Cooling system and a cooling arrangement for a motor vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11629675-B2
Application number	US-202017104735-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 25, 2020
Priority date	Nov 27, 2019
Publication date	Apr 18, 2023
Grant date	Apr 18, 2023

Abstract

A cooling system for a motor vehicle may include a first circuit, a second circuit, a first heat exchanger incorporated in the first circuit, and a second heat exchanger incorporated in the second circuit. The first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger may be flowed through by ambient air and a coolant. The first heat exchanger may be arranged, relative to an airflow direction, in front of and directly adjacent to the second heat exchanger. The first circuit and the second circuit may be fluidically connected to one another at an upstream distribution point and at a downstream collection point such that a part mass flow of the coolant is flowable from the second circuit into the first circuit at the distribution point, from the first circuit into the first heat exchanger, and out of the first heat exchanger back into the second circuit at the collection point.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A cooling system for a motor vehicle, comprising:
a first circuit;
a first heat exchanger, through which a coolant is flowable, incorporated in the first circuit;
a second circuit;
a second heat exchanger, through which the coolant is flowable, incorporated in the second circuit;
the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger structured and arranged to be flowed through by ambient air in succession such that the coolant therein is coolable;
the first heat exchanger arranged, relative to an airflow direction, in front of and directly adjacent to the second heat exchanger;
wherein the first circuit and the second circuit are fluidically connected to one another at a distribution point disposed upstream of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger and at a collection point disposed downstream of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger such that a part mass flow of the coolant is flowable from the second circuit into the first circuit at the distribution point, from the first circuit into the first heat exchanger, and out of the first heat exchanger back into the second circuit at the collection point;
wherein a first distribution box of the first heat exchanger and a second distribution box of the second heat exchanger are fluidically connected to one another via the distribution point; and
wherein a first collection box of the first heat exchanger and a second collection box of the second heat exchanger are fluidically connected to one another via the collection point.

2. The cooling system according to claim 1 , further comprising a non-return valve arranged at the distribution point, the non-return valve configured to prevent the coolant of the first circuit from passing over into the second circuit at the distribution point.

3. The cooling system according to claim 1 , wherein the cooling system is configured for a battery-electric motor vehicle, and wherein the cooling system further comprises:
a cooling device fluidically incorporated in the first circuit, the cooling device configured to cool at least one of an electric drive and a traction battery of the motor vehicle; and
an indirect condenser fluidically incorporated in the second circuit, the indirect condenser configured to at least one of cool and condense a refrigerant of an air conditioning system of the motor vehicle.

4. A cooling arrangement for a cooling system for a motor vehicle, comprising:
a first heat exchanger incorporated in a first circuit and through which a coolant is flowable from a first inlet to a first outlet;
a second heat exchanger incorporated in a second circuit and through which the coolant is flowable from a second inlet to a second outlet;
the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger structured and arranged to be flowed through by ambient air in succession and such that the coolant therein is coolable;
the first heat exchanger arranged, relative to an air flow direction, in front of and directly adjacent to the second heat exchanger;
wherein the cooling arrangement is structured as an individual unit;
wherein the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger are fluidically connected to one another at a distribution point disposed upstream therefrom and at a collection point disposed downstream therefrom such that a part mass flow of the coolant is flowable from the second circuit into the first circuit at the distribution point, from the first circuit into the first heat exchanger, and out of the first heat exchanger back into the second circuit at the collection point; and
wherein the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger each include a distribution box, a collection box, a deflection box, and a tube block, the distribution box and the collection box arranged at a longitudinal end of the tube block and the deflection box arranged at another longitudinal end of the tube block such that the coolant is flowable through the respective heat exchanger according to a U-flow pattern.

5. The cooling arrangement according to claim 4 , further comprising at least one of:
a non-return valve arranged at the distribution point, the non-return valve configured to prevent the coolant of the first circuit from passing over into the second circuit; and
a control valve arranged at at least one of the distribution point and the collection point, the control valve configured to adjust a rate of the part mass flow from the second circuit into the first circuit and to prevent the coolant from passing over at least one of (i) from the second circuit into the first circuit at the collection point and (ii) from the first circuit into the second circuit at the distribution point.

6. The cooling arrangement according to claim 4 , wherein:
the first heat exchanger includes a first tube block and the second heat exchanger includes a second tube block;
the distribution point is disposed (i) between the first inlet and the first tube block and (ii) between the second inlet and the second tube block; and
the collection point is disposed (i) between the first tube block and the first outlet and (ii) between the second tube block and the second outlet.

7. The cooling arrangement according to claim 6 , wherein:
the distribution point is defined by a distribution pipe and the collection point is defined by a collection pipe;
the distribution pipe fluidically connects a first distribution box of the first heat exchanger and a second distribution box of the second heat exchanger; and
the collection pipe fluidically connects a first collection box of the first heat exchanger and a second collection box of the second heat exchanger.

8. The cooling arrangement according to claim 6 , wherein:
a first distribution box of the first heat exchanger and a second distribution box of the second heat exchanger are each defined by a respective one of two distribution regions of a common distribution box, the two distribution regions fluidically separated from one another and exclusively fluidically interconnected via a distribution opening defining the distribution point; and
a first collection box of the first heat exchanger and a second collection box of the second heat exchanger are each defined by a respective one of two collection regions of a common collection box, the two collection regions fluidically separated from one another and exclusively fluidically interconnected via a collection opening defining the collection point.

9. A method for operating a cooling system including a first circuit, a second circuit, a first heat exchanger incorporated in the first circuit and through which a coolant is flowable, and a second heat exchanger incorporated in the second circuit and through which the coolant is flowable, the first heat exchanger arranged in front of and directly adjacent to the second heat exchanger relative to an airflow direction such that ambient air is flowable through the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger in succession to cool the coolant, the method comprising:
at a distribution point disposed upstream of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger, branching off a part mass flow from the coolant of the second circuit and adding the branched-off part mass flow to the coolant of the first circuit;
conducting and cooling the branched-off part mass flow via the first heat exchanger; and
at a collection point disposed downstream of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger, branching off the branched-off part mass flow from the first circuit and conducting the branched-off part mass flow back into the second circuit;
wherein the distribution point fluidically connects a first distribution box of the first heat exchange

Assignees

• Mahle Int Gmbh

Inventors

• Boger Markus
• Lindauer Sascha

Classifications

• F01P2003/182

  with multiple heat-exchangers · CPC title

• F01P2005/105

  Using two or more pumps · CPC title

• F02M31/20 Primary

  for cooling ({F02M31/005 takes precedence; use of cold F02M17/52;} cooling of charging-air or of scavenging-air F02B29/04) · CPC title

• F01P3/18

  Arrangements or mounting of liquid-to-air heat-exchangers (such arrangements on cylinders or cylinder heads F01P3/04; relative to vehicles B60K11/04) · CPC title

• F01P7/165

  characterised by systems with two or more loops · CPC title