Hydraulic fan drives

a wise investment in many ways

elt driven fans have been the most common method of cooling vehicle engines for more than 100 years. Theyve retained their widespread use because they are simple and reliable. After being aligned by the engine manufacturer, belt drives give years of trouble-free service life. However, as emission standards continue to become increasingly more demanding, vehicle designers must find innovative new ways to cool engines. First, they must develop more efficient cooling systems because reducing the power draw for cooling reduces the engines fuel consumption or makes more engine power available for work functions. Second, engine temperature presents a strong influence on a diesel engines fuel consumption and output of emissions. So controlling the engines operating temperature within a narrow range can reduce both emissions and fuel consumption.

the more air it pulls through the cooling systems radiator, and the more engine power fuel it consumes.

Tom Modica, Product Application Engineer Matt Kronlage, Product Application Engineer Presented by

Belt-driven cooling systems

Belt drives have served industry well, but with so much attention placed on higher efficiency and lower emissions, cooling requirements for todays engines are beyond the capabilities of belt drives except for only the least demanding applications. Even car manufacturers have switched from belt-driven to motor-driven fan drives. But effective and efficient cooling systems are even more important for both off- and on-highway equipment because the power needed to provide adequate cooling is greater. Furthermore, increasingly stringent emissions standards
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Belt driven fan assembly

Benefits of belt drives

Belt drives are durable and from an initial cost standpoint, the most economical means of power transmission. The simplest drives consist of one or more belts and a set of sheaves (pulleys). Once properly installed in a vehicle, a belt is rated for thousands of hours or tens of thousands of miles of operation and the sheaves usually last the life of the engine. Belt drives are also efficient. When operating at their peak of performance, they can deliver 90% or more of the power they transmit from the driving shaft to the driven. However, the belt drive itself doesnt promote heat transfer the fan does. And a rotating fan uses a substantial amount of power, whether it is running with the engine idling or operating at high speed. The faster it spins,

Water pump

Hydraulic fan drives

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Microcontroller require tighter and its application to (Plus+1) control of engine generate a signal to temperature. the electrohydraulic Belt drives have valve. The valve reacts Reservoir been the primary by increasing or deEngine Filter control means for driving creasing the hydraulic module cooling fans because pressure across the (ECM) they are familiar, inmotor based on the T1 expensive, and someproportional comDeisel engine what maintenance mand signal. Higher Case drain free even if they pressure equates T2 Temperature to higher available arent particularly efsensors T1, fective or efficient. torque to turn the fan Gear pump (D series) T2, T3 The problem is, beltfaster. driven fan drives pull Because the sigT3 air through the ranal and the valve are SGM2VC aluminum diator all the time, reproportional, the fan fan drive motor gardless of how much with integrated can rotate anywhere reversing valves or how little cooling within its range of the engine needs. This minimum and maxiis because belt drives mum speed allowed operate at a fixed speed ratio to the engine speed. Whenever by the electrohydraulic program. When the vehicles engine the engine is running, so is the fan. And the faster the engine is first started, the fan typically does not need to be rotatruns, the faster the fan runs. This is not the most effective ing. This allows the engine to reach operating temperature means of cooling because the power needed to drive the fan more quickly than if the fan was pulling cold air through the comes from the engine. Power equates to fuel consumption, radiator, which is normally the case with belt-driven fans. so the belt drive consumes engine power whether cooling is Therefore, the hydraulic fan drive does not waste power by needed or not. Furthermore, an engine running at full speed driving the fan when its not needed and does not overcool may not necessarily be operating at full load. Likewise, an enthe water, so less fuel is burned and fewer emissions are regine under full load running at moderate speed may overheat leased to the atmosphere. if the fan is also operating at moderate speed. On the other hand, when the engine requires peak heat rejection and maximum fan speed (which typically occurs A more effective and only about 1% of a vehicles operating life), the electronic conefficientalternative trol unit signals the electrohydraulic pressure control valve Hydraulic fan drives have emerged as a more effective to maximum pressure. An axial fan moving air develops a and efficient means of engine cooling because fan speed is torque load that is proportional to the square of the speed of determined by engine cooling demand, not engine speed. the fan. Because motor torque is proportional to the hydrauThe result is that the hydraulic system drives the fan at the lic pressure across it, regulating hydraulic pressure provides a precise speed required to provide only the amount of air flow precise method of controlling fan speed. needed. This means the fan is not wasting energy by rotating The ECU provides proportional fan speed control based faster than it needs to, just because the engine is running at on water temperature, ambient temperature, or other key pahigh speed. Furthermore, hydraulic fan drives take advantage rameters. The result is much more precise control of engine of the functionality and other benefits hydraulic systems can temperature than is possible with a belt drive system. This is add that are not possible with belt driven fans. especially important with diesel engines because operating Hydraulic fan drives are usually specified from standard temperature has a two-fold effect on diesel engine perforcomponents to serve the particular needs of a vehicle and its mance. First, a diesel engines power-to-fuel consumption application. But for simplicity, a basic fan drive consists of a ratio peaks within a relatively narrow range of temperatures. hydraulic gear pump to transmit the hydraulic power (flow Second, the emissions released per pound of fuel used is lowand pressure) to a hydraulic gear motor, which drives the fan. est within another narrow range of temperatures. These two An electronic control unit (ECU) monitors vital parameters ratios overlap within an even narrower range, so operating and commands an electrohydraulic pressure-control valve to the engine within this narrow range of temperatures provides regulate the amount of power transmitted to the hydraulic higher fuel economy and lower emissions. motor. The ECU can receive inputs from temperature senTest shows quick return sors that monitor ambient air temperature, coolant temperature, fan speed, and other relevant parameters. Typically, only oninvestment water temperature is monitored to control fan speed. The Because they have a lower average power consumption ECU then uses a program developed for the specific vehicle than belt-driven fans and keep the engine operating at its op-

