Expansion kettle and thermal management system

Abstract

The utility model discloses an expansion kettle and a heat management system, and relates to the technical field of automobile parts. The expansion kettle comprises a kettle body, a first liquid inlet is formed in the top of the kettle body, a liquid inlet pipe is arranged on the side wall of the kettle body and obliquely extends from the side close to the bottom of the kettle body to the side close to the top of the kettle body, and a second liquid inlet is formed in the end, away from the kettle body, of the liquid inlet pipe. The vertical height of the second liquid inlet is lower than that of the first liquid inlet, a liquid injection cover with a liquid injection quick-plug connector is arranged on the second liquid inlet, and a liquid outlet is formed in the bottom of the kettle body and used for being connected with a water return port of a heat management system. The expansion kettle and the heat management system can solve the problems that in the prior art, liquid injection of an expansion kettle is inconvenient, and impurities are easily mixed in the liquid injection process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of automobile parts, and in particular to an expansion kettle and a thermal management system. Background Art

[0002] With the continuous development of the new energy industry, lithium batteries are being used as energy storage units in various industries, such as the pure electric rail locomotive industry. Since the battery system generates heat during operation, in order to avoid the accumulation of this heat, industry designers have added a liquid cooling unit to the battery system. Through the function of the liquid cooling unit, the heat inside the battery system is taken out. Since the liquid cooling unit requires coolant as a cooling medium to exchange heat with the battery box, the coolant must be reliable from the assembly, operation, and maintenance of the battery system.

[0003] In order to meet the transportation capacity requirements of the rail locomotive industry, industry designers usually use container battery systems as the power supply for the entire locomotive. Since the locomotive will experience certain vibrations during operation, the traditional centralized cooling method of the container battery system can no longer meet the on-board requirements. Therefore, industry designers choose a battery cluster to configure a vehicle-mounted liquid cooling system. In this way, the thermal management unit of a single battery cluster forms a separate thermal management system, which can avoid the situation where the centralized cooling method causes the entire battery system to fail due to the failure of one of the liquid cooling units.

[0004] As a component unit in the thermal management system, the expansion kettle carries important functions, such as fluid replenishment, compensation, pressure relief, etc. In the prior art, the expansion kettle is generally fixedly installed at the highest point of the container battery system. In this way, the filling port of the expansion kettle will face the top plate of the container battery system, and there is a problem that the operating space is too narrow, which makes it inconvenient to fill the expansion kettle; in addition, impurities are easily mixed into the expansion kettle during repeated filling, which affects the service life of the thermal management system. Utility Model Content

[0005] The utility model aims to provide an expansion kettle and a thermal management system, which can solve the problems in the prior art that the expansion kettle is inconvenient to fill and impurities are easily mixed into the filling process.

[0006] The embodiment of the utility model is achieved as follows:

[0007] The first aspect of the embodiment of the utility model provides an expansion kettle, including a kettle body, a first liquid inlet is arranged on the top of the kettle body, a liquid inlet pipe is arranged on the side wall of the kettle body, the liquid inlet pipe extends obliquely from the side close to the bottom of the kettle body to the side close to the top of the kettle body, a second liquid inlet is arranged on the end of the liquid inlet pipe away from the kettle body, the vertical height of the second liquid inlet is lower than the vertical height of the first liquid inlet, a liquid filling cover with a liquid filling quick plug connector is arranged on the second liquid inlet, and a liquid discharge port is arranged at the bottom of the kettle body, and the liquid discharge port is used to connect with the return water port of the thermal management system. The expansion kettle can solve the problems of inconvenience in filling the expansion kettle in the prior art and easy inclusion of impurities during the filling process.

[0008] Optionally, an injection pump is provided in the liquid inlet pipe, and the water inlet of the injection pump is connected to the injection quick-plug connector.

[0009] Optionally, a deionizer is further provided in the liquid inlet pipe, and the water outlet of the injection pump is connected to the deionizer.

