Thermal management unit and air conditioning system

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a thermal management unit (200) for an air conditioning system (1). The thermal management unit (200) comprises a phase change material. At least a portion of the thermal management unit (200) is located downstream of a condenser (100) of the air conditioning system (1) along the air flow path. The thermal management unit (200) is configured such that, during operation of the air conditioning system (1), the phase change material absorbs heat released by the condenser (100) to transition from the first state to the second state such that a flow of air discharged from the condenser (100) to the external environment is cooled.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a thermal management unit for an air conditioning system, and an air conditioning system including such a thermal management unit. Background Art

[0002] An air conditioning system generally includes an evaporator, a condenser, an expansion mechanism and a compressor. When the air conditioning system is refrigerated, in the evaporator, the refrigerant is evaporated and thereby cools the evaporator surface, so that the air flowing through the evaporator surface is cooled. The cooled air enters the indoor environment, so that the temperature of the indoor environment is reduced. At the same time, in the condenser, the refrigerant is condensed and thereby heats the condenser surface. Therefore, the released heat must be removed from the condenser surface. In a conventional air conditioning system with an outdoor unit, the condenser is arranged outdoors. The heat released by the condenser is directly discharged to the outdoor environment without affecting the indoor environment.

[0003] However, in portable air conditioning systems, the evaporator and the condenser are usually integrated. When the portable air conditioner is used in an indoor environment, the condenser is also located indoors. In order to discharge the heat released by the condenser to the outside, a special pipe needs to be set up to discharge the heat to the outdoor environment through doors and windows. However, such a setting obviously greatly limits the availability and flexibility of the air conditioning system.

[0004] Another solution is to directly discharge the heat released by the condenser to the other side. That is, the air cooled by the evaporator is discharged to the side where the user is located, while the air heated by the condenser is discharged to the opposite side, which may cause discomfort to the user in this area and even disturb the user. When the air conditioning system is applied to an indoor environment, the hot air will also heat the indoor environment, resulting in a reduction in the cooling effect of the air conditioning system. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce the temperature of the air discharged from the condenser.

[0005] Therefore, a solution is needed to overcome the above defects and improve the cooling effect and user experience of the air-conditioning system. Utility Model Content

[0006] The present disclosure aims to provide a better solution to the above problems, so that the air exhausted from the condenser can be cooled in a cost-effective manner without significantly increasing the complexity and energy consumption of the system.

[0007] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a thermal management unit for an air conditioning system is provided, the thermal management unit comprising a phase change material. At least a portion of the thermal management unit is located downstream of a condenser of the air conditioning system along an air flow path. The thermal management unit is configured such that when the air conditioning system is in operation, the phase change material absorbs heat released by the condenser to change from a first state to a second state, so that the air flow discharged from the condenser to the external environment is cooled.

[0008] With the help of the thermal management system, when cooling is performed, the phase change material absorbs heat from the condenser and melts, thereby temporarily storing the heat released by the condenser without releasing it to the external environment, thereby reducing the temperature of the air leaving the air conditioning system through the condenser. At the same time, the phase change material also provides a low pressure drop of the air at the outlet of the condenser, so that the heat at the outlet of the condenser can be captured without significantly affecting the pressure drop of the air.

[0009] In this way, there is no need to set up a pipe to discharge heat to the outside, and heat will not be discharged to the other side of the indoor environment. As a result, the cooling effect of the air-conditioning system is greatly improved, and the user experience is improved.

[0010] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, when the phase change material changes from a first state to a second state at a first temperature, the first temperature is between 23°C and 70°C.

[0011] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the thermal management unit is configured such that the phase change material releases heat when the air conditioning system is not operating, so as to recover from the second state to the first state.

[0012] In this way, when the user no longer needs to use the air conditioning system for cooling, the phase change material of the thermal management unit solidifies and releases the stored heat.

[0013] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, when the phase change material changes from the second state to the first state at a second temperature, the second temperature is between 23 degrees Celsius and 70 degrees C. In some cases, the difference between the first temperature and the second temperature may be 0-1 degrees Celsius.

[0014] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a phase change material absorbs heat from an air flow passing through a condenser.

[0015] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, at least a portion of the conduits of the condenser can be located within the thermal management unit such that heat from the condenser is directly transferred to the thermal management unit.