Can Bus

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timum temperature for fuel economy, hydraulic fan drives can quickly pay for themselves in fuel savings alone. How much, of course, depends on the application. A controlled test program was conducted to collect data for quantitative analysis of a hydraulic fan drive cooling system. Tests were conducted using a Terex 50-ton Payhauler mine truck equipped with a Cummins 1710 (725 hp @ 1800 rpm) diesel engine at a quarry. Tests used the same driver, over the same route, and on consecutive days to ensure nearly identical test conditions. The vehicle was fitted with sensors to monitor engine coolant temperature at multiple locations, ambient temperature, fuel flow, hydraulic fluid pressure, and other relevant parameters. A standard route with the same operator was used for consecutive periods to limit test variables. Inputs from each sensor were programmed into electronic controls to capture information during the daily operating cycle of the vehicle. After data were collected from the vehicle with its conventional system, the hydraulic fan drive system was installed. Output from the electronic control unit was programmed to increase or decrease pressure of the motor circuit based on coolant temperature. Fuel consumption was captured with an in-line fuel sensor for both system setups, and test results are shown in the table. They show that the hydraulic fan drive not only reduced fuel consumption by 14.5%, but also improved cycle time by nearly 8%. These improvements are based on the hydraulic fan drive reducing fuel consumption from 167.4 to 143.1 gal and increasing the number of dumps from 72 to 78 in 15hr. The graph shows plots of a typical single run using both technologies. The upper plot, orange, represents fan speed with a conventional belt drive. Fan speed starts with the engine idling, then begins fluctuating at around 2:17 PM. The speed fluctuates because the engine is constantly accelerating and decelerating as the driver travels his route. The speed peaks at 1000 rpm or higher five times during the route run, which ends at about 2:50 PM. The lower plot, blue, represents fan speed using a hydraulic drive. Again, the driver began his route at 2:17 PM and ended at about 2:50 PM. The speed ratio of the belt drive rotates the fan at only about 45% of the engines crankshaft speed. Even at this reduced speed, the belt-driven fan

Summary of test results

Hydraulic fan drive
Days of tests Hours of operation each day Total engine run time Number of work cycles Time between work cycles* Fuel consumed Fuel consumption rate* Fuel used per work cycle* Feb 25 & 26 9&6 14.7 hr 78 11.5 min 143.1 gal 9.54 gal/hr 1.83 gal

Belt driven fan

Feb 26 & 27 9&6 14.7 hr 72 12.5 min 167.4 gal 11.16 gal/hr 2.31 gal

* Average values from all test runs Two-day tests show hydraulic fan drive cut fuel consumption by 14%

still runs faster than the hydraulic fan during most of the work cycle and when the engine is idling. Rotating the belt-driven fan at a higher speed than necessary wastes fuel, even at idle. With the engine idling, the belt-driven fan rotates at the same speed whether the ambient temperature is high or low. This is because the fan must rotate fast enough to provide adequate air flow during hot weather. However, during cold weather, the higher speed simply wastes engine power, which equates to wasted fuel or wasted productivity. The hydraulic fan, however, always runs at a speed based on cooling demand rather than engine speed. The fuel savings equates to 1.62 gal/hr.