[0010] Optionally, a reflux pipe is further provided on the top of the kettle body, one end of the reflux pipe is connected to the first liquid inlet, and the other end of the reflux pipe is used to be connected to the water return port of the thermal management system.

[0011] Optionally, an overflow pipe is further provided on the top of the kettle body, and one end of the overflow pipe away from the kettle body is used to extend out of the thermal management system.

[0012] Optionally, a pressure relief cover having a pressure relief valve is provided on the first liquid inlet.

[0013] Optionally, a liquid level gauge is also provided on the side wall of the kettle body, and the opposite ends of the liquid level gauge are respectively connected to the top and bottom of the kettle body; and / or a float-type liquid level sensor is provided at the bottom of the kettle body; and / or a pressure sensor is provided inside the kettle body, and the pressure sensor is used to obtain the pressure signal inside the kettle body, and a signal interface is provided at the bottom of the kettle body, and the signal interface is electrically connected to the pressure sensor, and the signal interface is used to be electrically connected to the controller of the thermal management system to transmit the pressure signal to the controller.

[0014] Optionally, a fixing plate is provided on the back of the kettle body, and the fixing plate is provided with mounting holes along the circumferential edge so as to be fixedly connected to the bracket of the battery cluster through the mounting holes, and the fixing plate is also provided with shock-absorbing pads at the mounting holes.

[0015] Optionally, the kettle body is made of stainless steel; and / or a plurality of protrusions are provided on the surface of the kettle body.

[0016] The second aspect of the embodiment of the utility model provides a thermal management system, comprising the above-mentioned expansion kettle. The expansion kettle can solve the problems of inconvenience in filling the expansion kettle and easy inclusion of impurities during the filling process in the prior art.

[0017] The beneficial effects of the embodiments of the utility model include:

[0018] The expansion kettle comprises a kettle body, a first liquid inlet is arranged on the top of the kettle body, a liquid inlet pipe is arranged on the side wall of the kettle body, the liquid inlet pipe extends obliquely from a side close to the bottom of the kettle body toward a side close to the top of the kettle body, a second liquid inlet is arranged on an end of the liquid inlet pipe away from the kettle body, the vertical height of the second liquid inlet is lower than the vertical height of the first liquid inlet, a liquid filling cap with a liquid filling quick plug connector is arranged on the second liquid inlet, and a liquid discharge port is arranged at the bottom of the kettle body, and the liquid discharge port is used to be connected to the water return port of the thermal management system. Cooling liquid can be injected into the kettle body through both the first liquid inlet and the second liquid inlet. Since the vertical height of the second liquid inlet is lower than that of the first liquid inlet, when the expansion kettle has been fixedly installed at the highest point of the container battery system, the operating space between the second liquid inlet and the top plate of the container battery system is relatively large, and technical personnel in this field can choose to inject cooling liquid into the kettle body through the second liquid inlet to improve the convenience of the liquid injection operation; in addition, since the second liquid inlet is provided with a liquid injection cap with a liquid injection quick plug connector, technical personnel in this field do not need to remove the liquid injection cap from the second liquid inlet, and can directly connect with an external device through the liquid injection quick plug connector to realize liquid injection, thereby effectively reducing the number of times the liquid injection cap is removed, avoiding the risk of impurities easily entering the kettle body due to repeated removal of the liquid injection cap during repeated liquid injection, and thus significantly improving the service life of the thermal management system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the utility model, the drawings required for use in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show certain embodiments of the utility model and therefore should not be regarded as limiting the scope. For ordinary technicians in this field, other relevant drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0020] Figure 1 One of the structural schematic diagrams of the expansion kettle provided by the embodiment of the utility model;

[0021] Figure 2 The second structural schematic diagram of the expansion kettle provided by the embodiment of the utility model;

[0022] Figure 3 The third structural schematic diagram of the expansion kettle provided in the embodiment of the utility model.