[0016] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the thermal management unit further comprises a fin structure. The fin structure is located inside the thermal management unit and / or outside the thermal management unit. In the case where the fin structure is located outside the thermal management unit, the fin structure is located adjacent to the condenser. The fin structure comprises a plurality of fins arranged in parallel to increase heat transfer between the condenser and the thermal management unit.

[0017] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a plurality of fins extend into the air flow path so that the air flow from the condenser passes through gaps between the plurality of fins to increase heat transfer between the air flow and the thermal management unit.

[0018] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the distance between two adjacent fins is in the range of 0.1 cm to 20 cm.

[0019] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, in a thermal management unit, the size of a gap between two adjacent fins varies.

[0020] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a gap between two adjacent fins in an upper region of the thermal management unit is smaller than a gap between two adjacent fins in a lower region of the thermal management unit.

[0021] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the thermal management unit is removable.

[0022] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an air conditioning system is provided, which includes a condenser for condensing a refrigerant. The air conditioning system also includes the thermal management unit as described above.

[0023] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the air conditioning system is a portable air conditioning system.

[0024] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the air conditioning system further comprises a water pipe located at the outlet of the condenser or on the condenser, and the water pipe passes through the thermal management unit. In other embodiments, the water pipe may also be adjacent to the thermal management unit.

[0025] These and other aspects of the disclosure will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] For a better understanding of the present disclosure, and in order to more clearly show how the same may be carried into effect, reference is now made, by way of example only, to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0027] Figure 1 Schematically shows a cross-sectional view of an air conditioning system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0028] Figure 2 Schematically shows a top view of an air conditioning system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0029] Figure 3 A perspective view schematically shows a portion of an air conditioning system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0030] Figure 4 A perspective view schematically shows a portion of an air conditioning system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0031] Figure 5 A simplified block diagram schematically illustrates an arrangement of a condenser and a thermal management unit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0032] Figure 6 A simplified block diagram of an arrangement of a condenser and a thermal management unit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is schematically shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The present disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while explaining exemplary embodiments of the thermal management unit and air conditioning system, are intended for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the thermal management unit and air conditioning system of the present disclosure may be better understood in conjunction with the following description, the appended claims, and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the drawings are merely schematic and are not drawn to scale. It should also be understood that the same reference numerals represent the same or similar parts throughout the drawings.

[0034] The present disclosure provides an improved thermal management unit and an air conditioning system including the thermal management unit, in particular a portable air conditioning system.

[0035] Figure 1 A schematic cross-sectional view of an air conditioning system 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The air conditioning system 1 may be a portable air conditioning system. The following description uses a portable air conditioning system as an example of the air conditioning system 1, however, the present disclosure is obviously not limited thereto. The air conditioning system 1 includes an evaporator (not shown) and a condenser 100 for condensing a refrigerant. In a portable air conditioning system, the evaporator and the condenser are usually arranged in the same housing and are both located in the environment to be conditioned. The evaporator evaporates the refrigerant, thereby absorbing heat from the air, thereby releasing cooled air. The condenser condenses the refrigerant, releasing heat, causing the air to be heated. The cooled air is released on one side of the air conditioning system (usually the evaporator area) to reduce the temperature in the environment. The air heated by the condenser is released on the other side of the air conditioning system (usually the condenser area), resulting in an increase in the temperature in the environment.

[0036] To this end, a thermal management unit 200 for the air conditioning system 1 is proposed to store the heat released by the condenser 100. In some embodiments, the thermal management unit 200 is removable. The thermal management unit 200 includes a phase change material. A phase change material refers to a material that can absorb or release heat during a phase change process. When the air conditioning system 1 is refrigerating, the phase change material absorbs heat from the condenser 100 and melts to change from a first state to a second state, so as to reduce the temperature of the air discharged from the condenser. When the air conditioning system 1 is not working, the phase change material can release heat and solidify to return to the first state from the second state. In some embodiments, the first state can be a solid state. In some embodiments, the second state can be a liquid state. The phase change material can be any phase change material suitable for cooling the air discharged from the condenser. In addition, in some embodiments, suitable materials such as water and ice can also be used.

[0037] In some embodiments, the phase change material absorbs heat from the air flow passing through the condenser 100. In other embodiments, the phase change material may also absorb heat indirectly from the condenser. For example, a water pipe may be provided so that the water absorbs heat from the condenser and the phase change material absorbs heat from the water. The water pipe may be provided at the outlet of the condenser or on the condenser. The water pipe may also be provided to pass through the thermal management unit.

