Thermal management system

Abstract

The invention provides a thermal management system which is used for performing thermal management on a thermal management object, the thermal management system comprises a direct cooling module and an air cooling module, the direct cooling module exchanges heat with the thermal management object through a cooling medium in a cooling circulation pipeline, and the air cooling module exchanges heat with the thermal management object through cold air. The heat management system can selectively start the direct cooling module and / or the air cooling module to dissipate heat of the heat management object. According to the hybrid heat management scheme combining air cooling heat dissipation and direct cooling heat dissipation, the problems that a single direct cooling heat dissipation scheme is difficult to start and poor in refrigeration effect under the subzero low-temperature working condition can be effectively solved, for example, a direct cooling module is used for heat dissipation under the high-temperature working condition, and an air cooling module is switched to be used for heat dissipation under the low-temperature working condition; benefited from the low environment temperature, the single air cooling heat dissipation scheme can show a good heat dissipation effect under the low-temperature working condition, so that the heat management system can stably operate under various working scenes, and the heat dissipation and refrigeration efficiency is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of temperature control technology, and in particular to a thermal management system. Background Art

[0002] With the continuous upgrading of laser welding technology, the highly integrated functional modules of laser welding machines have led to a continuous increase in energy consumption per unit area, and at the same time, the heat dissipation per unit area of ​​the device has continued to increase. In order to further optimize the equipment structure and improve the heat dissipation effect, a direct cooling heat dissipation solution has been proposed in recent years. The copper tube on the evaporation side is buried in the cold plate to directly exchange heat with the heat source. In the process of realizing this application, the inventor found that there are at least the following technical problems in the prior art: the working environment temperature of the electro-optical conversion module of the laser welding machine is generally between -20-60℃, and the heat dissipation temperature control is required to be within the working range of 0-40℃. The direct cooling refrigeration system has the problem of difficulty in starting under sub-zero low temperature conditions.

[0003] Therefore, how to effectively improve the problem of difficult startup and poor refrigeration effect of existing direct cooling refrigeration systems under low temperature conditions is a technical problem that needs to be urgently solved by technical personnel in this field. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of this, the present application provides a thermal management system, aiming to effectively improve the problem of difficulty in starting the above-mentioned direct cooling refrigeration system under low temperature conditions and poor refrigeration effect.

[0005] The present application provides a thermal management system for performing thermal management on a thermal management object. The thermal management system includes a direct cooling module and an air cooling module. The direct cooling module exchanges heat with the thermal management object through a cooling medium in a cooling circulation pipeline, and the air cooling module exchanges heat with the thermal management object through cold air. The thermal management system can selectively turn on the direct cooling module and / or the air cooling module to dissipate heat for the thermal management object.

[0006] In one embodiment, the direct cooling module includes a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator which are sequentially arranged on the cooling circulation pipeline. The cooling medium circulates among the compressor, the condenser, the expansion valve and the evaporator and undergoes corresponding state changes. The evaporator is thermally connected to the thermal management object.

[0007] In one embodiment, the cooling circulation pipeline includes a first pipeline located between the outlet of the expansion valve and the inlet of the evaporator and a second pipeline located between the outlet of the evaporator and the inlet of the compressor, a first stop valve is provided on the first pipeline, and a second stop valve is provided on the second pipeline.

[0008] In one embodiment, the thermal management object, the evaporator and the air cooling module form a heat dissipation module.

[0009] In one embodiment, a plurality of the heat dissipation modules are provided, and the plurality of the heat dissipation modules are arranged in parallel. A plurality of branch pipelines are connected in parallel between the first pipeline and the second pipeline, and a heat dissipation module is provided on each branch pipeline.

[0010] In one embodiment, a distribution head is provided on the first pipeline, and the distribution head is used to selectively divert the cooling medium to one or more branch pipelines.

[0011] In one embodiment, a plurality of the heat dissipation modules are provided, and the plurality of heat dissipation modules are arranged in series.

[0012] In one embodiment, the evaporator includes a cold plate and a heat exchange tube embedded in the cold plate, the cold plate is thermally connected to one side of the thermal management object, and the air cooling module is thermally connected to the other side of the thermal management object.