[0023] Icons: 100-expansion kettle; 10-kettle body; 11-pressure relief cover; 12-liquid inlet pipe; 121-liquid filling pump; 1211-water pump control connector; 122-deionizer; 13-liquid filling cover; 131-liquid filling quick connector; 14-liquid discharge port; 15-reflux pipe; 16-overflow pipe; 17-liquid level gauge; 18-float type liquid level sensor; 19-signal interface; 20-fixing plate; 21-mounting hole; 221-shock-absorbing pad; 23-raised part. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] In order to make the purpose, technical scheme and advantages of the embodiments of the utility model clearer, the technical scheme in the embodiments of the utility model will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the utility model. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the utility model, not all of the embodiments. Generally, the components of the embodiments of the utility model described and shown in the drawings here can be arranged and designed in various different configurations.

[0025] Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to be protected, but merely represents selected embodiments of the present invention. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0026] It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters denote similar items in the following drawings, and therefore, once an item is defined in one drawing, further definition and explanation thereof is not required in subsequent drawings.

[0027] In the description of the present utility model, it should be noted that the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inside", "outside", etc. indicate the orientation or position relationship based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, or the orientation or position relationship in which the utility model product is usually placed when in use, which is only for the convenience of describing the utility model and simplifying the description, and does not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present utility model. In addition, the terms "first", "second", "third", etc. are only used to distinguish the description, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0028] In addition, the terms "horizontal", "vertical" and the like do not mean that the components are required to be absolutely horizontal or suspended, but can be slightly tilted. For example, "horizontal" only means that its direction is more horizontal than "vertical", and does not mean that the structure must be completely horizontal, but can be slightly tilted.

[0029] In the description of the present invention, it is also necessary to explain that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "set", "install", "connect", and "connect" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be a connection between two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0030] Please refer to Figures 1 to 3 The embodiment of the present application provides an expansion kettle 100, comprising a kettle body 10, a first liquid inlet is arranged at the top of the kettle body 10, a liquid inlet pipe 12 is arranged on the side wall of the kettle body 10, the liquid inlet pipe 12 extends obliquely from the side close to the bottom of the kettle body 10 to the side close to the top of the kettle body 10, a second liquid inlet is arranged at the end of the liquid inlet pipe 12 away from the kettle body 10, the vertical height of the second liquid inlet is lower than the vertical height of the first liquid inlet, a liquid filling cover 13 with a liquid filling quick plug connector 131 is arranged on the second liquid inlet, and a liquid discharge port 14 is arranged at the bottom of the kettle body 10, and the liquid discharge port 14 is used to connect with the water return port of the thermal management system. The expansion kettle 100 can solve the problems of inconvenience in filling the expansion kettle 100 and easy mixing of impurities during the filling process in the prior art.

[0031] It should be noted that the expansion kettle 100 includes a kettle body 10, which has a storage cavity for storing coolant inside. The kettle body 10 is respectively provided with a first liquid inlet, a second liquid inlet and a drain port 14, wherein the first liquid inlet is located at the top of the kettle body 10, and the second liquid inlet is located at the side wall of the kettle body 10. Coolant can be injected into the kettle body 10 through the first liquid inlet and the second liquid inlet. The liquid inlet pipe 12 extends obliquely from the side close to the bottom of the kettle body 10 toward the side close to the top of the kettle body 10, and the vertical height of the second liquid inlet is lower than the vertical height of the first liquid inlet, thereby making the distance between the second liquid inlet and the top plate of the container battery system greater than the distance between the first liquid inlet and the top plate of the container battery system. The drain port 14 is located at the bottom of the kettle body 10, and is connected to the thermal management system through the drain port 14, so that the expansion kettle 100 can be connected to the thermal management system. When the temperature of the coolant increases, the coolant expands due to the heat, and the excess coolant in the thermal management system enters the kettle body 10 of the expansion kettle 100; when the temperature of the coolant decreases, the coolant contracts when it is cold, and the coolant stored in the kettle body 10 enters the thermal management system for replenishment to ensure that there is enough coolant in the liquid cooling pipeline of the thermal management system to cool the battery box.

