Thermal management system and energy storage device
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202510439212.8
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-04-08
- Publication Date
- 2026-10-16
AI Technical Summary
[0003]然而,由于储能设备的制冷需求大,冷媒流量大,从而需要调节阀是大口径的调节阀,大口径的调节阀用于调节控制进入热气旁通支路的冷媒流量时,可支配的开度范围较小,从而调节阀无法有效调节进入热气旁通支路的冷媒的流量,会导致热管理系统的系统压力的鲁棒性问题,使得压缩机受损
[0017]一些实施例中,冷媒基板上集成的多个冷媒器件均位于冷媒基板的第一表面上,第一表面是冷媒基板在厚度方向上的表面;水路基板上集成的多个水路器件均位于水路基板的第二表面的部分区域上,水路基板的第二表面是水路基板在厚度方向上的表面;第一表面和第二表面的部分区域并排设置,且并排方向分别与水路基板的厚度方向和冷媒基板的厚度方向垂直,第一表面和第二表面朝向同一侧。由于多个冷媒器件均位于冷媒基板的第一表面上,多个水路器件均位于水路基板的第二表面的部分区域上,而第一表面和第二表面朝向同一侧,可以在安装时将设有冷媒器件的第一表面和设有水路器件的第二表面均暴露于维护人员,避免维护人员维护时相互干涉,降低维护人员的维护或维修成本。
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Figure CN122931128A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This application relates to the field of energy storage technology, and more particularly to a thermal management system and energy storage device. Background Technology
[0002] In a thermal management system, the refrigerant circuit typically consists of a compressor, condenser, and evaporator connected in sequence. To balance system flow and pressure and ensure stable system operation, a hot gas bypass branch is usually connected between the compressor's input and output ends. Specifically, the flow rate of refrigerant entering the hot gas bypass branch is dynamically controlled to ensure stable operation of the thermal management system. To achieve this dynamic control, a regulating valve is installed upstream of the condenser. The regulating valve's design allows for dynamic control of the refrigerant flow rate into the hot gas bypass branch.
[0003] However, due to the large cooling demand and refrigerant flow of energy storage devices, large-diameter regulating valves are required. When large-diameter regulating valves are used to regulate and control the refrigerant flow into the hot gas bypass branch, the controllable opening range is small. As a result, the regulating valve cannot effectively regulate the refrigerant flow into the hot gas bypass branch, which will lead to the robustness problem of the system pressure of the thermal management system and damage to the compressor.
[0004] In summary, due to the large cooling demand of energy storage devices, large-diameter regulating valves are necessary. However, large-diameter regulating valves can lead to system robustness issues, resulting in poor operational stability of the thermal management system of energy storage devices with high cooling demand under low-temperature conditions. Summary of the Invention
[0005] Embodiments of this application provide a thermal management system and an energy storage device, which can effectively improve the operational stability of the thermal management system of an energy storage device with high cooling demand under low temperature conditions.
[0006] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a thermal management system, which includes a thermal management system and a load. Refrigerant within the thermal management system is used for heat exchange with coolant within the load. The thermal management system includes a compressor, a first condenser, a second condenser, and an evaporator. Refrigerant output from the compressor is output to at least one of the first condenser or the second condenser. Refrigerant output from the first condenser and the second condenser is output to the evaporator. The compressor is used to receive refrigerant output from the evaporator. The first condenser and the second condenser are respectively connected to the load. The load outputs coolant to at least one of the first condenser or the second condenser. A first regulating valve is provided on the branch from the compressor outputting refrigerant to the first condenser. The first regulating valve is used to regulate the flow rate of the refrigerant output from the compressor to the first condenser. The branch from the compressor outputting refrigerant to the first condenser and the branch from the compressor outputting refrigerant to the second condenser are connected in parallel. In this embodiment, since the thermal management system includes a first condenser and a second condenser, the simultaneous operation of the first and second condensers can meet the large cooling capacity requirements of the thermal management system. Furthermore, while meeting the cooling demand, the size of the first and second condensers can be appropriately reduced. The first regulating valve is located on the branch from the compressor's refrigerant output to the first condenser. Therefore, when the thermal management system requires a large cooling capacity, the diameter of the first regulating valve adapted to the first condenser can also be appropriately reduced, meaning a smaller diameter first regulating valve can be used. Because the branches from the compressor's refrigerant output to the first condenser and the compressor's refrigerant output to the second condenser are connected in parallel, with a constant amount of refrigerant output from the compressor, the first regulating valve can adjust the flow rate of the refrigerant from the compressor's output to the first condenser while simultaneously adjusting the flow rate of the refrigerant from the compressor's output to the second condenser. Moreover, the flow rate of the refrigerant from the compressor's output to the first condenser and the flow rate of the refrigerant output to the second condenser are inversely proportional.
[0007] In this embodiment, under low-temperature conditions, the load selector outputs liquid to the first condenser instead of the second condenser. In this case, the high-temperature, high-pressure gaseous refrigerant output from the compressor avoids heat exchange with the coolant when passing through the second condenser. This effectively prevents or reduces heat loss during refrigerant flow. Therefore, the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant output from the second condenser are higher than those from the first condenser. By mixing the refrigerant from the second and first condensers, the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant from the first condenser can be increased, thereby improving the dryness of the refrigerant entering the compressor. Therefore, under low-temperature conditions, when dynamic adjustments to the pressure and temperature of the thermal management system are required, the flow rate of the refrigerant output from the compressor to the second condenser can be adjusted via the first regulating valve. This dynamically adjusts the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant entering the compressor, ensuring that the dryness of the refrigerant entering the compressor meets the requirements and preventing compressor damage. Furthermore, since a small-diameter first regulating valve can be used, the first regulating valve can have a larger opening range when dynamically adjusting the flow rate of refrigerant output from the compressor to the first and second condensers. Because the first regulating valve has a larger opening range to dynamically adjust the flow rate of refrigerant flowing through the first and second condensers, the effectiveness of the first regulating valve in regulating the flow rate of refrigerant flowing through the first and second condensers can be guaranteed, avoiding or reducing the robustness problem of the system pressure of the thermal management system, so as to avoid damage to the compressor.
[0008] In some embodiments, a first water valve is provided on the branch from the load output coolant to the second condenser. This first water valve controls the flow rate of the coolant output from the load to the second condenser. The branch from the load output coolant to the second condenser and the branch from the load output coolant to the first condenser are connected in parallel. By using the first water valve, the flow rate of the coolant output from the load to the second condenser can be controlled and regulated. When the first water valve is completely closed, coolant is no longer output to the second condenser. At this time, the refrigerant does not exchange heat with the coolant as it passes through the second condenser, effectively reducing heat loss during refrigerant passage. This allows for improving the temperature and pressure of the thermal management system under low-temperature conditions. Furthermore, the first water valve can also be partially closed, allowing for dynamic adjustment of the coolant flow rate from the load to the second condenser. This dynamically adjusts the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant output from the second condenser, thereby dynamically adjusting the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant entering the compressor to ensure that the dryness of the refrigerant entering the compressor meets the requirements.
[0009] In some embodiments, the thermal management system further includes a first hot gas bypass branch, which connects the output and input ends of the compressor. Refrigerant output from the compressor is supplied to the compressor via this branch. A first throttling valve for flow control is provided on the first hot gas bypass branch. This branch is connected in parallel with the branch supplying refrigerant from the compressor to the first condenser. In this embodiment, the first regulating valve, while regulating the refrigerant flow rate to the first condenser, can also indirectly regulate the refrigerant flow rate to the first hot gas bypass branch. This allows the thermal management system in this embodiment to dynamically regulate the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant entering the compressor solely through the first hot gas bypass branch under low-temperature conditions. Under extremely low-temperature conditions, the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant entering the compressor can be dynamically regulated simultaneously through both the first hot gas bypass branch and the branch containing the second condenser. This allows the thermal management system in this embodiment to meet a wider range of operating conditions.
[0010] In some embodiments, the thermal management system further includes a second hot gas bypass branch, which connects the output end of the compressor and the input end of the evaporator. The refrigerant output from the compressor is discharged to the evaporator through the second hot gas bypass branch. A second throttling valve for flow control is provided on the second hot gas bypass branch. The second hot gas bypass branch is connected in parallel with the branch from which the compressor outputs refrigerant to the first condenser. Since the second hot gas bypass branch connects the output end of the compressor and the input end of the evaporator, both the refrigerant output from the second condenser and the refrigerant output from the hot gas bypass branch are discharged to the evaporator. This allows the refrigerant from the second condenser and the refrigerant from the hot gas bypass branch to mix within the evaporator. Furthermore, due to the large space within the evaporator, the mixing is more thorough, ensuring that the dryness of the refrigerant entering the compressor meets the requirements.
[0011] In some embodiments, a second regulating valve is provided on the branch line from the compressor output refrigerant to the second condenser. The second regulating valve is used to regulate the flow rate of the refrigerant from the compressor output refrigerant to the second condenser. The thermal management system in this embodiment has advantages in black start under extremely low temperature conditions. Specifically, during black start, by closing the first and second regulating valves, the refrigerant is prevented from entering the large-volume first and second condensers. Instead, it directly enters the compressor through the hot gas bypass branch, thereby effectively reducing the refrigerant flow path and volume. This allows for a rapid increase in the temperature and pressure of the thermal management system, thereby improving the temperature and pressure rise rate during black start.
[0012] In some embodiments, the evaporator includes a first evaporator and a second evaporator. The first evaporator receives refrigerant from the first condenser, and the second evaporator receives refrigerant from the second condenser. The first and second evaporators are respectively connected to a load of the thermal management system, and the load outputs coolant to at least one of the first or second evaporators. In this embodiment, by adapting the first and second evaporators to the first and second condensers, when the second condenser is used as a hot gas bypass, the load can be controlled to not output coolant to the second evaporator. This avoids or reduces heat exchange between the refrigerant and the coolant as the refrigerant flows through the second evaporator, thereby increasing the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant entering the compressor and ensuring that the refrigerant's dryness meets the requirements.
[0013] In some embodiments, a second water valve is provided on the branch line from the load output coolant to the second evaporator. The second water valve is used to control the flow rate of the coolant output from the load to the second evaporator. The branch line from the load output coolant to the second evaporator and the branch line from the load output coolant to the first evaporator are connected in parallel. By using the second water valve, it is possible to prevent the load from outputting coolant to the second evaporator while not affecting the load's output of coolant to the first evaporator, thus avoiding impacting the normal operation of the first condenser and the first evaporator.
[0014] In some embodiments, a first expansion valve is provided between the output end of the first condenser and the input end of the first evaporator, and a second expansion valve is provided between the output end of the second condenser and the input end of the second evaporator. By configuring the first and second expansion valves, they are adapted to the first and second evaporators respectively. Since there are two evaporators, the size of the evaporator can be appropriately reduced, and the diameters of the first and second expansion valves can also be appropriately reduced, thereby effectively improving the throttling capacity of the first and second expansion valves.