[0013] In one embodiment, the air cooling module includes heat dissipation fins and a fan, the heat dissipation fins are thermally connected to the thermal management object, and the fan is used to assist the heat dissipation of the heat dissipation fins.

[0014] In one embodiment, the thermal management system includes a refrigeration system and a heat dissipation system located on opposite sides, the refrigeration system includes the compressor, the condenser, the expansion valve and corresponding pipelines, and the heat dissipation system includes the thermal management object, the air cooling module, the evaporator and corresponding pipelines; and / or, the thermal management system includes a control switch, and the control switch can control the thermal management system to switch between a first working mode, a second working mode and a third working mode. In the first working mode, the direct cooling module dissipates heat for the thermal management object alone, in the second working mode, the air cooling module dissipates heat for the thermal management object alone, and in the third working mode, the direct cooling module and the air cooling module dissipate heat for the thermal management object at the same time.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the thermal management system provided by the present application has at least the following beneficial effects:

[0016] The present application provides a thermal management system for thermal management of a thermal management object. The thermal management system includes a direct cooling module and an air cooling module. The direct cooling module exchanges heat with the thermal management object through a cooling medium in a cooling circulation pipeline, and the air cooling module exchanges heat with the thermal management object through cold air. The thermal management system can selectively turn on the direct cooling module and / or the air cooling module to dissipate heat for the thermal management object. The present application proposes a hybrid thermal management solution that combines air cooling and direct cooling, which can effectively improve the problem that a single direct cooling heat dissipation solution is difficult to start and has a poor cooling effect under sub-zero low temperature conditions. For example, a direct cooling module is used for heat dissipation under high temperature conditions, and an air cooling module is switched to heat dissipation under low temperature conditions. Thanks to the lower ambient temperature, the single air cooling heat dissipation solution can also present a better heat dissipation effect under low temperature conditions, and fully combines and utilizes the advantages of air cooling and direct cooling, so that the thermal management system can operate stably in various working scenarios and improve the heat dissipation and refrigeration efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the principle of a thermal management system of the present application in one embodiment.

[0018] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the principle of another embodiment of the thermal management system of the present application.

[0019] Figure numerals: 10-thermal management system; 10a-refrigeration system; 10b-heat dissipation system; 12-thermal management object; 14-direct cooling module; 16-air cooling module; 18-cooling circulation pipeline; 20-compressor; 22-condenser; 24-expansion valve; 26-evaporator; 28-fan; 30-cold plate; 32-bottom plate; 34-cover plate; 36-heat dissipation fins; 38-fan; 40-heat conductive substrate; 42-fins; 44-heat dissipation module; 46-first pipeline; 48-second pipeline; 50-first stop valve; 52-second stop valve; 54-branch pipeline; 56-distribution head. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] Before describing the embodiments in detail, it should be understood that the present application is not limited to the detailed structure or component arrangement described below or in the drawings in the present application. The present application may be an embodiment implemented in other ways. Moreover, it should be understood that the words and terms used herein are only used for descriptive purposes and should not be interpreted restrictively. The words "including", "comprising", "having" and the like used herein are meant to include the items listed thereafter, their equivalents and other additional items. In particular, when describing "a certain element", the present application does not limit the number of the element to one, but may also include multiple elements.

[0021] Please refer to Figure 1As shown, the present application provides a thermal management system 10 for thermal management of a thermal management object 12. The thermal management system 10 includes a direct cooling module 14 and an air cooling module 16. The direct cooling module 14 and the air cooling module 16 are respectively connected to the thermal management object 12 by thermal conduction. The direct cooling module 14 exchanges heat with the thermal management object 12 through the cooling medium in the cooling circulation pipeline 18 to achieve the purpose of cooling the thermal management object 12. The air cooling module 16 exchanges heat with the thermal management object 12 through cold air to achieve the purpose of cooling the thermal management object 12. The thermal management system 10 can selectively turn on the direct cooling module 14 and / or the air cooling module 16 to dissipate heat for the thermal management object 12. The present application proposes a hybrid thermal management solution that combines air cooling and direct cooling, which can effectively solve the problem that the single direct cooling solution is difficult to start and has poor cooling effect under sub-zero low temperature conditions. For example, the direct cooling module 14 is used for heat dissipation under high temperature conditions, and the air cooling module 16 is switched to heat dissipation under low temperature conditions. There is no need to turn on the direct cooling module 14. Thanks to the lower ambient temperature, the single air cooling solution can also present a good heat dissipation effect under low temperature conditions, and fully combines the advantages of air cooling and direct cooling, so that the thermal management system 10 can operate stably in various working scenarios and improve the heat dissipation and refrigeration efficiency.

