Passed the Pines Winterfront Company building in Chicago on Division St.





Pines Waterfront co. made thermostatically controlled radiator grills that allowed engines to warm up in a cold environment. The winter front controls the amount of cold air entering the radiator to aid in bringing the engine up to operating temperature.

Winterfront's active radiator shutters aided warm-up before water inlet based thermostats were perfected.






Observed a resurgence of this vintage technology in Toyota Prius and Ford trucks.

In certain conditions, shutter technology reduces warm-up time, conserves heat, increases engine efficiency and reduces wind drag.

See

https://www.jstor.org/stable/26272709?seq=1

Text;

An Abstract discussing technology in contemporary terms:

A vehicle thermal management system is required to increase the operating efficiency of components, to transfer the heat efficiently and to reduce the energy required for the vehicle. Vehicle thermal management technologies, such as engine compartment encapsulation together with grille shutter control, enable energy efficiency improvements through utilizing waste heat in the engine compartment for heating powertrain components as well as cabin heating and reducing the aerodynamic drag. In this work, a significant effort is put on recovering waste heat from the engine compartment to provide additional efficiency to the components using a motor compartment insulation technique and grille shutter. The tests are accelerated and the cost is reduced using a co-simulation tool based on high resolution, complex thermal and kinematics models. The results are validated with experimental values measured in a thermal wind tunnel, which provided satisfactory accuracy. A control strategy is implemented to actuate the grille shutter according to the specific conditions and a sensitivity study is introduced using the most important parameters affecting energy management performance. Using different conditions (test cycles and environmental temperature), the simulation results reveal a moderate potential fuel consumption reduction of up to 2.5% on FTP-75 at −7°C. An analysis of the results shows how the improved aerodynamic properties compare to the warming-up affect on the fuel consumption.

Probably a noise reduction on cold start or cold winter days with shutters closed.

An excellent video on topic:
https://youtu.be/6K4eh-BDR9g

Ford truck:

Ford truck radiator shutter system.

Would be a fun project to see if Prius shutters could be retrofitted to an LS400.

 

The Ram trucks did it first and have very cheap assemblies if you want to get one to play with, any of the 8 speed trucks has it regardless of options or trims starting in late 2012

One major plus to the system on very large vehicles is that that use it the shutters instead of the fan to regulate airflow instead of selective fan use. The other main use its to improve vehicle aero at speed in the case of the trucks to prevent air drag inside of the engine bay.

 

I think also beginning in 2012, Ford Focus' also came equipped with active grill shutters.

 

cool tech prior to efficient thermostats. as stated already, these are used today mainly for aerodynamic changes. it make sense that this tech will be used in battery electric vehicles where aero efficiency is prioritized and but there isn't a hot engine to cool down. prius may use it for both!

 

Battery cooling systems are requiring more and more capacity so we should be seeing more of this

 

Tesla does not appear to have a front grille in the traditional sense.

Wonder what difference in coefficient of drag at highway speed without air snagging the grille, condenser, radiator and other non-aerodynamic engine bay components....

On radiator design...question why fins were on horizontal plane instead of at a slight incline angle upward front to back ... rising heat would aid airflow hrough radiator while vehicle stationary.

 

2mpg at 70 mph in my ram, normally gets 18.4 at that speed. I pulled the control connector off to see what it does one time

 

A Toyota Prius video on topic.


Stop/start hybrid engines respond well to active thermal management.

It appears from Prius parts diagram they also used what could best be described as a large thermos type bottle which stores engine coolant to stabilize heater function between run cycles...or reduce engine run time with heater engaged(?)
Possibly it also served to maintain useful coolant temperature range between engine stop-start modes. What a cool.way to keep.the engine warm in winter to improve functionality and efficiency.

 

Inclined fins would create a major airflow restriction for the fan at all vehicle speeds and for the radiator while the vehicle is moving

 

Not proposing 45 degree angle..but slight angle to guide airflow so the heat assists airflow...and up and over the engine..Have a look at the vane deflector YouTube video.

However, a 45 degree fin angle would make sense on residential outside central air conditioning condenser fins where noisy fans are currently required to draw air in and UP.