Process valve manifold and heat exchanger system

Abstract

Process valve manifold (10) with an inlet (12) for a heat transfer medium, a main outlet (14) for the heat transfer medium, a main channel (15) extending between them, a 3 / 2-way valve (30) arranged in the main channel (15), and a bypass outlet (32), wherein the position of the 3 / 2-way valve (30) determines the flow cross-section with which the bypass outlet (32) and the main outlet (14) communicate with the main channel (15), and wherein the flow path of the heat transfer medium can be continuously changed via the 3 / 2-way valve (30) within the process valve manifold (10) between a state in which the entire heat transfer medium leaves the process valve manifold (10) through the main outlet (14), a state,in which the entire heat transfer medium leaves the process valve manifold (10) through the bypass outlet (32) and an arbitrary distribution of the heat transfer medium between the main outlet (14) and the bypass outlet (32), and wherein control valves (74, 56) are provided for determining the flow cross-section between the main channel (15) and the connections (70) for secondary circuits, wherein at least one throttle is arranged in the main channel (15).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a process valve manifold and a heat exchanger system.

[0002] A process valve manifold is a module in which several process valves are integrated. This allows multiple connections to be controlled independently of one another in the desired manner. The invention relates in particular to a process valve manifold as used for heat exchanger systems. These heat exchanger systems can be, in particular, those used in motor vehicles.

[0003] An example of such a process valve manifold can be found in EP 1 441 160 A2 or the generic DE 10 2006 010 053 A1.

[0004] EP 1 354 734 A1 discloses a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system for a vehicle in which a heat transfer medium flows from the engine through an auxiliary heater along a main supply line. From this main supply line, the heat transfer medium can be routed in parallel through various consumers. These consumers include, for example, a driver's seat heater or an interior heater. The flow of the heat transfer medium through these consumers can be stopped by control valves. A separate circuit is provided for consumers in the roof area, featuring a 3 / 2-way valve that allows the heat transfer medium to flow into a return line. This return line connects to the main supply line upstream of the consumers in the roof area. Downstream of this 3 / 2-way valve, the heat transfer medium enters a common return line, into which the lines through all consumers also connect, and which leads back to the engine.

[0005] DE 197 53 915 A1, EP 1 441 160 A2, WO 2003 / 048 539 A1, DE 34 47 182 C2 and DE 10 2004 009 514 A1 show further fluid circuits with valves.

[0006] The object of the invention is to further develop the known process valve manifold in such a way that it enables highly integrated thermal management in a compact design.

[0007] To solve this problem, a process valve manifold with the features of claim 1 is provided according to the invention. No external lines or various module blocks are necessary; instead, all flow channels are integrated into the process valve manifold.

[0008] At least one throttle is installed in the main channel. The throttle allows a desired pressure gradient to be set, so that, for example, circulation occurs in one of the branch circuits without further measures.

[0009] The process valve manifold preferably also integrates several connections for auxiliary circuits. This makes it possible to connect various heat consumers and heat generators, such as a defrosting heat exchanger, a roof heater, a radiator, a retarder, an exhaust gas heat exchanger, a compressor cooling system, a battery heater, or other components.

[0010] According to the invention, a heat exchanger system with a process valve manifold as described above is also provided. In this embodiment, the process valve manifold is used to establish and control a highly integrated heat exchanger circuit, with the heat input into the heat exchanger system being provided by the engine or another heat source. Typical engines are internal combustion engines or electric motors. Heat can be removed either by heat exchangers, which dissipate the waste heat from the engine to the environment, or by various auxiliary circuits, which generate a heating effect when required, for example, for defrosting windshields, heating sleeping berths or the driver's cab, or for operating a heating system.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the invention, the flow path runs through an auxiliary heater. This makes it possible to supply heat to the heater circuit when the engine has not yet generated enough waste heat to adequately supply the heat consumers of the auxiliary circuits.

[0012] It is also possible for the flow path to pass through a cooler. This allows heat to be extracted from the heat pump circuit when the auxiliary circuits are to be used for cooling (for example, in refrigerated transport).

[0013] A pump can also be installed in the flow connection. This ensures the desired circulation.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the invention, at least one of the secondary circuits is connected to the process valve manifold via two connections, between which a pressure differential exists when the heat transfer medium flows through the main channel, thus establishing circulation in the secondary circuit. With this embodiment, it may be unnecessary to establish circulation in the secondary circuit using active components such as a pump.

[0015] However, it is also possible to have a pump in the secondary circuit. The pump ensures that the circulation in the secondary circuit occurs at the desired flow rate, so that the required amount of heat can be reliably transported to a heat consumer.

