Thermostats

Wahler Solutions in Partnership.

Products for Exhaust Gas and Temperature Management.

Temperature Managers in Use

Specialists for different control loops

wiping water G 7 regulator for wiping water wiping water tank F E intake air regulator for intake air 6 tank fuel regulator for fuel

engine / transmission oil C D 4 5 cooling water A B 1 2 3 water thermostat EGR thermostat radiator water pump EGR cooler engine oil thermostat regulator for transmission oil transmission oil filter

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Different requirements upon reaction speed and mass flow mean the different thermostat versions control the temperatures of the oolant circuit c ngine and transmission oil e uel supply f

Temperature-dependant coolant control

Made by Wahler. Development of the combustion engine received an important boost in 1928: the use of a thermostat allowed a higher level of reliability, durability and performance to be achieved. Wahler recognised this development and soon afterwards offered its own, patented thermostat solutions. The operating principles of temperature-dependant control of coolant flows has proven itself millions of times and is still successfully used today.

From the thermostat to temperature management

Solutions from Wahler. The demand for less fuel consumption, lower pollutant emissions, reduction in weight and increase in performance has resulted in an enormous improvement of combustion engine efficiency in the past. This is very much due to the continuously improved regulating elements that allow the heat flows in engines and peripheries to be controlled with increasing precision.

harge-air and intake air etc. c Orientation on these different requirements allow our customers to control the numerous thermodynamic processes in and on the engine with more precision in order to achieve further performance increases, in which each thermostat version has its own favoured intended use. The result is the emergence of three thermostat groups with the special characteristics shown below.

TherMoSTaT caTegorieS Wax thermostats electrically actuated thermostats

controltype

conventional thermostats temperature controlled

heated thermostats
(map-controlled thermostats)

Type of control

temperature and map-controlled variable with limitations flexible and faster response characteristic

temperature independently controlled arbitrary fast response characteristic and highly flexible

opening temperature

permanently set designed for worst case condition

Design criteria

Conventional Wax Thermostats

Proven principle always up-to-date

advantages of conventional wax thermostats: ell proven product W ittle packaging space required L roduction in high volume P re-defined opening temperature P ost-efficient product C

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Wax thermostats
Proven millions of times and still in use today. The core of the wax thermostat is the wax element which consits of a pressure-resistant housing that is filled with a special wax. After the engine has been started the coolant heats up and the wax liquifies at a predefined temperature. This causes the wax in the housing to expand so that it acts upon a pin that serves as a working piston. The pin is pressed out of the housing and pushes against a plate valve that opens the coolant throughput so that the engine is kept within the optimum temperature range. When the coolant drops below the predefined opening temperature a spring pressing against the plate, pushes the pin back into its original position, the coolant circuit is interrupted. The wax liquefaction produces a working range of 12 C to 15 C. However, the thermostat can be designed so that the wax element can be adapted to different regulating ranges. By this thermostats with an opening range of 0 C to 120 C can be realized. This allows all flowing media to be held in the optimum operating range in various applications reliably and cost efficiently. The sleeve valve thermostat components in use for water coolant applications have been in series production at Wahler for over 20 years. Plate valves reach their engineering limits when large mass flow quantities are regulated, such as in large passenger cars or in commercial vehicle engines. This is where sleeve valve thermostats provide perfect function and control mass flow up to 40 m3/h, independently of the applied pressure differential.

Plate/sleeve valve thermostats

Design principle wax element

Working principle conventional wax thermostat

Operating range conventional wax thermostat

Electrically Heated Wax Thermostats

Enhanced principle for ecological driving

advantages of electrically heated wax thermostats: Enlarged operating range through variable opening temperature Short response time through optional current feed Advanced engine management for better environment protection Optimal compatibility to conventional thermostats 6 7

