Coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger with induction heating device and thermal management system

Abstract

In one aspect, a coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger for a thermal management system for an electric vehicle is provided. The coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger includes a plurality of flow plates and a secondary heater. The flow plates are sealingly connected to define a coolant flow path through the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger and a refrigerant flow path through the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger. The coolant flow path and the refrigerant flow path are arranged to transfer heat from one of the two media, coolant or refrigerant, to the other. The flow plates are made of an electrically conductive material. The secondary heater is positioned to heat both the refrigerant and the coolant in the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger.The secondary heating device comprises an induction coil positioned near the flow plates and capable of being energized to heat the flow plates by induction.

Description

REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application 63 / 381,784, filed November 1, 2022, and 63 / 491,138, filed March 20, 2023, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. FIELD OF REVELATION

[0002] This disclosure relates generally to the field of heat exchangers, and more particularly to a coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger and associated thermal management system for use in an electric vehicle. BACKGROUND

[0003] Thermal management systems in electric vehicles (EVs) are known to use coolant heaters to heat the coolant, which ultimately circulates through components of the electric vehicle that require heating for performance reasons, such as the vehicle's traction battery. Furthermore, coolant heaters in electric vehicles are known to serve specific purposes. However, each of the existing thermal management systems has certain shortcomings. It remains of interest to improve the performance and efficiency of thermal management systems for electric vehicles. SUMMARY

[0004] In one aspect, a coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger for a thermal management system for an electric vehicle is provided. The coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger includes a plurality of flow plates and a secondary heater. The plurality of flow plates each has a plurality of surfaces and a peripheral edge. The plurality of flow plates are sealingly connected to one another to define a coolant flow path through the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger and a coolant flow path through the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger. The coolant flow path and the refrigerant flow path are arranged to transfer heat from one of the two media, coolant or refrigerant, to the other of the two media, coolant or refrigerant. The flow plates are made of an electrically conductive material.The secondary heater is arranged to heat both the refrigerant and the coolant in the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger. The secondary heater includes an induction coil located near the flow plates, which can be energized to heat the flow plates by induction.

[0005] Other aspects of the present disclosure may also be patentable. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] The foregoing and other aspects of the invention will be better understood with reference to the accompanying drawings, as follows: Fig. Figure 1 is a schematic view of a basic prior art refrigerant vehicle air conditioning system. Fig. 2 is a pressure-enthalpy diagram for the refrigerant in the Fig. 1 shown air conditioning. Fig. Figure 3A is a schematic view of a baseline prior art vehicle heat pump system in a cooling mode. Fig. 3B is a schematic view of the Fig. 3A shown heat pump system in a heating mode. Fig. 4 is a pressure-enthalpy diagram for the refrigerant in the Fig. 1 shown air conditioning. Fig. 5 is a schematic view of a vehicle thermal management system including a coolant system and a refrigerant system, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger including a secondary heater according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The Fig. 7a and Fig. 7b together represent an exploded perspective view of the Fig. 6 shown coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger. Fig. 8 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the Fig. 6 shown coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger. Fig. 9 is a perspective sectional view of the Fig. 6 shown coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger. Fig. 10 is a perspective, partially exploded view of a portion of the Fig. 10, illustrating the flow of coolant and refrigerant through the coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger. Fig. 11 is a schematic diagram showing the flow of coolant and refrigerant through the Fig. 6 shows the coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger. Fig. Figure 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating an alternative flow path for coolant and refrigerant through an alternative embodiment of the Fig. 6 shows the coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger. Fig. 13 is a schematic diagram of a thermal management system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, including the Fig. 6 in a mode for heating a passenger compartment using the secondary heating device. Fig. 14 is a side view of an electric vehicle that uses the Fig. 13 includes the thermal management system shown. Fig. 15 is a pressure-enthalpy diagram for the coolant in the Fig. 13 shown thermal management system. Fig. 16 is a flowchart of a method for controlling the Fig. 7b shown secondary heating device when the thermal management system is in the Fig. 13 shown mode. Fig. 17 is a side sectional view of a portion of a plurality of flow plates forming part of the Fig. 6-10 are in an intermediate stage of the manufacture of the coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger. Fig. 18 is a perspective view of the formed flow plate assembly used as part of a coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger according to another embodiment. Fig. 19 is a coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger according to another embodiment of the present disclosure in which an induction coil is wrapped around a flow plate assembly. Fig. 20 is a view of the Fig. 19 shown coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger. Fig. 21 is a view of a coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, which is similar to that shown in Fig. 19, but contains an inner thermal insulation layer. Fig. 22 is a view of a coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, which is similar to that shown in Fig. 21, but has an outer thermal insulation layer. Fig. 23 is a perspective view of a coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, including a carrier having at least one groove for holding an induction coil. Fig. 24 is a view of a coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, including at least one susceptor. Fig. 25 is a perspective view of the Fig. 24 shown coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger. Fig. 26 is a view of a coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, which is similar to that shown in Fig. 24, but includes an inner thermal barrier layer between the at least one susceptor and the induction coil. Fig. 27 is a view of a coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, which is similar to that shown in Fig. 24, but in which the at least one susceptor only partially surrounds the flow plate assembly. Fig. 28 is a view of a coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, which is similar to that shown in Fig. 24, but comprising a carrier having at least one groove for holding an induction coil. Fig. 29 is a view of a coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger according to another embodiment of the present disclosure including a plurality of C-shaped susceptors. Fig. 30 is a view of a coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, including a plurality of C-shaped susceptors having at least one groove. Fig. 31 is an enlarged sectional view of a part of the Fig. 30 shown coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger. Fig. 32 is a view of a coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger according to another embodiment of the present disclosure including at least one susceptor inserted into the body of the flow plate assembly. Fig. 33 is an enlarged sectional view of a part of the Fig. 32 shown coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger. Fig. 34 is an exploded perspective view of a coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, including at least one susceptor inserted into the body of the flow plate assembly and having at least one induction coil located in each of the at least one susceptor. Fig. 35 is a perspective sectional view of the Fig. 34 shown coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXAMPLE DESIGNS

