Low-temperature radiator capable of changing heat area and front-end cooling module comprising low-temperature radiator

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of automobiles, and aims to solve the technical defects in the prior art and solve the problems of cooling contradiction and air conditioner interference of an extended-range electric vehicle in typical working conditions of high temperature, high load, parking power generation and the like. The invention provides a low-temperature radiator with a changeable heat area and a front-end cooling module comprising the low-temperature radiator. The low-temperature radiator comprises a heat dissipation cavity provided with a control flow channel and a heat dissipation flow channel, the heat dissipation cavity is provided with a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet, and a heat exchange area control valve is arranged on the side, close to the liquid inlet, of the control flow channel from the heat dissipation flow channel. The liquid inlet is used for leading in cooling liquid needing heat exchange, and the liquid outlet is used for outputting the cooling liquid after heat dissipation. According to the low-temperature radiator, the heat dissipation flow channel is arranged in the control flow channel, and the heat exchange area control valve is arranged at the position close to the liquid inlet; the actual heat exchange participation area of the cooling liquid in the low-temperature radiator can be flexibly controlled according to the working condition change of the whole vehicle, and the cooling capacity can be adjusted according to needs.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the automotive field, specifically a low-temperature radiator with variable heat area and a front-end cooling module containing the low-temperature radiator. Background Technology

[0002] In recent years, with the rapid development of new energy vehicle technology, pure electric vehicles (EVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), and range-extended electric vehicles (REEVs) have gradually become the mainstream in the market. Especially REEVs, due to their built-in fuel-powered generator system, effectively alleviate range anxiety, achieving a longer pure electric driving range and a combined range of over 1000 kilometers, making them an important component of the new energy vehicle market. However, REEVs have a naturally series system structure, meaning that the driving power mainly comes from the electricity generated by the generator driven by the engine. Therefore, under certain operating conditions, such as when the battery is depleted and cannot output power, but the vehicle still needs to maintain high load operation, the vehicle's thermal management system will face significant challenges. For example, in scenarios such as when the battery is depleted, in high-temperature environments, or when the vehicle is fully loaded and driving on mountain roads or high-speed uphill, the engine must continuously drive the generator to generate electricity at full power, which then drives the electric motor. This results in a triple high heat load acting simultaneously on the engine, generator, and drive motor, causing both the high-temperature and low-temperature radiators to operate at maximum cooling load, placing higher demands on the cooling system's capabilities.

[0003] More complex scenarios include parking-based power generation and air conditioning operation in high-temperature environments. In urban or tropical regions, when a vehicle is stationary, the air conditioning needs to be continuously running to cool it down. If the vehicle battery is depleted at this time, the engine needs to be started to generate electricity to charge the air conditioning system, the vehicle's 12V electrical system, and even the battery. Since the wind speed is zero when parked, forced ventilation by a fan is required, which can easily lead to hot air recirculation. If the low-temperature radiator is placed before the condenser, its area cannot be too small to ensure the heat dissipation capacity of the low-temperature system. However, this will significantly increase the condenser's intake air temperature, resulting in reduced air conditioning condensation efficiency, increased exhaust air temperature, increased vehicle energy consumption, and may even lead to the loss of air conditioning system performance.

[0004] To resolve the aforementioned heat dissipation coupling conflict, two solutions have emerged in the existing technology: First, a layered structure with side-mounted air-cooled heat dissipation is adopted, dividing the cooling module into upper and lower layers. The first layer houses a small low-temperature radiator and condenser, while the second layer houses a large low-temperature radiator and a high-temperature radiator. Two additional intercoolers (low-temperature intercoolers) are also placed on both sides of the vehicle. However, this solution not only results in an excessive number of radiators, occupying a large space and posing a high integration difficulty, but also increases the grille opening area due to the side-mounted radiators, significantly increasing wind resistance and overall vehicle energy consumption. This leads to a complex thermal management structure, high manufacturing and maintenance costs, and low space utilization.

[0005] Secondly, another technical solution is used in the prior art, in which a small low-temperature radiator is placed at the front air inlet, the condenser is located behind it, and then a high-temperature radiator is arranged. Due to the limited space at the front end and the limited LTR area, two more low-temperature radiators need to be arranged on both sides as a supplement.

[0006] While this solution avoids condenser overheating, the small LTR has limited heat dissipation capacity and cannot cover peak low-temperature loads. The side-mounted compensation structure increases wind resistance and has a complex layout, which ultimately makes it more difficult to control and distribute the flow of the multi-LTR structure, affecting system response and cooling consistency.