[0032] It should be noted that as to when to inject coolant into the kettle body 10 through the first liquid inlet and when to inject coolant into the kettle body 10 through the second liquid inlet, those skilled in the art should be able to make reasonable choices based on actual conditions, and no specific restrictions are made here. For example, when the expansion kettle 100 is not fixedly installed at the highest point of the container battery system, technical personnel in this field can choose to inject coolant into the kettle body 10 through the first liquid inlet; when the expansion kettle 100 is already fixedly installed at the highest point of the container battery system, at this time, since the operating space between the first liquid inlet and the top plate of the container battery system is narrow, and the operating space between the second liquid inlet and the top plate of the container battery system is larger, technical personnel in this field can choose to inject coolant into the kettle body 10 through the second liquid inlet, and since the second liquid inlet is provided with a liquid injection cap 13 with a liquid injection quick plug connector 131, technical personnel in this field do not need to remove the liquid injection cap 13 from the second liquid inlet, and can directly connect the liquid injection quick plug connector 131 to an external device to achieve liquid injection, thereby effectively reducing the number of times the liquid injection cap 13 is removed, avoiding the risk of impurities easily entering the kettle body 10 due to repeated removal of the liquid injection cap 13 during repeated liquid injection, thereby significantly improving the service life of the thermal management system.

[0033] It should also be noted that the liquid inlet pipe 12 extends obliquely from the side close to the bottom of the kettle body 10 toward the side close to the top of the kettle body 10. It can be a straight oblique extension, for example, the liquid inlet pipe 12 is a straight structure, or it can be a curved oblique extension, for example, the liquid inlet pipe 12 is approximately L-shaped or spiral. Regarding the specific structure of the liquid inlet pipe 12, those skilled in the art should be able to make reasonable selections and designs according to actual conditions. It is only necessary to allow the coolant to enter the kettle body 10 through the liquid inlet pipe 12. No specific restrictions are made here. For example, Figure 2 As shown, in this embodiment, the liquid inlet pipe 12 is approximately L-shaped, which can not only ensure that the coolant can enter the kettle body 10 through the liquid inlet pipe 12, but also play a certain buffering role for the coolant, avoiding the coolant flow rate being too fast and causing a large pressure change inside the kettle body 10.

[0034] Alternatively, if Figure 2 As shown, in this embodiment, a liquid injection pump 121 is provided in the liquid inlet pipe 12, and the water inlet of the liquid injection pump 121 is connected to the liquid injection quick plug connector 131, so that the coolant in the external device is pumped into the kettle body 10 through the liquid injection pump 121, thereby improving the liquid injection efficiency. On this basis, a water pump control connector 1211 is also provided on the liquid inlet pipe 12, so that it is connected to the controller of the thermal management system through the water pump control connector 1211, so that the controller can control the operation of the liquid injection pump 121 through the water pump control connector 1211.

[0035] Alternatively, if Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, in this embodiment, a deionizer 122 is also provided in the liquid inlet pipe 12, and the water outlet of the injection pump 121 is connected to the deionizer 122, so as to remove the conductive ions in the coolant pumped into the kettle body 10 by the injection pump 121 through the deionizer 122, thereby significantly reducing the conductivity of the coolant, and further reducing the risk of short circuit in the battery system after the coolant leaks.

[0036] Since the coolant in the thermal management system will discharge a certain amount of water vapor during the circulation process, the density of this water vapor is relatively small. Under the action of water pressure, it will be transferred from the liquid cooling pipeline of the thermal management system to the highest point of the thermal management system, that is, above the liquid level of the coolant in the expansion kettle 100. As the water vapor continues to accumulate, the air pressure above the liquid level increases. In order to facilitate the discharge of these gases, such as Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown, in the present embodiment, a pressure relief cover 11 with a pressure relief valve is provided on the first liquid inlet, which can serve as a dust cover for the first liquid inlet to prevent impurities from entering the kettle body 10 through the first liquid inlet. When a certain air pressure is reached above the liquid level of the coolant in the kettle body 10, the pressure relief valve in the pressure relief cover 11 can be triggered to open, thereby discharging the gas out of the kettle body 10. That is, the first liquid inlet can also replace the exhaust port of the expansion kettle in the prior art, thereby simplifying the structure of the expansion kettle 100.