[0007] For simplicity and ease of illustration, reference numerals may be repeated in the figures where appropriate to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. Furthermore, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiment(s) described herein. However, it will be understood by one skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, processes, and components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the embodiments described herein. It should be understood from the outset that while illustrated in the figures and described below, the principles of the present disclosure may be practiced using any number of techniques, whether currently known or not.The present disclosure should in no way be limited to the example implementations and techniques illustrated in the drawings and described below.

[0008] Various terms used in this specification may be read and understood as follows, unless the context indicates otherwise: "or," as used throughout, is inclusive, as if written "and / or"; the singular articles and pronouns used throughout include their plural forms and vice versa; likewise, gender-specific pronouns include their counterpronouns, so pronouns should not be understood to imply the use, implementation, performance, etc. described herein by any single gender; "exemplary" should be understood as "illustrative" or "exemplary," and not necessarily "preferred" over other embodiments. Further definitions for terms may be established herein; these may apply to prior and subsequent instances of these terms as will become apparent from this specification.

[0009] Changes, additions, or omissions may be made to the systems, devices, and methods described herein without departing from the scope of the disclosure. For example, the components of the systems and devices may be integrated or separated. Furthermore, the operations of the systems and devices disclosed herein may be performed by more, fewer, or different components, and the described methods may include more, fewer, or different steps. Furthermore, steps may be performed in any order. As used in this document, "each" refers to any member of a set or any member of a subset of a set.

[0010] The indefinite article "a" is not intended to be restricted to "one" of an element. It is intended to mean "one or more" of an element, where applicable (i.e., unless the context makes it obvious that only one of the elements would be appropriate).

[0011] Any reference to top, bottom, above, below, or the like is intended to refer to the orientation of a particular element during use of the claimed subject matter, and not necessarily to its orientation during transport or manufacture. For example, the top surface of an element may still be considered its top surface even if the element is lying on its side. DESCRIPTION OF THE BASIC AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM

[0012] It will be Fig. 1, which shows a schematic representation of a typical vehicle air conditioning system 10 according to the prior art. It should be noted that the Fig. 1 has been simplified in the sense that several typically present components have been omitted here for the sake of simplicity.

[0013] The Fig. The air conditioning system 10 shown in Figure 1 circulates a refrigerant through various components to cool the passenger compartment of a vehicle (shown schematically at 12). The air conditioning system 10 uses a compressor 14, a condenser 16, an expansion valve 18, and an evaporator 20.

[0014] The refrigerant enters the compressor 14 at a relatively low pressure, for example, about 140 kPa, and a relatively low temperature, for example, -25 degrees Celsius. The compressor 14 compresses the refrigerant to bring the refrigerant to a high pressure, for example, about 1200 kPa. The compression of the refrigerant causes its temperature to rise, for example, about 110 degrees Celsius. As a result, the refrigerant is a high-pressure, high-temperature gas when it leaves the compressor. The refrigerant then passes to the condenser 16. The condenser 16 serves to condense the refrigerant by transferring heat from the refrigerant flowing through it to the air surrounding the condenser 16. The condenser 16 is positioned outside the passenger compartment 12, for example, in the engine compartment, as shown at 21, in embodiments where the vehicle includes an engine.Due to its location, the condenser 16 is exposed to outside air (air from outside the passenger compartment 12), as shown in Figure 22, as opposed to inside air (air from inside the passenger compartment 12), as shown in Figure 24. An outside fan 26 is provided to increase the flow of outside air 22 over the condenser 16. The temperature of the outside air 22 is lower than that of the refrigerant, so the refrigerant condenses in the condenser 16 and exits the condenser 16 as a liquid.

