Temperature-controlled fluid circulation apparatus and temperature-controlled fluid circulation system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12554275-B2
Application number	US-202118248554-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 22, 2021
Priority date	Oct 30, 2020
Publication date	Feb 17, 2026
Grant date	Feb 17, 2026

Abstract

A temperature-controlled fluid circulation apparatus includes a flow path through which a fluid controlled by a temperature control unit is circulated via a fluid supply target; a three-way valve in the flow path downstream of the fluid supply target and upstream of a temperature control position by the temperature control unit, a part between two out of three ports constituting a part of the flow path; and a bypass flow path branching from the flow path downstream of the temperature control position by the temperature control unit and upstream of the fluid supply target, to be connected to one remaining port out of the three ports of the three-way valve. A pressure of the fluid flowing through the flow path at a position that is downstream of the fluid supply target and upstream of the three-way valve is detected by a pressure sensor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A temperature-controlled fluid circulation apparatus comprising:
a flow path through which a fluid whose temperature has been controlled by a temperature control unit is circulated via a fluid supply target; a three-way valve located in the flow path at a position that is downstream of the fluid supply target and upstream of a temperature control position by the temperature control unit, a part between two ports out of three ports constituting a part of the flow path; a bypass flow path branching from the flow path at a position that is downstream of the temperature control position by the temperature control unit and upstream of the fluid supply target, to be connected to one remaining port out of the three ports of the three-way valve, the one remaining port being other than the two ports that constitute the part of the flow path; a pressure sensor that detects a pressure of the fluid flowing through the flow path at a position that is downstream of the fluid supply target and upstream of the three-way valve; and a controller that controls the three-way valve; wherein the controller controls an opening degree of the three-way valve in such a manner that the pressure of the fluid, which is detected by the pressure sensor, becomes a specified target pressure, and wherein the controller is configured to receive information related to a temperature of the fluid supply target, and when the controller determines, based on the information, that an absolute value of a rate of change in temperature of the fluid supply target becomes a threshold value or more, the controller performs feed-forward control that changes an opening degree of the three-way valve with a manipulated variable corresponding to a magnitude of the absolute value of the rate of change.

2 . The temperature-controlled fluid circulation apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising a pump that imparts a driving force for circulating the fluid through the flow path,
wherein the pump is driven by a constant driving force.

3 . The temperature-controlled fluid circulation apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the fluid is a liquid; and the temperature-controlled fluid circulation apparatus further comprises: a tank located in the flow path at a position that is downstream of the three-way valve and upstream of the temperature control position by the temperature control unit, the tank constituting a part of the flow path; and a liquid-level maintenance mechanism that maintains constant a liquid level of a liquid stored in the tank.

4 . A temperature-controlled fluid circulation system comprising:
a valve unit; a first temperature-controlled fluid circulation apparatus comprising: a first-side flow path through which a fluid whose temperature has been controlled by a first-side temperature control unit is circulated via the valve unit; a first-side three-way valve located in the first-side flow path at a position that is downstream of the valve unit and upstream of a temperature control position by the first-side temperature control unit, a part between two ports out of three ports constituting a part of the first-side flow path; a first-side bypass flow path branching from the first-side flow path at a position that is downstream of the temperature control position by the first-side temperature control unit and upstream of the valve unit, to be connected to one remaining port out of the three ports of the first-side three-way valve, the one remaining port being other than the two ports that constitute a part of the first-side flow path; and a first-side pressure sensor that detects a pressure of the fluid flowing through the first-side flow path at a position that is downstream of the valve unit and upstream of the first-side three-way valve; a second temperature-controlled fluid circulation apparatus comprising: a second-side flow path through which a fluid whose temperature has been controlled by a second-side temperature control unit is circulated via the valve unit; a second-side three-way valve located in the second-side flow path at a position that is downstream of the valve unit and upstream of a temperature control position by the second-side temperature control unit, a part between two ports out of three ports constituting a part of the second-side flow path; a second-side bypass flow path branching from the second-side flow path at a position that is downstream of the temperature control position by the second-side temperature control unit and upstream of the valve unit, to be connected to one remaining port out of the three ports of the second-side three-way valve, the one remaining port being other than the two ports that constitute a part of the second-side flow path; and a second-side pressure sensor that detects a pressure of the fluid flowing through the second-side flow path at a position that is downstream of the valve unit and upstream of the second-side three-way valve; and a controller that controls the first-side three-way valve and the second-side three-way valve; wherein: the valve unit is configured to send, to a temperature control target, the fluid received from the first temperature-controlled fluid circulation apparatus, the fluid received from the second temperature-controlled fluid circulation apparatus, or the mixed fluid of the fluid received from the first temperature-controlled fluid circulation apparatus and the fluid received from the second temperature-controlled fluid circulation apparatus, and is configured to return the fluid having passed through the temperature control target to the first-side flow path or/and the second-side flow path; and the controller controls an opening degree of the first-side three-way valve in such a manner that the pressure of the fluid, which is detected by the first-side pressure sensor, becomes a specified first-side target pressure, and controls an opening degree of the second-side three-way valve in such a manner that the pressure of the fluid, which is detected by the second-side pressure sensor, becomes a specified second-side target pressure.

5 . The temperature-controlled fluid circulation system according to claim 4 , wherein:
the fluid circulated by the first temperature-controlled fluid circulation apparatus and the fluid circulated by the second temperature-controlled fluid circulation apparatus are liquids that are the same with each other; the first temperature-controlled fluid circulation apparatus comprises a first-side tank located in the first-side flow path at a position that is downstream of the first-side three-way valve and upstream of the temperature control position by the first-side temperature control unit, the first-side tank constituting a part of the first-side flow path; the second temperature-controlled fluid circulation apparatus comprises a second-side tank located in the second-side flow path at a position that is downstream of the second-side three-way valve and upstream of the temperature control position by the second-side temperature control unit, the second-side tank constituting a part of the second-side flow path; and a liquid storage position of the first-side tank and a liquid storage position of the second-side tank are connected to each other by a pipe member.

6 . The temperature-controlled fluid circulation system according to claim 4 , wherein:
the valve unit has a valve-unit-side three-way valve including a first reception port, a second reception port, and a supply port; the valve-unit-side three-way valve is capable of changing, depending on a position of a valve disk, a mixing ratio of the fluid received by the first reception port from the first temperature-controlled fluid circulation apparatus and the fluid received by the second reception port from the second temp

Assignees

• Shinwa Controls Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yamawaki Masakatsu
• UEDA Teiichirou
• Sakai Katsutoshi
• MATSUBAYASHI Shuya

Classifications

• G05D23/1917

  using digital means · CPC title

• G05D16/204

  the plurality of throttling means being arranged in parallel · CPC title

• F25B2700/21

  Temperatures · CPC title

• F25B2700/19

  Pressures · CPC title

• F25B1/00

  Compression machines, plants or systems with non-reversible cycle (F25B3/00, F25B5/00, F25B6/00, F25B7/00, F25B9/00 take precedence) · CPC title