Cooling liquid filling and supplementing device for thermal management system
The inverted U-shaped gas-liquid separation tube with automated control systems addresses the challenges of multi-person coordination and inefficient bubble discharge in coolant injection, ensuring efficient and safe coolant filling in liquid-cooled energy storage systems.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202411650167.2
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-11-19
- Publication Date
- 2024-12-31
AI Technical Summary
Current coolant injection methods for liquid-cooled energy storage systems require multiple personnel coordination, are prone to misoperation, and inefficient bubble discharge, leading to potential system damage and reduced cooling efficiency.
An inverted U-shaped gas-liquid separation tube with an exhaust valve and movable valve body, combined with a hydraulic control unit and check valve, automates the bubble discharge and pressure regulation, allowing single-person operation and preventing system damage.
Ensures complete bubble discharge and stable pressure control, simplifying operations and maintaining cooling efficiency by automating the coolant filling process, reducing the risk of machine damage and improving operational safety.
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Figure CN119218932A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of energy storage, and in particular to the injection and replenishment of coolant in a liquid-cooled energy storage device system. Background Art
[0002] Energy storage is an important technology and basic equipment to support new power systems. It can provide peak shaving, frequency regulation, backup, black start, demand response support and other services for power grid operation. It is an important means to improve the flexibility, economy and safety of traditional power systems.
[0003] The thermal management technology of energy storage systems involves multiple key performance parameters, which directly affect the efficiency, stability and cost of the thermal management system.
[0004] At present, the main technical routes for energy storage thermal management are air cooling and liquid cooling. The air cooling structure is simple, but the heat exchange efficiency is low and precise temperature control cannot be achieved. Compared with traditional air cooling, liquid cooling uses the high thermal conductivity and high heat capacity of liquid to replace air as a heat dissipation medium, and the heat dissipation path is short. The low-temperature liquid is directly supplied to the battery cell equipment through the CDU (cold distribution unit) to achieve precise heat dissipation, thereby reducing the system's self-consumption of electricity. Therefore, the liquid cooling system has become the mainstream choice for industrial and commercial energy storage.
[0005] The following are the main injection methods and steps: S1, after one person connects the water pump power supply, the other person needs to open the water machine water inlet valve at the same time; S2, after observing water coming out of the return pipe, start the water machine to circulate automatically for 20 minutes, and observe the liquid in the return pipe to ensure it is clear and transparent; S3, then listen closely to see if there is any noise in the pipe. If there is a sound of water flowing, the bubbles have not been completely discharged; S4, after the bubbles are completely discharged, check whether the injection pressure and return pressure of the pressure gauge are within the predetermined range; S5, when the pressure value reaches the predetermined range, the water pump power supply, the water machine water inlet valve and the water return pipe are turned off at the same time; S6, the water machine runs for 5 to 10 minutes. If there is no other abnormality, the filling is completed; S7, after the liquid injection is completed, the liquid injection device is disassembled.
[0006] Two people are required to operate step S1 at the same time. If the water inlet valve is opened late, the connecting pipe between the water pump and the water machine will be under too much pressure, causing the water pipe to rupture, or the working pressure of the water pump will increase, affecting the life of the water pump motor; if the water inlet valve is opened in advance, the liquid in the water machine will flow back, causing more air to enter the unit, increasing the time of the exhaust process.
[0007] In step S5, 2 to 3 persons are required to perform the operation simultaneously. If the operation cannot be completed simultaneously, the water pressure inside the system will decrease rapidly, and air will flow back into the water pipe, resulting in injection failure.
[0008] This kind of synchronous action places high demands on the staff, especially step S5 which requires the cooperation of three people.
[0009] The bubble discharge action in step S3 is also very cumbersome, requiring the staff to repeat the cycle operation, and when the factory area is noisy, it may cause the staff to misjudge the bubble discharge situation. Summary of the invention
[0010] In order to simplify the bubble discharge step and ensure that the bubbles are completely discharged, the present invention provides an inverted U-shaped gas-liquid separation tube, including an exhaust valve, An exhaust port is provided at the top of the inverted U-shaped gas-liquid separation tube to separate liquid and gas by the different densities of air and water. This inverted U shape not only separates water and air, but also increases the stroke in the separation process, so that the air can be discharged more fully. In the prior art, an injection pipe is used when injecting liquid, and this section of air in the injection pipe is difficult to discharge. After the air enters the cooling system with the coolant, it will be washed into small bubbles during the flow process. The specific heat capacity of these bubbles is much smaller than that of the coolant, which will greatly reduce the cooling efficiency. The inverted U-shaped tube designed by the present invention can also completely discharge this part of the air to ensure the smooth operation of the heat treatment system.