[0007] Based on this, existing technical solutions still cannot achieve a low-temperature radiator that balances cooling performance and air conditioning performance, as well as a front-end cooling module for electric vehicles that includes the radiator. Therefore, it is urgent to improve existing low-temperature radiators and front-end cooling modules for electric vehicles that include the radiator. Summary of the Invention

[0008] One of the objectives of this invention is to address the technical deficiencies in existing solutions by proposing a low-temperature radiator with variable heat area to solve the cooling contradictions and air conditioning interference problems faced by the aforementioned range-extended electric vehicles under typical operating conditions such as high temperature, high load, and parking power generation.

[0009] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: A low-temperature radiator with variable heat area includes a heat dissipation cavity with a control flow channel and a heat dissipation flow channel. The heat dissipation cavity has a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet. The control flow channel has a heat exchange area control valve on the side of the heat dissipation flow channel near the liquid inlet. The inlet is used to introduce the coolant that needs heat exchange, and the outlet is used to output the coolant after heat dissipation.

[0010] The above technical solution produces the following technical effects: The variable heat area cryogenic radiator of this application, by setting a heat exchange area control valve near the inlet of the heat dissipation channel within the control flow channel, can flexibly control the actual area of ​​coolant participating in heat exchange in the cryogenic radiator according to changes in vehicle operating conditions (such as parking power generation, high-speed driving, air conditioning cooling, etc.), thereby achieving on-demand adjustment of heat dissipation capacity. Compared with the traditional fixed area structure, it effectively avoids system efficiency losses caused by "insufficient cooling" or "excessive heat dissipation".

[0011] As a further improvement to the low-temperature heat sink with variable heat area of ​​this application, the heat exchange area control valve is any one of a three-way valve, an electronic control valve, or a thermal control valve.

[0012] As a further improvement of the low-temperature radiator with variable thermal area of ​​this application, the heat load of the coolant introduced into the inlet is at least one of the intercooling heat load, DHT or generator system heat load and drive system heat load.

[0013] As a further improvement to the low-temperature radiator with variable thermal area of ​​this application, the intercooling heat load, the DHT or generator system heat load and the drive system heat load are connected in series or in parallel.

[0014] As a further improvement of the low-temperature radiator with variable heat area in this application, the intercooler heat load is generated as follows: the hot air generated by the turbocharger flows through the air passage of the intercooler, and the cooled liquid after heat dissipation flows through the liquid passage of the intercooler. The intercooler transfers the heat of the hot air in the air passage to the coolant in the liquid passage, thereby generating the coolant that needs heat exchange. The heat load generation method of DHT or generator system is as follows: coolant directly covers the components in DHT or generator system through pipes, and the cooled coolant absorbs the heat of the components after heat dissipation, thereby generating coolant that needs heat exchange. The heat load of the drive system is generated as follows: the coolant directly covers the heat-generating elements of the drive system through the pipes, and the cooled coolant absorbs the heat from the heat-generating elements after heat dissipation, thus generating the coolant that needs to exchange heat.

[0015] The second objective of this invention is to address the technical deficiencies in existing solutions by designing a front-end cooling module for a low-temperature radiator with the aforementioned variable thermal area.

[0016] To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, this application adopts the following technical solution: A front-end cooling module includes, in sequence, a front air guide device, a condenser, a low-temperature radiator with variable heat area and a high-temperature radiator. The front air guide device directs the ambient airflow toward the surface of the condenser and the low-temperature and high-temperature radiators with variable heat area. The condenser is used for heat exchange in air conditioning and is located in front of the low-temperature radiator with variable heat area, while the low-temperature radiator with variable heat area is located in front of the high-temperature radiator.

[0017] The above technical solution produces the following technical effects: In high-temperature environments, when a vehicle is in parking generator mode, if the vehicle is in a depleted power state, the engine must generate electricity to maintain air conditioning operation. At this time, because the airflow is zero, backflow of air behind the radiator is likely to occur. If all the low-temperature radiators are located in front of or behind the condenser, the condenser intake air temperature will be significantly increased, leading to a decrease in air conditioning condensing efficiency and an increase in compressor load. By controlling the valve to close the flow channels of the low-temperature radiator with exchangeable heat area near the condenser outlet, allowing only the area above the condenser airflow channel to participate in heat exchange, thermal disturbance to the air conditioning system caused by the LTR (Low Temperature Radiator) can be avoided, thereby improving the air conditioning cooling performance.

[0018] When a range-extended electric vehicle is under extreme conditions such as "battery depletion, full-load hill climbing, and air conditioning operation," the engine, generator, and drive motor will all be operating under high load simultaneously. At this time, by fully opening the control valves, the coolant flows through all heat dissipation channels, fully utilizing the maximum heat exchange capacity of the low-temperature radiator, and working in conjunction with the high-temperature radiator to meet the peak heat load requirements of the entire vehicle.