[0016] According to one embodiment of the invention, the secondary circuit can also be routed to the heat consumer and back to the process valve manifold in such a way that circulation is achieved by natural convection. In this embodiment, the different specific gravity of the heat transfer medium upstream and downstream of the heat consumer is utilized to establish the desired circulation without active components such as a pump, either through the change in density when the cooling medium is heated or through suitable pipe routing.

[0017] According to one embodiment, the process valve manifold can be divided into several sub-modules that can be mounted separately. This allows for adaptation to vehicle-specific conditions by, for example, mounting one sub-module in the front area, one sub-module in the middle area, and one sub-module in the rear area.

[0018] The invention is described below with reference to an embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawing. This drawing schematically shows a heat exchanger system according to the invention with a process valve manifold according to the invention.

[0019] The single figure schematically shows an undivided process valve manifold 10, which is provided with an inlet 12 for a heat transfer medium and a main outlet 14 for the heat transfer medium. A main channel 15 extends between the inlet 12 and the main outlet 14.

[0020] A flow path 16 extends from the main outlet 14 of the process valve manifold 10 to the inlet 12, passing through a cooling channel 18 of a schematically represented power engine 20, for example, an internal combustion engine or an electric motor. Thus, when a heat transfer medium circulates in the flow path 16, the waste heat from the power engine is dissipated from it.

[0021] A coolant pump 22 can be arranged in the engine 20.

[0022] The flow connection 16 passes through an auxiliary heater 24, shown schematically here, which can optionally be equipped with an internal pump 26. The auxiliary heater 24 can introduce additional heat energy into the system and may, for example, contain a diesel heater.

[0023] As an alternative to or in addition to the auxiliary heater 24, a cooler (not shown here) can be provided to extract heat energy from the system. The cooler may, for example, contain a refrigeration unit.

[0024] A 3 / 2-way valve 30 is arranged in the main channel 15 within the process valve manifold 10, one connection of which leads to a bypass outlet 32. A bypass flow line 34 extends from the bypass outlet 32 ​​to the flow connection 16, so that it opens into it downstream of the auxiliary heater 24.

[0025] Parallel to the power engine 20, further heat sources can be provided, one of which, a heat source 40, is shown schematically here, for example a second power engine.

[0026] Various heat exchangers 50, 52, 54 are connected to the flow connection 16, one of their connections being directly via the process valve island 10.

[0027] In the illustrated embodiment, the downstream connection of the heat exchangers 50, 52, 54 is each connected to the main channel 15 by a control valve 56, which is integrated into the process valve manifold 10.

[0028] Several auxiliary circuits 60 are connected to the process valve manifold 10, each containing a heat consumer 62, 64, 66, 68. The heat consumers 62, 64, 66, 68 can be, for example, a defrosting device, a roof heater, a radiator, or another component that can be used to heat (or cool) different components or areas of a motor vehicle.

[0029] In the illustrated embodiment, the heat consumers 62, 64, 66, 68 are connected at their upstream ends directly to a port 70 of the valve manifold, while the downstream ports are connected together via a common port 72 back to the process valve manifold 10. Within the process valve manifold, between ports 70 and the main channel 15, there is a control valve 74 for each port 70, which controls the flow from the main channel 15 to the corresponding port 70.

[0030] The heat consumers 62, 64, 66, and 68 can be located on a detachable section of the vehicle, such as a trailer, semi-trailer, or wagon. To enable detachment, the auxiliary circuits can be fully or partially equipped with valves, pump modules, check valves, or quick-release couplings. These devices are installed between connections 70 and 72. This allows all or individual auxiliary circuits 60 to be detached without having to drain and refill the system.

[0031] The necessary pressure differential between the upstream connections 70 and the downstream connection 72 of the auxiliary circuits 60 can be achieved, for example, by installing a throttle valve at a suitable point in the main channel 15. Alternatively and / or additionally, a pump can be provided in the auxiliary circuits, which can either be used individually for each auxiliary circuit or, downstream of the heat consumers 62, 64, 66, 68, in the common line leading to connection 72, can be used as a suction pump. It is also possible to arrange the heat consumers 62, 64, 66, 68 above the process valve manifold 10 in such a way that circulation occurs in the auxiliary circuit due to natural convection, i.e., due to the differences in the specific gravity of the heat transfer medium upstream and downstream of the heat consumer.

[0032] The process valve manifold 10 is the central element of the described heat exchanger system, which can be used in a commercial vehicle. In particular, the integrated 3 / 2-way valve 30 allows for optimized heat management.