[0015] In some embodiments, multiple refrigerant devices of the thermal management system are integrated on a refrigerant substrate. These refrigerant devices are those that flow through the refrigerant. Similarly, multiple water circuit devices of the thermal management system are integrated on a water circuit substrate. These water circuit devices are those that flow through the coolant. By integrating the refrigerant devices onto the refrigerant substrate and connecting them through flow channels, and by integrating the water circuit devices onto the water circuit substrate and connecting them through flow channels, the number of connecting pipes can be effectively reduced, thus lowering the complexity of pipe connections. Furthermore, because both refrigerant and water circuit devices are integrated onto the refrigerant substrate and the water circuit devices are integrated onto the water circuit substrate, the assembly difficulty and space occupation of the refrigerant and water circuit devices in the thermal piping system can be effectively reduced. Moreover, the integrated design of the refrigerant and water circuit devices, concentrating them in one location, facilitates subsequent maintenance and repair.
[0016] In some embodiments, a portion of the refrigerant substrate is stacked on a portion of the water channel substrate, with the stacking direction aligned with the thickness directions of both the water channel substrate and the refrigerant substrate. Multiple refrigerant devices, including a first condenser, a second condenser, and an evaporator, are disposed on the overlapping portion of the refrigerant substrate and the water channel substrate in the stacking direction. Because the first condenser, second condenser, and evaporator are disposed on the overlapping portion of the refrigerant substrate and the water channel substrate in the stacking direction, they are supported not only by the refrigerant substrate but also by the water channel substrate. This effectively improves the support strength for the relatively heavy first condenser, second condenser, and evaporator.
[0017] In some embodiments, multiple refrigerant devices integrated on the refrigerant substrate are located on a first surface of the refrigerant substrate, which is the surface of the refrigerant substrate in the thickness direction; multiple water channel devices integrated on the water channel substrate are located on a portion of a second surface of the water channel substrate, which is the surface of the water channel substrate in the thickness direction; the portions of the first and second surfaces are arranged side by side, and the side-by-side direction is perpendicular to the thickness direction of the water channel substrate and the thickness direction of the refrigerant substrate, respectively, and the first and second surfaces face the same side. Since multiple refrigerant devices are located on the first surface of the refrigerant substrate, and multiple water channel devices are located on a portion of the second surface of the water channel substrate, and the first and second surfaces face the same side, both the first surface with refrigerant devices and the second surface with water channel devices can be exposed to maintenance personnel during installation, avoiding mutual interference during maintenance and reducing maintenance or repair costs.
[0018] In some embodiments, the multiple refrigerant devices further include a first condenser, a second condenser, and an evaporator, which are arranged along a first direction perpendicular to the parallel direction on the surface of the refrigerant substrate. Because the first condenser, second condenser, and evaporator are arranged along the first direction, it facilitates the layout of the flow channels within the refrigerant substrate. For example, it can reduce the intersection or bends of the flow channels within the refrigerant substrate, reduce refrigerant flow resistance, improve circulation efficiency, reduce pressure loss, and improve system energy efficiency.
[0019] In some embodiments, the multiple refrigerant devices also include multiple refrigerant valves, which are located on the first side of the first condenser, second condenser, and evaporator in a side-by-side direction. Multiple water circuit devices are located on the second side of the first condenser, second condenser, and evaporator in a side-by-side direction. The first and second sides are opposite sides of the first condenser, second condenser, and evaporator in a side-by-side direction. This embodiment enables effective functional partitioning of the various components of the thermal management system. The first condenser, second condenser, and evaporator in the middle serve as the heat exchange core, while the two sides house control and connection-related devices. This clear functional partitioning facilitates system expansion, such as adding or removing refrigerant valves. Furthermore, the effective functional partitioning of the various components of the thermal management system facilitates maintenance and repair. In addition, since the first condenser, the second condenser, and the evaporator are the core parts of the thermal management system, and multiple refrigerant valves and multiple water circuit devices are directly or indirectly connected to the first condenser, the second condenser, or the evaporator, placing the first condenser, the second condenser, and the evaporator between multiple refrigerant valves and multiple water circuit devices can effectively reduce the flow path length from multiple refrigerant valves and multiple water circuit devices to the first condenser, the second condenser, or the evaporator. It also helps to reduce the number of bends and branches in the flow path, and significantly reduce pressure drop and energy loss.
[0020] In some embodiments, the external interfaces on the water channel substrate are all located on the outer side of the water channel substrate, which is the surface of the water channel substrate that is furthest from the refrigerant substrate in the side-by-side direction. Since the external interfaces on the water channel substrate are all concentrated on the outer side of the water channel substrate, the connection difficulty of multiple external interfaces can be effectively reduced, which facilitates connection and assembly, as well as manufacturing and processing.
[0021] In some embodiments, the first condenser, the second condenser, and the evaporator are disposed on the surface of the refrigerant substrate facing away from the water channel substrate, and multiple water channel components are disposed on the surface of the water channel substrate facing away from the refrigerant substrate. In this embodiment, multiple water channel components and multiple refrigerant components can be separated by the water channel substrate and the refrigerant substrate, thereby achieving reasonable partitioning to facilitate flexible expansion in the future. Moreover, by increasing the thickness in the stacking direction, the dimensions in other directions can be reduced, thereby diversifying the form of the thermal management system in this embodiment to adapt to more assembly scenarios.
[0022] In some embodiments, multiple refrigerant valves are disposed on the outer side of the refrigerant substrate, and the outer side of the refrigerant substrate is adjacent to the surface of the refrigerant substrate in the thickness direction. That is, the outer side of the refrigerant substrate is adjacent to the first surface. By disposing of multiple refrigerant valves on the outer side of the refrigerant substrate, the outer surface area of the refrigerant substrate can be fully utilized, the utilization rate of the outer surface of the refrigerant substrate can be improved, and the miniaturization design of the refrigerant substrate can be facilitated.
[0023] In some embodiments, the external interfaces on the water channel substrate are located on the surface of the water channel substrate facing away from the refrigerant substrate. Since the usable area of the surface of the water channel substrate facing away from the refrigerant substrate is large in this embodiment, sufficient to accommodate multiple water channel devices and multiple external interfaces, placing the external interfaces on the surface of the water channel substrate facing away from the refrigerant substrate can reduce the design complexity of the water channel substrate and increase its design diversity.
[0024] In some embodiments, a first condenser, a second condenser, and an evaporator are disposed on the surface of the refrigerant substrate facing away from the water circuit substrate. Multiple water circuit components include a water pump, with the pump and its external interface on the water circuit substrate disposed on the surface of the water circuit substrate facing away from the refrigerant substrate. These components also include a multi-way valve, which is disposed in a portion of the surface of the water circuit substrate facing the refrigerant substrate, with the portion outside the coverage area of the refrigerant substrate. Since the multi-way valve is a device requiring frequent maintenance, placing it on the surface of the water circuit substrate facing the refrigerant substrate allows the first surface to face maintenance personnel during installation, thus facilitating maintenance and repair of the multi-way valve and the refrigerant components.
[0025] In some embodiments, multiple refrigerant valves include a first regulating valve, an expansion valve connected to the evaporator inlet, and a throttling valve on the hot gas bypass branch of the thermal management system.
[0026] Secondly, this application provides an energy storage device, which includes a battery pack and a thermal management system as described in any of the first aspects, the thermal management system being used to regulate the temperature of the battery pack or to regulate the temperature of the energy storage device. Attached Figure Description
[0027] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below.
[0028] Figure 1 An embodiment provides a simplified structural diagram of an energy storage device;
[0029] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a thermal management system for an energy storage device provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0030] Figure 3 The embodiment provides a schematic diagram of a thermal management system for an energy storage device;
[0031] Figure 4 The embodiment provides a schematic diagram of another thermal management system;
[0032] Figure 5 The embodiments provide a schematic diagram of yet another thermal management system;
[0033] Figure 6The embodiments provide a schematic diagram of yet another thermal management system;
[0034] Figure 7 The embodiments provide a schematic diagram of yet another thermal management system;
[0035] Figure 8 The embodiments provide a schematic diagram of yet another thermal management system;
[0036] Figure 9 The embodiments provide a schematic diagram of yet another thermal management system;
[0037] Figure 10 An embodiment provides a schematic diagram of the structure of a thermal management system;
[0038] Figure 11 for Figure 10 A front view of the thermal management system in the embodiment;
[0039] Figure 12 The embodiment provides a structural schematic diagram of a thermal management system from a frontal view;
[0040] Figure 13 for Figure 12 A rear-view structural schematic diagram of the thermal management system in the embodiment;
[0041] Figure 14 for Figure 12 Rear view of the thermal management system in the embodiment;
[0042] Figure 15 The embodiment provides a structural schematic diagram of a thermal management system from a frontal view;
[0043] Figure 16 for Figure 15 A front view of the thermal management system in the embodiment;
[0044] Figure 17 for Figure 15 A rear-view structural schematic diagram of the thermal management system in the embodiment;
[0045] Figure 18 for Figure 15 Rear view of the thermal management system in the embodiment.
[0046] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:
[0047] Y, first direction; X, second direction; Z, stacking direction;
[0048] 1. Energy storage equipment; 2. Cabinet; 3. Battery pack; 4. Thermal management system;
[0049] 10. Plate heat exchanger module; 11. Compressor; 12. Gas-liquid separator;
[0050] 20. Condenser; 21. First condenser; 22. Second condenser;
[0051] 30. Evaporator; 31. First evaporator; 32. Second evaporator;
[0052] 40. Hot gas bypass branch; 41. First hot gas bypass branch; 42. Second hot gas bypass branch;
[0053] 50. Throttling valve; 51. First throttle valve; 52. Second throttle valve;
[0054] 60. Control valve; 61. First control valve; 62. Second control valve;
[0055] 71. First expansion valve; 72. Second expansion valve;
[0056] 81. First water valve; 82. Second water valve; 83. Multi-way valve; 84. Heat exchanger; 85. Fan; 86. First water pump; 87. Second water pump;
[0057] 91. Refrigerant substrate; 911. First surface; 912. Outer surface of refrigerant substrate; 92. Refrigerant device; 921. Refrigerant valve; 93. Water circuit substrate; 931. Second surface; 932. External interface; 933. Outer surface of water circuit substrate; 934. Third surface; 94. Water circuit device; 95. Water pump. Detailed Implementation
[0058] The following section will first explain some of the terms used in the embodiments of this application.
[0059] The terms "first," "second," "third," etc., in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged where appropriate so that the embodiments of this application described herein can be implemented, for example, in orders other than those illustrated or described herein. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion; for example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that comprises a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to such processes, methods, products, or apparatus.
[0060] In this specification, the terms "vertical" and "parallel" are explained.
[0061] Perpendicularity: The perpendicularity defined in this application is not limited to an absolute perpendicular intersection (with an included angle of 90 degrees). It is permissible for non-absolute perpendicular intersections caused by factors such as assembly tolerances, design tolerances, and structural flatness. It is permissible for errors within a small angular range, such as an assembly error range of 80 to 100 degrees, which can all be understood as a perpendicular relationship.
[0062] Parallelism: The parallelism defined in this application is not limited to absolute parallelism. This definition of parallelism can be understood as basic parallelism, allowing for situations where the parallelism is not absolute due to factors such as assembly tolerances, design tolerances, and structural flatness. These situations may lead to the sliding mating part and the first door panel not being absolutely parallel, but this application also defines such situations as parallelism.
