Phase change cold plate cooling system

By designing a phase change cooling system in the battery box and controlling the two-phase state of the refrigerant by using the flow regulating valve and compressor speed, the problems of large temperature difference and initial investment in the existing refrigeration system are solved, and more uniform temperature control and extended battery life are achieved.

CN222735102UActive Publication Date: 2025-04-08GUANGDONG HIWAVE TECH
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202421017293.X
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Utility models(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2024-05-10
Publication Date
2025-04-08
Estimated Expiration
2034-05-10

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

When cooling the battery box, the existing refrigeration system has a large temperature difference, which affects the battery life and efficiency. Some solutions have the risk of liquid leakage and high initial investment.

Method used

A phase change cold plate cooling system is designed, and the refrigerant of the cooling plate is placed in the two-phase zone of the gas-liquid mixed state by adjusting the opening degree of the first flow regulating valve and the second flow regulating valve, and controlling the rotation speed of the compressor, thereby achieving more uniform temperature control.

Benefits of technology

The uniformity of temperature between batteries in the battery box is achieved, the temperature difference is reduced, the battery life is extended, and the initial investment and maintenance difficulty of the system is reduced.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of refrigeration systems, and specifically to a phase change cold plate cooling system, including a first heat exchanger, a second heat exchanger, a third heat exchanger, a regulating pipeline, a compressor, a driving pump, a liquid collecting main pipe, a gas collecting main pipe and a plurality of cooling branches; the first heat exchanger includes a first channel and a second channel; the third heat exchanger includes a third channel and a fourth channel; the regulating pipeline is provided with a first flow regulating valve; each cooling branch includes a liquid collecting branch pipe, a gas collecting branch pipe, a second flow regulating valve and a plurality of cold plate components; the second flow regulating valve is provided on the liquid collecting branch pipe. The utility model can make the refrigerant of the cooling plate in a two-phase zone maintained in a gas-liquid mixed state by adjusting the opening of the first flow regulating valve and the second flow regulating valve, and controlling the speed of the compressor, so that the temperature at the cooling plate is more uniform, the temperature difference is smaller, and finally the temperature between the batteries in the battery box tends to be consistent.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of refrigeration systems, in particular to a phase change cold plate cooling system. Background Art

[0002] The performance, safety and life of energy storage batteries are affected by temperature. Excessive temperature will reduce battery life and even cause thermal runaway. The battery box is composed of multiple battery cells. Excessive temperature difference between batteries will lead to uneven charging and discharging, affecting battery life. Local high temperature in the battery box may cause internal short circuit of the battery, further increase the temperature and increase the risk of thermal runaway.

[0003] There are three types of refrigeration on the market:

[0004] 1. Air-cooled direct expansion refrigeration: On the refrigeration evaporation side, the fan sends cold air to the battery. In this solution, due to the battery air duct problem, the battery temperature difference is concentrated between 8-10°C, which greatly affects the efficiency of the energy storage system.

[0005] 2. Ethylene glycol aqueous solution cold plate liquid cooling, ethylene glycol aqueous solution flows in the cold plate, which is inefficient. If the layout is not good, uneven solution flow distribution in each cold plate will easily lead to inconsistent battery temperature. At present, the battery temperature difference of this system is usually 5-8℃. At the same time, once the liquid leaks, there is a risk of battery short circuit.

[0006] 3. Immersion liquid cooling uses insulating liquid to immerse the battery. It has high efficiency and a good battery temperature difference of 2-5°C. However, the insulating liquid is expensive, the initial investment is large, and maintenance is very difficult. Utility Model Content

[0007] The utility model aims to provide a phase change cold plate cooling system in view of the above-mentioned deficiencies in the prior art.

[0008] The purpose of the utility model is achieved through the following technical solutions: A phase change cold plate cooling system, comprising a first heat exchanger, a second heat exchanger, a third heat exchanger, a regulating pipeline, a compressor, a driving pump and a cooling branch; the first heat exchanger comprises a first channel and a second channel; the third heat exchanger comprises a third channel and a fourth channel;

[0009] The first channel, the compressor, the second heat exchanger and the third channel are connected end to end in sequence; the regulating pipeline is arranged in parallel with the third channel; the regulating pipeline is provided with a first flow regulating valve;

[0010] One end of the second channel is connected to one end of the driving pump; the other end of the driving pump is connected to one end of the fourth channel; the other end of the fourth channel is connected to one end of the cooling branch; the other end of the second channel is connected to the other end of the cooling branch;

[0011] The cooling branch includes a liquid collecting branch, a gas collecting branch, a second flow regulating valve and multiple cold plate assemblies; one end of the liquid collecting branch is connected to the other end of the fourth channel; the other end of the liquid collecting branch is connected to one end of the gas collecting branch through the cold plate assembly; the other end of the gas collecting branch is connected to the other end of the second channel; the second flow regulating valve is arranged on the liquid collecting branch.

