The cooling methods of gas generator sets are mainly divided into the following categories, each of which has its own characteristics and applicable scenarios:
1 Liquid cooling (water cooling)
Principle: Heat is absorbed through circulating coolant (water or mixture of water and antifreeze) and then dissipated through radiator or external cooling equipment.
(1) Advantages: High cooling efficiency, suitable for high-power units. Temperature control is stable, prolonging the life of the engine.
(2) Disadvantages: Complex system, need to maintain water pumps, pipelines and radiators. Dependent on coolant, there is a risk of leakage. Applicable scenarios: large stationary generator sets (such as power stations, industrial units).
2 Air-cooled (air-cooled)
Principle: Use the fan or natural airflow to take away the heat from the engine surface.
(1) Advantages: Simple structure, low maintenance cost. No need for coolant, suitable for water shortage or mobile scenarios.
(2) Disadvantages: Limited heat dissipation capacity, easy to overheat under high temperature or high load. Higher noise level. Applicable scenes: small, portable or mobile generator sets (such as emergency power supply, vehicle-mounted units).
3 Closed Circulation Cooling
Principle: Through the heat exchanger (such as plate heat exchanger) to the unit heat transfer to the secondary cooling medium (such as cooling tower of water or air).
(1) Advantages:
Reduced water consumption, environmentally friendly.
Suitable for poor water quality or cold environment (anti-freezing design).
(2) Disadvantages:
High initial investment, complex system.
Applicable scenario: large-scale power stations or areas with restricted water resources.
4 Open Circulation Cooling
Principle: Directly introduce external water source (such as river water, seawater) to cool the unit, and discharge it after heat absorption.
(1) Advantages: simple structure, low cost.
(2) Disadvantages: waste of water resources, may cause thermal pollution. High water quality requirements (need to be filtered to prevent scaling or corrosion). Applicable scenarios: early power station or waterfront scenarios (now gradually eliminated).
5 Mixing Cooling
Principle: Combination of liquid-cooled and air-cooled (e.g. liquid-cooled engine + air-cooled radiator) or other combinations.
(1) Advantage: Balance cooling efficiency and maintenance cost. Adapt to complex environments.
(2) Disadvantages: Complex design and high cost. Applicable scenarios: special environments (e.g. high-temperature and dry areas or high-power mobile units).
*Selection recommendations
Power demand: high power units are preferred to liquid cooling or closed cycle. Water-scarce areas: air-cooled or closed cycle. High humidity/salt spray environments: Closed cooling system with anti-corrosion design. Mobility: air-cooled or hybrid cooling is preferred for mobile units. Maintenance cost: air-cooled maintenance is simpler, while liquid-cooled requires regular inspection of pipelines and coolant. Proper choice of cooling method can improve the efficiency of the unit, reduce the failure rate and prolong the service life.