[0019] As a further improvement of the front-end cooling module of this application, the high-temperature radiator is used to dissipate heat from the high-temperature coolant, and the high thermal load of the high-temperature coolant is the engine thermal load.

[0020] As a further improvement of the front-end cooling module of this application, the heat load of the engine cooling system is generated as follows: high-temperature coolant directly covers the cylinder block or cylinder head in the engine through pipes, and the high-temperature coolant after heat dissipation absorbs the heat of the cylinder block or cylinder head to generate high-temperature coolant that needs heat exchange.

[0021] As a further improvement to the front-end cooling module of this application, a cooling fan is provided at the rear of the high-temperature heat sink.

[0022] As a further improvement to the front-end cooling module of this application, the height of the low-temperature heat sink with variable heat area is greater than the height of the condenser. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the radiator heat exchange area control valve in the closed state in this invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram showing the open state of the radiator heat exchange area control valve in this invention. Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the heat load composition of the low-temperature radiator in this invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram showing the composition and positional relationship of the front-end cooling module of the present invention; In the diagram: 1-Heat dissipation cavity; 2-Heat exchange area control valve; 3-Condenser; 4-High temperature radiator; 5-Cooling fan; 6-Air guide device; 11-Control flow channel; 12-Heat dissipation flow channel; 13-Liquid inlet; 14-Liquid outlet. Detailed Implementation

[0024] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention. Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which this application belongs. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the present application. In the description of this invention, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "joining," and "fixing" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances. Although this application discloses preferred embodiments as follows, it is not intended to limit the claims. Any person skilled in the art can make several possible variations and modifications without departing from the concept of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope defined by the claims of this application. Example 1 as follows... Figure 1-3As shown, this application addresses the technical deficiencies in existing solutions by proposing a variable-area low-temperature radiator to resolve the cooling contradictions and air conditioning interference issues faced by range-extended electric vehicles under typical operating conditions such as high temperature, high load, and stationary power generation. Specifically, the variable-area low-temperature radiator of this application includes: a heat dissipation cavity 1 with a control flow channel 11 and a heat dissipation flow channel 12. The heat dissipation cavity 1 has an inlet 13 and an outlet 14. The control flow channel 11 has a heat exchange area control valve 2 on the side of the heat dissipation flow channel 12 closest to the inlet 13. The inlet 13 is used to introduce coolant requiring heat exchange, and the outlet 14 is used to output the cooled coolant. In practical implementation, when the vehicle is in motion, all heat exchange area control valves 2 in the variable-area low-temperature radiator are open, meaning the entire low-temperature radiator participates in heat exchange. When the vehicle is stationary, the air conditioning is on, and the engine needs to generate electricity, only one heat exchange area control valve 2 is closed. For example, closing the heat exchange area control valve 2 located in the middle of the control flow channel 11 of the heat dissipation cavity 1 means that only the upper part of the low-temperature radiator participates in the circulating heat exchange, while the lower part does not. The purpose of this is that when the air conditioner is turned on, the air temperature after the condenser 3 is high, but because the low-temperature radiator after the condenser 3 does not participate in the circulation, its heat exchange is not affected by the airflow from the condenser 3. The upper part of the low-temperature radiator, however, can participate in the circulating heat exchange because it receives ambient air. However, when the vehicle is parked, the drive system does not require cooling; only the intercooling load during engine power generation and the generator section have some cooling needs. The overall heat exchange demand is not large, so the upper part of the heat exchange area is sufficient.

[0025] Furthermore, the variable heat exchange area low-temperature radiator of this application optimizes the balance between cooling efficiency and energy consumption by adjusting the heat exchange area. Under different vehicle operating conditions, the opening and closing state of the heat exchange area control valve 2 is adjusted by the control system to achieve flexible distribution of coolant within the heat dissipation chamber 1. For example, when driving at high speed or with a fully charged battery, the vehicle's heat load is relatively low. At this time, the heat exchange area control valve 2 at a higher position in the heat dissipation chamber 1 can be closed to reduce the number of heat dissipation channels 12 involved in heat exchange, thereby reducing energy consumption and improving the overall system efficiency.