[0012] The utility model is further configured that a first temperature sensor is provided at one end of the second channel; and a first pressure sensor or a needle valve is provided at one end of the second channel.

[0013] The utility model is further configured that the phase change cold plate cooling system also includes a liquid collecting main pipe and a gas collecting main pipe; the other end of the driving pump is connected to one end of the liquid collecting main pipe through a fourth channel; the other end of the second channel is connected to one end of the gas collecting main pipe; the cooling branch is arranged between the other end of the liquid collecting main pipe and the other end of the gas collecting main pipe;

[0014] One end of the liquid collecting branch pipe is connected to the other end of the liquid collecting main pipe; the other end of the gas collecting branch pipe is connected to the other end of the gas collecting main pipe.

[0015] The utility model is further configured that the liquid collecting main pipe is provided with a second temperature sensor and a second pressure sensor.

[0016] The utility model is further configured that the gas collecting branch pipe is provided with a third temperature sensor and a third pressure sensor.

[0017] The utility model is further configured that the phase change cold plate cooling system also includes a first liquid storage tank, a mesh filter and an electronic expansion valve;

[0018] One end of the first liquid storage tank is connected to the third channel; the other end of the first liquid storage tank is connected to one end of the mesh filter; the other end of the mesh filter is connected to one end of the electronic expansion valve; the other end of the electronic expansion valve is connected to the first channel.

[0019] The utility model is further configured that the phase change cold plate cooling system further includes a second liquid storage tank, a first ball valve, a one-way valve and a solenoid valve;

[0020] One end of the second liquid storage tank is connected to one end of the second channel; the other end of the second liquid storage tank is connected to one end of the first ball valve; the other end of the first ball valve is connected to one end of the driving pump; the other end of the driving pump is connected to one end of the one-way valve; the other end of the one-way valve is connected to the fourth channel through the solenoid valve.

[0021] The utility model is further configured that the cold plate assembly includes a second ball valve, a throttle valve, a cooling plate and a third ball valve;

[0022] The other end of the liquid collecting branch pipe is communicated with one end of the gas collecting branch pipe after passing through the second ball valve, the throttle valve, the cooling plate and the third ball valve in sequence.

[0023] The utility model is further configured that the phase change cold plate cooling system also includes a drying filter; the drying filter is arranged on the liquid collecting branch pipe.

[0024] The utility model is further configured such that both the first heat exchanger and the third heat exchanger are plate heat exchangers.

[0025] Beneficial effects of the utility model: the utility model can keep the refrigerant of the cooling plate in a two-phase region of gas-liquid mixed state by adjusting the opening of the first flow regulating valve and the second flow regulating valve and controlling the rotation speed of the compressor, so that the temperature at the cooling plate is more uniform and the temperature difference is smaller, and finally the temperature between the batteries in the battery box tends to be consistent. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] The utility model is further described using the accompanying drawings, but the embodiments in the accompanying drawings do not constitute any limitation to the utility model. A person skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on the following drawings without creative work.

[0027] Figure 1 It is the system principle diagram of the utility model;

[0028] Among them: 1. first heat exchanger; 11. first channel; 12. second channel; 13. first temperature sensor; 14. needle valve; 21. second heat exchanger; 22. compressor; 23. first liquid storage tank; 24. mesh filter; 25. electronic expansion valve; 3. third heat exchanger; 31. third channel; 32. fourth channel; 4. regulating pipeline; 41. first flow regulating valve; 51. driving pump; 52. liquid collecting main pipe; 53. second temperature sensor device; 54, second pressure sensor; 55, gas collecting main pipe; 56, second liquid storage tank; 57, first ball valve; 58, one-way valve; 59, solenoid valve; 6, cooling branch; 61, liquid collecting branch pipe; 62, second flow regulating valve; 63, gas collecting branch pipe; 65, third temperature sensor; 66, third pressure sensor; 7, cold plate assembly; 71, second ball valve; 72, throttle valve; 73, cooling plate; 74, third ball valve; 8, drying filter. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The utility model is further described in conjunction with the following embodiments.