[0038] Figure 2 An example of the air conditioning system 1 is shown in a top view. The thermal management unit 200 is configured such that when the air conditioning system 1 is in operation, the phase change material absorbs the heat released by the condenser 100 to change from a first state to a second state, so that the air flow discharged from the condenser 100 to the external environment is cooled. Figure 2 As shown in , at least a portion of the thermal management unit 200 is located downstream of the condenser 100 of the air conditioning system 1 along the air flow path (indicated by the arrow). In some embodiments, the entire thermal management unit 200 is located downstream of the condenser 100. In some embodiments, the thermal management unit 200 may be located at the outlet of the condenser 100, thereby ensuring that the phase change material melts when cooling the air leaving the condenser and providing a low pressure drop of the air at the outlet of the condenser. In some embodiments, the phase change temperature of the phase change material can also be adjusted according to the air temperature at the outlet of the condenser. In some embodiments, the phase change temperature is between 20-100 degrees. The phase change temperature of the phase change material is lower than the air temperature at the outlet of the condenser and higher than the ambient temperature. As a result, when the air conditioning system 1 is not working, the phase change material can easily solidify to return to the first state.

[0039] In some embodiments, when the phase change material changes from the first state to the second state at a first temperature, the first temperature may be between 23° C. and 70° C. In some embodiments, when the phase change material changes from the second state to the first state at a second temperature, the second temperature may be between 23° C. and 70° C. In some cases, the difference between the first temperature and the second temperature may be 0-1° C.

[0040] like Figure 2 As shown in FIG. 3 , the air conditioning system 1 further includes a fan 300. By means of the fan 300, the heat transfer between the thermal management unit 200 and the condenser 100 can be increased without causing a high pressure drop.

[0041] To explain more clearly, Figure 3The three-dimensional diagram shows a portion of the air conditioning system 1 including a condenser, a thermal management unit 200 and a fan 300. With the suction effect of the fan 300, the air is sucked to the vicinity of the thermal management unit 200 after flowing through the condenser 100, so that the phase change material in the thermal management unit 200 can absorb the heat in the air. In some embodiments, the thermal management unit 200 can also be configured as a part of the fan.

[0042] Figure 4 A portion of the air conditioning system 1 including the thermal management unit 200 is shown from another perspective. The thermal management unit 200 also includes a fin structure 210 on a side close to the condenser 100. In some embodiments, the fin structure 210 can be located inside the thermal management unit and / or outside the thermal management unit. In the case where the fin structure is located outside the thermal management unit, the fin structure is located adjacent to the condenser. The fin structure 210 is located inside the thermal management unit so that heat can be uniformly provided to the phase change material, so as to avoid such a situation: one area of ​​the phase change material melts while another area remains solid. The fin structure 210 is located outside the thermal management unit and in the air flow path, which can increase heat transfer and reduce pressure drop.

[0043] In some embodiments, Figure 4 As shown, the fin structure 210 includes a plurality of fins 211 arranged in parallel to increase heat transfer between the condenser 100 and the thermal management unit 200 and reduce pressure drop. In some embodiments, the plurality of fins 211 extend into the air flow path so that the air flow from the condenser 100 passes through the gaps between the plurality of fins 211, thereby increasing heat transfer between the air flow and the thermal management unit. The number of fins can be adjusted to obtain the desired heat transfer. Preferably, the fins are made of a material with high thermal conductivity to further increase the heat transfer rate. In some embodiments, as Figure 4 As shown, the fins are in the form of thin sheets to increase the surface area for heat transfer.

[0044] In some embodiments, the distance between two adjacent fins 211 is in the range of 0.1 cm to 20 cm. In some embodiments, the size of the gap between two adjacent fins 211 varies. In some embodiments, since the melted phase change material may move downward, the gap between the fins may be set so that the gap between two adjacent fins in the upper area of ​​the thermal management unit 200 is smaller than the gap between two adjacent fins in the lower area of ​​the thermal management unit 200.

[0045] Figure 5-Figure 6 A simplified block diagram schematically shows the arrangement of the condenser 100 and the thermal management unit 200. Figure 5As shown in FIG. 1 , in some embodiments, the thermal management unit 200 is adjacent to the condenser 100. The condenser 100 is adjacent to the fan 300. The condenser 100 and the thermal management unit 200 can directly transfer heat through air. Figure 6 As shown in , in some embodiments, the thermal management unit 200 may be in direct contact with a portion of the pipe of the condenser 100. In some embodiments, an additional water pipe may also be provided, and the condenser 100 and the thermal management unit 200 perform heat transfer by means of water in the water pipe.