[0063] Modern society is filled with a vast number of devices that rely on electricity, from small household appliances to large data centers and factory production lines. Electricity supply has become one of the factors that maintain the normal operation of modern society. As a result, energy storage devices have developed rapidly and are widely used. Figure 1 An embodiment provides a simplified structural diagram of an energy storage device 1. Figure 1 This is a front view of the energy storage device 1. The energy storage device 1 provided in this embodiment can be a battery pack 3, an energy storage cabinet using the battery pack 3, a power cabinet for a data center, or even a vehicle using the battery pack 3. The energy storage device 1 can be used to store electrical energy and to supply power to equipment requiring electricity. The energy storage device 1 can be applied in fields such as site energy, photovoltaics, residential energy storage, industrial and commercial energy storage, and large-scale ground-mounted power plant energy storage.
[0064] Reference Figure 1 The energy storage device 1 includes a cabinet 2 and a load and thermal management system 4 housed within the cabinet 2. The thermal management system 4 is used to regulate the temperature of the load or the temperature of the energy storage device 1. The load can be at least one of a battery pack 3 or a power converter. The battery pack 3 is used for storing or discharging electricity. The battery pack 3 can be a lithium-ion battery pack 3, such as a lithium iron phosphate battery pack 3, or a sodium-ion battery pack 3, etc.
[0065] Understandably, the stable operation of the thermal management system 4 is crucial to the safety and lifespan of the energy storage device 1, and the steady-state of the operating pressure and temperature of the thermal management system 4 determines the stability of its operation. However, under low-temperature conditions, such as in the low-temperature environment of northern winters, the thermal management system 4 often experiences a decrease in system pressure due to the low ambient temperature. This can easily lead to problems such as liquid slugging damage and low-pressure suction damage in the compressor 11 of the thermal management system 4, resulting in unstable operation of the thermal management system 4.
[0066] To avoid instability in the thermal management system 4 due to low-temperature conditions, related technologies typically employ electric heating to raise the temperature of the water circuit section of the thermal management system 4, effectively addressing its instability under low-temperature conditions. However, using electric heating to raise the system temperature in energy storage systems requires a significant amount of space. Moreover, electric heating is primarily used during the black start of the thermal management system 4, and it cannot effectively and dynamically regulate the temperature and pressure of the thermal management system 4.
[0067] In order to solve the problem that electric heating cannot dynamically adjust the temperature and pressure of the thermal management system 4 Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a thermal management system 4 for an energy storage device 1 provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 2 This embodiment is used to dynamically regulate the temperature and pressure of the thermal management system 4. Specifically, the thermal management system 4 includes a compressor 11, a condenser 20, and an evaporator 30. The evaporator 30 is used for heat exchange between the refrigerant and the coolant. The compressor 11, condenser 20, and evaporator 30 are connected to form a refrigerant circuit. In the refrigerant circuit, the compressor 11 is located between the output end of the evaporator 30 and the input end of the condenser 20. The compressor 11 is used to convert the low-pressure gaseous refrigerant into a high-pressure gaseous refrigerant. The high-pressure gaseous refrigerant is liquefied after passing through the condenser 20, and the refrigerant releases heat in the condenser 20. After absorbing heat in the evaporator 30, the refrigerant becomes gaseous and is output to the compressor 11. The condenser 20 is used for heat exchange between the energy storage device 1 (e.g., Figure 1 The battery pack 3 in the energy storage device 1 is used for heating, and the evaporator 30 is used for cooling the battery pack 3 in the energy storage device 1.
[0068] Because under low-temperature operating conditions, the refrigerant cannot absorb enough heat after passing through the evaporator 30 to maintain the temperature and pressure when it enters the compressor 11, meaning the dryness of the refrigerant entering the compressor 11 cannot be effectively guaranteed. Insufficient refrigerant dryness can lead to liquid slugging damage and low-pressure suction damage to the compressor 11. To avoid this problem in the compressor 11, refer to... Figure 2In this embodiment, the thermal management system 4 also includes a hot gas bypass branch 40, which is equipped with a throttling valve 50. The throttling valve 50 is used to reduce the pressure of the high-temperature gaseous refrigerant on the high-pressure side by throttling, so that the pressure matches the low-pressure side and avoids pressure surges that could impact the system. The hot gas bypass branch 40 connects the output end and the input end of the compressor 11. The high-pressure gaseous refrigerant output by the compressor 11 is divided into two parts. One part is output to the condenser 20 and evaporator 30 for the normal heating and cooling functions of the thermal management system 4. The other part bypasses the condenser 20 and evaporator 30 and is directly output to the compressor 11 through the hot gas bypass branch 40. This allows the high-pressure, high-temperature gaseous refrigerant output from the compressor 11 to be directly output to the input end of the compressor 11 and mixed with the refrigerant that is not dry enough. This increases the dryness of the refrigerant entering the compressor 11 through the input end of the compressor 11, thereby avoiding liquid slugging damage and low-pressure suction damage to the compressor 11.
[0069] In order to dynamically adjust the temperature and pressure of the thermal management system 4, refer to Figure 2 In this embodiment, the thermal management system 4 also includes a regulating valve 60. The regulating valve 60 is located on the branch from the compressor 11 to the condenser 20, meaning that a portion of the refrigerant output from the compressor 11 passes sequentially through the regulating valve 60, the condenser 20, and the evaporator 30, while the other portion flows directly to the compressor 11 via the hot gas bypass branch 40. In other words, the branch containing the regulating valve 60, the condenser 20, and the evaporator 30 is connected in parallel with the hot gas bypass branch 40. Therefore, the refrigerant flow ratio between the branch from the compressor 11 to the condenser 20 and the hot gas bypass branch 40 can be dynamically adjusted using the regulating valve 60. For example, under the premise of constant compressor 11 power, a larger opening of the regulating valve 60 results in a smaller refrigerant flow in the hot gas bypass branch 40, and a smaller opening of the regulating valve 60 results in a larger refrigerant flow in the hot gas bypass branch 40. The refrigerant flow rate of the hot gas bypass branch 40 is precisely adjusted by regulating valve 60 to ensure that an appropriate amount of high-pressure refrigerant enters the low-pressure side, which can maintain the stability of system pressure and prevent the cooling or heating efficiency of the thermal management system 4 from decreasing significantly due to excessive bypass.
[0070] However, due to energy storage device 1 (see reference) Figure 1 The energy storage device 1 has a large cooling demand and a large refrigerant flow rate. Furthermore, the increasing cooling capacity requirement of the thermal management system 4 for the energy storage device 1 is also a development trend. Therefore, larger compressors 11, evaporators 30, and condensers 20 are needed. Figure 2In this embodiment, the regulating valve 60 needs to be a large-diameter regulating valve 60 to adapt to the large-scale compressor 11. However, when the ratio of refrigerant flow from the compressor 11 to the branch where the condenser 20 is located and the hot gas bypass branch 40 is dynamically adjusted by the large-diameter regulating valve 60, the adjustable opening range of the regulating valve 60 will be small. For a large-diameter regulating valve 60, if the adjustable opening range is too small, it will be unable to be effectively adjusted, which will lead to the robustness problem of the system pressure of the thermal management system 4, that is, the system pressure will be unstable, which will cause damage to the compressor 11.
[0071] Furthermore, since the compressor 11 has a large power, the diameter of the throttling valve 50 on the hot gas bypass branch 40 should not be too large. This is because the core function of the throttling valve 50 on the hot gas bypass branch 40 is to establish a pressure difference through throttling, and to inject the high-pressure refrigerant gas into the low-pressure side after reducing its pressure. If the diameter of the throttling valve 50 on the hot gas bypass branch 40 is too large, the throttling effect will be weakened and insufficient pressure drop will not be formed. If the diameter of the throttling valve 50 on the hot gas bypass branch 40 is too small, the flow rate of refrigerant entering the hot gas bypass branch 40 needs to be regulated by the regulating valve 60 located at the front end of the condenser 20. At this time, the regulating valve 60 will also be too large, resulting in a small adjustable opening range. Consequently, the system pressure of the heating management system 4 will be damaged due to the inability of the regulating valve 60 to effectively regulate the system.
[0072] In summary, due to the setting of the hot gas bypass branch 40 and the large cooling demand of the energy storage device 1, a large-diameter regulating valve 60 must be installed. However, the large-diameter regulating valve 60 will cause system robustness problems, thus making it impossible to implement the hot gas bypass branch 40 in the energy storage device 1, resulting in poor practicality.
[0073] In order to solve Figure 2 The hot gas bypass branch 40 in the embodiment is used in energy storage device 1 (see reference). Figure 1 To address the issue of low practicality in [the original text], this application proposes [a solution / method]. Figure 3 The thermal principle system in the embodiment.
[0074] Figure 3 An embodiment provides an energy storage device 1 (see reference). Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the thermal management system 4 is shown below. Figure 3 In this embodiment, the thermal management system 4 includes a refrigerant circuit for refrigerant circulation, a heating circuit for heating, and a cooling circuit for cooling. The heating circuit is connected to a load to provide heating, and the cooling circuit is connected to a load to provide cooling. Both the heating and cooling circuits are circulated with coolant. The coolant in the heating circuit and the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit exchange heat and can then be used for heating, for example... Figure 1In this embodiment, the battery pack 3 provides heating, and the coolant in the cooling circuit and the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit exchange heat and can then be used for cooling, for example, as... Figure 1 The battery pack 3 in the embodiment is cooled.
[0075] Reference Figure 3 In this embodiment, the refrigerant circuit includes a compressor 11, a first condenser 21, a second condenser 22, and an evaporator 30. The output terminal of the compressor 11 is connected to the refrigerant input terminals of the first condenser 21 and the second condenser 22, respectively, so that the refrigerant output by the compressor 11 can be output to at least one of the first condenser 21 or the second condenser 22. That is, the refrigerant output by the compressor 11 can be output to the first condenser 21, the second condenser 22, or simultaneously to both. The refrigerant output terminals of the first condenser 21 and the second condenser 22 are connected to the refrigerant input terminals of the evaporator 30, respectively, so that the refrigerant output by the first condenser 21 and the second condenser 22 is output to the evaporator 30. The input terminal of the compressor 11 is connected to the refrigerant output terminal of the evaporator 30, so that the compressor 11 can receive the refrigerant output by the evaporator 30. The branch from compressor 11 that outputs refrigerant to the first condenser 21 and the branch from compressor 11 that outputs refrigerant to the second condenser 22 are connected in parallel. That is, the branch containing the first condenser 21 and the branch containing the second condenser 22 are not the same branch. The refrigerant output from compressor 11 will be divided into at least two parts: one part will be output to the first condenser 21 and the other part will be output to the second condenser 22.