[0015] The refrigerant then flows through the expansion valve 18 to reduce the refrigerant pressure. Some of the refrigerant may evaporate due to the pressure reduction, but a significant portion of the refrigerant remains liquid. The reduction in the refrigerant pressure cools the refrigerant. Thus, the refrigerant leaves the expansion valve 18 as a low-pressure, low-temperature liquid or as a liquid / gas mixture. The refrigerant then flows through the evaporator 20, which transfers heat from the interior air 24 to the refrigerant to increase the temperature of the refrigerant and thus promote the evaporation of the refrigerant. An interior fan 28 may be provided to promote the flow of the interior air 24 over the evaporator 20.The evaporator 20 is positioned within the passenger compartment 12 in the sense that the evaporator 20 can be positioned behind the partition wall in the vehicle that separates the engine compartment 21 from the passenger compartment 12 and, more importantly, is exposed to a flow of interior air 24. For clarity, the interior air 24 is air that is directed into the passenger compartment 12. By increasing the temperature of the refrigerant in the evaporator 20, the interior air 24 is cooled accordingly.

[0016] The refrigerant then leaves the evaporator 20 and returns to the inlet of the compressor 14, where it is recompressed and sent back to the condenser 16 in a continuous cycle. DESCRIPTION OF THE BASIC PRESSURE-ENTHALPY DIAGRAM

[0017] Fig. Figure 2 is a pressure-enthalpy diagram graphically illustrating the refrigeration cycle through which the refrigerant passes. As one skilled in the art will understand, the inverted U-shaped line represents the gas / liquid transition properties for the refrigerant. The dot-dash curve shown at 30 represents the changes in the properties of the refrigerant as it passes through the Fig. 1. Point 32 represents the properties of the refrigerant immediately upstream of the compressor 14. Curve segment 30a represents the change in the properties of the refrigerant due to the operation of the compressor 14. Point 34 represents the properties of the refrigerant downstream of the compressor 14 and upstream of the condenser 16. As can be seen, the pressure and temperature of the refrigerant increase between point 32 and point 34.

[0018] Curve segment 30b is representative of the change in refrigerant properties due to the operation of condenser 16. Point 36 is representative of the properties of the refrigerant immediately downstream of condenser 16 (and therefore upstream of expansion valve 18). As can be seen, the temperature of the refrigerant drops and then remains constant during the phase change that occurs in condenser 16.

[0019] Curve segment 30c represents the change in the properties of the refrigerant due to the expansion valve 18. Point 38 represents the properties of the refrigerant immediately downstream of the expansion valve 18 and therefore upstream of the evaporator 20. As can be seen, the pressure and temperature of the refrigerant decrease as it flows through the expansion valve.

[0020] Curve segment 30d represents the change in the properties of the refrigerant due to passage through evaporator 20. After passing through evaporator 20, the refrigerant returns to point 32, which represents the properties of the refrigerant immediately downstream of evaporator 20 (and therefore the properties of the refrigerant immediately upstream of compressor 14). As can be seen, the pressure and temperature in evaporator 20 remain essentially constant. This is because the heat transferred to the refrigerant is used to drive the phase change (i.e., evaporation) of the refrigerant, which occurs at a constant temperature, as is understood by one skilled in the art.Optionally, the evaporator 20 can be sized to transfer slightly more than the minimum amount of heat to the refrigerant required to evaporate all of the refrigerant, causing the refrigerant temperature to rise once all of the refrigerant has evaporated. This ensures that all of the refrigerant leaves the evaporator as a gas, with no portion remaining as a liquid. It is advantageous for all of the refrigerant to be in gaseous form when it reaches the inlet of the compressor 14 to avoid damage to the compressor 14. DESCRIPTION OF THE BASIC HEAT PUMP SYSTEM

[0021] The Fig. 3A and Fig. 3B show a thermal management system that is more complex than the one in Fig. 1. The thermal management system may be referred to as a heat pump system and is illustrated in 40. The heat pump system 40 is similar to the air conditioning system 10 and includes the compressor 14 and the expansion valve 18, but also contains several other components. For example, the heat pump system 40 includes an outdoor heat exchanger 42 and an indoor heat exchanger 44 instead of the one shown in Fig. 1. The heat pump system 40 also includes a reversing valve 46, which is explained further below. The heat pump system 40 can cool the passenger cabin 12 in a manner similar to the air conditioning system 10, but can also heat the passenger cabin 12 with little additional equipment.

[0022] The outdoor heat exchanger 42 may be similar to the condenser 16 in the sense that the outdoor heat exchanger 42 may be used to perform heat transfer from the refrigerant flowing through it to the air surrounding the outdoor heat exchanger 42 to condense the refrigerant, but is also capable of receiving a flow of coolant liquid therethrough in the opposite direction to perform heat transfer from the air surrounding the outdoor heat exchanger 42 to the coolant to evaporate the coolant.

[0023] The internal heat exchanger 44 may be similar to the evaporator 20 in the sense that the internal heat exchanger 44 is located within the passenger cabin 12 and can be used to perform heat transfer to the refrigerant flowing through it from the air surrounding the internal heat exchanger 44 to evaporate the refrigerant, but is also capable of receiving a flow of refrigerant gas therethrough in the opposite direction to perform heat transfer from the refrigerant to the air surrounding the internal heat exchanger 44 to condense the refrigerant.

