pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, liquid fertilizers, and other liquids including liquid suspensions beneficial for application onto agricultural fields. A product delivery pump conveys product  60  from product tank  55  through plumbing components such as interconnected pieces of tubing and through a foldable and height adjustable boom of the boom system  17  for release out of spray nozzles that are spaced from each another along the width of boom during spraying operations of applicator  15 . 
     Still referring to  FIG. 1 , engine compartment airflow system  5  includes a baffle and seal system  70  configured to direct hot airflow out of the engine compartment  37  along a flow path that is separated from the air intake and other components and other components of engine  35 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 2 , baffle and seal system  70  engages and seals against various inwardly facing surfaces of hood  38  and separates engine compartment  37  into multiple spaces or portions. A front portion of the engine compartment  37  defines a radiator airflow compartment  75  with a cooling air intake passage  77  and a heated air outlet passage  78 . A back portion of the engine compartment  37  defines a non-radiator airflow compartment  80 . Radiator airflow compartment  75  houses a cooling package  85  that has components configured to transfer heat away from such components to cooling air that flows through the cooling package and is released downstream as heated air. Cooling package  85  separates the cooling air intake passage  77  and heated air outlet passage  78  of the radiator airflow compartment  75 . Cooling package  85  is shown having a stacked intercooler  90  for cooling compressed or charged air of a charged air system and radiator  95  for cooling liquid coolant of engine  35 . Although the intercooler  90  and the radiator  95  are shown as being stacked from front to rear, in alternative aspects, the intercooler  90  and the radiator  95  may be arranged differently, such as being stacked vertically so that the intercooler  90  and the radiator  95  may each receive cool intake air, as opposed to preheated air from an up air stream heat exchanger. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , baffle and seal system  70  includes air dam  100  connected to and extending rearwardly of fan shroud  110  that is attached to radiator  95  and encloses fan  115  that is aligned with an opening  120  of fan shroud  110 . Fan  115  pulls cooling air into the cooling package  85  through an intake side  125  of cooling package  85  and out of a discharge side  130  of cooling package  85  as heated air through the shroud opening  120 . The heated air is released from shroud opening  120  into a radiator discharge chamber  140  defined by the heated air outlet passage  78  within the radiator airflow compartment  75  of the engine compartment  37 . 
     Still referring to  FIG. 3 , air dam  100  defines an upper boundary of the radiator discharge chamber  140  and is configured to vertically contain the following heated air below the air dam  100  and serves as a deflector plate or barrier that blocks flow of the heated air across an upper portion of the engine  35 . A front surface or face  150  of engine  35  defines a rear boundary of the radiator discharge chamber  140 , which may include a seal arrangement (not shown) sealing a gap(s) between outer edges of the engine face  150  and inwardly facing surfaces of respective portions of hood  38  ( FIG. 2 ), such as pair of side walls  160  that extend downwardly from an upper wall  165  of hood  38 . In this way, engine face  150  and air dam  100  provide substantially continuous surfaces at the upper and back segments of the radiator discharge chamber  140 , which redirects flow of the heated air away from the non-radiator airflow compartment  80  and out of the of the engine compartment  37  ( FIG. 2 ) while flowing substantially only through the radiator airflow compartment  75 . This significantly reduces or prevents the fan-directed hot airflow from flowing across the components of the rear engine compartment area or non-radiator airflow compartment  80 , including the engine surfaces rearward of the front engine face  150 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , air dam  100  and engine face  150  of baffle and seal system  70  are arranged so that a majority of air inlet components of an air intake system  170  of the engine  35  are housed in the non-radiator airflow compartment  80 . Some air inlet components extend above the radiator airflow compartment  75 , with air dam  100  acting as a heat shield to these components as well as a flow-redirecting baffle for the heated airflow. Air intake system  170  includes air cleaner inlet  175 , shown as a snorkel-style inlet. A forward end of the air cleaner inlet  175  has an opening facing a forward direction toward the front of the engine compartment  37 . From this opening, the air cleaner inlet  175  extends rearwardly over the cooling package  85 , the fan shroud  110 , and the air dam  100 . Air cleaner  185  connects to a back end of the air cleaner inlet  175 . Air cleaner  185  is arranged in the non-radiator airflow compartment  80  over the engine  35 , toward the back of engine compartment  37 . Tubing segments  190  connect the air cleaner  185  to an intake manifold of the engine  35  or, as shown in  FIG. 3 , to an inlet of a turbocharger of a charged air system  200 . Referring now to  FIG. 3 , a charged air pipe  205  extends from the turbocharger over the non-radiator airflow compartment  80  by extending over the air dam  100  to an intercooler of the cooling package  85 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 4 , air dam  100  includes a top wall  210  extending generally horizontally away from the fan shroud  110 . Brackets  215  and fasteners  220  connect the top wall  210  to shroud outer flanges  225  of the fan shroud  100 . Angled wall  225  extends angularly downward and away from a rear portion of the air dam top wall  210 . Back wall  230  of air dam  100  extends vertically downward from a lower portion of angled wall  225 . Various baffle pieces, including side baffle pieces  235 , and lower baffle pieces  240  are connected to and extend from respective portions of the shroud outer flanges  225 . Various seal pieces to  245 , such as foam seals, flap seals, and brush seals extend between the baffle pieces to  235 ,  240  and the inwardly facing surfaces of the walls of hood  38  to seal a forward end of the radiator airflow compartment  75 , providing a barrier between the cooling air intake compartment  72  and the radiator airflow compartment  75  ( FIG. 2 ). 
     Referring again to FIG,  2 , to draw cooling air into engine compartment  37 , ambient cooling air enters the cooling air intake compartment  72  through cooling air intakes shown as a front cooling air intake  260  defined by an opening through a front wall of hood  38  and a pair of side cooling air intakes  265  defined by openings through side walls  160  of hood  38 . This is represented by the dashed-line arrows passing through the front and side cooling air intakes  260 ,  265 . To discharge the heated air from engine compartment  37 , the heated air from radiator  95  is restricted against flowing upwardly by the air dam  100  and restricted against longitudinal beyond the engine face  150  by the engine face  150 , itself. This forces a substantially bidirectional split of the heated airflow with the heated airflow segments getting redirected transversely redirected out of the radiator discharge chamber  140 , discharging sideways out of the hood  38 , The discharged heated air flows out of a pair of side heated air discharges  275  defined by openings through side walls  160  of hood  38 . The heated air discharges  275  define radiator discharge vents as outlets of the radiator discharge chamber  140 , which are arranged rearwardly of the side cooling air intakes  265 . The discharge of the heated air is represented by the dashed-line arrows passing out of the heated air discharge(s)  275 , shown flowing along a flow path that is generally perpendicular with respect to a direction along which the cooling air flows through the radiator  95 . 
     Many changes and modifications could be made to the invention without departing from the spirit thereof The scope of these changes will become apparent from the appended claims.