Fan drive speed comparison

1500 Fan speed with belt drive 1000

Fan speed - rpm

500 Fan speed with hydraulic drive

2:00:09

2:06:00

2:11:27

2:16:51

2:25:51

2:31:15

2:38:09

2:42:00

2:47:27

2:52:51

2:59:15

Time of day

Turolla

Hydraulic fan drives

3:00:09

With a two-shift work schedule at 80 hr/week, 50 weeks per year, this represents a potential savings of 6,480 gal of fuel per year. Even with a conservative fuel cost of $3.00/gal, the potential exists to reduce annual fuel cost by nearly $20,000 per vehicle. Total installation cost to retrofit the hydraulic fan drive was less than $6,000 per vehicle. Therefore, return on investment for retrofitting the vehicle was about four months. However, tests showed the hydraulic drive does more than save fuel and increase productivity. Based on laboratory test data for standard diesel emissions, emission values were calculated as a result of reduced fuel consumption for this test program. These calculations indicated that the hydraulic drive reduced NOX emissions by 6.8 lb per 10-hr shift. This calculation doesnt even account for the additional decrease in emissions by operating the diesel engine at optimum temperature. Engine and fan speed covered a time period from 6 AM to 4 PM for both types of systems. As would be expected, less power was needed for cooling in the morning than in the afternoon. For example, test data revealed that the hydraulic fan drive required about 6 hp for cooling from 6 AM to 8 AM, whereas 9 hp was needed from 2 PM to 4 PM evidence that the hydraulic fan drive automatically provided more cooling power as ambient temperatures climbed throughout the day. Nevertheless, coolant temperature consistently maintained between 180 and 185F. After the vehicle had been retrofitted with the hydraulic fan drive, the operator stated that he immediately felt more power at initial acceleration under full load. This can be explained by examining the superimposed plot of engine and fan speeds. The plot shows that fan speed of a conventional system rises and falls with engine speed. With the hydraulic fan drive, however, average fan speed is lower than with a conventional cooling system. When the engine was not idling, average speed was 1,600 rpm with the conventional fan, but only 600 rpm with the hydraulic fan drive. Because lower fan speed requires lower torque, the hydraulic fan drive consumes less power from the engine. Therefore, more power is available to do work. This increased power accounts for the reduction in work cycle time.

Additional functionality
Hydraulic fan drives have proven to be more than a wise investment due to fuel savings and reduced emissions. If the hydraulic circuit is equipped with a flow-reversing valve, the hydraulic motor can rotate in the opposite direction to push air out through the radiator. This is done to purge dirt and de-

bris from the radiator, which can reduce cooling efficiency as much as 50%. This feature is especially useful in applications where the vehicle operates in particularly dirty environments and can reduce the need for screens, which add cost and size to the radiator and can restrict air flow. The reversing feature can also blow water out of the radiator to prevent damage from freezing in cold climates. Reversing can occur on-demand whenever the operator presses a switch, or it can be programmed into the ECU to occur at regular intervals. Reversing also improves productivity by eliminating the need for someone to periodically clean the radiator. Another advantage is design flexibility. Because the hydraulic fan motor is connected to a pair of hoses, rather than a belt drive attached to the engine, the radiator and fan can be placed anywhere on the vehicle. Placing the radiator and fan elsewhere makes space available for other components inside the engine compartment which is important for designers who consider space precious in meeting Tier IV and Stage IV requirements. Plus, the engine compartment may not be the best place for a radiator because the ambient air drawn in by the fan may be hot and dirty. Instead, the radiator and hydraulic fan may be placed in a location of the vehicle where ambient air is cooler and cleaner. This flexibility also lends itself to distributed cooling designs, so coolers can be strategically sized and located throughout the vehicle for optimum performance and efficiency. Hydraulic fan drives can also provide brief power boost functionality to the engine. This is done by programming the ECU to actuate valves to put the pump and motor in a neutral condition on command. Power consumption of the fan drive is essentially eliminated power that now can be used by the engine to boost acceleration or provide more muscle for work functions. A big advantage to power boost for equipment designers is that it may allow a smaller engine to be used. This is important because increasingly strict regulations cause more and more engine power to be used for emissions, rather than for work or propulsion. Consequently, larger engines are needed. However, a power boost function may offset power requirements enough that using a larger engine may be avoided. Moreover, hydraulic fan drives can be integrated into other vehicle systems or provide power for auxiliary functions, which is not possible with belt driven fan drives. For example, excess power capacity from the fan drives pump can provide hydraulic power to assist other functions In fact, the hydraulic fan drive can even reduce energy and extend brake life. By incorporating the fan drive into the vehicles braking system. The hydraulic fan circuit would help decelerate the drive train by converting momentum of the