[0024] The reversing valve 46 can be positioned in several positions, including a first position ( Fig. 3A), in which the reversing valve 46 transfers the refrigerant flow from the compressor 14 to the external heat exchanger 42 and from the internal heat exchanger 44 to the compressor 14, and a second position in which the reversing valve 46 directs the refrigerant flow from the compressor 14 to the internal heat exchanger 44 and from the external heat exchanger 42 to the compressor 14 from the external heat exchanger 42.

[0025] The heat pump system 40 can be operated in a first mode ( Fig. 3A), in which the reversing valve 46 is in the first position, for cooling the passenger cabin 12 and in a second mode ( Fig. 3B), in which the reversing valve 46 is in the second position, can be used to heat the passenger cabin 12.

[0026] The first mode ( Fig. 3A) is described as follows: The refrigerant enters the compressor 12 at a relatively low pressure and temperature. The compressor 12 compresses the refrigerant to bring it to a high pressure, thereby increasing its temperature. As a result, when the refrigerant leaves the compressor, it is a high-pressure, high-temperature gas. The refrigerant then passes to the outdoor heat exchanger 42. The outdoor heat exchanger 42 acts as a condenser and serves to condense the refrigerant by transferring heat from the flowing refrigerant to the outside air 22 surrounding the outdoor heat exchanger 42. Optionally, the external fan 26 is provided to improve the airflow over the outdoor heat exchanger 42 and thus increase the heat transfer from the outdoor heat exchanger 42. The refrigerant then flows through the expansion valve 18 to reduce the pressure of the refrigerant.Some of the refrigerant may evaporate due to the pressure drop, but a significant portion of the refrigerant remains liquid. The refrigerant is cooled by the refrigerant pressure drop. The refrigerant therefore leaves the expansion valve 18 as a liquid or liquid / gas mixture at low pressure and low temperature. The refrigerant then flows through the interior heat exchanger 44, which acts as an evaporator and transfers heat from the interior air 24 to the refrigerant (thereby cooling the interior air 24) to increase the temperature of the refrigerant and thus promote the evaporation of the refrigerant. The interior fan 28 is optionally provided and is used to improve the airflow over the interior heat exchanger 44 and thus improve the heat transfer from the interior air 24 to the refrigerant. The cooled interior air 24 cools the passenger compartment 12.The refrigerant then reaches the inlet of the compressor 14, where it is recompressed and sent back to the reversing valve 46 in a continuous cycle.

[0027] The second mode ( Fig. 3B) is described as follows: The refrigerant enters the compressor 12 at a relatively low pressure and temperature. The compressor 12 compresses the refrigerant to bring it to a high pressure, thereby increasing its temperature. Therefore, the refrigerant leaves the compressor 14 as a gas at high pressure and high temperature. The refrigerant then enters the interior heat exchanger 44, which acts as a condenser and is used to condense the refrigerant by transferring heat from the flowing refrigerant to the interior air 24 surrounding the interior heat exchanger 44 (thereby heating the interior air 24). Optionally, the interior fan 28 is provided to enhance the airflow over the interior heat exchanger 44 and thus enhance the heat transfer from the refrigerant to the interior air 24. The heated interior air 24 heats the passenger cabin 12.The refrigerant then flows through the expansion valve 18 to reduce its pressure. Some of the refrigerant may evaporate due to the pressure reduction, but a significant portion of the refrigerant remains liquid. The reduction in refrigerant pressure cools the refrigerant. The refrigerant therefore leaves the expansion valve 18 as a low-pressure, low-temperature liquid or as a liquid / gas mixture. The refrigerant then flows through the external heat exchanger 42, which acts as an evaporator and transfers heat from the outside air 22 to the refrigerant to increase the temperature of the refrigerant and thus promote the evaporation of the refrigerant. An external fan 28 is optionally provided to improve the airflow through the external heat exchanger 42 and thus improve the heat transfer from the outside air 22.The refrigerant then reaches the inlet of the compressor 14, where it is recompressed and sent back to the reversing valve 46 in a continuous cycle.

[0028] By moving the reversing valve 46 between the first and second positions, the heat pump system 40 can be used to heat or cool the passenger cabin as desired.

[0029] Fig. Figure 4 is a pressure-enthalpy diagram illustrating the property changes that the refrigerant undergoes during operation of the Fig. 3A and Fig. 3B shown heat pump system 40. As can be seen, the general shape of the curve 30 in Fig. 4 the shape of curve 30 in Fig. 2.

[0030] It is noted that in a heat pump system such as the heat pump system 40, the refrigerant properties are subject to the same cycle of compression, condensation, pressure reduction, and evaporation, regardless of whether the heat pump system 40 is operated in the first or second mode. With respect to Fig. 4, point 32, as before, corresponds to the properties of the refrigerant immediately upstream of the compressor. Point 34 corresponds to the properties of the refrigerant downstream of the compressor 14 and upstream of the external heat exchanger 42 when operating in the first mode, and downstream of the compressor and upstream of the internal heat exchanger 44 when operating in the second mode. Point 36 corresponds to the properties of the refrigerant after the external heat exchanger 42 and before the expansion valve 18 when operating in the first mode, and after the internal heat exchanger 44 and before the expansion valve 18 when operating in the second mode. Point 38 corresponds to the properties of the refrigerant downstream of the expansion valve 18 and upstream of the internal heat exchanger 44 when operating in the first mode, and downstream of the expansion valve 18 and upstream of the external heat exchanger 42 when operating in the second mode. DESCRIPTION OF THE THERMAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM WITH COOLANT-TO-REFRIGERANT HEAT EXCHANGER