[0011] Preferably, the diameter of the exhaust pipe is much smaller than the diameter of the injection pipe, which will not affect the injection flow rate.
[0012] An exhaust valve is also provided below the exhaust port, and the exhaust valve includes a movable valve body. The density of the movable valve body is smaller than that of the coolant, so it can move up and down in the inverted U-shaped gas-liquid separation tube according to the liquid level of the coolant. As the coolant is injected, the air will be discharged from the exhaust port at the top of the inverted U-shaped gas-liquid separation tube, and the liquid level of the coolant will continue to rise. When the air is completely discharged, the coolant level is the highest, and the movable valve body is squeezed to the exhaust port, so as to achieve the purpose of automatically closing the exhaust valve when there is no gas in the tube.
[0013] Preferably, the movable valve body is a sphere.
[0014] Preferably, the liquid inlet and liquid outlet of the inverted U-shaped gas-liquid separation tube are respectively set as a gradually expanding tube and a gradually converging tube. The gradually expanding tube can slow down the flow rate of the coolant to prevent the movable valve body from being pressed against the liquid outlet due to excessive flow and blocking the circulation system. The gradually converging tube can prevent the movable valve body from being rushed out of the inverted U-shaped gas-liquid separation tube.
[0015] In order to prevent improper operation from causing excessive hydraulic pressure and thus rupture of weak parts in the circulation system, a hydraulic control unit is added to the second end of the inverted U-shaped gas-liquid separation tube. The hydraulic control unit includes a hydraulic sensor and an electric-controlled ball valve. The flow in the tube is detected by the hydraulic sensor. When the flow is too large, the flow is adjusted by the electric-controlled ball valve. Preferably, the detection and adjustment process is automatically completed through an algorithm program or software, which ensures the accuracy of the adjustment and reduces the workload of the staff.
[0016] In order to avoid the entry of air and maintain stable pressure when the injection is completed, multiple people need to cooperate to close multiple valves at the same time. A check valve is connected to the first end of the inverted U-shaped gas-liquid separation tube to avoid negative pressure backflow and air backflow when the water pump stops.
[0017] The invention has the advantages that the coolant filling and replenishing operations performed by the invention can be completed by a single person, which simplifies the operation and prevents damage to machine parts caused by misoperation.
[0018] Further preferred features and advantages can be derived from the foregoing description and the specification. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the coolant filling and replenishment device.
[0020] Figure 2 It is a cross-sectional view of an inverted U-shaped gas-liquid separation tube. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0021] The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with specific embodiments.
[0022] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 A coolant filling and replenishing device for a thermal management system shown in the figure comprises an inverted U-shaped gas-liquid separation pipe 2, a check valve 1, a hydraulic control unit, a submersible pump, a coolant filling port 6 and a coolant replenishing port 7. The check valve 1 is connected to the coolant filling port 6, and the submersible pump is connected to the second end of the coolant replenishing port 7. The hydraulic control unit comprises a hydraulic sensor 4 and an electric-controlled ball valve 3, and the hydraulic control unit is connected to the first end of the coolant replenishing port 7. The hydraulic control unit automatically controls the flow rate through a program algorithm or software to prevent the pipeline from rupturing due to excessive pressure.
[0023] The first end of the inverted U-shaped gas-liquid separation pipe 2 is connected to the check valve 1, and the second end is connected to the hydraulic control unit. The inverted U-shaped top of the inverted U-shaped gas-liquid separation pipe 2 has an exhaust port 8. The inverted U-shaped gas-liquid separation pipe 2 has an exhaust valve 9 inside, and the exhaust valve 9 includes a movable valve body 10.
[0024] The density of the movable valve body 10 is less than that of the coolant and greater than that of the air, so that the movable valve body 10 moves closer to and away from the exhaust port 8 in the inverted U-shaped gas-liquid separation tube 2 along with the rise and fall of the liquid level. The movable valve body 10 is a sphere, which facilitates the movable valve body 10 to move in the inverted U-shaped gas-liquid separation tube 2 without getting stuck.