[0030] Depend on Figure 1It can be seen that the phase change cold plate cooling system described in this embodiment includes a first heat exchanger 1, a second heat exchanger 21, a third heat exchanger 3, a regulating pipeline 4, a compressor 22, a driving pump 51, a liquid collecting main pipe 52, a gas collecting main pipe 55 and a plurality of cooling branches 6; the first heat exchanger 1 includes a first channel 11 and a second channel 12; the third heat exchanger 3 includes a third channel 31 and a fourth channel 32;

[0031] The first channel 11, the compressor 22, the second heat exchanger 21 and the third channel 31 are connected end to end in sequence; the regulating pipeline 4 is arranged in parallel with the third channel 31; the regulating pipeline 4 is provided with a first flow regulating valve 41;

[0032] One end of the second channel 12 is connected to one end of the driving pump 51; the other end of the driving pump 51 is connected to one end of the liquid collecting main pipe 52 through the fourth channel 32; the other end of the second channel 12 is connected to one end of the gas collecting main pipe 55; the cooling branch 6 is arranged between the other end of the liquid collecting main pipe 52 and the other end of the gas collecting main pipe 55;

[0033] Each cooling branch 6 includes a liquid collecting branch pipe 61, a gas collecting branch pipe 63, a second flow regulating valve 62 and multiple cold plate assemblies 7; one end of the liquid collecting branch pipe 61 is connected to the other end of the liquid collecting main pipe 52; the other end of the liquid collecting branch pipe 61 is connected to one end of the gas collecting branch pipe 63 through the cold plate assembly 7; the other end of the gas collecting branch pipe 63 is connected to the other end of the gas collecting main pipe 55; the second flow regulating valve 62 is arranged on the liquid collecting branch pipe 61.

[0034] Specifically, in the phase change cold plate cooling system described in this embodiment, when in use, the first channel 11, the compressor 22, the second heat exchanger 21, the third channel 31 and the regulating pipeline 4 constitute a compression refrigeration system, and the refrigerant flows in two directions, namely, the first channel 11-compressor 22-second heat exchanger 21-third channel 31-first channel 11, and the first channel 11-compressor 22-second heat exchanger 21-regulating pipeline 4-first channel 11;

[0035] In addition, the second channel 12, the driving pump 51, the fourth channel 32, the liquid collecting main pipe 52, the cooling branch 6 and the gas collecting main pipe 55 constitute a cold plate cooling system, and the refrigerant flow direction is second channel 12-driving pump 51-fourth channel 32-liquid collecting main pipe 52-liquid collecting branch pipe 61-cold plate assembly 7-gas collecting branch pipe 63-gas collecting main pipe 55-second channel 12.

[0036] Through the above-mentioned arrangement, the heat exchange capacity of the first heat exchanger 1 can be changed by controlling the rotation speed of the compressor 22, thereby changing the outlet temperature at the second channel 12; in addition, by setting the first flow regulating valve 41, the opening of the first flow regulating valve 41 is changed, thereby changing the refrigerant flow rate of the third channel 31 to change the inlet temperature of the liquid collecting main pipe 52; in addition, a second flow regulating valve 62 is set in each cooling branch 6, which can change the flow rate of the refrigerant passing through the cold plate assembly 7, change the heat exchange capacity of the cooling plate 73, and thereby adjust the temperature value of the gas collecting branch pipe 63.

[0037] This embodiment can keep the refrigerant in the cooling plate 73 in a two-phase critical zone of a gas-liquid mixture state by adjusting the opening of the first flow regulating valve 41 and the second flow regulating valve 62 and controlling the rotation speed of the compressor 22, thereby making the temperature at the cooling plate 73 more uniform and the temperature difference smaller, and finally making the temperature between the batteries in the battery box tend to be consistent.

[0038] In the phase change cold plate cooling system described in this embodiment, a first temperature sensor 13 is provided at one end of the second channel 12. Specifically, the above arrangement facilitates detection of the outlet temperature at the second channel 12.

[0039] In the phase change cold plate cooling system described in this embodiment, a first pressure sensor or a needle valve 14 is provided at one end of the second channel 12. Specifically, the above arrangement facilitates the detection of the outlet pressure value at the second channel 12, or when the refrigerant is lacking, the refrigerant can be supplemented at the needle valve 14 through an external refrigerant charging machine.

[0040] In the phase change cold plate cooling system described in this embodiment, the liquid collecting main pipe 52 is provided with a second temperature sensor 53 and a second pressure sensor 54. Specifically, the above arrangement facilitates the detection of the outlet temperature and outlet pressure value at the fourth channel 32.

[0041] In the phase change cold plate cooling system described in this embodiment, the gas collecting branch pipe 63 is provided with a third temperature sensor 65 and a third pressure sensor 66. Specifically, the above arrangement facilitates the detection of the temperature and pressure value of the gas collecting branch pipe 63.