[0037] Alternatively, if Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown, in the present embodiment, a reflux pipe 15 is further provided on the top of the kettle body 10, one end of the reflux pipe 15 is connected to the first liquid inlet, and the other end of the reflux pipe 15 is used to connect to the water return port of the thermal management system, so as to reflux the liquid formed after the high-temperature water vapor is condensed through the reflux pipe 15, and the air pressure above the liquid level of the coolant in the kettle body 10 can also be balanced through the reflux pipe 15, and the gas in the liquid cooling pipeline of the thermal management system can also be facilitated to directly enter the liquid level of the coolant in the kettle body 10 through the reflux pipe 15, thereby reducing the risk of air blockage in the liquid cooling pipeline of the thermal management system.

[0038] Alternatively, if Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown, in this embodiment, an overflow pipe 16 is also provided on the top of the kettle body 10, and one end of the overflow pipe 16 away from the kettle body 10 is used to extend out of the thermal management system. Therefore, when there is too much coolant in the kettle body 10 during the filling process, the coolant can be discharged out of the thermal management system through the overflow pipe 16.

[0039] Alternatively, if Figure 1 and Figure 3As shown, in this embodiment, a liquid level gauge 17 is further provided on the side wall of the kettle body 10, and the opposite ends of the liquid level gauge 17 are respectively connected to the top and the bottom of the kettle body 10, so that the liquid level gauge 17 is connected to the kettle body 10. Through the principle of communicating vessels, the liquid level inside the kettle body 10 can be observed from the outside of the kettle body 10 through the liquid level gauge 17.

[0040] and / or, if Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown, in this embodiment, a float type liquid level sensor 18 is provided at the bottom of the kettle body 10. The working principle of the float type liquid level sensor 18 is that a wire is connected in series in the middle of the float, and a resistance wire is connected in series in the external wire loop. As the liquid level of the coolant in the kettle body 10 rises, the float begins to float. As the liquid level continues to rise, the pressure on the float becomes greater and greater, and the resistance wire is also stretched. The longer the resistance wire is stretched, the greater its resistance becomes. Through the resistance between the two auxiliary detection points, it can be judged whether the liquid level of the coolant in the kettle body 10 is too low. This method is not affected by the conductivity of the coolant. In addition to improving the detection accuracy, the liquid level height can also be actually calculated based on the conversion relationship between the resistance transformation caused by the pull of the float.

[0041] and / or, if Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown, in order to prevent the above-mentioned float type liquid level sensor 18 from failing, in this embodiment, a pressure sensor is arranged inside the kettle body 10, and the pressure sensor is used to obtain the pressure signal inside the kettle body 10. A signal interface 19 is arranged at the bottom of the kettle body 10, and the signal interface 19 is electrically connected to the pressure sensor. The signal interface 19 is used to be electrically connected to the controller of the thermal management system to transmit the pressure signal to the controller. Thus, the controller can receive the pressure signal through the signal interface 19, and adjust the operation of the injection pump 121 in real time according to the pressure signal, so as to avoid the phenomenon that the air pressure inside the kettle body 10 is too high due to excessive coolant in the kettle body 10, and reduce the difficulty of exhaust.

[0042] Alternatively, if Figures 1 to 3 As shown, in this embodiment, a fixing plate 20 is provided on the back of the kettle body 10, and a mounting hole 21 is provided along the circumferential edge of the fixing plate 20 so as to be fixedly connected to the bracket of the battery cluster through the mounting hole 21. The fixing plate 20 is also provided with a shock-absorbing pad 221 at the mounting hole 21 to prevent the coolant in the kettle body 10 from shaking due to the bumps of the locomotive during driving, thereby reducing the risk of coolant leakage.

