Light-weight coolant bottle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10946312-B2
Application number	US-201715397924-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 4, 2017
Priority date	Jan 4, 2016
Publication date	Mar 16, 2021
Grant date	Mar 16, 2021

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for de-gasification of vehicle cooling system using a coolant bottle are disclosed. The coolant bottle may include a coolant entrance port configured to be in fluid communication with the vehicle cooling system, and a coolant egress port configured to be in fluid communication with the vehicle cooling system. The coolant egress port is directly connected to the vehicle cooling system. The coolant bottle may further include a plurality of baffle plates placed to divide an interior of the coolant bottle into a plurality of coolant channels. Each baffle plate may include a plurality of apertures configured to provide fluid communication between the plurality of coolant channels.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A coolant bottle for a vehicle cooling system, the coolant bottle comprising:
a coolant entrance port configured to be in fluid communication with the vehicle cooling system;
a coolant egress port configured to be in fluid communication with the vehicle cooling system, wherein the coolant egress port is directly connected to the vehicle cooling system;
a plurality of baffle plates comprising a first set of baffle plates and a second set of baffle plates, the plurality of baffle plates placed to divide an interior of the coolant bottle into a plurality of coolant channels, each of the plurality of baffle plates including a plurality of apertures configured to provide fluid communication between the plurality of coolant channels;
the first set of baffle plates each including a plurality of first apertures in a first configuration, wherein each aperture in the first configuration is located at an equidistance from adjacent apertures and edges of the respective baffle plate; and
the second set of baffle plates each including a plurality of second apertures in a second configuration,
wherein the first apertures do not align with any of the second apertures; and
wherein the first set of baffle plates are placed in parallel with the second set of baffle plates.

2. The coolant bottle of claim 1 , wherein the coolant bottle is made of a material impermeable to at least one coolant fluid used by the vehicle cooling system.

3. The coolant bottle of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of baffle plates are positioned at substantially equidistant intervals within the coolant bottle.

4. The coolant bottle of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of baffle plates is scored to create bubble nucleation sites.

5. The coolant bottle of claim 4 , wherein an interior surface of the coolant bottle is scored.

6. The coolant bottle of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of apertures on one of the plurality of baffle plates has a diameter at least 1 mm greater than a smallest aperture of the plurality of apertures in the same baffle plate.

7. The coolant bottle of claim 1 , wherein the first set of baffle plates are positioned within the coolant bottle such that no baffle plate of the first set of baffle plates is directly adjacent to any other baffle plate from the first set of baffle plates.

8. The coolant bottle of claim 1 , wherein the coolant bottle is spherically shaped.

9. The coolant bottle of claim 1 , wherein the coolant bottle is a rectangular cuboid in shape.

10. The coolant bottle of claim 1 , further comprising:
a neck located on a top of the coolant bottle; and
a cap operatively connected to the neck, wherein the neck defines an aperture in fluid communication with the interior of the coolant bottle through a hole in the top of the coolant bottle, the aperture having substantially the same diameter as the hole in the top of the coolant bottle, and wherein the cap is substantially the same diameter as the neck and configured to form a complete seal over one end of the neck.

11. The coolant bottle of claim 10 , further comprising a pressure relief valve located within the cap, wherein the pressure relief valve is configured to open at a pressure of about 1 atm-5 atm.

12. The coolant bottle of claim 1 , wherein the coolant egress port is fluidly coupled to a vehicle coolant hose through a one-way valve, wherein the one-way valve is configured to allow fluid to flow only from the coolant bottle to the vehicle cooling system.

13. The coolant bottle of claim 1 , wherein the coolant entrance port is fluidly coupled to a vehicle coolant de-gasification hose through a one-way valve, the one-way valve being configured to allow fluid to flow only from the vehicle coolant de-gasification hose to the coolant bottle.

14. The coolant bottle of claim 2 , wherein the coolant fluid comprises at least one of: water, methanol, methanol and water, propylene glycol, propylene glycol and water, glycerol, glycerol and water, ethylene glycol, ethylene glycol and water, synthetic oil, or poly-alpha-olefin oil.

15. A vehicle, comprising:
a vehicle cooling system using at least one coolant fluid; and
a coolant bottle made of a material impermeable to the at least one coolant fluid used by the vehicle cooling system, comprising:
a coolant entrance port configured to be in fluid communication with the vehicle cooling system;
a coolant egress port configured to be in fluid communication with the vehicle cooling system, wherein the coolant egress port is directly connected to the vehicle cooling system;
a plurality of baffle plates comprising a first set of baffle plates and a second set of baffle plates, the plurality of baffle plates placed to divide an interior of the coolant bottle into a plurality of coolant channels, each of the plurality of baffle plates including a plurality of apertures configured to provide fluid communication between the plurality of coolant channels;
the first set of baffle plates each including a plurality of first apertures in a first configuration, wherein each aperture in the first configuration is located at an equidistance from adjacent apertures and edges of the respective baffle plate; and
the second set of baffle plates each including a plurality of second apertures in a second configuration,
wherein the first apertures do not align with any of the second apertures; and
wherein the first set of baffle plates are placed in parallel with the second set of baffle plates.

Assignees

• Faraday&Future Inc

Inventors

• Elkenkamp Marco
• Maffeo Zion

Classifications

• F01P3/00

  Liquid cooling · CPC title

• B01D19/0042 Primary

  modifying the liquid flow (B01D19/0021 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F01P11/028 Primary

  Deaeration devices · CPC title

• F01P11/029

  Expansion reservoirs · CPC title

• F01P2050/22

  Motor-cars · CPC title