Additional heating unit - for extremely cold countries 1

[ninjaz]

Hi

In extremely cold countries like germany/european countries , an additional heating system is used to heat the coolant fluid.
The thing i need to know is, what is the main purpose of this additional heating system, whether to preheat the engine or to warm the passenger compartment or to heat the wipers to wipe out the snow over the glasses.

Just i need to know its primary purpose. I think engine experts/ car owners in cold countries have some knowledge on this addtional heating system.

Greetings and thanks in prior

 

[WGJ]

Traditionally, Scandinavian countries would use electric block heaters (like an electric kettle element, fitted via the casting core plug holes) to keep the engine/coolant up to a temperature that would make starting easier, after a vehicle was shut down overnight. Sometimes, if a block heater was not an OEM option, a similar heater could be inserted in one of the radiator hoses.
Mains electricity is the only sensible way to power these.

I think I recall, from way back (1970/80s) that some diesel trucks would be left to idle while the drivers rested, or during loading/u8nloading, as some old diesels could be a bitch to start below certain temperatures, necessitating ether injections or flame starters.

In more modern times, and with the vastly increased popularity of diesel engines in passenger cars (in Europe at least) the accent has also fallen on taking the chill off the passenger compartment using so-called 'auxiliary heaters'
The inherent improved thermal efficiency of the diesel cycle, coupled with pushes to increase the fuel conversion efficiency of diesel engines, has lead to customer complaints regarding the slow build up of heating in the passenger compartment.
As a result, products that burn fuel, or utilise electrical power to generate heat have been incorporated (or are OEM options) in many of the latest European diesel cars.
Check companies Webasto (fuel-fired heaters) and BERU (PTC electrical heaters) for information on the way these are incorporated into vehicle systems.

Some vehicle OEMs will also have engine control systems which automatically switch on electrical loads when ambient temperatures are low, in order to load the alternator. This increases the power consumed from the engine and thus the waste heat generated; the knock-on from this is that the coolant temperature rises a little quicker than it otherwise would. A waste of fuel.

If a diesel system is well designed for use in a cold territory (battery, starter motor choice, oil type, fuel mapping, etc, etc.) then, these days, unless you are living in persistant temperatures of less than, say -15ºC, a reasonably maintained vehicle will function well. Whether the operator/passengers like the cabin temperature characteristics is another matter.

Windscreen wiper heaters are trivial uses, compared to the engine and vehicle systems heaters.

Bill

 

[hydroman247]

In extremely cold countries like germany/european countries

Seriously? You have never seen pictures of Scandinavia, northern Canada, Russia etc. Most of Europe is mild compared to those.

 

[ninjaz]

@WGJ : really thanks to you bill , for the clear and precious information sharing.

@hydroman247: oh i see.. for people like us living in tropical continent, even europe is a cold country. Some times , i felt like that how people can manage negative temperature condition.

 

[Lou Scannon]

Negative temperature conditions can be especially harsh when you're living in the Fahrenheit zone! (well, down to -40, that is... after that, Celsius is worser!

"Schiefgehen will, was schiefgehen kann" - das Murphygesetz

 

[BrianGar]

My ex boss worked in Russia and told a story of not being able to get a thermostat for some plant machine(cant remember what, possibly a lighting tower/gennie). He said they gave up looking for a stat and binned rad and capped off stat housing. It just pumped round a closed loop circulating around block. He made out it ran this way for 3 hr periods for 6 months. I saw pictures of them 3 per bed all wearing 7 jackets each so I believe the story to be true. They also used cast in? elements in the concrete to cure it was so cold. Or something to that effect.

Brian,