[0022] In the illustrated embodiment, the thermal management system 10 may be applied to a laser welding machine, and the thermal management object 12 is, for example, an electro-optical conversion module of the laser welding machine.

[0023] In this embodiment, the direct cooling module 14 includes a compressor 20, a condenser 22, an expansion valve 24, and an evaporator 26 which are sequentially arranged on a cooling circulation pipeline 18. The cooling medium circulates in the cooling circulation pipeline 18, and the flow direction is shown by the arrow in the figure. The cooling medium circulates between the compressor 20, the condenser 22, the expansion valve 24, and the evaporator 26 and undergoes corresponding state changes, absorbing heat and evaporating or releasing heat and condensing. The cooling medium is, for example, R134a refrigerant, and the evaporator 26 is connected to the thermal management object 12 by thermal conduction. Specifically, the compressor 20 includes an air intake and an air outlet, wherein the air intake is connected to the outlet of the evaporator 26, and the air outlet is connected to the inlet of the condenser 22. The low-temperature and low-pressure cooling medium vapor formed by the heat absorption and evaporation of the evaporator 26 flows through the compressor 20, and the compressor 20 performs work on it to convert it into a high-temperature and high-pressure cooling medium gas, and transports it to the condenser 22 for condensation. The inlet of the condenser 22 is connected to the compressor 20, and the outlet is connected to the inlet of the expansion valve 24. The high-temperature and high-pressure cooling medium gas from the compressor 20 exchanges heat with the external air and releases heat to liquefy in the process of flowing through the condenser 22, forming a medium-temperature and medium-pressure liquid cooling medium and transporting it to the expansion valve 24 from the outlet of the condenser 22. The inlet of the expansion valve 24 is connected to the condenser 22, and the outlet is connected to the inlet of the evaporator 26. The expansion valve 24 has a throttling effect on the cooling medium flowing through, and the medium-temperature and medium-pressure liquid cooling medium becomes a low-temperature and low-pressure liquid cooling medium after the throttling effect of the expansion valve 24. The low-temperature and low-pressure liquid cooling medium exchanges heat with the thermal management object 12 in the evaporator 26, absorbs heat and becomes a gaseous cooling medium, thereby cooling the thermal management object 12, and then the low-temperature and low-pressure gaseous cooling medium enters the compressor 20 for compression again, and the cycle is repeated to achieve continuous cooling.

[0024] Preferably, a fan 28 is also provided at the condenser 22, and the fan 28 is used to accelerate the air flow in the environment around the condenser 22, so that the heat at the condenser 22 is efficiently dissipated outward, thereby ensuring that the high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous cooling medium is liquefied into a medium-temperature and medium-pressure liquid cooling medium after releasing heat at the condenser 22, thereby increasing the condensation effect and further enhancing the refrigeration effect of the direct cooling module 14.

