Heat pump system for electric vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11673448-B2
Application number	US-202117380268-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 20, 2021
Priority date	Apr 13, 2021
Publication date	Jun 13, 2023
Grant date	Jun 13, 2023

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a thermal management system for an electric vehicle. The electric vehicle may include a cabin, a battery system, a battery coolant loop including a battery coolant line thermally coupled to the battery system, a heat pump loop including a heat pump line thermally coupled to an internal heat exchanger, and a refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger thermally coupled to the battery coolant loop and the heat pump loop. The thermal management system may be configured to provide heating or cooling to the cabin or battery system depending on an operating mode.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electric vehicle, comprising:
a cabin;
a battery system; and
a heat pump thermal management system comprising:
a battery coolant loop comprising a radiator, an expansion tank, a pump, a first control valve, and a battery coolant line thermally coupled to the battery system;
a heat pump loop comprising a heat pump line thermally coupled to an internal heat exchanger; and
a refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger thermally coupled to the battery coolant loop and the heat pump loop,

wherein, in a first operating mode of the heat pump thermal management system, thermal energy is transferred from the battery system to the heat pump loop via the refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger,
wherein, in the first operating mode of the heat pump thermal management system, thermal energy is transferred from the battery system to a coolant in the battery coolant line and thermal energy is transferred from the coolant to a refrigerant of the heat pump loop in the refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger,
wherein, in a second operating mode of the heat pump thermal management system, thermal energy is transferred from the cabin to the heat pump loop via the internal heat exchanger, and
wherein, in a third operating mode of the heat pump thermal management system, thermal energy is transferred from the battery system to the heat pump loop via the refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger and thermal energy is transferred from the cabin to the heat pump loop via the internal heat exchanger.

2. The electric vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the heat pump loop further comprises an external heat exchanger, a compressor, an expansion valve, a second control valve, a third control valve, and a fourth control valve.

3. The electric vehicle of claim 1 , wherein, in the first operating mode, thermal energy is transferred from the refrigerant to an ambient environment via an external heat exchanger and the refrigerant is directed to the refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger to absorb thermal energy from the coolant.

4. The electric vehicle of claim 1 , wherein, in the second operating mode, the first control valve bypasses the refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger and the coolant in the battery coolant line is directed to the radiator to transfer thermal energy to an ambient environment.

5. The electric vehicle of claim 2 , wherein, in the second operating mode, the fourth control valve bypasses the refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger and the refrigerant in the heat pump line is directed to the internal heat exchanger to allow thermal energy to be transferred from the cabin to the internal heat exchanger.

6. The electric vehicle of claim 2 , wherein, in the third operating mode, the second control valve directs the refrigerant from the refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger to the internal heat exchanger and thermal energy is transferred from the cabin to the refrigerant in the internal heat exchanger.

7. The electric vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger functions as a countercurrent heat exchanger and facilitates thermal energy transfer between the heat pump loop and the battery coolant loop in the first operating mode and the third operating mode.

8. An electric vehicle, comprising:
a cabin;
a battery system; and
a heat pump thermal management system comprising:
a battery coolant loop comprising a radiator, an expansion tank, a pump, a first control valve, and a battery coolant line thermally coupled to the battery system;
a heat pump loop comprising a heat pump line thermally coupled to an internal heat exchanger; and
a refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger thermally coupled to the battery coolant loop and the heat pump loop,

wherein, in a first operating mode of the heat pump thermal management system, thermal energy is transferred from the heat pump loop to the battery system via the refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger,
wherein, in a second operating mode of the heat pump thermal management system, thermal energy is transferred from the heat pump loop to the cabin via the internal heat exchanger,
wherein, in a third operating mode of the heat pump thermal management system, thermal energy is transferred from the heat pump loop to the battery system via the refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger and thermal energy is transferred from the heat pump loop to the cabin via the internal heat exchanger, and
wherein the first control valve bypasses the radiator in the first operating mode, bypasses the refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger in the second operating mode, and bypasses the radiator in the third operating mode.

9. The electric vehicle of claim 8 , wherein the heat pump loop further comprises an external heat exchanger, a compressor, an expansion valve, a second control valve, a third control valve, and a fourth control valve.

10. The electric vehicle of claim 8 , wherein, in the first operating mode, thermal energy is transferred from a refrigerant of the heat pump loop to a coolant of the battery coolant loop in the refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger.

11. The electric vehicle of claim 8 , wherein the refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger functions as a cocurrent heat exchanger and facilitates thermal energy transfer between the heat pump loop and the battery coolant loop in the first operating mode and the third operating mode.

12. The electric vehicle of claim 8 , wherein an external heat exchanger facilitates thermal energy transfer from an ambient environment to the heat pump loop in the first operating mode, the second operating mode, and the third operating mode.

13. The electric vehicle of claim 9 , wherein the second control valve bypasses the internal heat exchanger in the second operating mode.

14. The electric vehicle of claim 8 , wherein the refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger is inactive in the second operating mode.

15. An electric vehicle, comprising:
a cabin;
a battery system; and
a heat pump thermal management system comprising:
a battery coolant loop comprising a radiator, an expansion tank, a pump, a first control valve, and a battery coolant line thermally coupled to the battery system;
a heat pump loop comprising a heat pump line thermally coupled to an internal heat exchanger; and
a refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger thermally coupled to the battery coolant loop and the heat pump loop,

wherein, in a first operating mode of the heat pump thermal management system, thermal energy is transferred from the battery system to the heat pump loop via the refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger,
wherein, in a second operating mode of the heat pump thermal management system, thermal energy is transferred from the cabin to the heat pump loop via the internal heat exchanger,
wherein, in the second operating mode of the heat pump thermal management system, the first control valve bypasses the refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger and a coolant in the battery coolant line is directed to the radiator to transfer thermal energy to an ambient environment, and
wherein, in a third operating mode of the heat pump thermal management system, thermal energy is transferred from the battery system to the heat pump loop via the refrigerant-coolant heat exchanger and thermal energy is transferred from the cabin to the heat pump loop via the internal heat exchanger.

Assignees

• Nikola Corp

Inventors

• Cohan Aiden
• Markan Akshit
• Mcvay Derek

Classifications

• B60K1/04

  of the electric storage means for propulsion · CPC title

• B60L58/26

  by cooling · CPC title

• B60H2001/00307

  Component temperature regulation using a liquid flow · CPC title

• B60H2001/00957

  comprising locations with heat exchange within the refrigerant circuit itself, e.g. cross-, counter-, or parallel heat exchange · CPC title

• B60H1/00278

  for the battery · CPC title