[0042] A phase change cold plate cooling system described in this embodiment further includes a first liquid storage tank 23, a mesh filter 24 and an electronic expansion valve 25;

[0043] One end of the first liquid storage tank 23 is connected to the third channel 31; the other end of the first liquid storage tank 23 is connected to one end of the mesh filter 24; the other end of the mesh filter 24 is connected to one end of the electronic expansion valve 25; the other end of the electronic expansion valve 25 is connected to the first channel 11.

[0044] Specifically, through the above-mentioned settings, in the compression refrigeration system, the two flow directions of the refrigerant are respectively: the first channel 11-compressor 22-second heat exchanger 21-third channel 31-first liquid storage tank 23-mesh filter 24-electronic expansion valve 25-first channel 11, and the first channel 11-compressor 22-second heat exchanger 21-regulating pipeline 4-first liquid storage tank 23-mesh filter 24-electronic expansion valve 25-first channel 11; by setting the mesh filter 24, solid impurities can be filtered, and by setting the electronic expansion valve 25, the pressure of the system can be adjusted by adjusting the resistance.

[0045] A phase change cold plate cooling system described in this embodiment further includes a second liquid storage tank 56, a first ball valve 57, a one-way valve 58 and a solenoid valve 59;

[0046] One end of the second liquid storage tank 56 is connected to one end of the second channel 12; the other end of the second liquid storage tank 56 is connected to one end of the first ball valve 57; the other end of the first ball valve 57 is connected to one end of the driving pump 51; the other end of the driving pump 51 is connected to one end of the one-way valve 58; the other end of the one-way valve 58 is connected to the fourth channel 32 through the solenoid valve 59.

[0047] In the phase change cold plate cooling system described in this embodiment, the cold plate assembly 7 includes a second ball valve 71, a throttle valve 72, a cooling plate 73 and a third ball valve 74;

[0048] The other end of the liquid collecting branch pipe 61 is connected to one end of the gas collecting branch pipe 63 after passing through the second ball valve 71 , the throttle valve 72 , the cooling plate 73 and the third ball valve 74 in sequence.

[0049] Specifically, when the driving pump 51 is at a low speed, the second liquid storage tank 56 is used to store excess refrigerant, and the refrigerant level in the second liquid storage tank 56 can be detected; when the refrigerant is lacking, the refrigerant is replenished at the needle valve 14 through an external refrigerant filling machine; when the cooling plate 73 needs to be replaced, the second ball valve 71 and the third ball valve 74 at both ends of the cooling plate 73 can be closed to disconnect the branch to facilitate the disassembly and maintenance of the cooling plate 73; in addition, the one-way valve 58 can be set to ensure the one-way flow of the refrigerant;

[0050] When the driving pump 51 stops running, the solenoid valve 59 is closed to prevent the refrigerant from flowing in the circulation path of the driving pump 51, or the refrigerant automatically migrates to the cooling plate 73 due to the temperature difference. This can prevent insufficient refrigerant at the inlet of the driving pump 51, thereby causing cavitation problems when the driving pump 51 is turned on again, which will easily shorten the service life of the driving pump 51 and reduce the reliability of the cooling system.

[0051] In addition, the flow resistance of each cold plate assembly 7 will also affect the uniformity of the refrigerant flow in each flow path. Since the liquid collecting branch pipe 61 is filled with supercooled liquid refrigerant, the pure liquid refrigerant can better distribute the flow, ensuring the uniformity of the flow distribution; the gas collecting branch pipe 63 is filled with low superheated gas refrigerant, so that the refrigerant pressure of each outlet flow path tends to be consistent; since the flow paths of each cold plate assembly 7 are all equal in length and size, the resistance tends to be consistent; and the resistance of the throttle valve 72 is a constant value. Since the resistance of the throttle valve 72 and the cooling plate 73 is dominant, the resistance of other parts accounts for a small proportion. It can be seen from the Bernoulli equation that the refrigerant flow of each cold plate assembly 7 flow path is basically consistent at this time.

[0052] The phase change cold plate cooling system described in this embodiment further includes a drying filter 8, which is arranged between the liquid collecting main pipe 52 and the liquid collecting branch pipe 61. The above arrangement can dry and filter the refrigerant.

[0053] In the phase change cold plate cooling system described in this embodiment, the first heat exchanger 1 and the third heat exchanger 3 are both plate heat exchangers, and both internal channels of the plate heat exchanger are countercurrent heat exchange. The above arrangement makes the overall structure stable and reliable, and the heat exchange efficiency is higher.