[0076] Reference Figure 3 In this embodiment, the coolant inlet terminals of the first condenser 21 and the second condenser 22 are respectively connected to the heating circuit, so that the heating circuit (or the load connected to the heating circuit, hereinafter the same) can output coolant to at least one of the first condenser 21 or the second condenser 22. That is, the heating circuit can output coolant to the first condenser 21, and can also output it to the second condenser 22, or can output it to both the first condenser 21 and the second condenser 22 simultaneously. Figure 3The embodiment includes a first condenser 21 and a second condenser 22. The refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit can exchange heat with the coolant in the heating circuit through the first condenser 21 and the second condenser 22, respectively, and thus can be used for heating through the heating circuit. Specifically, for example, when the heating demand is small, the compressor 11 can output refrigerant to the second condenser 22, so that the heat exchange between the refrigerant and the coolant is achieved only through the second condenser 22, and the heated coolant can be used for heating. Alternatively, when the heating demand is large, the compressor 11 can output refrigerant to both the first condenser 21 and the second condenser 22 simultaneously to increase the heat exchange capacity between the refrigerant and the coolant, thereby improving the heating capacity of the heating circuit.
[0077] It is understandable that the cooling capacity of the refrigeration circuit can be adjusted by the first condenser 21 and the second condenser 22. For example, when the cooling demand of the refrigeration circuit is small, the compressor 11 can output refrigerant to the second condenser 22. When the cooling demand of the refrigeration circuit is large, the compressor 11 can output refrigerant to both the first condenser 21 and the second condenser 22 at the same time, so as to increase the flow rate of refrigerant entering the evaporator 30 and increase the heat loss of the refrigerant when passing through the first condenser 21 and the second condenser 22, thereby increasing the cooling capacity of the refrigerant entering the evaporator 30 and thus improving the cooling capacity of the refrigeration circuit.
[0078] Reference Figure 3 In this embodiment, a first regulating valve 61 is provided on the branch line from compressor 11 to the first condenser 21, and the first regulating valve 61 is used to regulate the flow rate of refrigerant from compressor 11 to the first condenser 21. Since the branch line from compressor 11 to the first condenser 21 and the branch line from compressor 11 to the second condenser 22 are connected in parallel, the flow rates of refrigerant from compressor 11 to the first condenser 21 and to the second condenser 22 are inversely proportional; that is, when the flow rate of refrigerant to the first condenser 21 increases, the flow rate of refrigerant to the second condenser 22 will decrease accordingly. Because the first regulating valve 61 is located on the branch line from compressor 11 to the first condenser 21, the flow rate of refrigerant from compressor 11 to the first condenser 21 can be regulated by the first regulating valve 61, and the flow rate of refrigerant to the second condenser 22 can also be indirectly regulated by the first regulating valve 61.
[0079] Figure 3The thermal management system 4 in the embodiment can be used to dynamically adjust the temperature and pressure of the thermal management system 4. For example, in the following embodiment, the refrigerant output by the compressor 11 is output to the first condenser 21 and the second condenser 22 respectively, while the coolant output by the heating circuit is only output to the first condenser 21. Thus, the refrigerant and coolant in the first condenser 21 can exchange heat normally. However, since the coolant does not pass through the second condenser 22, the refrigerant in the second condenser 22 cannot exchange heat with the coolant. Therefore, the refrigerant is still a high-pressure, high-temperature gaseous refrigerant after flowing out of the second condenser 22. Thus, the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant output from the second condenser 22 to the evaporator 30 are higher than the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant output from the first condenser 21 to the evaporator 30. After the two are mixed, the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant entering the compressor 11 can be effectively increased to improve the dryness of the refrigerant entering the compressor 11, so as to avoid liquid slugging damage and low-pressure suction damage to the compressor 11.
[0080] Furthermore, the first regulating valve 61 can be used to regulate the flow rate of refrigerant flowing through the first condenser 21 and the flow rate of refrigerant flowing through the second condenser 22. Therefore, by dynamically adjusting the opening of the first regulating valve 61, the flow rate of refrigerant flowing through the second condenser 22 can be dynamically adjusted, thereby dynamically adjusting the temperature and pressure of the thermal management system 4 to ensure the dryness of the refrigerant entering the compressor 11, so as to avoid liquid slugging damage and low-pressure suction damage to the compressor 11. In this embodiment, the branch containing the first condenser 21 and the branch containing the second condenser 22 are connected in parallel, allowing the use of smaller sizes of the first condenser 21 and the second condenser 22. Since the diameter of the first regulating valve 61 in the branch containing the first condenser 21 only needs to be compatible with the size of the first condenser 21, the diameter of the first regulating valve 61 can be reduced accordingly when using a smaller size first condenser 21. This allows the first regulating valve 61 to have a wider opening range when dynamically adjusting the flow rate of refrigerant from the compressor 11 to the first condenser 21 and the second condenser 22. Because the first regulating valve 61 has a wider opening range to dynamically adjust the flow rate of refrigerant through the first condenser 21 and the second condenser 22, the effectiveness of the first regulating valve 61 in adjusting the flow rate of refrigerant through the first condenser 21 and the second condenser 22 can be ensured, avoiding or reducing the robustness issues of the system pressure in the thermal management system 4, thus preventing damage to the compressor 11. Therefore, Figure 3 The thermal management system 4 in the embodiment is applied to the energy storage device 1 (e.g., Figure 1In this system, because the first regulating valve 61 has a larger opening range to dynamically regulate the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the first condenser 21 and the second condenser 22, even if the cooling capacity demand of the energy storage device 1 is large, the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the first condenser 21 and the second condenser 22 can still be effectively regulated by the first regulating valve 61. This also avoids or reduces the robustness problem of the system pressure in the thermal management system 4, thus preventing damage to the compressor 11. Furthermore, since the refrigerant in the second condenser 22 does not need to exchange heat with the coolant, the branch where the second condenser 22 is located is equivalent to... Figure 2 The hot gas bypass branch 40 in this embodiment can be used to dynamically adjust the pressure and problems of the thermal management system 4, that is... Figure 3 The embodiments can solve Figure 2 The hot gas bypass branch 40 in the embodiment has low practicality in the energy storage device 1.
[0081] Figure 3 The thermal management system 4 in the embodiment can also be used in other ways to dynamically adjust the temperature and pressure of the thermal management system 4. For example, in the following embodiment, a first water valve 81 is provided on the branch from the heating circuit output coolant to the second condenser 22. The first water valve 81 is used to control the flow rate of the coolant output from the heating circuit to the second condenser 22. The branch from the heating circuit output coolant to the second condenser 22 and the branch from the heating circuit output coolant to the first condenser 21 are connected in parallel. Since the branch from the heating circuit output coolant to the second condenser 22 and the branch from the heating circuit output coolant to the first condenser 21 are connected in parallel, and the first water valve 81 is provided on the branch from the heating circuit output coolant to the second condenser 22, the first water valve 81 can only control the on / off state of the branch from the heating circuit output coolant to the second condenser 22, and cannot control the on / off state of the branch from the heating circuit output coolant to the first condenser 21. By controlling the flow rate of coolant from the heating circuit to the second condenser 22 through the first water valve 81, the heat loss of the refrigerant as it passes through the second condenser 22 can be controlled. This also allows for dynamic control of the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant output from the second condenser 22 to the evaporator 30, thereby dynamically controlling the dryness of the refrigerant entering the compressor 11 to prevent liquid slugging damage and low-pressure suction damage to the compressor 11. In other words, Figure 3 In this embodiment, not only can the dryness of the refrigerant entering the compressor 11 be dynamically controlled by the first regulating valve 61, but the dryness of the refrigerant entering the compressor 11 can also be dynamically controlled by the first water valve 81, thereby effectively improving the temperature and pressure adjustment range of the dynamic adjustment thermal management system 4.
[0082] Understandably, the traditional dual-condenser 20 design is usually due to multiple heating needs, such as the dual-condenser 20 design in vehicles, where one condenser 20 is used to heat the battery pack 3 (see reference). Figure 1Another condenser 20 is used to heat the vehicle compartment, and the condenser 20 used for heating the vehicle compartment is an air-cooled condenser 20. Traditionally, dual condensers 20 cannot be used to heat the same target; therefore, the design of traditional dual condensers 20 is different from... Figure 3 The dual condenser 20 designs in the embodiments represent two different schemes. Furthermore, because the advantages of the conventional dual condenser 20 cannot offset the increased cost, it has long been considered a non-preferred solution in the field of thermal management. Figure 3 The embodiment does not simply convert one condenser 20 into two condensers 20, but rather breaks with conventional design experience. It cleverly uses two condensers 20 in conjunction with a first regulating valve 61 located on the branch where the second condenser 22 is located, which can effectively solve the problem. Figure 2 In the embodiment, the hot gas bypass branch 40 is in the energy storage device 1 (refer to...). Figure 1 The problem of poor practicality in ( ).
[0083] Reference Figure 3In this embodiment, the evaporator 30 includes a first evaporator 31 and a second evaporator 32. The refrigerant input terminal of the first evaporator 31 is connected to the refrigerant output terminal of the first condenser 21, so that the first evaporator 31 can receive the refrigerant output by the first condenser 21. The refrigerant input terminal of the second evaporator 32 is connected to the refrigerant output terminal of the second condenser 22, so that the second evaporator 32 can receive the refrigerant output by the second condenser 22. The coolant input terminal of the first evaporator 31 is connected to the refrigeration circuit, so that the first evaporator 31 can receive the coolant output by the refrigeration circuit (or the load connected to the refrigeration circuit, hereinafter the same). The coolant input terminal of the second evaporator 32 is connected to the refrigeration circuit, so that the second evaporator 32 can receive the coolant output by the refrigeration circuit. That is, the refrigeration circuit can output coolant to at least one of the first evaporator 31 or the second evaporator 32. By providing a first evaporator 31 and a second evaporator 32, the coolant in the refrigeration circuit can be selectively output to either the first evaporator 31 or the second evaporator 32. For example, when the thermal management system 4 requires hot gas bypass, the first water valve 81 can be closed, preventing the heating circuit from outputting coolant to the second condenser 22. This avoids heat exchange between the refrigerant output by the compressor 11 and the coolant when passing through the second condenser 22, thus reducing heat loss. Alternatively, the refrigeration circuit can be selected to output only coolant to the first evaporator 31, without supplying coolant to the second condenser 22. The coolant is discharged to the second evaporator 32, thus avoiding heat exchange between the refrigerant discharged from the second condenser 22 and the coolant when passing through the second evaporator 32. In other words, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 avoids heat exchange with the coolant when passing through the second condenser 22 and the second evaporator 32, minimizing heat loss and increasing the pressure and temperature of the refrigerant discharged from the second condenser 22 and the second evaporator 32 to ensure the stability of the pressure and temperature of the thermal management system 4 under low-temperature operating conditions. Simultaneously, coolant can be discharged to the first condenser 21 through the heating circuit and to the first evaporator 31 through the cooling circuit. Therefore, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 can be used for normal heating when passing through the first condenser 21 and for normal cooling when passing through the first evaporator 31.
