Degassing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11713708-B2
Application number	US-202017438069-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 4, 2020
Priority date	Mar 12, 2019
Publication date	Aug 1, 2023
Grant date	Aug 1, 2023

Abstract

Aspects of the present invention relate to an apparatus comprising at least two chambers, each chamber comprising at least one wall defining the chamber, a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet through the wall of the chamber and an opening separate from the fluid inlet and fluid outlet. The fluid inlet and fluid outlet are configured such that a fluid enters the chamber via the fluid inlet and exits via the fluid outlet. A gas enters the chamber via the fluid inlet and exits the chamber via the opening, wherein the opening of each of the chambers is fluidly connected to a common fluid reservoir. The apparatus may be used for degassing multiple coolant circuits in a vehicle.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising
at least two chambers, each chamber comprising:
at least one wall defining the chamber,
a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet through the wall of the chamber, and
an opening separate from the fluid inlet and fluid outlet;

wherein
the fluid inlet and fluid outlet are configured such that a fluid enters the chamber via the fluid inlet and exits via the fluid outlet,
a gas enters the chamber via the fluid inlet and exits the chamber via the opening,
the opening of each of the chambers is fluidly connected to a common fluid reservoir,
a first chamber of the at least two chambers is fluidly connected to a first fluid circuit,
a second chamber of the at least two chambers is fluidly connected to a second fluid circuit,
the common fluid reservoir comprises a top portion, and
the opening of the first chamber is closer to the top portion of the common fluid reservoir than the opening of the second chamber.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the opening of the second chamber fluidly connects to a base of the first chamber and the opening of the first chamber is fluidly connected to the common fluid reservoir.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first and second chambers are each coupled to a base portion of the common fluid reservoir and are each fluidly connected to the common fluid reservoir.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet associated with any one of the chambers are arranged to connect to the chamber sidewall at tangential angles.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the chambers comprises an internal baffle system.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the opening of at least one of the at least two chambers is located on a central axis running from a base to a top of the common fluid reservoir.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the openings of the at least two chambers are disposed on either side of a central axis running from a base to a top of the common fluid reservoir.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first or second chamber comprises a plurality of openings to the common fluid reservoir.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , comprising an expansion tank and wherein the expansion tank includes the fluid reservoir.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the expansion tank and the at least two chambers form an integrated tank.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the integrated tank comprises a base portion comprising the at least two chambers and a reservoir portion comprising the expansion tank.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein
each of the at least two chambers comprises an end wall having the respective opening, and
each respective end wall forms part of the expansion tank.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the chambers has a size that is different than a size of at least one others of the chambers.

14. A cooling system comprising the apparatus of claim 1 and at least one pump to pump fluid around at least one fluid circuit.

15. A vehicle comprising the cooling system of claim 14 .

16. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein when a liquid is present in the common reservoir, a first vertical distance measured along a vertical direction from the opening of the first chamber to a fill line of the liquid in the common fluid reservoir is greater than a second vertical distance along the vertical direction from the opening of the second chamber to the fill line.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein
the first chamber has a first side adjacent the common fluid reservoir,
the opening of the first chamber is situated in the first side of the first chamber,
the first chamber has a second side opposite from the first side and distal from the common fluid reservoir, and
the opening of the second chamber is situated in a side of the second chamber that is adjacent the second side of the first chamber.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein
the opening of the first chamber is a first distance from the top portion of the common reservoir,
the opening of the second chamber is a second distance from the top portion of the common reservoir, and
the second distance is greater than the first distance by an amount approximately equal to the first distance.

19. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein
the opening of the first chamber is a first distance from the top portion of the common reservoir,
the second side of the first chamber is a second distance from the top portion of the common reservoir,
the opening of the second chamber is situated at the second distance from the top portion of the common reservoir.

20. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein at least some of the first chamber extends into the common reservoir toward the top portion further than any portion of the second chamber extends into the common reservoir.

Assignees

• Jaguar Land Rover Ltd

Inventors

• Petschenyk Oliver

Classifications

• F01P11/029 Primary

  Expansion reservoirs · CPC title

• F01P7/165

  characterised by systems with two or more loops · CPC title

• F01P11/0214

  Mounting · CPC title

• F01P11/0285 Primary

  Venting devices · CPC title

• F01P2011/0233

  Venting · CPC title