[0025] Furthermore, the evaporator 26 includes a cold plate 30 and a heat exchange tube embedded in the cold plate 30. The heat exchange tube is, for example, a copper tube, which can enhance the heat exchange efficiency. The cold plate 30 is connected to one side of the heat management object 12 by heat conduction, and the air cooling module 16 is connected to the other side of the heat management object 12 by heat conduction. Among them, the cold plate 30 includes a bottom plate 32 and a cover plate 34. The bottom plate 32 is fixedly connected to the cover plate 34 and the internal cavities are interconnected. The heat exchange tube is embedded in the internal cavities of the bottom plate 32 and the cover plate 34. The heat exchange surface of the bottom plate 32 facing away from the cover plate 34 is connected to the heating surface on one side of the heat management object 12 by heat conduction, so that the two cooperate in heat exchange. The size of the bottom plate 32 is designed to be larger than the size of the cover plate 34, so that the contact area between the cold plate 30 and the heat management object 12 is increased, thereby enhancing the heat exchange efficiency. The two ends of the bottom plate 32 are respectively provided with a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet corresponding to the two ends of the heat exchange tube, and the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet are both connected to the cooling circulation pipeline 18, that is, the heat exchange tube is a part of the pipe section for evaporation heat exchange on the cooling circulation pipeline 18. The cooling medium undergoes a phase change in the cold plate 30 to directly exchange heat with the heat management object 12, which can adapt to the heat dissipation of the heating device with a higher heat flux density, has high heat exchange efficiency, fast response speed, high control accuracy, no need to frequently replace the cooling medium, long service life, and low maintenance cost.

[0026] The air cooling module 16 includes heat dissipation fins 36 and a fan 38. The heat dissipation fins 36 are connected to the heat management object 12 by thermal conduction, and the fan 38 is used to assist the heat dissipation of the heat dissipation fins 36. Specifically, the heat dissipation fins 36 include a heat conductive substrate 40 and a plurality of fins 42 connected to the heat conductive substrate 40. The plurality of fins 42 are, for example, evenly spaced. The heat conductive surface of the heat conductive substrate 40 away from the fins 42 is heat conductively connected to the heat generating surface of the other side of the heat management object 12. The heat generated by the heat management object 12 is transferred to the plurality of fins 42 through the heat conductive substrate 40. The plurality of fins 42 exchange heat with the surrounding low-temperature air, so that the heat emitted by the electro-optical heat exchange module 12 is continuously transferred to the fins 42 to achieve heat dissipation. The fan 38 is, for example, arranged on the side of the plurality of fins 42. The wind generated by the fan 38 blows toward the plurality of fins 42 to accelerate the air flow around the fins 42 and enhance the heat dissipation effect. Low-temperature cold air is used to directly exchange heat with the thermal management object 12, which is particularly suitable for low-temperature environments. The cold energy of the cold air can directly and effectively act on the heat dissipation fins 36, efficiently dissipating heat and cooling the thermal management object 12, with low power consumption, more energy saving, long service life, reduced costs, and improved stability of the heat dissipation system under low-temperature conditions.

[0027] Preferably, the thermal management object 12, the evaporator 26 and the air cooling module 16 together form a heat dissipation module 44, and the evaporator 26 and the air cooling module 16 are integrated on the thermal management object 12, so that the air cooling module 16 is highly integrated with the direct cooling module 14, and the structural space is fully utilized on the basis of direct cooling, thereby improving the overall space utilization of the system.

[0028] In the illustrated embodiment, the cooling circulation pipeline 18 includes a first pipeline 46 located between the outlet of the expansion valve 24 and the inlet of the evaporator 26 and a second pipeline 48 located between the outlet of the evaporator 26 and the inlet of the compressor 20. A first stop valve 50 is provided on the first pipeline 46, and a second stop valve 52 is provided on the second pipeline 48. The first stop valve 50 and the second stop valve 52 can be used to adjust the flow rate or flow velocity of the cooling medium in the cooling circulation pipeline 18, so that the thermal management system 10 can adjust the flow rate or flow velocity of the cooling medium according to the calorific value of the thermal management object 12, thereby more accurately performing temperature control, neutralizing the calorific value of the thermal management object 12 with the most appropriate cooling capacity, and avoiding energy waste. In addition, in some usage scenarios, when the direct cooling module 14 is started and the air cooling module 16 is not enabled, the first stop valve 50 and the second stop valve 52 can be controlled to open, and the cooling medium can circulate in the cooling circulation pipeline 18; when the direct cooling module 14 is not started and the air cooling module 16 is enabled, the first stop valve 50 and the second stop valve 52 can be controlled to close, so that the cooling medium cannot enter the evaporator 26.