[0031] Fig. 5 shows a thermal management system 50 that is more sophisticated than that shown in the Fig. 3A and Fig. 3B shown heat pump system 40. The Fig. 5 includes a refrigerant system 52 and a coolant system 54. In Fig. 5, a solid line represents a coolant line and a dashed line represents a refrigerant line. The refrigerant system 52 includes a compressor 56, a plurality of control valves shown at V1, V2, V3, and V4, a plurality of refrigerant check valves shown at CV1, CV2, CV3, and CV4, a plurality of expansion valves shown at EXV1, EXV2, and EXV3, an external heat exchanger 58, an internal evaporator 60, and an internal condenser 62. The control valves V1, V2, V3, and V4 may be simple on / off valves (e.g., solenoid valves). The external heat exchanger 58 may be similar to the one shown in the Fig. 3A and Fig. 3B. The evaporator 60 and the inner condenser 62 may be used instead of the inner heat exchanger 20 of the Fig. 3A and Fig. 3B to enable improved functionality (e.g. simultaneous heating and demisting) or for other reasons.

[0032] The coolant system 54 includes a first pump 64, a second pump 66, a plurality of control valves shown at 68a and 68b, a coolant check valve shown at 70, a high-voltage heater 71, and a radiator 72. Thermal loads may be present. If the vehicle is an electric vehicle, the thermal loads may include, for example, a traction battery 74 and a traction motor 76 (including associated power electronics). A coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 78 is provided for heat exchange between the coolant in the coolant system 54 and the refrigerant in the refrigerant system 52. The coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 78 has a coolant flow path 78a and a refrigerant flow path 78b.

[0033] The operation of the thermal management system 50 is described as follows: The refrigerant system 52 can be operated in a greater number of modes than that described in the Fig. 3A and Fig. 3B. These modes include a first mode in which the passenger compartment 12 is heated with heat from the coolant in the coolant system 54 via the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 78, a second mode for heating the passenger compartment 12 using heat from the coolant in the cooling system 54 and also using the exterior heat exchanger 58 as an evaporator, and a third mode for cooling the passenger compartment 12 using the exterior heat exchanger 58 as a condenser.

[0034] In the first mode, control valves V1, V2, V3, and V4 are controlled to direct the refrigerant flow from compressor 56 through control valve V2 and through indoor condenser 62, where the refrigerant condenses and transfers heat to the interior air (at 24) to heat passenger cabin 12. From indoor condenser 62, the refrigerant passes check valve CV1. After check valve CV1, the refrigerant flow may be directed through a first refrigerant flow path 80a, through an optional refrigerant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 80, through expansion valve EXV3, through coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 78, back through a second refrigerant flow path 80b, through refrigerant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 80, and back to the inlet of compressor 56.In the refrigerant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 80, some heat is removed from the refrigerant in the first refrigerant flow path 80a to add heat to the refrigerant in the second refrigerant flow path 80b to further superheat the refrigerant in the second refrigerant flow path 80b and reduce the likelihood of liquid refrigerant being present in that flow, which could damage the downstream compressor 56.

[0035] In the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 78, the refrigerant receives heat from the coolant flowing therethrough, thereby driving the evaporation of the refrigerant, which is at low pressure as a result of flowing through the third expansion valve EXV3. The coolant may be heated by one or more of several sources. These include the traction battery 74 and / or the traction motor 76 (and the associated power electronics) and / or the high-voltage heater 71. More specifically, heat is generated during the discharging and charging of the traction battery 74, which is transferred to the coolant. In addition, the traction motor 76 and the associated power electronics generate heat during operation of the traction motor 76. However, in some situations, e.g.When starting the vehicle in very cold conditions, the traction battery 74 and traction motor 76 may not be warm enough to transfer sufficient heat to the coolant to warm the refrigerant in the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 78. In such situations, the high-voltage heater 71 can be operated to heat the coolant so that the refrigerant in the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 78 is heated sufficiently to evaporate. The refrigerant then flows from the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 78 to the second refrigerant flow path 80b in the refrigerant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 80 and from there to the inlet of the compressor 56.

[0036] An optional receiver / dryer 97 is provided to remove contaminants from the refrigerant, such as oils, water, dirt, and deposits, as these contaminants can damage components such as the compressor 56.

[0037] In the first mode described above, the entire refrigerant flow flows through the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 78. In the second operating mode, only a first portion of the refrigerant flows through the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 78, as described above, and a second portion of the refrigerant flows to the first expansion valve EXV1, where its pressure is reduced. From there, the second portion of the refrigerant passes to the external heat exchanger 58, which acts as an evaporator to evaporate the second portion of the refrigerant. The evaporated refrigerant passes from the external heat exchanger 58 through the control valve V3, through the check valve CV3, and through the second refrigerant flow path 80b in the refrigerant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 80, together with the first portion of the refrigerant, and from there to the inlet of the compressor 56.