[0033] With the process valve island 10, it can be ensured in the various operating modes, for example in standstill, during start-up, in nominal operation, in long-term operation, in short-term operation, during breaks and in after-run operation, by means of sensor detection on the heating circuits to be controlled or regulated, that the required operating temperatures are reliably maintained, taking into account the specific heat quantity potentials and unit-specific characteristics (temperature curves, limit values, heat absorption behavior and heat emission behavior).

[0034] Thus, after a cold start, the 3 / 2-way valve allows the main outlet to be disconnected from the main channel 15, preventing the heat transfer medium from circulating through the cold engine (especially a cold combustion engine) and instead directing it through bypass 34 to the auxiliary heater 24, where it can be heated more quickly. This enables heat to be made available to the heat consumers relatively quickly. The auxiliary heater 24 can also be used to bring the engine 20 to a desired temperature, thereby preventing or improving cold starts of the engine 20.

[0035] When the engine 20 reaches a certain temperature, the 3 / 2-way valve can be opened at a control-specified speed, so that the volume flow through the cooling channel 18 gradually increases. The 3 / 2-way valve 30 is operated in such a way that a volume flow of heat transfer medium is established through the cooling channel 18 of the engine 20, ensuring that the generated waste heat is dissipated as desired. Simultaneously, the control valves 56 can be appropriately controlled so that the portion of the engine's waste heat not absorbed by the heat consumers 62, 64, 66, 68 is released to the environment via the heat exchangers 50, 52, 54.

[0036] The system's efficiency is very high because all connections are integrated into the process valve manifold 10, creating an energy-efficient and spatially integrated heat exchanger system that enables optimally coordinated heat management. This allows areas that were previously implemented as separate modules to be interconnected in terms of energy technology, thereby increasing the overall system efficiency.

[0037] Different valve actuators can be used for the various control valves and for the 3 / 2-way valve, for example electromechanical, electropneumatic, electromagnetic or mechanical.

Claims

[1] Process valve island (10) with an inlet (12) for a heat transfer medium, a main outlet (14) for the heat transfer medium, a main channel (15) extending therebetween, a 3 / 2-way valve (30) arranged in the main channel (15), and a bypass outlet (32), wherein the position of the 3 / 2-way valve (30) determines the flow cross-section with which the bypass outlet (32) and the main outlet (14) are connected to the main channel (15), and wherein the flow path of the heat transfer medium can be continuously changed via the 3 / 2-way valve (30) within the process valve island (10) between a state in which the entire heat transfer medium leaves the process valve island (10) through the main outlet (14), a state,in which the entire heat transfer medium leaves the process valve island (10) through the bypass outlet (32) and an arbitrary distribution of the heat transfer medium between the main outlet (14) and the bypass outlet (32), and wherein control valves (74, 56) are provided for determining the flow cross-section between the main channel (15) and the connections (70) for secondary circuits, wherein at least one throttle is arranged in the main channel (15). [2] Process valve island (10) according to claim 1, characterized by that connections (70) are provided for secondary circuits. [3] Process valve island (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the branches from the main channel (15) to the secondary circuits are located between the inlet (12) and the 3 / 2-way valve (30). [4] Process valve island (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that it is divided into several sub-modules that can be mounted separately. [5] Heat exchanger system with a process valve island (10) according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by that between the main outlet (14) and the inlet (12) of the process valve island (10) there is a flow connection (16) which runs through a cooling channel (18) of a power machine (20). [6] Heat exchanger system according to claim 5, characterized by that the flow connection (16) runs through an auxiliary heater (24). [7] Heat exchanger system according to claim 5, characterized by that the flow connection (16) runs through a cooler. [8] Heat exchanger system according to one of claims 5 to 7, characterized by that a pump (26) is arranged in the flow connection (16). [9] Heat exchanger system according to one of claims 6 to 8, characterized by that at least one heat consumer (62, 64, 66, 68) is connected to the process valve island (10) by means of a secondary circuit. [10] Heat exchanger system according to claim 9, characterized by that the secondary circuit is connected to the process valve island by means of two connections (70, 72). [11] Heat exchanger system according to claim 9, characterized by that there is a pressure gradient between the connections when the heat transfer medium flows through the main channel (15), so that circulation occurs in the secondary circuit. [12] Heat exchanger system according to one of claims 9 to 11, characterized by that a pump is arranged in the secondary circuit. [13] Heat exchanger system according to one of claims 9 to 12, characterized by that the secondary circuit is led to the heat consumer (62, 64, 66, 68) and back to the process valve island (10) in such a way that circulation is achieved by natural convection. [14] Heat exchanger system according to one of claims 5 to 13, characterized by that the secondary circuit can be controlled by means of at least one control valve (74, 56) integrated into the process valve island.

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