System for cooling hybrid vehicle electronics, method for cooling hybrid vehicle electronics

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10349563-B2
Application number	US-201715793548-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 25, 2017
Priority date	Jan 14, 2015
Publication date	Jul 9, 2019
Grant date	Jul 9, 2019

Abstract

The invention provides a single radiator cooling system for use in hybrid electric vehicles, the system comprising a surface in thermal communication with electronics, and subcooled boiling fluid contacting the surface. The invention also provides a single radiator method for simultaneously cooling electronics and an internal combustion engine in a hybrid electric vehicle, the method comprising separating a coolant fluid into a first portion and a second portion; directing the first portion to the electronics and the second portion to the internal combustion engine for a time sufficient to maintain the temperature of the electronics at or below 175° C.; combining the first and second portion to reestablish the coolant fluid; and treating the reestablished coolant fluid to the single radiator for a time sufficient to decrease the temperature of the reestablished coolant fluid to the temperature it had before separation.

First claim

The embodiment of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed is defined as follows:

1. A single radiator cooling system for use in hybrid electric vehicles, the system comprising:
a) a first conduit containing a first portion of subcooled fluid in thermal contact with an internal combustion engine;
b) a second conduit containing a second portion of subcooled fluid, wherein the second conduit is partially defined by a surface, and wherein said surface is in communication with electronics, and wherein said second conduit comprises an interface portion adjacent to the surface and a central portion spaced from the interface portion;
c) subcooled boiling fluid in the interface portion of the second conduit;
d) a third conduit joining the first and second conduits and the first and second portions of subcooled fluid; and
e) a single radiator in contact with the combined first and second portions of subcooled fluid.

2. The single radiator cooling system as recited in claim 1 wherein the subcooled fluid is pressurized.

3. The single radiator cooling system as recited in claim 1 wherein the surface is smooth and continuous.

4. The single radiator cooling system as recited in claim 1 wherein the subcooled fluid is a liquid selected from the group consisting of ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, water, and combinations thereof.

5. The single radiator cooling system as recited in claim 1 wherein the subcooled fluid is pressurized from between approximately 0 psig and approximately 45 psig.

6. The single radiator cooling system as recited in claim 1 wherein the subcooled boiling fluid contacts a plurality of surfaces in thermal communication with the electronics.

7. The single radiator cooling system as recited in claim 1 wherein the radiator cools both the electronics and an internal combustion engine.

8. The single radiator cooling system as recited in claim 1 wherein the electronics are maintained at a temperature of less than about 175° C.

9. The single radiator cooling system as recited in claim 1 wherein the subcooled fluid in the central portion of the second conduit is not boiling.

10. A single radiator cooling system for use in hybrid electric vehicles, the system comprising:
a) a conduit containing a volume of subcooled fluid downstream from and in fluid communication with a pump;
b) a flow divider downstream from and in fluid communication with said conduit, wherein the flow divider directs a first portion of the subcooled fluid into an engine cooling conduit and a second portion of the subcooled fluid into an electronics cooling conduit;
c) a heat exchanger comprising a surface in thermal communication with electronics and a flow channel in thermal communication with said surface, wherein the flow channel is downstream from and in fluid communication with the electronics cooling conduit, wherein the subcooled fluid in the flow channel in contact with the surface is boiling;
d) a mixer downstream from and in fluid communication with both the flow channel and the engine cooling conduit; and
e) a radiator downstream from and in communication with the mixer, wherein the radiator is upstream from and in fluid communication with the pump.

Assignees

• France David M
• Yu Wenhua
• Singh Dileep
• Zhao Weihuan
• Uchicago Argonne Llc

Inventors

• France David M
• Yu Wenhua
• Singh Dileep
• Zhao Weihuan

Classifications

• F01P2003/008

  the liquid being water and oil · CPC title

• H10W40/73

  for cooling by change of state · CPC title

• H10W40/47

  by flowing liquids, e.g. forced water cooling · CPC title

• H10W40/10

  Arrangements for heating · CPC title

• F01P7/165

  characterised by systems with two or more loops · CPC title