[0084] In order to effectively control the flow rate of coolant output from the refrigeration circuit to the second evaporator 32, refer to Figure 3In this embodiment, a second water valve 82 is provided on the branch of the refrigeration circuit that outputs coolant to the second evaporator 32. The second water valve 82 is used to control the flow rate of coolant output from the refrigeration circuit to the second evaporator 32. The branch of the refrigeration circuit that outputs coolant to the second evaporator 32 and the branch of the refrigeration circuit that outputs coolant to the first evaporator 31 are connected in parallel. Because the branch of the refrigeration circuit that outputs coolant to the second evaporator 32 and the branch of the refrigeration circuit that outputs coolant to the first evaporator 31 are connected in parallel, the second water valve 82 can control the on / off state of the branch of the refrigeration circuit that outputs coolant to the second evaporator 32, but cannot control the on / off state of the branch of the refrigeration circuit that outputs coolant to the first evaporator 31. Therefore, when the branch containing the second evaporator 32 is disconnected, the normal cooling function of the first evaporator 31 is not affected. Furthermore, since the second water valve 82 can control the flow rate of the coolant output from the refrigeration circuit to the second evaporator 32, the amount of heat exchange between the refrigerant passing through the second evaporator 32 and the coolant passing through the second evaporator 32 can be controlled, thereby improving the overall cooling capacity of the thermal management system 4 while ensuring that the dryness of the refrigerant entering the compressor 11 is qualified.
[0085] in addition, Figure 3 In this embodiment, through the cooperation of the first regulating valve 61, the first water valve 81, and the second water valve 82, the first regulating valve 61 can control the refrigerant flow through the first condenser 21 and the second condenser 22, thereby controlling the dryness of the refrigerant before it enters the compressor 11. The first water valve 81 can further regulate the flow of coolant through the second condenser 22, serving as a supplement to the first regulating valve 61 to improve the control accuracy of the pressure and temperature of the refrigerant before it enters the compressor 11. The second water valve 82 is connected to the coolant inlet of the second evaporator 32, which is located downstream of the second condenser 22. Thus, when the first regulating valve 61 and the first water valve 81 fail to control the pressure and temperature of the refrigerant before it enters the compressor 11 very precisely, the second water valve 82 can be used to adjust the flow of coolant output to the second evaporator 32 to further calibrate the pressure and temperature of the refrigerant before it enters the compressor 11, thereby further improving the pressure and temperature of the refrigerant before it enters the compressor 11 and preventing robustness issues in the thermal management system 4.
[0086] Understandably, referring to Figure 3In this embodiment, a first expansion valve 71 is provided between the output end of the first condenser 21 and the input end of the first evaporator 31, and a second expansion valve 72 is provided between the output end of the second condenser 22 and the input end of the second evaporator 32. Since the first expansion valve 71 is connected before the first evaporator 31 and the second expansion valve 72 is connected before the second evaporator 32, replacing a larger evaporator 30 with two smaller-sized first evaporators 31 and 32 can effectively improve the throttling and pressure reduction effect of the first and second expansion valves 71 and 72. Furthermore, most large-diameter expansion valves require customization; this embodiment uses smaller-diameter first and second expansion valves 71 and 72, allowing the use of standard expansion valves, thus improving the versatility of the thermal management system 4.
[0087] Reference Figure 3 In this embodiment, the thermal management system 4 also includes a gas-liquid separator 12 located before the compressor 11. The refrigerant output from the first evaporator 31 and the second evaporator 32 is output to the gas-liquid separator 12. After being separated by the gas-liquid separator 12, it is output to the compressor 11 to improve the dryness of the refrigerant entering the compressor 11.
[0088] It is understood that in some other embodiments, the thermal management system 4 in this embodiment may also consist of only one evaporator 30. The refrigerant output from the first condenser 21 and the second condenser 22 is input into the evaporator 30 and mixed there. This can effectively improve the mixing effect of the refrigerant output from the first condenser 21 and the second condenser 22.
[0089] Figure 4 The embodiment provides a schematic diagram of another thermal management system 4. Figure 4 The example is in Figure 3 Based on the embodiments, some other devices have been added, see reference. Figure 4 In this embodiment, the thermal management system 4 includes not only the same Figure 3 The thermal management system 4, which includes the same refrigerant circuit, refrigeration circuit, and heating circuit as the embodiment, also includes a multi-way valve 83, a heat source circuit, and a heat dissipation circuit. The heat source circuit is used to connect to a heat source, such as an energy storage device 1 (e.g., Figure 1 The battery pack 3 in the battery pack has a heat exchanger 84 and a fan 85 in its heat dissipation circuit. The heat exchanger 84 and the fan 85 can enable the coolant flowing through the heat exchanger 84 to exchange heat with the outside air.
[0090] The refrigeration circuit, heating circuit, heat source circuit, and heat dissipation circuit are each connected to a multi-way valve 83. The multi-way valve 83 enables connections between these circuits. For example, when the heating circuit and heat source circuit are connected via the multi-way valve 83, the heating circuit can heat the heat source connected to the heat source circuit. Similarly, when the refrigeration circuit and heat source circuit are connected via the multi-way valve 83, the refrigeration circuit can cool the heat source connected to the heat source circuit. Furthermore, when the heat dissipation circuit and heat source circuit are connected via the multi-way valve 83, the heat source connected to the heat source circuit can be naturally cooled via the heat dissipation circuit. When the heat source is naturally cooled via the heat exchanger 84, the compressor 11 does not need to operate, thus effectively reducing system energy consumption.
[0091] Specifically, refer to Figure 4 In this embodiment, the multi-way valve 83 includes multiple ports. In the accompanying drawings, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 next to the multi-way valve 83 represent ports 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8, respectively. The heating circuit is connected to ports 5 and 6, the cooling circuit is connected to ports 3 and 8, the heat dissipation circuit is connected to ports 1 and 4, and the heat source circuit is connected to ports 2 and 7. When ports 3 and 2 are connected, and ports 7 and 8 are connected, the cooling circuit and the heat source circuit are connected, allowing the heat source to be cooled through the cooling circuit connected to the first evaporator 31 or the second evaporator 32. When ports 5 and 2 are connected, and ports 7 and 6 are connected, the cooling circuit and the heat source circuit are connected, allowing the heat source to be heated through the heating circuit connected to the first condenser 21 or the second condenser 22. When ports 1 and 2 are connected, and ports 5 and 6 are connected, the heat source is naturally cooled through the heat exchanger 84 in the heat dissipation circuit. When interfaces 3 and 4 are connected, and interfaces 1 and 8 are connected, the refrigerant in the first evaporator 31 and the second evaporator 32 can absorb heat from the outside air through the refrigeration circuit and the heat dissipation circuit.
[0092] Understandable, Figure 4 In this embodiment, the multi-way valve 83 is an eight-way valve. In some other embodiments, the eight-way valve can be replaced by multiple multi-way valves 83 with fewer ports.
[0093] Reference Figure 4 In this embodiment, a first water pump 86 is provided in the heating circuit and a second water pump 87 is provided in the cooling circuit. The first water pump 86 can be used to drive the flow of coolant in the heating circuit, and the second water pump 87 can be used to drive the flow of coolant in the cooling circuit. It is understood that the first water pump 86 and the second water pump 87 can be turned on or off as needed.
[0094] It should be noted that, Figure 4Examples and Figure 3 The parts that are the same as those in the embodiments can be directly referred to. Figure 3 Examples are not described in detail here.
[0095] Figure 5 The embodiment provides a schematic diagram of the structure of yet another thermal management system 4. Figure 5 The example is in Figure 4 A first hot gas bypass branch 41 was added based on the embodiment, referring to... Figure 5 In this embodiment, the thermal management system 4 further includes a first hot gas bypass branch 41, which connects the output end of the compressor 11 and the input end of the compressor 11. The refrigerant output by the compressor 11 is output to the compressor 11 through the first hot gas bypass branch 41. The first hot gas bypass branch 41 is provided with a first throttling valve 51 for throttling. The first hot gas bypass branch 41 is connected in parallel with the branch from the compressor 11 to the first condenser 21. Since the first hot gas bypass branch 41 is connected in parallel with the branch from compressor 11 to the first condenser 21, and the branch from compressor 11 to the first condenser 21 is also connected in parallel with the branch from compressor 11 to the second condenser 22, the refrigerant output by compressor 11 will be divided into three parts and output to the first bypass branch, the first condenser 21 and the second condenser 22 respectively. When the first regulating valve 61 regulates the refrigerant flow rate entering the first condenser 21, it can indirectly regulate the refrigerant flow rate through the first bypass branch and the flow rate through the second condenser 22.
[0096] Figure 5 In this embodiment, under low-temperature conditions, the refrigerant output from the compressor 11 can be directly output to the input end of the compressor 11 via the first hot gas bypass branch 41, and mixed with the refrigerant flowing from the first condenser 21 to the first evaporator 31 and then to the input end of the compressor 11, as well as the refrigerant flowing from the second condenser 22 to the second evaporator 32 and then to the input end of the compressor 11, so as to improve the overall dryness of the refrigerant entering the compressor 11 and prevent damage to the compressor 11.
[0097] Under lower operating conditions, the dryness of the refrigerant entering the compressor 11 may still be insufficient even after the mixing and heating of the first bypass branch. In this case, the heat loss of the refrigerant flowing from the compressor 11 to the second condenser 22 can be reduced by closing or reducing the flow rate of the first water valve 81. This will increase the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant flowing from the second condenser 22 and the second evaporator 32 to the input end of the compressor 11. Thus, under even lower operating conditions, the dryness of the refrigerant entering the compressor 11 can still be dynamically adjusted and guaranteed to prevent damage to the compressor 11.
[0098] In other words, such as Figure 5In this embodiment, under low-temperature conditions, the pressure, temperature, and dryness of the refrigerant entering the compressor 11 can be dynamically adjusted solely through the first hot gas bypass branch 41, while both the first condenser 21 and the second condenser 22 are used for normal heating. Under even lower-temperature conditions, the first hot gas bypass branch 41 and the branch containing the second condenser 22 work together to raise the temperature and pressure, thereby dynamically adjusting the pressure, temperature, and dryness of the refrigerant entering the compressor 11. This allows... Figure 5 The thermal management system 4 in this embodiment is able to operate under more severe conditions.
[0099] It should be noted that, Figure 5 Examples and Figure 4 The difference in this embodiment lies in the addition of a first hot gas bypass branch 41; the rest are the same and will not be described in detail here. For specific details, please refer to [link / reference needed]. Figure 4 and Figure 3 Example.
[0100] Figure 6 The embodiment provides a schematic diagram of the structure of yet another thermal management system 4. Figure 6 The example is in Figure 5 A second regulating valve 62 was added based on the previous embodiment. This was done to improve the pressure rise rate of the thermal management system 4 during black start-up, referring to... Figure 6 In this embodiment, the refrigerant circuit also includes a second regulating valve 62, which is located on the branch from the compressor 11 to the second condenser 22. When a black start is required, both the first regulating valve 61 and the second regulating valve 62 can be closed simultaneously, allowing all the refrigerant output from the compressor 11 to be directly output to the input terminal of the compressor 11 via the first hot gas bypass branch 41, without needing to... Figure 5 As in the embodiment, the refrigerant passes through the branch containing the second condenser 22. It is understandable that, due to the large volume of condenser 20, if the refrigerant passes through the second condenser 22, the circulation time is longer and heat loss is greater, which is detrimental to the system's rapid pressurization. Therefore... Figure 6 By closing the first regulating valve 61 and the second regulating valve 62, the refrigerant can be prevented from flowing through the larger first condenser 21 and the second condenser 22 during black start. This effectively reduces the initial pressurization volume of the thermal management system 4 and thus effectively increases the pressurization rate of the thermal management system 4 during black start.
