Supplement thermal management system cooling using thermoelectric cooling

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10995656-B2
Application number	US-201715679730-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 17, 2017
Priority date	Aug 17, 2017
Publication date	May 4, 2021
Grant date	May 4, 2021

Abstract

Systems and methods to increase the recharge rate of a supplemental cooling system are provided. The system may include a primary cooling system configured to cool a thermal load, a supplemental cooling system, and a thermoelectric cooling apparatus. The thermoelectric cooling apparatus may assist the primary cooling system in recharging the supplemental cooling system in response to the supplemental cooling system operating in a recharge state, to the availability of electrical capacity, and to one or more operating parameters of the primary cooling system falling outside a predetermined range, wherein the operating parameter affects a cooling capacity of the primary cooling system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a vapor cycle system configured to cool a thermal load;
a thermal energy storage configured to supplement the vapor cycle system and cool the thermal load; and
a Peltier cooler, the Peltier cooler and the vapor cycle system configured to supply cooling to the thermal energy storage in a recharge state of the thermal energy storage, wherein the Peltier cooler is configured to draw an amount of heat from the thermal energy storage into the vapor cycle system.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein an electrical source for the Peltier cooler comprises a generator powered by a gas turbine engine.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the thermal energy storage comprises a cooling reservoir configured to store a cooling fluid.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the Peltier cooler further comprises fins.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the vapor cycle system comprises a gas cooler, wherein the Peltier cooler is configured to draw an amount of heat from the thermal energy storage into a discharge stream from the gas cooler.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein operation of the Peltier cooler is suspended in response to the thermal energy storage not operating in the recharge state.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the thermal energy storage comprises a cooling fluid.

8. A system comprising:
a vapor cycle system configured to cool a thermal load;
a thermal energy storage configured to supplement the vapor cycle system and cool the thermal load; and
a Peltier cooler, the Peltier cooler and the vapor cycle system configured to supply cooling to the thermal energy storage in a recharge state of the thermal energy storage, wherein the vapor cycle system comprises a gas cooler, and wherein the Peltier cooler is configured to draw an amount of heat from the thermal energy storage into a discharge stream from the gas cooler.

Assignees

• Rolls Royce Nam Tech Inc

Inventors

• Noderer Keith D
• Donovan Eric S

Classifications

• F28F9/0275

  with multiple branch pipes · CPC title

• F28D2021/0068

  for refrigerant cycles · CPC title

• F01K23/065

  the combustion taking place in an internal combustion piston engine, e.g. a diesel engine · CPC title

• F25B2321/0212

  of electric power, current or voltage · CPC title

• F01N5/025

  the device being thermoelectric generators · CPC title