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vehicle by dispersing the excess power into the hydraulic fan motor, thereby relieving a portion of the load on the brakes. Hydraulic fan drives also make it easier to meet more-stringent noise legislation. This is because the fan in proportional drives is tested at only 70% of maximum speed. And because noise generation is not proportional to fan speed, rotating the fan 30% below maximum speed results in more than a 30% reduction in noise.

Multiple benefits of electroniccontrol

Higher fuel economy and lower emissions alone make electrohydraulic fan drives a wise investment. But the benefits of closed-loop electronic control offer many more benefits. For instance, the ECU constantly provides condition and fault monitoring and instantly alerts the operator to any malfunctions it detects. In fact, the control calculates and can display power draw of the fan drive at any time for maximum performance, efficiency, and productivity. The ECU also allows the operator to manually override control at any time from within the cab. If a situation calls for a quick power boost of the engine or to blow out debris drawn into the radiator, the operator can command the ECU to take appropriate action. Furthermore, if the ECU is integrated into other primary or auxiliary electronic controls, its action can take into account the conditions of other systems.

Why Turolla OpenCircuitGear hydr aulic fan drives?

efficiency, and reliability. Fan drive engineering tools help Turolla experts design systems that deliver the highest performance and efficiency for the quickest return on investment. These tools are also available to trained Turolla distributors, and Turolla system designers also share their experience by providing training so that original equipment manufacturers and hydraulic distributors will understand the operation and advantages of hydraulic fan drives.

As already pointed out, hydraulic fan drives hold multiple advantages over belt-driven systems. So why not just put a system together yourself from available components or let one of your regular suppliers put one together? Even a hastily assembled system using the cheapest components available should still quickly pay for itself, shouldnt it? Not necessarily. All components for a fan drive should be selected and sized to the specific application. A mining truck has different cooling requirements from an excavator, which has different requirements from a harvester or marine drive. So choosing a source with expertise in engineering hydraulic fan drives, such as Turolla, ensures having a system bestsuited to the equipment and its application. Turollas 40+ years of expertise goes beyond just knowledge of hydraulics or electronics. Turollas team of experienced engineers and technicians has knowledge and experience in hydraulics, electronics, control, cooling systems, and Tier and Euro emissions standards to provide the best possible experience for selecting and sizing hydraulic fan drives. Turolla offers products designed and manufactured specifically for hydraulic fan drives. This means pumps, motors, valves, and controls have been optimized for hydraulic fan drives, so the systems will deliver optimum performance,

Sizing up the options

As with any new technology, hydraulic fan drives may not seem like a viable alternative to some designers. Those simply looking only for the lowest initial cost will still find belt drives the power transmission method of choice. But for those looking for a solution that will pay for itself many times over through higher productivity, higher fuel economy, lower emissions, and many more potential benefits, hydraulic fan drives present an option offering big savings for their company or their customers. Combine these features with the ability to integrate the ECU with electronic engine and other controls (such as the PLUS+1 System) and you can be confident the entire machine will deliver optimum performance, efficiency, and productivity. To fully capitalize on the many benefits offered by hydraulic fan drives, they should be designed as a system for the specific application in which they will be used. By relying on a reputable supplier offering a full compliment of system options ensures that the most effective, efficient, and economical system is provided. For more information on fan drives or assistance in sizing a solution for your needs, call (515) 239-6677, email TurollaOCG@ TurollaOCG.com or visit www.TurollaOCG.com.

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Hydraulic fan drives