[0101] Understandable, Figure 6 In addition to increasing the system's boost speed during black boot, the implementation example also... Figure 5 , Figure 4 and Figure 3 The functions in the embodiments are as follows: Figure 6 The thermal management system 4 in the embodiments can also be implemented. Figure 6 Examples and Figure 5The difference in this embodiment lies in the addition of a hot gas bypass branch 40; the rest are the same and will not be described in detail here. For specific details, please refer to [link / reference needed]. Figure 5 , Figure 4 and Figure 3 Example.
[0102] Figure 7 The embodiment provides a schematic diagram of the structure of yet another thermal management system 4. Figure 7 The example is in Figure 4 A second hot gas bypass branch 42 was added based on the embodiment, as shown in the reference. Figure 7 In this embodiment, the thermal management system 4 further includes a second hot gas bypass branch 42, which connects the output end of the compressor 11 and the input end of the second evaporator 32. The refrigerant output by the compressor 11 is output to the second evaporator 32 through the second hot gas bypass branch 42, and then the refrigerant is output to the input end of the compressor 11 through the second evaporator 32. The second hot gas bypass branch 42 is provided with a second throttling valve 52 for throttling. The second hot gas bypass branch 42 is connected in parallel with the branch from the compressor 11 to the second condenser 22. Since the second hot gas bypass branch 42 is connected in parallel with the branch from compressor 11 to the first condenser 21, and the branch from compressor 11 to the first condenser 21 and the branch from compressor 11 to the second condenser 22 are also connected in parallel, the refrigerant output by compressor 11 will be divided into three parts and output to the second bypass branch, the first condenser 21 and the second condenser 22 respectively. When the second regulating valve 62 regulates the refrigerant flow rate entering the first condenser 21, it can indirectly regulate the refrigerant flow rate through the second bypass branch and the flow rate through the second condenser 22.
[0103] same Figure 5 The same as the implementation example, Figure 7 In the embodiment, under low-temperature conditions, the pressure, temperature, and dryness of the refrigerant entering the compressor 11 can be dynamically adjusted solely through the second hot gas bypass branch 42, while the first condenser 21 and the second condenser 22 are used for normal heating. Under even lower-temperature conditions, the second hot gas bypass branch 42 and the branch containing the second condenser 22 work together to raise the temperature and pressure, thereby dynamically adjusting the pressure, temperature, and dryness of the refrigerant entering the compressor 11. This allows... Figure 7 The thermal management system 4 in this embodiment is able to operate under more severe conditions.
[0104] same Figure 5 The difference in the embodiments is that, Figure 7In the thermal management system 4 of the embodiment, since the refrigerant output by the compressor 11 is output to the second evaporator 32 through the second hot gas bypass branch 42, and the refrigerant output by the second condenser 22 is also output to the second evaporator 32, the refrigerant output by the second hot gas bypass branch 42 to the second evaporator 32 and the refrigerant output by the second condenser 22 to the second evaporator 32 can be fully mixed in the second evaporator 32 with a larger volume, so as to ensure that the dryness of the refrigerant entering the compressor 11 meets the requirements and avoids damage to the compressor 11.
[0105] It should be noted that, Figure 7 Examples and Figure 4 The difference in this embodiment lies in the addition of a second hot gas bypass branch 42; the rest are the same and will not be described in detail here. For specific details, please refer to [link / reference needed]. Figure 4 and Figure 3 Example.
[0106] It is understood that in some other embodiments, the second hot gas bypass branch 42 may also connect the output end of the compressor 11 and the input end of the first evaporator 31.
[0107] Figure 8 The embodiment provides a schematic diagram of the structure of yet another thermal management system 4. Figure 8 The example is in Figure 7 An additional one was added based on the previous embodiment. Figure 6 The second regulating valve 62, identical to that in the embodiment, is used to increase the pressure rise rate of the thermal management system 4 during black start, as per [reference needed]. Figure 8 In this embodiment, the refrigerant circuit also includes a second regulating valve 62, which is located on the branch from the compressor 11 to the second condenser 22. When a black start is required, both the first regulating valve 61 and the second regulating valve 62 can be closed simultaneously, allowing all the refrigerant output from the compressor 11 to be directly output to the input terminal of the compressor 11 via the first hot gas bypass branch 41, without needing to... Figure 7 As in the previous embodiment, the refrigerant passes through the second condenser 22. It is understood that, due to the large volume of condenser 20, if the refrigerant passes through the second condenser 22, the circulation time is longer and more heat is lost, which is detrimental to the system's rapid pressurization. Therefore... Figure 8 By closing the first regulating valve 61 and the second regulating valve 62, the refrigerant can be prevented from flowing through the larger first condenser 21 and the second condenser 22 during black start. This effectively reduces the initial pressurization volume of the thermal management system 4 and thus effectively increases the pressurization rate of the thermal management system 4 during black start.
[0108] Understandable, Figure 8 In addition to increasing the system's boost speed during black boot, the implementation example also... Figure 7 , Figure 4 and Figure 3 The functions in the embodiments are as follows: Figure 8 The thermal management system 4 in the embodiments can also be implemented. Figure 8 Examples and Figure 7 The difference in this embodiment lies in the addition of a hot gas bypass branch 40; the rest are the same and will not be described in detail here. For specific details, please refer to [link / reference needed]. Figure 7 , Figure 4 and Figure 3 Example.
[0109] Figure 9 The embodiment provides a schematic diagram of the structure of yet another thermal management system 4. Figure 9 Implementation examples in Figure 4 Based on the implementation examples, not only were additional... Figure 5 The first hot gas bypass branch 41 in the embodiment also includes Figure 6 The second regulating valve 62 in the embodiment also includes Figure 7 The second bypass branch in the embodiment can perform the corresponding function. That is... Figures 4-7 The capabilities of the thermal management system 4 in the embodiment Figure 9 The thermal management system 4 in the embodiment also has this feature. Further details will not be elaborated here; please refer to [reference needed]. Figures 3-7 Example.
[0110] In energy storage devices in related technologies, the evaporators, condensers, pumps and various valves that make up the thermal management system are installed in the energy storage cabinet in a scattered manner through pipelines. However, when using pipeline connections, the pipeline connections are complicated, occupy a lot of space, and the pipelines are intertwined and obstructed, making it difficult to assemble and maintain the devices.
[0111] To solve the problems of complex pipeline connections and difficult assembly and maintenance. Figure 10 An embodiment provides a schematic diagram of the structure of a thermal management system 4; Figure 11 for Figure 10 A front view of the thermal management system 4 in the embodiment. Figure 10 The thermal management system 4 in the embodiment can be Figures 4-9 Thermal management system 4 in any embodiment.
[0112] Reference Figure 10 and Figure 11In this embodiment, the thermal management system 4 includes a refrigerant substrate 91, multiple refrigerant devices 92 integrated on the refrigerant substrate 91, a water circuit substrate 93, and multiple water circuit devices 94 integrated on the water circuit substrate 93. By integrating the refrigerant devices 92 onto the refrigerant substrate 91 and connecting them through the flow channels of the refrigerant substrate 91, and by integrating the water circuit devices 94 onto the water circuit substrate 93 and connecting them through the flow channels of the water circuit substrate 93, a large number of connecting pipes can be effectively reduced, thereby reducing the complexity of pipe connections. Moreover, since the refrigerant devices 92 are integrated onto the refrigerant substrate 91 and the water circuit devices 94 are integrated onto the water circuit substrate 93, the assembly difficulty and space occupation of the refrigerant devices 92 and water circuit devices 94 in the thermal piping system can be effectively reduced. Furthermore, due to the integrated design of the refrigerant devices 92 and water circuit devices 94, they are concentrated in one place, which facilitates subsequent maintenance or repair.
[0113] Specifically, the multiple refrigerant devices 92 may include an evaporator 30, multiple refrigerant valves 921, and two condensers 20. The evaporator 30 and the two condensers 20 are respectively connected to the refrigerant substrate 91 and the water circuit substrate 93. The evaporator 30 may be a single... Figures 3-9 The embodiment also has two evaporators 30, specifically a first evaporator 31 and a second evaporator 32, and two condensers 20. Figures 3-9 The first condenser 21 and the second condenser 22, and the plurality of refrigerant valves 921 may include Figure 3 and Figure 4 The first regulating valve 61, the first expansion valve 71, and the second expansion valve 72 in the embodiments may further include Figure 5 In the embodiment, the first throttle valve 51 or Figure 6 The second regulating valve 62 in the embodiment or Figure 7 The second throttle valve 52 in the embodiment, etc. Multiple water circuit components 94 may include... Figures 4-9 The embodiments include one or more of the following: first water valve 81, second water valve 82, first water pump 86, second water pump 87, or multi-way valve 83. It is understood that in some other embodiments, there may be only one evaporator 30 on the refrigerant substrate 91.
[0114] Reference Figure 10 and Figure 11In this embodiment, two condensers 20 and an evaporator 30 are arranged along a first direction Y on the surface of a refrigerant substrate 91, where the surface of the refrigerant substrate 91 is the surface of the refrigerant substrate 91 in the thickness direction. Firstly, since both condensers 20 and evaporators 30 are located on the surface of the refrigerant substrate 91, assembly is convenient and assembly costs are low. Furthermore, the arrangement of the two condensers 20 and evaporators 30 along the first direction Y facilitates the layout of the flow channels within the refrigerant substrate 91. For example, it can reduce the intersection or bends of the flow channels within the refrigerant substrate 91, reduce refrigerant flow resistance, improve circulation efficiency, reduce pressure loss, and improve system energy efficiency.
[0115] Reference Figure 10 and Figure 11 In this embodiment, two condensers 20 are arranged adjacent to each other, and two evaporators 30 are arranged adjacent to each other, with the two condensers 20 and two evaporators 30 arranged along a first direction Y. Because the two condensers 20 are arranged adjacently, for example, the first condenser 21 and the second condenser 22 are arranged adjacently, the heating circuit (e.g.) is facilitated. Figure 4 The heating circuit is connected to the first condenser 21 and the second condenser 22 respectively. The flow channels within the water circuit substrate 93 avoid crossing or bending when connecting to the first condenser 21 and the second condenser 22, thus reducing the layout difficulty of the water circuit substrate 93. Similarly, since the two evaporators 30 are arranged adjacently, for example, the first evaporator 31 and the second evaporator 32 are arranged adjacently, the cooling circuit (such as...) is facilitated. Figure 4 The refrigeration circuit is connected to the first evaporator 31 and the second evaporator 32 respectively. The refrigeration circuit is a flow channel in the refrigerant substrate 91, which avoids the flow channel in the refrigerant substrate 91 from crossing or bending when connecting to the first evaporator 31 and the second evaporator 32 respectively, thereby reducing the layout difficulty of the refrigerant substrate 91.
[0116] Reference Figure 10 and Figure 11 In this embodiment, the first condenser 21 and the second condenser 22 are arranged along the first direction Y, and the first evaporator 31 and the second evaporator 32 are arranged along the first direction Y. It is understood that in some other embodiments, the first condenser 21 and the second condenser 22 may also be arranged along the second direction X, and the first evaporator 31 and the second evaporator 32 may be arranged along the second direction X, where the second direction X is perpendicular to the first direction Y.
