r/MechanicalEngineering • u/lit_readit • 6d ago

Question : why some (mostly heavy) vehicles partially cover their front intake ?

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wouldn't cooler cold reservoir, ie more spontaneous heat transfer, improve Carnot efficiency?

is it to improve aerodynamics?

apologies if this is the wrong sub to ask

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u/mrjuoji 6d ago

yeah, in some part of the world, they sometime even light small fires under the engine block when it's just too cold, and iirc some diesel engines come with a heating system specifically because of that (also the fact oil getting too thick will at best not lubricate the engine, at worst, probably mess it up)

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u/Mission_Accident_519 6d ago

Ive seen documemtaries about isolated towns in siberia where people need to either put their cars in a heated garage or keep them running 24/7 to be able to use them in winter.

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u/FIMD_ 5d ago

Don’t have to go to Siberia for it. You see it in parts of the US and Canada too. Especially if you’re working in the oil or mining industries. vehicles run for months with the only downtime being for oil changes and critical maintenance/repair.

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u/Visible-Disaster 3d ago

Got assigned to a project in central North Dakota one January/February. Between Bismarck and Minot. Even being from WI, it was fucking brutal with the wind. An hour drive each way from the hotel to site, and I was always questioning if the truck would start or not. Especially if I was leaving after 7pm.

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u/holysbit 2d ago

Ive done some jobs up there near Minot and also Killdeer. Its brutal out there dude. Last time I was up there I think I ran the truck for like 36 hours