[0025] Furthermore, it also includes an exhaust pipe 5, which is connected to the exhaust port 8. The diameters of the exhaust port 8 and the exhaust pipe 5 are much smaller than the minimum diameter of the inverted U-shaped gas-liquid separation pipe 2, ensuring that the flow of the coolant is not affected when the air is exhausted.
[0026] Furthermore, the first port of the inverted U-shaped gas-liquid separation tube 2 is a gradually expanding tube, and the second port of the inverted U-shaped gas-liquid separation tube 2 is a gradually contracting tube. This design can prevent the instantaneous water pressure from being too high when the submersible pump is connected, and the movable valve body 10 will be pressed against the second port of the inverted U-shaped gas-liquid separation tube 2 to block the pipeline.
[0027] Working principle: coolant is extracted by a submersible pump and passed into the coolant replenishment port 7. The coolant flows through the electric ball valve 3 and the hydraulic sensor 4. The hydraulic sensor 4 transmits the flow signal to the external program or software. The coolant flow in the tube is controlled by the electric ball valve 3. Then the coolant flows into the inverted U-shaped gas-liquid separation tube 2, passes through the gradually expanding tube of the first port, and the flow rate slows down, slowly lifting the movable valve body 10 in the exhaust valve 9. While the coolant is being introduced, the air is discharged from the exhaust port 8 at the top of the inverted U-shaped gas-liquid separation tube 2. After the air is completely discharged, the movable valve body 10 reaches the highest point and closes the exhaust valve 9. After the liquid filling is completed, the submersible pump can be directly closed, and the check valve 1 can be automatically closed to prevent the negative pressure backflow of the coolant. The coolant filling and replenishing device proposed by the present invention only needs to be operated by one person, and the operation is simple. All valves except the submersible pump are automatically opened and closed, avoiding damage to the machine due to misoperation. The specially designed inverted U-shaped gas-liquid separation tube 2 can automatically close the exhaust valve 9 after the air in the pipeline is completely discharged, eliminating the manual exhaust step.
[0028] The above description is only the preferred embodiment of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. For those skilled in the art, the present application may have various modifications and variations. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application shall be included in the protection scope of the present application.
[0029] Although the above describes the specific implementation methods of the present invention, it is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that various modifications or variations that can be made by those skilled in the art on the basis of the technical solution of the present invention without creative work are still within the scope of protection of the present invention.
Claims
1. A device for filling and replenishing coolant in a thermal management system, characterized in that: It includes an inverted U-shaped gas-liquid separation pipe, a check valve, a hydraulic control unit, a submersible pump coolant filling port and a coolant replenishment port. The check valve is connected to the coolant filling port, and the submersible pump is connected to the second end of the coolant replenishing port. The hydraulic control unit includes a hydraulic sensor and an electric control ball valve, and the hydraulic control unit is connected to the first end of the coolant replenishing port. The first end of the inverted U-shaped gas-liquid separation tube is connected to the check valve, and the second end is connected to the hydraulic control unit. The top end of the inverted U-shaped gas-liquid separation tube is provided with an exhaust port.
2. A coolant filling and replenishing device for a thermal management system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The hydraulic control unit can automatically control the flow rate through a program algorithm or software.
3. A coolant filling and replenishing device for a thermal management system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The inverted U-shaped gas-liquid separation tube has an exhaust valve inside. The exhaust valve comprises a movable valve body, and the movable valve body moves closer to and farther from the exhaust port in the inverted U-shaped gas-liquid separation tube as the liquid level rises and falls.
4. A coolant filling and replenishing device for a thermal management system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes an exhaust pipe, wherein the exhaust pipe and the exhaust port are communicated with each other.
5. A coolant filling and replenishing device for a thermal management system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The diameter of the exhaust port is much smaller than the minimum diameter of the inverted U-shaped gas-liquid separation tube.
6. A coolant filling and replenishing device for a thermal management system as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that: The movable valve body is a sphere.
7. A coolant filling and replenishing device for a thermal management system as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that: The density of the movable valve body is smaller than that of the coolant and larger than that of air.
8. A coolant filling and replenishing device for a thermal management system as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that: The first port of the inverted U-shaped gas-liquid separation tube is a gradually expanding tube, and the second port of the inverted U-shaped gas-liquid separation tube is a gradually contracting tube.