[0117] It is understood that the refrigerant substrate 91 has two opposing surfaces in the thickness direction. For ease of description, the surface of the refrigerant substrate 91 used to set the two condensers 20 and the evaporator 30 is designated as the first surface 911.
[0118] Reference Figure 10 and Figure 11In this embodiment, multiple refrigerant devices 92 integrated on the refrigerant substrate 91 are located on the first surface 911, so that during assembly, the first surface 911 can be oriented toward maintenance personnel, so that maintenance personnel can perform unified maintenance on each refrigerant device 92 during repair or maintenance.
[0119] Reference Figure 10 and Figure 11 In this embodiment, the water channel device 94 is integrated on the surface of the water channel substrate 93. The surface of the water channel substrate 93 is the surface of the water channel substrate 93 in the thickness direction. It can be understood that the water channel substrate 93 has two opposing surfaces in the thickness direction. For ease of description, the surface of the water channel device 94 is set as the second surface 931.
[0120] Reference Figure 10 and Figure 11 In this embodiment, multiple water circuit devices 94 integrated on the water circuit substrate 93 are located in a portion of the second surface 931. For example, the first water valve 81, the first water pump 86, the second water pump 87, and the multi-way valve 83 are all integrated in a portion of the second surface 931. Thus, during assembly, the second surface 931 can be oriented towards maintenance personnel, making it convenient for maintenance personnel to perform unified maintenance on each refrigerant device 92 during repair or maintenance.
[0121] Reference Figure 10 and Figure 11 In this embodiment, portions of the first surface 911 and the second surface 931 are arranged side-by-side along a second direction X, and the second direction X is perpendicular to the thickness direction of the water channel substrate 93 and the thickness direction of the refrigerant substrate 91, respectively. The first surface 911 of the refrigerant substrate 91 and the second surface 931 of the water channel substrate 93 face the same side. Therefore, both the first surface 911 with the refrigerant device 92 and the second surface 931 with the water channel device 94 can be exposed to maintenance personnel, avoiding mutual interference during maintenance and reducing maintenance or repair costs. It is understood that the side-by-side direction is consistent with the second direction X mentioned above.
[0122] Reference Figure 10 and Figure 11In this embodiment, a portion of the refrigerant substrate 91 is stacked on a portion of the water channel substrate 93. The stacking direction Z is consistent with both the thickness direction of the water channel substrate 93 and the direction of the refrigerant substrate 91. For ease of description, the Z direction is defined as the stacking direction Z of the refrigerant substrate 91 and the water channel substrate 93. Since a portion of the refrigerant substrate 91 is stacked on a portion of the water channel substrate 93, the connection and assembly between the water channel substrate 93 and the refrigerant substrate 91 can be facilitated. In particular, it facilitates the connection between the first condenser 21, the second condenser 22, the first evaporator 31, and the second evaporator 32 provided on the refrigerant substrate 91 and the water channel substrate 93. Specifically, the first condenser 21, the second condenser 22, the first evaporator 31, and the second evaporator 32 are provided on the overlapping portion of the refrigerant substrate 91 and the water channel substrate 93 in the Z direction. Thus, only the coolant interfaces of the first condenser 21, the second condenser 22, the first evaporator 31, and the second evaporator 32 need to extend directly to the water channel substrate 93 in the Z direction, thereby avoiding a large number of intersections or bends. Therefore, it can effectively reduce the difficulty of connecting the flow channels of the first condenser 21, the second condenser 22, the first evaporator 31, and the second evaporator 32 to the water channel substrate 93. Furthermore, since the first condenser 21, the second condenser 22, the first evaporator 31, and the second evaporator 32 are disposed on the portion where the refrigerant substrate 91 and the water channel substrate 93 overlap in the Z direction, the first condenser 21, the second condenser 22, the first evaporator 31, and the second evaporator 32 can be supported not only by the refrigerant substrate 91 but also by the water channel substrate 93. This effectively improves the support strength for the relatively heavy first condenser 21, the second condenser 22, the first evaporator 31, and the second evaporator 32.
[0123] Reference Figure 10 and Figure 11 In this embodiment, the first surface 911 is the surface of the coolant substrate 91 that faces away from the water channel substrate 93 in the Z direction, and a portion of the second surface 931 is the surface of the water channel substrate 93 that does not overlap with the coolant substrate 91 in the Z direction. In this embodiment, the portion of the second surface 931 refers to the surface of the second surface 931 of the water channel substrate 93 that is not covered by the coolant substrate 91.
[0124] Reference Figure 10 and Figure 11 In this embodiment, for ease of description, the first condenser 21, the second condenser 22 and the evaporator 30 arranged along the first direction Y are defined as a plate heat exchange module 10. Here, the evaporator 30 can be one or two, such as the first evaporator 31 and the second evaporator 32.
[0125] Multiple refrigerant valves 921 are located on the first side of the heat exchange module 10 in the second direction X, and multiple water circuit devices 94 are located on the second side of the heat exchange module 10 in the second direction X. The first side and the second side are opposite sides of the heat exchange module 10 in the second direction X. That is, the heat exchange module 10 is located between the multiple refrigerant valves 921 and the multiple water circuit devices 94 in the second direction X. Since the multiple refrigerant valves 921 are all located on the first side of the heat exchange module 10, and the multiple water circuit devices 94 are located on the second side of the heat exchange module 10, the various components of the thermal management system 4 are effectively functionally partitioned. The heat exchange module 10 in the middle is the heat exchange core, and the two sides are for control and connection-related devices. The functional partitioning is clear and facilitates system expansion, such as adding or removing refrigerant valves 921. Moreover, due to the effective functional partitioning of the various components of the thermal management system 4, maintenance and repair are convenient. In addition, since the plate heat exchanger module 10 is a core part of the thermal management system 4, multiple refrigerant valves 921 and multiple water circuit devices 94 are directly or indirectly connected to the plate heat exchanger module 10. Therefore, placing the plate heat exchanger module 10 between the multiple refrigerant valves 921 and multiple water circuit devices 94 can effectively reduce the flow path length from the multiple refrigerant valves 921 and multiple water circuit devices 94 to the plate heat exchanger module 10, and also helps to reduce the bends and branches in the flow path, significantly reducing pressure drop and energy loss.
[0126] Reference Figure 10 and Figure 11 In this embodiment, the external interfaces 932 on the water channel substrate 93 are all located on the outer surface 933 of the water channel substrate 93. The outer surface 933 of the water channel substrate 93 is the surface of the water channel substrate 93 that is furthest from the refrigerant substrate 91 in the second direction X. The external interfaces 932 on the water channel substrate 93 can be used to connect a water tank, a battery pack 3 (such as...) Figure 1 Liquid cooling plates, etc. Since the external interfaces 932 on the water channel substrate 93 are all concentrated on the outer side 933 of the water channel substrate 93, the connection difficulty of multiple external interfaces 932 can be effectively reduced, facilitating connection and assembly, and also simplifying manufacturing. It is understood that in some other embodiments, multiple external interfaces 932 may be located on different surfaces of the water channel substrate 93.
[0127] Reference Figure 10 and Figure 11 In this embodiment, the multiple refrigerant devices 92 also include a gas-liquid separator 12, which is also integrated on a first surface 911 of the refrigerant substrate 91, so that the gas-liquid separator 12 is also facing the maintenance personnel for convenient maintenance or repair. Specifically, the gas-liquid separator 12 may be located on the first side of the plate heat exchanger module 10. It is understood that in some other embodiments, the gas-liquid separator 12 may also be integrated into the compressor 11.
[0128] It is understandable that the compressor 11 can be integrated on the refrigerant substrate 91 or connected to the refrigerant substrate 91 through a pipeline.
[0129] Figure 12 The embodiment provides a frontal view of the structural schematic diagram of a thermal management system 4; Figure 13 for Figure 12 A rear view structural schematic diagram of the thermal management system 4 in the embodiment; Figure 14 for Figure 12 Rear view of the thermal management system 4 in the embodiment. Figure 12 The thermal management system 4 in the embodiment can be Figures 4-9 Thermal management system 4 in any embodiment.
[0130] same Figure 10 The same as the implementation example is that, Figures 12-14 In this embodiment, portions of the water channel substrate 93 and the refrigerant substrate 91 are also stacked in the Z direction. The condenser 20 and evaporator 30 are disposed on the overlapping portions of the refrigerant substrate 91 and the water channel substrate 93 in the Z direction. For example, the first condenser 21, the second condenser 22, the first evaporator 31, and the second evaporator 32 are arranged along the first direction Y on the surface of the refrigerant substrate 91 facing away from the water channel substrate 93, that is, the first condenser 21, the second condenser 22, the first evaporator 31, and the second evaporator 32 are disposed on the first surface 911. The advantages of this design can be specifically referred to Figure 10 Examples are not described in detail here.
[0131] same Figure 10 The difference in the embodiments is that, Figures 12-14 In this embodiment, multiple water circuit components 94 are disposed on the surface of the water circuit substrate 93 facing away from the refrigerant substrate 91. For ease of description, they are defined as follows: Figures 12-14 In this embodiment, the surface of the water channel substrate 93 facing away from the refrigerant substrate 91 is the third surface 934. Since the first surface 911 and the third surface 934 face opposite directions, multiple water channel devices 94 and multiple refrigerant devices 92 can be separated by the water channel substrate 93 and the refrigerant substrate 91, thereby achieving reasonable partitioning and facilitating flexible expansion in the future. Furthermore, separating the multiple water channel devices 94 and multiple refrigerant devices 92 allows for differentiated material selection for the water channel substrate 93 and the refrigerant substrate 91, enabling the selection of the most suitable materials for the water channel substrate 93 and the refrigerant substrate 91, extending their service life. Moreover, since the refrigerant device 92 undergoes a phase change and expands significantly due to the refrigerant, while the water channel device 94 maintains a relatively stable temperature, the separation allows for independent release of thermal deformation between the water channel device 94 and the refrigerant device 92, preventing cracking or connection failure caused by differences in the thermal expansion coefficients of the materials.
[0132] Furthermore, since the first surface 911 and the third surface 934 face opposite directions, there is no need to consider orienting the multiple refrigerant devices 92 and multiple water channel devices 94 to the same side. Therefore, the multiple water channel devices 94 can be disposed on the portion of the water channel substrate 93 that overlaps with the refrigerant substrate 91 in the Z direction, thus compared to... Figure 10 Example, Figures 12-14 The embodiment can reduce the size in the first direction Y and the second direction X by increasing the thickness in the Z direction and sacrificing the thickness in the Z direction, thereby making the form of the thermal management system 4 in this embodiment more diverse to adapt to more assembly scenarios.
[0133] In addition, Figure 10 The difference in the embodiments is that, Figures 12-14 In this embodiment, a plurality of refrigerant valves 921 are disposed on the outer side 912 of the refrigerant substrate 91. The outer side 912 of the refrigerant substrate 91 is adjacent to the surface of the refrigerant substrate 91 in the thickness direction, that is, the outer side 912 of the refrigerant substrate 91 is adjacent to the first surface 911. By disposing of a plurality of refrigerant valves 921 on the outer side 912 of the refrigerant substrate 91, the outer surface area of the refrigerant substrate 91 can be fully utilized, and the utilization rate of the outer surface of the refrigerant substrate 91 can be improved. This effectively reduces the size of the refrigerant substrate 91 in the first direction Y and the second direction X, which is beneficial to the miniaturization design of the refrigerant substrate 91 in the first direction Y and the second direction X.