[0038] In the third mode of operation of the thermal management system 50, the control valves V1, V2, V3, and V4 are controlled so that the refrigerant flow from the compressor 56 passes through the control valve V1, through the exterior heat exchanger 58, which acts as a condenser, through the check valve CV2, through the first refrigerant flow path 80a, through the refrigerant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 80, through the second expansion valve EXV2, where the refrigerant pressure is reduced, and then through the interior evaporator 60, where the refrigerant is evaporated, thereby cooling the interior air 24 to cool the passenger cabin 12. From the interior evaporator 60, the refrigerant passes through the second refrigerant flow path 80b of the refrigerant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 80 and from there to the inlet of the compressor 56.

[0039] The thermal management system 50 is compared to the one in the Fig. 3A and Fig. 3B because the coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger 78 allows heat from the coolant to be used to heat the refrigerant in situations where that heat is available and / or advantageous. DESCRIPTION OF THE STRUCTURE OF THE NEW COOLANT-TO-REFRIGERANT HEAT EXCHANGER

[0040] It is based on the Fig. 6-10, which illustrate a coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger 100. The Fig. 7a and Fig. 7b together are an exploded perspective view of the coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger 100. Fig. 8 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger 100. Fig. 9 is a sectional view of the coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger 100 and Fig. 10 is a partially exploded perspective view of a portion of the coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger 100.

[0041] The coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger 100 may be used in a Fig. 14. The electric vehicle 151 may include the passenger cabin 12, the traction battery 74, and the traction motor 76 (for driving one or more of the wheels shown at 99). The electric vehicle 151 may be any vehicle that utilizes a traction motor and a traction battery to power the traction motor. The electric vehicle 151 is illustrated as an SUV, but it may also be an automobile, a light truck, a heavy truck, an off-road vehicle, a construction vehicle, an aircraft, or any other suitable vehicle. Additionally, the electric vehicle 151 may include only a traction motor (or multiple motors) for propelling the electric vehicle 151, or alternatively, an internal combustion engine, such as a range extender motor, that assists in charging the traction battery 74 when the traction battery 74 is nearly or completely discharged.In still other embodiments, the electric vehicle 151 may be a fuel cell vehicle that generates electrical energy via a fuel cell to power the traction motor 76.

[0042] It should be noted that the traction battery 74 shown in the figures is only one example of a power source for the electric vehicle 151. In embodiments where the electric vehicle 151 is a fuel cell vehicle, the electric vehicle 151 includes a fuel cell stack and may also include a traction battery (albeit a smaller one than in a typical battery electric vehicle). The fuel cell stack and the traction battery (if one is present) would represent a power source for the fuel cell vehicle. In the embodiments shown here, the power source is a traction battery connected to the traction motor to supply electrical power to the traction motor.

[0043] The electric vehicle 151 may further include a thermal management system 150, which is described further below with respect to the Fig. 13 to 22. The thermal management system 150 may include the coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger 100.

[0044] The coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger 100 includes a coolant flow path 102 ( Fig. 10) for transporting coolant (shown by arrows 104 in Fig. 10) through it and a refrigerant flow path 106 ( Fig. 10 and Fig. 11) for transporting refrigerant (shown by arrows 108 in Fig. 10) therethrough. The coolant flow path 102 and the refrigerant flow path 106 are arranged such that heat is transferred from one of the coolant 104 and refrigerant 108 to the other of the coolant 104 and refrigerant 108. In the example shown, the coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger 100 comprises a plurality of flow plates 110. Each flow plate 110 has a first surface 112a and a second surface 112b, which are in the Fig. 7b and Fig. 9, as well as a peripheral edge surface 114 of the flow plate ( Fig. 7b). The plurality of flow plates 110 are connected to each other such that the coolant flow path 102 and the refrigerant flow path 106 are defined between facing surfaces of adjacent flow plates 110. More specifically, with reference to the Fig. 9 and Fig. 10, in the embodiment shown, the coolant flow path 102 is defined between the second surface 112b of the first plate (shown at 110a) and the first surface 112a of the second plate (shown at 110b), between the second surface 112b of a third plate (shown at 110c) and the first surface 112a of a fourth plate (shown at 110d), between the second surface 112b of a fifth plate (shown at 110e) and the first surface 112a of a sixth plate (shown at 110f), etc. Analogously, the refrigerant flow path 106 is defined between the first surface 112a of the second flow plate 110b and the second surface 112b of the third flow plate 110c, between the first surface 112a of the fourth plate (shown at 110d) and the second surface 112b of the fifth flow plate 110e, etc. In the illustrated embodiment, there are 32 flow plates 110 that are sealingly connected to one another.

[0045] As in Fig. 7A, the peripheral edge surface 114 of the flow plates 110 is rectangular with rounded corners (a rounded rectangle) in the illustrated embodiment. However, it should be understood that the peripheral edge surface 114 of the flow plate may have any other suitable shape, such as a circular shape, an elliptical shape, a regular or irregular polygonal shape with rounded corners having more or fewer than four sides, or any other suitable shape. The shape of the peripheral edge surface 114 of the flow plate preferably has rounded corners where corners are present, but corners having substantially no rounding may instead be provided.