[0029] In the illustrated embodiment, the thermal management system 10 includes a cooling system 10a and a heat dissipation system 10b located on opposite sides. Figure 1 and Figure 2 In the figure, a dotted line passes through the first pipeline 46 and the second pipeline 48. The part above the dotted line is the refrigeration system 10a, and the part below the dotted line is the heat dissipation system 10b. The refrigeration system 10a includes a compressor 20, a condenser 22, an expansion valve 24 and corresponding pipelines, and the heat dissipation system 10b includes a thermal management object 12, an air cooling module 16, an evaporator 26 and corresponding pipelines, or in other words, the heat dissipation system 10b includes at least one heat dissipation module 44 and corresponding pipelines. The refrigeration system 10a can be placed outdoors, and the heat dissipation system 10b can be placed indoors. The first stop valve 50 and the second stop valve 52 can be allocated to the refrigeration system 10a, or to the heat dissipation system 10b. In this embodiment, the first stop valve 50 and the second stop valve 52 are allocated to the refrigeration system 10a.

[0030] In some embodiments, multiple heat dissipation modules 44 may be provided, and the multiple heat dissipation modules 44 may be provided in parallel or in series. Figure 2As shown, n heat dissipation modules 44 are provided, where n is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and the n heat dissipation modules 44 are provided in parallel. Specifically, n branch pipelines 54 are connected in parallel between the first pipeline 46 and the second pipeline 48, and a heat dissipation module 44 is provided on each branch pipeline 54, and the branch pipeline 54 is connected to the evaporator 26 of the corresponding heat dissipation module 44. With such a configuration, a refrigeration system 10a can dissipate heat for multiple heat management objects 12 at the same time, and each heat management object 12 is also equipped with an air cooling module 16. In other embodiments, multiple heat dissipation modules 44 can also be provided on one branch pipeline 54.

[0031] Preferably, a distribution head 56 is provided on the first pipeline 46. The distribution head 56 is, for example, provided at the cross-linking position on one side of the plurality of parallel branch pipelines 54. The distribution head 56 is used to selectively divert the cooling medium to one or more branch pipelines 54. The cooling medium in the plurality of branch pipelines 54 is heat exchanged and then merged on the other side and enters the compressor 20 to be compressed into a high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous superheated cooling medium. For example, when only one thermal management object 12 is working, the distribution head 56 can control the cooling medium to be distributed only to the branch pipeline 54 corresponding to the working thermal management object 12; when multiple thermal management objects 12 are working, the distribution head 56 can control the cooling medium to be distributed to the plurality of branch pipelines 54 corresponding to the working thermal management objects 12. Furthermore, the distribution head 56 can also adjust the distribution amount of the cooling medium in each branch pipeline 54 according to the different heat dissipation requirements of different thermal management objects 12, so as to realize multi-level precise control.

[0032] In a preferred embodiment, the thermal management system 10 may further include a control switch, which may be a two-level control or a three-level control. When the control switch is a two-level control, the control switch may control the thermal management system 10 to switch between a first working mode and a second working mode. In the first working mode, for example, under high temperature conditions, the direct cooling module 14 alone dissipates heat for the thermal management object 12. In the second working mode, for example, under low temperature conditions, the air cooling module 16 alone dissipates heat for the thermal management object 12. When the control switch is a three-level control, the control switch may control the thermal management system 10 to switch between a first working mode, a second working mode, and a third working mode. In the first working mode, for example, under high temperature conditions, the direct cooling module 14 alone dissipates heat for the thermal management object 12. In the second working mode, for example, under low temperature conditions, the air cooling module 16 alone dissipates heat for the thermal management object 12. In the third working mode, for example, under some conditions, the thermal management object 12 has a large heat dissipation demand, and the direct cooling module 14 and the air cooling module 16 are started simultaneously to dissipate heat for the thermal management object 12.

