Cooling circuit and method on a vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11248516-B2
Application number	US-201615753774-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 19, 2016
Priority date	Aug 20, 2015
Publication date	Feb 15, 2022
Grant date	Feb 15, 2022

Abstract

A cooling circuit comprising a liquid circulation path and arranged on the path:
in series, an engine and a radiator, mounted on a first branch in parallel between the inlet and outlet of the radiator, a store-exchanger containing at least one volume:
enclosing elements for storing and releasing thermal energy, involving a phase change material PCM, placed in a heat exchange relationship with said liquid, and around which are arranged at least one first layer containing a PCM and one second layer containing a porous thermally insulating material,
and valves so positioned as to direct the circulation of the liquid arriving from the engine toward the radiator and/or the store-exchanger.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A temperature management system on a vehicle cooling circuit of a vehicle, the vehicle being disposed in an outside environment, the vehicle cooling circuit comprising a circulation path for circulating a heat transfer liquid and, arranged on the circulation path:
liquid circulation means for circulating the heat transfer liquid along the circulation path, an engine for moving the vehicle, the engine having components adapted and arranged to be in a thermal exchange with the heat transfer liquid received from the liquid circulation means, and a heat exchanger having an inlet configured to receive the heat transfer liquid output from the engine and to place the received heat transfer liquid in a heat exchange with another fluid in thermal contact with the heat exchanger and an outlet for providing said heat transfer liquid to the liquid circulating means;
a heat storing unit having an inlet and an outlet, one of the inlet and the outlet of the heat storing unit coupled between the engine and the inlet of the heat exchanger, and the other of the inlet and the outlet of the heat storing unit coupled between the outlet of the heat exchanger and the liquid circulation means, and
valves positioned to allow the heat transfer liquid arriving from the engine to flow toward the heat exchanger and/or the heat storing unit, the heat storing unit being a latent heat unit adapted to store thermal energy, in a calorie-charge state, and release a thermal energy, in a calorie-discharge state, the latent heat unit:
containing a volume having an inlet to allow the heat transfer liquid to enter and an outlet to allow the heat transfer liquid to exit,
containing a phase change material adapted to be in a thermal exchange with said heat transfer liquid, and
comprising a thermal barrier surrounding both the volume and the phase change material, and containing a thermally insulating material adapted to thermally isolate said volume and said phase change material from the outside environment,

wherein the valves comprise:
a first three-way valve so positioned on the circulation path and controlled as to allow the heat transfer liquid to circulate either toward the heat exchanger or toward said latent heat unit,
a second two-way valve so positioned on the circulation path and controlled as to allow the heat transfer liquid to circulate in the heat exchanger when the second two-way valve is open and prevent the heat transfer liquid from circulating in the heat exchanger when the second two-way valve is closed,
a third two-way valve so positioned on the circulation path and controlled as to:
allow said heat transfer liquid arriving from the engine to circulate into the latent heat unit, and prevent a direct return to the engine of said heat transfer liquid leaving the latent heat unit, when the heat transfer liquid circulates at a first determined temperature or when the heat transfer liquid circulates at a temperature that falls within a first determined temperature range, and
allow said heat transfer liquid arriving from the latent heat unit to circulate toward the engine, with no circulation in the heat exchanger, when the heat transfer liquid circulates at a second determined temperature or second determined temperature range.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first three-way valve, second two-way valve and third two-way valve are controlled by means of a temperature sensor which detect the temperature of the heat transfer liquid in the circulation path.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first three-way valve, second two-way valve and third two-way valve are positioned on the vehicle cooling circuit and controlled in such a way that:
in a nominal mode, in which the heat transfer liquid circulates at a third determined temperature or in which the heat transfer liquid circulates at a temperature that falls within a third determined temperature range, said heat transfer liquid arriving from the engine is allowed to flow into the thermal exchanger without flowing into the heat latent unit and then return to the engine,
when the heat transfer liquid arrives from the engine at the first determined temperature or when the heat transfer liquid arrives from the engine at a temperature that falls within the first determined temperature range, and the phase change material is in the calorie-charging state that allows the phase change material to store calories from the heat transfer liquid, said heat transfer liquid being allowed to at least partly flow into said heat latent unit and into the thermal exchanger and then return to the engine, and
when the heat transfer liquid circulates at the second determined temperature or when the heat transfer liquid circulates at a temperature that falls within the second determined temperature range, and the phase change material is in the calorie-discharging state that allows the phase change material to discharge calories into the heat transfer liquid, said heat transfer liquid arriving from the engine being allowed to flow into the heat latent unit, without flowing through the heat exchanger, and then return to the engine.

4. A temperature management system on a vehicle circuit, in a vehicle disposed in an outside environment, the vehicle circuit comprising a circulation path for circulating a fluid and, arranged on the circulation path:
fluid circulation means for circulating the fluid along the circulation path, an engine for moving the vehicle, the engine having components adapted and arranged to be in a thermal energy exchange with the fluid received from the fluid circulation means, and
a thermal exchanger having an inlet configured to receive the fluid output from the engine and to place the received fluid in a heat exchange with another fluid in thermal contact with the heat exchanger and an outlet for providing said fluid to the fluid circulating means,
a latent energy unit having an inlet and an outlet, one of the inlet and the outlet of the latent energy unit coupled between the engine and the inlet of the heat exchanger, and the other of the inlet and the outlet of the latent energy unit coupled between the outlet of the heat exchanger and the fluid circulation means, and
valves positioned and controlled to allow the fluid arriving from the engine to flow toward the thermal exchanger and/or the latent energy unit, the latent energy unit having an inlet and an outlet to allow said fluid to circulate therein, the latent energy unit:
containing a volume which is in fluid communication with said inlet and said outlet of the latent energy unit, to allow the fluid to circulate therein, and,
in which a phase change material is disposed and arranged to be in a thermal exchange with said fluid when circulating in the volume, to store or release a thermal energy,

wherein the valves are positioned on the vehicle circuit and controlled in such a way to allow the fluid arriving from the engine:
to at least partly flow into said latent heat unit, then into the thermal exchanger and then return to the engine, when the fluid circulates at a first determined temperature or when the fluid circulates at a temperature that falls within a first determined temperature range and the phase change material is in a thermal energy-storing state in which the phase change material is ready to store thermal energy, so that the thermal energy contained in said fluid is then allowed to be stored in the phase change material,
to flow into the latent energy unit, without flowing through the heat exchanger, and then return to the engine, when the fluid circulates at a second determined temperature or when the fluid circulates at a temperature that falls within a second determined temperature range and the phase change material is in a thermal energy-releasing state in which the phase cha

Assignees

• Hutchinson

Inventors

• Chopard Fabrice
• Dominiak Christophe

Classifications

• Y02E60/14

  Thermal energy storage · CPC title

• F28D20/028

  Control arrangements therefor · CPC title

• F01P2007/146

  using valves · CPC title

• B60K11/02

  with liquid cooling · CPC title

• F28D20/026

  with different heat storage materials not coming into direct contact · CPC title