[0046] In some embodiments, at least a portion of the tubing of the condenser 100 can be located within the thermal management unit 200 such that heat from the condenser 100 is directly transferred to the thermal management unit 200 .

[0047] By means of direct or indirect heat transfer between the condenser 100 and the thermal management unit 200, the heat released by the condenser 100 can be temporarily stored in the thermal management unit through the phase change material. When the air conditioning system is not in operation, the phase change material of the thermal management unit can release the stored heat to restore to the initial state.

[0048] In the process of realizing the utility model claimed for protection, those skilled in the art can understand and realize variations of the disclosed embodiments by studying the drawings, the disclosure and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. Features described in different dependent claims or embodiments may be combined as long as it is technically feasible.

[0049] The foregoing description has been described with reference to specific embodiments. However, the above illustrative discussion is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise forms described. In view of the above teachings, many modifications and variations are possible. Thus, other persons skilled in the art can best utilize the technology and various embodiments with various modifications suitable for various purposes.

[0050] Although the present disclosure and examples have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, various changes and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art. These changes and modifications should be understood to be included within the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A thermal management unit (200) for an air conditioning system (1), characterized in that: The thermal management unit (200) comprises a phase change material, at least a portion of the thermal management unit (200) is located downstream of the condenser (100) of the air conditioning system (1) along an air flow path, and the thermal management unit (200) is configured such that when the air conditioning system (1) is in operation, the phase change material absorbs heat released by the condenser (100) to change from a first state to a second state, so that the air flow discharged from the condenser (100) to the external environment is cooled.

2. The thermal management unit (200) according to claim 1, characterized in that: The phase change material changes from the first state to the second state at a first temperature, the first temperature being between 23°C and 70°C.

3. The thermal management unit (200) according to claim 1, characterized in that: The thermal management unit (200) is configured such that the phase change material releases heat when the air conditioning system (1) is not operating, so as to restore from the second state to the first state.

4. The thermal management unit (200) according to claim 3, characterized in that: The phase change material changes from the second state to the first state at a second temperature, the second temperature being between 23 degrees Celsius and 70 degrees Celsius.

5. The thermal management unit (200) according to claim 1, characterized in that: The phase change material absorbs heat from the air flow passing through the condenser (100).

6. The thermal management unit (200) according to claim 1, characterized in that: At least a portion of the conduit of the condenser (100) can be located within the thermal management unit (200), so that heat from the condenser (100) is directly transferred to the thermal management unit (200).

7. The thermal management unit (200) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The thermal management unit (200) further comprises a fin structure (210), wherein the fin structure (210) is located inside the thermal management unit (200) and / or outside the thermal management unit (200), and the fin structure (210) comprises a plurality of fins (211) arranged in parallel to increase heat transfer between the condenser (100) and the thermal management unit (200).

8. The thermal management unit (200) according to claim 7, characterized in that: The plurality of fins (211) extend into the air flow path so that the air flow from the condenser (100) passes through the gaps between the plurality of fins (211) to increase heat transfer between the air flow and the thermal management unit.

9. The thermal management unit (200) according to claim 7, characterized in that: The distance between two adjacent fins (211) is in the range of 0.1 cm to 20 cm.

10. The thermal management unit (200) according to claim 5, characterized in that: In the thermal management unit (200), the size of the gap between two adjacent fins (211) varies.

11. The thermal management unit (200) according to claim 7, characterized in that: A gap between two adjacent fins in an upper region of the thermal management unit (200) is smaller than a gap between two adjacent fins in a lower region of the thermal management unit (200).

12. The thermal management unit (200) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The thermal management unit (200) is removable.

13. An air conditioning system (1), characterized in that: include: a condenser (100) for condensing a refrigerant; and A thermal management unit (200) according to any one of claims 1-12.

14. The air conditioning system (1) according to claim 13, characterized in that The air conditioning system (1) is a portable air conditioning system.

15. The air conditioning system (1) according to claim 13, characterized in that The air conditioning system (1) further comprises a water pipe located at the outlet of the condenser (100) or on the condenser (100), wherein the water pipe passes through the thermal management unit (200).

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