[0046] The flow plates 110 may be made of any suitable material, such as aluminum. Although aluminum is known to have higher thermal conductivity than certain materials such as stainless steel, aluminum is not the typical material used for coolant or refrigerant lines in coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchangers in vehicles.

[0047] Fig. 17 shows an intermediate stage in the manufacture of the coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger 100. As in Fig. 17, the flow plates 110 each include a flange portion 230 used to connect the flow plates 110 together. The flange portions 230 of the flow plates 110 fit together. Brazing material may be provided between the flange portions 230, and the flow plates 110 may then be heated to melt the brazing material, sealingly joining the flow plates 110. The outermost edges of the flange portions 230 are shown at 240. In some embodiments, the outermost edges 240 of the flange portions 230 have a shape that creates a valley 250 between successive flow plates 110 when sealingly joined together.

[0048] The flow plates 110, when sealingly connected to one another, may form a flow plate assembly 252, as shown in Fig. 18. With regard to Fig. 7a, in the embodiment shown, a first end cover plate 109 may be provided, which may be sealingly connected to a first end of the plurality of flow plates 110 and thus may be included in the flow plate assembly 252. The first end cover plate 109 includes a refrigerant inlet 116a, a refrigerant outlet 116b, a coolant inlet 118a, and a coolant outlet 118b. The first end cover plate 109 may be connected to the flow plates 110 in the same manner as the flow plates 110 are connected to each other and may be machined together with the flow plates to further shape the heat exchanger surface. A refrigerant filter 119 may be provided at the refrigerant inlet 116a to filter contaminants from the refrigerant 108 before it flows through the flow plates 110.

[0049] A second end cover plate 111 ( Fig. 9) may be provided and may be sealingly connected to a second end of the plurality of flow plates 110 and thus may be included in the flow plate assembly 252. The second end cover plate 111 may be connected to the flow plates 110 in the same manner as the flow plates 110 are connected to each other and may be machined together with the flow plates to further shape the heat exchange surface.

[0050] The flow plate assembly 252 includes a first end surface 254, a second end surface 256, and a flow plate assembly peripheral edge surface 258, which are discussed further below. The flow plate assembly peripheral edge surface 258 may itself have any suitable shape. For example, the flow plate assembly peripheral edge surface may include a plurality of sides 258a and a plurality of corners 258b. The corners 258b may be large radius corners or small radius corners, as shown. The flow plate assembly peripheral edge surface 258 may include four sides 258a and may be generally rectangular, as shown, or it may have any other suitable number of sides 258a, either less than or greater than the Fig. 18. Furthermore, the sides 258a need not be straight, as shown. The sides 258a may have any other suitable shape.

[0051] With reference to the Fig. 7b and Fig. 8, each of the flow plates 110 includes a plurality of ribs 120 on each of the first and second surfaces 112a and 112b, defining grooves that serve as channels for the flow of refrigerant 108 or coolant 104, as the case may be. In the illustrated embodiment, the ribs 120 on each flow plate 110 form a pattern that alternates with the pattern of ribs 120 on each adjacent flow plate 110. In other words, the grooves on the odd-numbered flow plates 110 (i.e., the first plate, the third plate, the fifth plate, etc.) form a pattern that alternates with the pattern on the even-numbered flow plates 110 (i.e., the second plate, the fourth plate, the sixth plate, etc.). The patterns of the ribs 120 on the odd-numbered flow plates 110 and the even-numbered flow plates 110 may be herringbone patterns.

[0052] Fig. 9 shows a sectional view of the coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger 100. As can be seen, the flow plates 110 have first and second refrigerant passage openings 113 and first and second coolant passage openings 115. The space between the first flow plate 110a and the second flow plate 110b is a first coolant space 121. The space between the second flow plate 110b and the third flow plate 110c is a first refrigerant space 123. The space between the third flow plate 110c and the fourth flow plate 110d is a second coolant space 121, etc. The space between the fourth flow plate 110d and the fifth flow plate 110e is a second refrigerant space 123. The spaces between the flow plates 110 alternate between coolant spaces 121 and refrigerant spaces 123 throughout the entire row of flow plates 110.As can be seen, in the region of the refrigerant passage openings 113, the first flow plate 110a is sealingly connected to the second flow plate 110b, the second flow plate 110b is spaced apart from the third flow plate 110c, the third flow plate 110c is sealingly connected to the fourth flow plate 110d, and the fourth flow plate 110d is spaced apart from the fifth flow plate 110e, and so on. Thus, the refrigerant 108 can flow in the refrigerant spaces 123. In addition, in the region of the coolant passage openings 115, the first flow plate 110a is spaced from the second flow plate 110b, the second flow plate 110b is sealingly engaged with the third flow plate 110c, the third flow plate 110c is spaced from the fourth flow plate 110d, the fourth flow plate 110d is sealingly engaged with the fifth flow plate 110e, and so on.Thus, the coolant 104 can flow in the coolant spaces 121.