[0026] Furthermore, in hot summer weather, when the vehicle is stationary and the battery is depleted, the owner may need to cool the vehicle, especially if the battery temperature is already high. Because the vehicle is depleted, the large battery cannot provide power to the entire vehicle; therefore, the engine needs to generate electricity to support the compressor and the vehicle's low-voltage load. At this time, because the air conditioning system needs to operate, the air temperature behind condenser 3 is high. If the low-temperature radiator were to participate entirely in heat exchange, its heat exchange capacity would be extremely low or lost. Therefore, the heat exchange area control valve 2 needs to be closed. Figure 2As shown, only the portion exceeding the height of condenser 3 undergoes heat exchange. When the vehicle is in motion, the airflow into the front module increases, the air temperature behind condenser 3 decreases, and the heat dissipation demand of the low-temperature radiator increases. At this time, the heat exchange area control valve 2 can be opened to allow the entire low-temperature radiator to participate in heat exchange.

[0027] Furthermore, the heat exchange area control valve 2 can be any one of a three-way valve, an electronic control valve, or a thermal control valve. By controlling the heat exchange area control valve 2, the heat exchange area of ​​the low-temperature radiator can be changed.

[0028] Preferably, the vehicle cooling system is constructed as follows: First, based on the vehicle's powertrain and cooling requirements, a preliminary design of the entire cooling system architecture is made. Then, the cooling load of each radiator under test conditions is calculated. In this application, the intercooled intake section of the engine transfers the air heat load to the low-temperature radiator via a water-to-air intercooled heat exchanger. Simultaneously, the generator, drive motor, and electrical power devices also dissipate heat through the low-temperature radiator. If any mechanism uses oil cooling, heat can also be removed through a water-to-oil heat exchanger via the low-temperature radiator. Figure 3 As shown, the components are not limited to parallel connection; series connection is also possible.

[0029] Specifically, such as Figure 3 The heat load introduced into the coolant through the inlet 13 shown is at least one of the following: intercooler heat load, DHT or generator system heat load, and drive system heat load. The intercooler heat load is generated as follows: hot air generated by the turbocharger flows through the air passage of the intercooler, and the cooled coolant flows through the liquid passage of the intercooler. The intercooler transfers the heat from the hot air in the air passage to the coolant in the liquid passage, thus generating the coolant that requires heat exchange. The DHT or generator system heat load is generated as follows: coolant directly coats the components in the DHT or generator system through pipes, and the cooled coolant absorbs the heat from the components, thus generating the coolant that requires heat exchange. The heat load of the drive system is generated as follows: coolant directly coats the heat-generating elements of the drive system through pipes, and the cooled coolant absorbs the heat from the heat-generating elements after dissipation, thus generating the coolant that needs heat exchange. Example 2 like Figure 1-4As shown, in order to further meet the cooling needs of electric vehicles in tropical regions and provide excellent cooling performance, while also meeting the parking cooling needs when the battery is depleted (the engine generates electricity, the battery is not working or is in a charging state), this application improves the existing front-end cooling module, which includes, in sequence, a front air guide device 6, a condenser 3, a low-temperature radiator with a variable heat area of ​​any of the above and a high-temperature radiator 4; the front air guide device 6 guides the ambient airflow to the surface of the condenser 3 and the low-temperature radiator and high-temperature radiator with a variable heat area of ​​4; the condenser 3 is used for air conditioning heat exchange and is located in front of the low-temperature radiator with a variable heat area of ​​4, and the low-temperature radiator with a variable heat area of ​​4 is located in front of the high-temperature radiator 4.

[0030] Specifically, condenser 3 is positioned at the very front, with no other heat exchangers in front, allowing direct heat exchange with the ambient air. Therefore, its area can be slightly smaller, or a smaller area can be achieved by increasing its thickness. Next is the low-temperature radiator, which is slightly higher than condenser 3, meaning a portion of the low-temperature radiator can directly exchange heat with the ambient air, rather than the air heated by condenser 3. Following the low-temperature radiator is the high-temperature radiator 4, and finally the cooling fan 5. Condenser 3 primarily cools the cabin and the battery pack. The low-temperature radiator cools systems with lower water temperature requirements, such as the electric drive system and intercooler intake system. The high-temperature radiator 4 cools the engine coolant.

[0031] The advantages of this application are that it achieves more functions and meets more application scenarios with as few components and at the lowest possible cost. Compared with existing solutions, this application has fewer heat exchangers (only 3 in total), fewer connecting pipes, and better sealing. The smaller number of heat exchangers eliminates physical splicing, making the sealing solution easier to implement and resulting in better actual sealing performance.

