Importance

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Abstract

A method is provided for heating a lubricating system. At low temperatures, lubricating oil has a high viscosity which requires more energy to be overcome than at higher temperatures. The method speeds up the heating behavior and thereby reduces the energy requirement of lubricating systems. The method can be used to heat lubricating systems for combustion engines or transmissions, preferably automatic transmissions, including at least one oil suction tube which is disposed in an oil sump and an oil bypass line bypassing the oil return lines. A bypass valve is disposed in the oil bypass line. The oil bypass line and/or at least one of the oil return lines is connected to the suction line of an oil pump and the pressure line of a lubricating system and, during use, runs in a combustion engine, preferably through at least one cylinder head, a cylinder block, or a turbocharger, and during use in a transmission it preferably runs through at least one heat exchanger of the combustion engine and/or through at least one electrical heating element. When a defined limit temperature is no longer met and a defined minimum pressure of the lubricating oil in the pressure line of the lubricating system is exceeded, the bypass valve is opened at least partially, so that a partial flow of the lubricating oil does not flow through the oil sump during the warm-up phase of the lubricating system. The lubricating oil flowing through the oil bypass line and/or at least one of the oil return lines is heated by a heat exchanger. The method is particularly suited for quickly heating combustion engines and transmissions in motor vehicles.

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First Claim