Three plate thermostat electrically heated thermostats

Flexible and economical. The cooling capacity in performance-optimised, modern car engines requires thermostats with a wider operating range than that of conventional wax thermostats. This is why Wahler developed the map-controlled thermostat. This development provides on the one hand, the continued method of heating the wax by the coolant, and on the other hand its additional electrical heating. In combination it allows the designed temperature differential range to be significantly larger. This means that electrical heating of the wax element is triggered when the engine is exposed to specific load conditions. These are defined by parameters and stored in a map in the electronic engine management system. Electrical heating opens the coolant circuit earlier in situations of very increased performance requirements. Depending on the preset the engine can be operated hotter than previously usual, for instance at approximately 100 C to 110 C in partial load conditions. This results in a consumption advantage of 1 % to 2 %. Under full load the temperature is reduced to approximately 80 C, which allows the performance especially the torque to be measurably increased by approximately 2 % to 3 %. Virtually a side effect is that the change in the coolant temperature also allows the air conditioning system to be operated in a more favourable temperature range and therefore improve the climatic control in the passenger compartment. A further temperature increase of the cooling liquid causes the lower plate to fully close the bypass channel and route the whole coolant flow through the radiator. After the engine has been started all coolant flow is initially prevented so that the engine block is quickly brought to its optimum operating temperature. When this is reached the lower plate releases the small coolant circuit stage by stage. As the overall system approaches the defined opening temperature the upper plate also follows the downward movement and opens the large circuit towards the radiator. Consideration on further reduction of the combustion engine warm-up phase resulted in the idea of a three plate valve in the 1970s. But only the combination with the heated thermostat made suitable reaction times available to prevent local overheating of the overall system.

Design principle three plate thermostat

Working principle three plate thermostat

Operating range heated wax thermostat

Electrically Actuated Thermostats

Full access for the electronic control unit

advantages of electrically actuated thermostats at a glance: Full control without temperature dependency Maximum possible operating range Realization of the respectively ideal and freely definable control velocity Open for all possibilities of the modern temperature management

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In the event of an electrical malfunction a return spring ensures that the coolant flow is directed to the radiator and therefore makes sure the engine continues to be cooled.

electrically actuated thermostats

engine management components. Electrically actuated thermostats increase the flexibility of the cooling system to an optimum level as compared to heated thermostats. Because the criteria used to regulate the coolant flow can be selected to meet all requirements. The coolant temperature can be matched even better to the requirements given by engine cooling and/or vehicle climatic control. The coolant mass flow can be reduced or even stopped in order to reduce the warm-up phase.

operation of the rotary valve thermostat

The rotary valve design combined with the special sealing concept developed by Wahler allows flexible control of the liquid flow from prevention of engine through-flow right up to continuous control of mass flow in the bypass and radiator operating modes. The special seal ensures that leakage values are effectively and permanently adhered to under all operating conditions. Actuation fulfils the highest technical requirements. The non-contact, brushless motor offers maximum resistance to wear. Non-contact Hall Sensors ensure position accuracy and the regulator electronics of the rotary valve can be diagnosed, i.e. the thermostat status can be evaluated via the diagnostics interface. Even here a fail-safe spring ensures that the rotary valve moves to its initial position when electrical current is cut and hence the engine continues to be cooled.

bypass open

Design principle rotary valve thermostat

Working principle rotary valve thermostat

Control range electrically actuated thermostat

Outlook
Design tomorrow with the experience of today

research and development at Wahler: Competent partner of our customers Modern design and development methods All systems tested under real conditions at in-house lab Enhance automotive engineering through innovations

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Define the future

our development objectives. Constant development of new vehicle generations and engines always has new and well-thought out solutions of corresponding temperature management systems as a consequence this is the constant challenge for us to assist in designing automobile technology in the future. requirements for efficient product development. Our cooperation with the automotive industry throughout the world has expanded our understanding of international markets, their characteristics and requirements in compliance with legal provisions, standards as well as safety and environmental regulations over decades. This means we can operate for customers everywhere in the world and at any time. Wahler is also a leading innovator in the complete system of exhaust gas recirculation (EGR): pneumatic and electric EGR valves, EGR bypass flaps, electric throttle flaps and EGR pipes. As a system and development partner to the global automotive industry we also possess recognised and pioneering innovative power in this segment. We assure the high Wahler product quality in product development by using powerful, computer-supported programs from 3D-CAD through the flow calculation right up to FEM (Finite Elements Method). These not only allow precise implementation in production, but also permit extensive simulations and analyses beforehand. We have our own engine test bench so that at any time we are able to test the functional capability of our products and check their suitability for daily use in fatigue loading tests. exhaust gas recirculation inclusive. We have acquired general knowhow from our perpetual and intensive preoccupation with the engine overall system. We use this to produce forward-looking and conceptionally proven solutions for regulating flowing media in engines, regardless of whether this is water, oil, air or fuel.

Wahler system competence

Simulation of pressure drop and flow velocity at the sleeve valve

System setup testing at the engine test bench

System solution with all components for Exhaust Gas Recirculation

gustav Wahler gmbh u. co. Kg Hindenburgstrasse 146 73730 Esslingen Germany Fon: +49 711 3152-0 Fax: +49 711 3152-210 E-mail: info@wahler.de Internet: www.wahler.de