[0054] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solution of the utility model, rather than to limit the protection scope of the utility model. Although the utility model has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments, ordinary technicians in this field should understand that the technical solution of the utility model can be modified or replaced by equivalents without departing from the essence and scope of the technical solution of the utility model.

Claims

1. A phase change cold plate cooling system, characterized in that: The heat exchanger comprises a first heat exchanger (1), a second heat exchanger (21), a third heat exchanger (3), a regulating pipeline (4), a compressor (22), a driving pump (51) and a cooling branch (6); the first heat exchanger (1) comprises a first channel (11) and a second channel (12); the third heat exchanger (3) comprises a third channel (31) and a fourth channel (32); The first channel (11), the compressor (22), the second heat exchanger (21) and the third channel (31) are connected end to end in sequence; the regulating pipeline (4) and the third channel (31) are arranged in parallel; the regulating pipeline (4) is provided with a first flow regulating valve (41); One end of the second channel (12) is in communication with one end of the driving pump (51); the other end of the driving pump (51) is in communication with one end of the fourth channel (32); the other end of the fourth channel (32) is in communication with one end of the cooling branch (6); the other end of the second channel (12) is in communication with the other end of the cooling branch (6); The cooling branch (6) comprises a liquid collecting branch pipe (61), a gas collecting branch pipe (63), a second flow regulating valve (62) and a plurality of cold plate assemblies (7); one end of the liquid collecting branch pipe (61) is connected to the other end of the fourth channel (32); the other end of the liquid collecting branch pipe (61) is connected to one end of the gas collecting branch pipe (63) through the cold plate assembly (7); the other end of the gas collecting branch pipe (63) is connected to the other end of the second channel (12); and the second flow regulating valve (62) is arranged on the liquid collecting branch pipe (61).

2. A phase change cold plate cooling system according to claim 1, characterized in that: A first temperature sensor (13) is provided at one end of the second channel (12); A first pressure sensor or a needle valve (14) is provided at one end of the second channel (12).

3. A phase change cold plate cooling system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The phase change cold plate cooling system further comprises a liquid collecting main pipe (52) and a gas collecting main pipe (55); the other end of the driving pump (51) is connected to one end of the liquid collecting main pipe (52) through a fourth channel (32); the other end of the second channel (12) is connected to one end of the gas collecting main pipe (55); the cooling branch (6) is arranged between the other end of the liquid collecting main pipe (52) and the other end of the gas collecting main pipe (55); One end of the liquid collecting branch pipe (61) is in communication with the other end of the liquid collecting main pipe (52); the other end of the gas collecting branch pipe (63) is in communication with the other end of the gas collecting main pipe (55).

4. A phase change cold plate cooling system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The liquid collecting main pipe (52) is provided with a second temperature sensor (53) and a second pressure sensor (54).

5. A phase change cold plate cooling system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The gas collecting branch pipe (63) is provided with a third temperature sensor (65) and a third pressure sensor (66).

6. A phase change cold plate cooling system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The phase change cold plate cooling system also includes a first liquid storage tank (23), a mesh filter (24) and an electronic expansion valve (25); One end of the first liquid storage tank (23) is in communication with the third channel (31); the other end of the first liquid storage tank (23) is in communication with one end of the mesh filter (24); the other end of the mesh filter (24) is in communication with one end of the electronic expansion valve (25); and the other end of the electronic expansion valve (25) is in communication with the first channel (11).

7. A phase change cold plate cooling system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The phase change cold plate cooling system also includes a second liquid storage tank (56), a first ball valve (57), a one-way valve (58) and a solenoid valve (59); One end of the second liquid storage tank (56) is in communication with one end of the second channel (12); the other end of the second liquid storage tank (56) is in communication with one end of the first ball valve (57); the other end of the first ball valve (57) is in communication with one end of the driving pump (51); the other end of the driving pump (51) is in communication with one end of the one-way valve (58); the other end of the one-way valve (58) is in communication with the fourth channel (32) via the solenoid valve (59).

8. A phase change cold plate cooling system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cold plate assembly (7) comprises a second ball valve (71), a throttle valve (72), a cooling plate (73) and a third ball valve (74); The other end of the liquid collecting branch pipe (61) is connected to one end of the gas collecting branch pipe (63) after passing through the second ball valve (71), the throttle valve (72), the cooling plate (73) and the third ball valve (74) in sequence.

9. A phase change cold plate cooling system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The phase change cold plate cooling system further comprises a drying filter (8); the drying filter (8) is arranged on the liquid collecting branch pipe (61).

10. A phase change cold plate cooling system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first heat exchanger (1) and the third heat exchanger (3) are both plate heat exchangers.