[0033] In summary, the present application provides a thermal management system for thermally managing a thermal management object. The thermal management system includes a direct cooling module and an air cooling module. The direct cooling module exchanges heat with the thermal management object through the cooling medium in the cooling circulation pipeline, and the air cooling module exchanges heat with the thermal management object through cold air. The thermal management system can selectively turn on the direct cooling module and / or the air cooling module to dissipate heat for the thermal management object. The present application proposes a hybrid thermal management solution that combines air cooling and direct cooling, which can effectively improve the problem that the single direct cooling heat dissipation solution is difficult to start and has poor cooling effect under sub-zero low temperature conditions. For example, the direct cooling module is used for heat dissipation under high temperature conditions, and the air cooling module is switched to heat dissipation under low temperature conditions. Thanks to the lower ambient temperature, the single air cooling heat dissipation solution can also present a good heat dissipation effect under low temperature conditions, and fully combines and utilizes the advantages of air cooling and direct cooling, so that the thermal management system can operate stably in various working scenarios and improve the heat dissipation and refrigeration efficiency.

[0034] The concepts described herein may be implemented in other forms without departing from their spirit and characteristics. The specific embodiments disclosed should be considered illustrative rather than restrictive. Therefore, the scope of this application is determined by the appended claims rather than by the preceding description. Any changes within the literal meaning and equivalent scope of the claims should fall within the scope of these claims.

Claims

1. A thermal management system, characterized in that: Used to perform thermal management on a thermal management object, the thermal management system includes a direct cooling module and an air cooling module. The direct cooling module exchanges heat with the thermal management object through a cooling medium in a cooling circulation pipeline, and the air cooling module exchanges heat with the thermal management object through cold air. The thermal management system can selectively turn on the direct cooling module and / or the air cooling module to dissipate heat for the thermal management object.

2. The thermal management system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The direct cooling module includes a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator which are sequentially arranged on the cooling circulation pipeline. The cooling medium circulates among the compressor, the condenser, the expansion valve, and the evaporator and undergoes corresponding state changes. The evaporator is thermally connected to the thermal management object by heat conduction.

3. The thermal management system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The cooling circulation pipeline includes a first pipeline located between the outlet of the expansion valve and the inlet of the evaporator and a second pipeline located between the outlet of the evaporator and the inlet of the compressor. A first stop valve is provided on the first pipeline, and a second stop valve is provided on the second pipeline.

4. The thermal management system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The thermal management object, the evaporator and the air cooling module form a heat dissipation module.

5. The thermal management system according to claim 4, characterized in that: A plurality of the heat dissipation modules are provided, and the plurality of the heat dissipation modules are arranged in parallel. A plurality of branch pipelines are connected in parallel between the first pipeline and the second pipeline, and a heat dissipation module is arranged on each branch pipeline.

6. The thermal management system according to claim 5, characterized in that: The first pipeline is provided with a distribution head, and the distribution head is used to selectively divert the cooling medium to one or more branch pipelines.

7. The thermal management system according to claim 4, characterized in that: A plurality of the heat dissipation modules are provided, and the plurality of the heat dissipation modules are arranged in series.

8. The thermal management system according to any one of claims 2 to 7, characterized in that: The evaporator includes a cold plate and a heat exchange tube embedded in the cold plate. The cold plate is thermally connected to one side of the thermal management object, and the air cooling module is thermally connected to the other side of the thermal management object.

9. The thermal management system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The air cooling module includes a heat sink and a fan. The heat sink is thermally connected to the thermal management object, and the fan is used to assist the heat sink in dissipating heat.

10. The thermal management system according to any one of claims 2 to 7, characterized in that: The thermal management system includes a refrigeration system and a heat dissipation system located on opposite sides, the refrigeration system includes the compressor, the condenser, the expansion valve and corresponding pipelines, and the heat dissipation system includes the thermal management object, the air cooling module, the evaporator and corresponding pipelines; and / or, the thermal management system includes a control switch, and the control switch can control the thermal management system to switch between a first working mode, a second working mode and a third working mode. In the first working mode, the direct cooling module dissipates heat for the thermal management object alone, in the second working mode, the air cooling module dissipates heat for the thermal management object alone, and in the third working mode, the direct cooling module and the air cooling module dissipate heat for the thermal management object at the same time.

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