[0134] In addition, Figure 10 The difference in the embodiments is that, Figures 12-14 In this embodiment, the external interface 932 on the water channel substrate 93 is disposed on the surface of the water channel substrate 93 facing away from the refrigerant substrate 91, that is, on the third surface 934. Since the third surface 934 in this embodiment faces opposite to the first surface 911, the usable area of the third surface 934 is large enough to accommodate multiple water channel devices 94 and multiple external interfaces 932, thereby reducing the design difficulty of the water channel substrate 93 and increasing the design diversity of the water channel substrate 93.
[0135] also, Figures 12-14 In this embodiment, not only can a portion of the water channel substrate 93 and a portion of the coolant substrate 91 be stacked in the Z direction, but the entire coolant substrate 91 can also be stacked with the water channel substrate 93 in the Z direction. That is to say, the projection of the coolant substrate 91 onto the water channel substrate 93 falls entirely within the outer contour of the water channel substrate 93.
[0136] Understandable, Figures 12-14 In the embodiments and Figure 10 The same parts as in the embodiments can be referred to Figure 10 Examples are not described in detail here.
[0137] Figure 15The embodiment provides a frontal view of the structural schematic diagram of a thermal management system 4; Figure 16 for Figure 15 A front view of the thermal management system 4 in the embodiment; Figure 17 for Figure 15 A rear view structural schematic diagram of the thermal management system 4 in the embodiment; Figure 18 for Figure 15 Rear view of the thermal management system 4 in the embodiment. Figure 15 The thermal management system 4 in the embodiment can be Figures 4-9 Thermal management system 4 in any embodiment.
[0138] same Figure 10 The same as the implementation example is that, Figures 15-18 In this embodiment, portions of the water channel substrate 93 and the refrigerant substrate 91 are also stacked in the Z direction. The condenser 20 and evaporator 30 are disposed on the portion of the refrigerant substrate 91 and the water channel substrate 93 that overlap in the Z direction. For example, the first condenser 21, the second condenser 22, the first evaporator 31, and the second evaporator 32 are arranged along the first direction Y on the surface of the refrigerant substrate 91 facing away from the water channel substrate 93, that is, the first condenser 21, the second condenser 22, the first evaporator 31, and the second evaporator 32 are disposed on the first surface 911. See details for further information. Figure 10 Examples are not described in detail here.
[0139] same Figure 10 Examples and Figure 12 The difference in the embodiments is that, Figures 15-18 In this embodiment, the external interfaces 932 on the water pump 95 and the water circuit substrate 93 are located on the surface of the water circuit substrate 93 facing away from the refrigerant substrate 91; the multi-way valve 83 is located on a portion of the surface of the water circuit substrate 93 facing the refrigerant substrate 91, with some areas outside the coverage of the refrigerant substrate 91. Since the multi-way valve 83 is a device requiring frequent maintenance, placing it on the surface of the water circuit substrate 93 facing the refrigerant substrate 91 allows the first surface 911 to face maintenance personnel during installation, facilitating maintenance and repair of the multi-way valve 83 and the refrigerant device 92. Because the external interfaces 932 on the water pump 95 and the water circuit substrate 93 are not easily damaged and do not require frequent maintenance, placing them on the surface of the water circuit substrate 93 facing away from the refrigerant substrate 91 does not affect the normal operation of the thermal management system 4. Furthermore, it effectively reduces the area not covered by the refrigerant substrate 91, thereby reducing the size of the water circuit substrate 93 in the first direction Y or the second direction X.
[0140] in addition, Figures 15-18In the embodiment, at least some of the multiple refrigerant valves 921 are disposed on the first surface 911 and arranged in the first direction Y with the first condenser 21, the second condenser 22, the first evaporator 31 and the second evaporator 32, so as to minimize the size of the refrigerant substrate 91 in the second direction X, thereby improving the compatibility of the refrigerant substrate 91 during assembly.
[0141] Understandable, Figures 15-18 In the embodiments and Figure 10 The same parts as in the embodiments can be referred to Figure 10 Examples are not described in detail here.
[0142] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.
Claims
1. A thermal management system, characterized in that, The thermal management system includes a compressor, a first condenser, a second condenser, and an evaporator. The refrigerant output by the compressor is output to the first condenser and the second condenser, and the refrigerant output by the first condenser and the second condenser is output to the evaporator. The compressor is used to receive the refrigerant output by the evaporator. The first condenser and the second condenser are respectively connected to a load, and the load selectively outputs coolant to at least one of the first condenser or the second condenser; a first regulating valve is provided on the branch of the compressor that outputs refrigerant to the first condenser, and the first regulating valve is used to regulate the flow rate of the refrigerant output by the compressor to the first condenser, wherein the branch of the compressor that outputs refrigerant to the first condenser and the branch of the compressor that outputs refrigerant to the second condenser are arranged in parallel.
2. The thermal management system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The load is connected to the first condenser and the second condenser respectively. A first water valve is provided on the branch of the load outputting coolant to the second condenser. The first water valve is used to control the flow rate of the coolant output by the load to the second condenser. The branch of the load outputting coolant to the second condenser and the branch of the load outputting coolant to the first condenser are connected in parallel.
3. The thermal management system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The thermal management system further includes a first hot gas bypass branch, which connects the output end of the compressor and the input end of the compressor. The refrigerant output by the compressor is output to the compressor through the first hot gas bypass branch. The first hot gas bypass branch is provided with a first throttling valve for throttling. The first hot gas bypass branch is connected in parallel with the branch from which the compressor outputs refrigerant to the first condenser.
4. The thermal management system according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The thermal management system further includes a second hot gas bypass branch, which connects the output end of the compressor and the input end of the evaporator. The refrigerant output by the compressor is output to the evaporator through the second hot gas bypass branch. A second throttling valve for throttling is provided on the second hot gas bypass branch. The second hot gas bypass branch is connected in parallel with the branch from which the compressor outputs refrigerant to the first condenser.
5. The thermal management system according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, A second regulating valve is provided on the branch line from the compressor output refrigerant to the second condenser. The second regulating valve is used to regulate the flow rate of the refrigerant output from the compressor to the second condenser.
6. The thermal management system according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The evaporator includes a first evaporator and a second evaporator. The first evaporator is used to receive refrigerant output from the first condenser, and the second evaporator is used to receive refrigerant output from the second condenser. The first evaporator and the second evaporator are respectively connected to the load, and the load selectively outputs coolant to at least one of the first evaporator or the second evaporator.
7. The thermal management system according to claim 6, characterized in that, A second water valve is provided on the branch line from the load output coolant to the second evaporator. The second water valve is used to control the flow rate of the coolant output from the load to the second evaporator. The branch line from the load output coolant to the second evaporator and the branch line from the load output coolant to the first evaporator are connected in parallel.
8. The thermal management system according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, A first expansion valve is provided between the output end of the first condenser and the input end of the first evaporator, and a second expansion valve is provided between the output end of the second condenser and the input end of the second evaporator.
9. The thermal management system according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The thermal management system integrates multiple refrigerant devices on a refrigerant substrate, and the refrigerant devices are devices that flow through the refrigerant. The thermal management system also integrates multiple water circuit devices on a water circuit substrate, and the water circuit devices are devices that flow through the coolant.
10. The thermal management system according to claim 9, characterized in that, The refrigerant substrate is partially stacked on a portion of the water channel substrate, and the stacking direction is consistent with the thickness direction of both the water channel substrate and the refrigerant substrate. The plurality of refrigerant devices include a first condenser, a second condenser, and an evaporator, wherein the first condenser, the second condenser, and the evaporator are disposed on the portion of the refrigerant substrate and the water circuit substrate that overlap in the stacking direction.
11. The thermal management system according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that, The plurality of refrigerant devices integrated on the refrigerant substrate are all located on the first surface of the refrigerant substrate, which is the surface of the refrigerant substrate in the thickness direction. The plurality of water circuit devices integrated on the water circuit substrate are all located on a portion of the second surface of the water circuit substrate, and the second surface of the water circuit substrate is the surface of the water circuit substrate in the thickness direction. The partial regions of the first surface and the second surface are arranged side by side, and the side-by-side direction is perpendicular to the thickness direction of the water channel substrate and the thickness direction of the refrigerant substrate, respectively. The first surface and the second surface face the same side.
12. The thermal management system according to claim 11, characterized in that, The plurality of refrigerant devices further include the first condenser, the second condenser, and the evaporator, wherein the first condenser, the second condenser, and the evaporator are arranged along a first direction on the surface of the refrigerant substrate, and the first direction is perpendicular to the parallel direction.
13. The thermal management system according to claim 12, characterized in that, The plurality of refrigerant devices also include a plurality of refrigerant valves, which are located on the first side of the first condenser, the second condenser and the evaporator in the parallel direction. The plurality of water circuit devices are located on the second side of the first condenser, the second condenser and the evaporator in the parallel direction. The first side and the second side are opposite sides of the first condenser, the second condenser and the evaporator in the parallel direction.
14. The thermal management system according to any one of claims 11-13, characterized in that, The external interfaces on the water circuit substrate are all located on the outer side of the water circuit substrate, which is the surface of the water circuit substrate that is away from the refrigerant substrate in the parallel direction.
15. The thermal management system according to claim 10, characterized in that, The first condenser, the second condenser, and the evaporator are disposed on the surface of the refrigerant substrate opposite to the water circuit substrate, and the plurality of water circuit devices are disposed on the surface of the water circuit substrate opposite to the refrigerant substrate.
16. The thermal management system according to claim 15, characterized in that, The plurality of refrigerant valves are disposed on the outer side of the refrigerant substrate, and the outer side of the refrigerant substrate is adjacent to the surface of the refrigerant substrate in the thickness direction.
17. The thermal management system according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that, The external interface on the water circuit substrate is located on the surface of the water circuit substrate that is away from the refrigerant substrate.
18. The thermal management system according to claim 10, characterized in that, The first condenser, the second condenser, and the evaporator are disposed on the surface of the refrigerant substrate away from the water circuit substrate. The plurality of water circuit devices include a water pump, and the water pump and the external interface on the water circuit substrate are disposed on the surface of the water circuit substrate away from the refrigerant substrate. The plurality of water circuit devices also include a multi-way valve, which is disposed in a portion of the surface of the water circuit substrate facing the refrigerant substrate, the portion of which is located outside the coverage area of the refrigerant substrate.
19. The thermal management system according to any one of claims 9-18, characterized in that, The plurality of refrigerant valves include the first regulating valve, an expansion valve connected to the input end of the evaporator, and a throttling valve on the hot gas bypass branch of the thermal management system.
20. An energy storage device, characterized in that, The energy storage device includes a battery pack and a thermal management system as described in any one of claims 1-19, the thermal management system being used to regulate the temperature of the battery pack or to regulate the temperature of the energy storage device.