[0032] Among them, the high-temperature radiator 4 is the engine block cooling radiator. The high-temperature radiator 4 is used to dissipate heat from the high-temperature coolant, whose high thermal load is the engine's thermal load. Preferably, the high-temperature coolant directly covers the cylinder block or cylinder head in the engine through pipes. The cooled high-temperature coolant absorbs heat from the cylinder block or cylinder head, thus generating the high-temperature coolant that needs heat exchange. Because the low-temperature radiator in REEV models has a large thermal load, if it were placed in front of the condenser 3, it would severely affect the cooling effect of the air conditioning system and increase the compressor power. Placing the low-temperature radiator in the condenser 3 allows for a full-size arrangement. Furthermore, with the condenser 3 at the front, there is no issue of other cooling components heating the cooling air, and the heat exchange capacity can be improved by thickening the condenser 3 core. Therefore, there is considerable room for variation in the height of the condenser 3.

[0033] During normal driving, the size of the low-temperature radiator can be determined considering cooling requirements. The size of the high-temperature radiator 4 can be determined based on its heat load. During parking and power generation, the heat dissipation load of the low-temperature radiator is determined based on the power generation requirements, and the required height of the low-temperature radiator under parking conditions is also determined. Based on this height, the position of the low-temperature radiator heat exchange area control valve 2 is determined; that is, it is necessary to determine where to divide the area of ​​the low-temperature radiator in two. (This method does not mean that the technical solution of this application limits the heat exchange area control valve 2 to this position; for example, more than two valves can be arranged, thereby allowing for various combinations of heat exchange areas.) Other aspects that are the same as in Example 1 will not be repeated here.

[0034] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus.

[0035] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A low-temperature radiator with variable heat area, characterized in that, It includes a heat dissipation cavity (1) with a control flow channel (11) and a heat dissipation flow channel (12). The heat dissipation cavity (1) is provided with an inlet (13) and an outlet (14). The control flow channel (11) is provided with a heat exchange area control valve (2) on the side of the heat dissipation flow channel (12) near the inlet (13). The inlet (13) is used to introduce the coolant that needs to be heated, and the outlet (14) is used to output the coolant after heat dissipation.

2. A low-temperature radiator with variable heat area according to claim 1, characterized in that, The heat exchange area control valve (2) is any one of a three-way valve, an electronic control valve, or a thermal control valve.

3. A low-temperature radiator with variable heat area according to claim 1, characterized in that, The heat load of the coolant introduced through the inlet (13) is at least one of the following: intercooler heat load, DHT or generator system heat load and drive system heat load.

4. A low-temperature radiator with variable heat area according to claim 3, characterized in that, The intercooling heat load, the DHT or the generator system heat load, and the drive system heat load are connected in series or in parallel.

5. A low-temperature radiator with variable heat area according to claim 3, characterized in that, The intercooler heat load is generated as follows: hot air generated by the turbocharger flows through the air passage of the intercooler, and the cooled liquid after heat dissipation flows through the liquid passage of the intercooler. The intercooler transfers the heat of the hot air in the air passage to the coolant in the liquid passage, thereby generating the coolant that needs heat exchange. The heat load generation method of the DHT or the generator system is as follows: the coolant directly covers the components of the DHT or the generator system through the pipe, and the cooled coolant absorbs the heat of the components after heat dissipation, thereby generating the coolant that needs heat exchange. The heat load of the drive system is generated as follows: the coolant directly covers the heat-generating elements of the drive system through the pipe, and the cooled coolant absorbs the heat of the heat-generating elements after heat dissipation, thereby generating the coolant that needs to exchange heat.

6. A front-end cooling module, characterized in that, It includes, in sequence, a front air guide device (6), a condenser (3), a low-temperature radiator and a high-temperature radiator with variable heat area as described in any one of claims 1-5. The front air guide device (6) guides the ambient airflow to the surface of the condenser (3), the low-temperature radiator with variable heat area, and the high-temperature radiator (4). The condenser (3) is used for air conditioning heat exchange and is located in front of the low-temperature radiator with variable heat area, which is located in front of the high-temperature radiator (4).

7. A front-end cooling module according to claim 6, characterized in that, The high-temperature radiator (4) is used to dissipate heat from the high-temperature coolant, and the high-temperature coolant's heat load is the engine's heat load.

8. A front-end cooling module according to claim 7, characterized in that, The engine cooling system generates heat load by directly enveloping the cylinder block or cylinder head in the engine through pipes. The high-temperature coolant, after dissipating heat, absorbs the heat from the cylinder block or cylinder head, thereby generating high-temperature coolant that requires heat exchange.

9. The front-end cooling module according to claim 6, characterized in that, A cooling fan (5) is provided at the rear of the high-temperature radiator (4).

10. The front-end cooling module according to claim 6, characterized in that, The height of the variable heat area low-temperature radiator is greater than the height of the condenser (3).

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