[0043] Optionally, the kettle body 10 is made of stainless steel to improve the structural strength of the expansion kettle 100 and reduce impurities in the kettle body 10, thereby increasing the service life of the thermal management system; and / or Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, in this embodiment, a plurality of protrusions 23 are provided on the surface of the kettle body 10 to reduce the pressure of the coolant in the kettle body 10 on the surface of the kettle body 10, thereby improving the pressure resistance of the expansion kettle 100 and further reducing the risk of leakage of the coolant.

[0044] The embodiment of the present application further provides a thermal management system, including the above-mentioned expansion kettle 100. Since the structure and beneficial effects of the expansion kettle 100 have been described in detail in the above-mentioned embodiment, they will not be repeated here.

[0045] The above description is only the preferred embodiment of the utility model, and is not intended to limit the utility model. For those skilled in the art, the utility model can have various modifications and changes. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the utility model shall be included in the protection scope of the utility model.

Claims

1. An expansion kettle, characterized in that: It includes a kettle body, a first liquid inlet is arranged on the top of the kettle body, a liquid inlet pipe is arranged on the side wall of the kettle body, the liquid inlet pipe obliquely extends from a side close to the bottom of the kettle body toward a side close to the top of the kettle body, a second liquid inlet is arranged on the end of the liquid inlet pipe away from the kettle body, the vertical height of the second liquid inlet is lower than the vertical height of the first liquid inlet, a liquid filling cover with a liquid filling quick plug connector is arranged on the second liquid inlet, and a liquid drain port is arranged at the bottom of the kettle body, and the liquid drain port is used to be connected to the return water port of the thermal management system.

2. The expansion kettle according to claim 1, characterized in that: A liquid injection pump is arranged in the liquid inlet pipe, and a water inlet of the liquid injection pump is connected to the liquid injection quick plug connector.

3. The expansion kettle according to claim 2, characterized in that: A deionizer is also arranged in the liquid inlet pipe, and the water outlet of the injection pump is connected to the deionizer.

4. The expansion kettle according to claim 1, characterized in that: A reflux pipe is also provided on the top of the kettle body, one end of the reflux pipe is connected to the first liquid inlet, and the other end of the reflux pipe is used to be connected to the water return port of the thermal management system.

5. The expansion kettle according to claim 1, characterized in that: An overflow pipe is also arranged on the top of the kettle body, and one end of the overflow pipe away from the kettle body is used to extend out of the thermal management system.

6. The expansion kettle according to claim 1, characterized in that A pressure relief cover with a pressure relief valve is arranged on the first liquid inlet.

7. The expansion kettle according to claim 1, characterized in that A liquid level gauge is also provided on the side wall of the kettle body, and the opposite ends of the liquid level gauge are respectively connected to the top and bottom of the kettle body; and / or a float-type liquid level sensor is provided at the bottom of the kettle body; and / or a pressure sensor is provided inside the kettle body, and the pressure sensor is used to obtain the pressure signal inside the kettle body, and a signal interface is provided at the bottom of the kettle body, and the signal interface is electrically connected to the pressure sensor, and the signal interface is used to be electrically connected to the controller of the thermal management system to transmit the pressure signal to the controller.

8. The expansion kettle according to claim 1, characterized in that A fixing plate is arranged on the back of the kettle body, and mounting holes are arranged along the circumferential edge of the fixing plate so as to be fixedly connected with the bracket of the battery cluster through the mounting holes. A shock-absorbing pad is also arranged at the mounting hole of the fixing plate.

9. The expansion kettle according to claim 1, characterized in that The kettle body is made of stainless steel; and / or a plurality of protrusions are arranged on the surface of the kettle body.

10. A thermal management system, characterized in that: The invention comprises the expansion kettle as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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