[0053] The coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 100 further includes a secondary heating device 122 arranged to heat both the refrigerant 108 and the coolant 104 while they are within the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 100. The secondary heating device 122 may be an induction heating device and thus may include an induction coil 260 extending in a selected path and positioned proximate the flow plates so that the induction coil can be energized to induction heat the flow plates.

[0054] The secondary heater 122 may further include any suitable driver circuit for generating an oscillating current in the induction coil 260. The driver circuit may be an electronic oscillator that draws power from a DC power source such as the traction battery 74 or from a secondary battery (not shown) with a lower voltage than the traction battery 74 and converts the power to AC power. Alternatively, the driver circuit may be powered by an AC power source, such as a power source that itself draws power from the traction battery 74 or from the optionally provided secondary battery mentioned above and converts the power to AC power. The driver circuit may generate any suitable type of current wave, such as a sine wave, a square wave, or a triangular wave.The driver circuit may be provided as part of the coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger 100 or separately from the coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger 100.

[0055] The induction coil 260 may surround the plurality of flow plates 110, as shown in the Fig. 19 to 31. In the Fig. In the embodiment shown in Figure 19, the induction coil 260 surrounds the peripheral edge surface 258 of the flow plate assembly. However, in alternative embodiments, the induction coil 260 could surround the plurality of flow plates 110 in a different manner, for example, by extending along the first and second end surfaces 254 and 256 and over the upper and lower portions of the peripheral edge surface 258 of the flow plate assembly.

[0056] In the Fig. 19 and Fig. 20, the induction coil 260 is mounted directly in contact with the peripheral edge surface 258 of the flow plate assembly. Since the peripheral edge surface 258 of the flow plate assembly may have recesses 250, as shown in Fig. 17, the indentations 250 cause at least a portion of the peripheral edge surface 258 of the flow plate assembly to be spaced apart from the induction coil 260. It should be noted that this spacing between the peripheral edge surface 258 of the flow plate assembly and the induction coil 260 does not pose any risk of damage to the induction coil 260 or the flow plate assembly 252. This is because induction heating does not require the heater to be in direct contact with the element to be heated, unlike foil heaters where such contact may be required to eliminate the potential for hot spots in the heater and the resulting damage those hot spots cause.

[0057] The induction coil 260 includes an electrical conductor 262, which may be made of any suitable electrically conductive material, such as copper. Fig. 19 and Fig. In the embodiment shown in Figure 20, the electrical conductor 262 is enclosed by an electrical insulation jacket 264 to prevent current from being conducted from the electrical conductor 262 into the flow plates 110. The electrical insulation jacket 264 may be made of any suitable material. For example, the electrical insulation jacket 264 may be made of fiberglass or a suitable polymer. In other embodiments, the electrical insulation jacket 264 may not be provided.

[0058] In the embodiment shown, the induction coil 260 extends helically around the peripheral edge surface 258 of the flow plate assembly. The induction coil 260 includes a plurality of loops 266 that can be selectively spaced apart from one another, as shown in the Fig. 19 and Fig. 20. However, it is alternatively possible for the loops 266 of the induction coil 260 to be positioned in contact with one another, particularly in embodiments in which the electrical insulating jacket 264 is provided.

[0059] In the illustrated embodiment, the induction coil 260 may be connected to a suitable source that generates an oscillating current in the induction coil 260, which in turn generates heat by induction directly in the flow plates 110.

[0060] It will be Fig. 21, which shows another embodiment. In Fig. 21, the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 100 further includes an inner thermal insulation layer 268 surrounding the peripheral edge surface 258 of the flow plate assembly and surrounded by the induction coil 260. The inner thermal insulation layer 268 may be made of a material that is not electrically conductive. This allows the induction coil 260 in the flow plates 110 to generate heat by induction through the inner thermal insulation layer 266 with relatively low efficiency. Examples of materials from which the thermal insulation layer may be made include polymer foam, fiberglass, solid polymer material, and / or aerogel material. Any other suitable material may be used. The inner thermal insulation layer 268 prevents heat from escaping from the flow plates 110, thereby increasing the efficiency of the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 100 in transferring heat to the coolant and / or refrigerant flowing through it.The induction coil 260 preferably includes both an electrical conductor 262 and an electrical insulation jacket 264, although it is at least theoretically possible for the induction coil 260 to omit the electrical insulation jacket 264. In such an embodiment, the loops 266 are positioned to be spaced apart from each other to prevent inadvertent electrical conduction between the sides of the loops 266. The inner thermal insulation layer 268 also helps inhibit heating of the electrical insulation jacket 264 by the heated flow plates 110, thereby protecting the electrical insulation jacket 264 from potential damage.

[0061] It will be Fig. 22, which shows another embodiment. In Fig. 22, the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 100 further includes the inner thermal insulation layer 268 surrounding the peripheral edge surface 258 of the flow plate assembly and surrounded by the induction coil 260, and an outer thermal insulation layer 270. The inner and outer thermal insulation layers 268 and 270 may be made of a material that is not electrically conductive. As in the embodiment in Fig. 21, the induction coil 260 in the flow plates 110 can generate heat by induction through the inner thermal insulation layer 266 with relatively low efficiency loss, while the inner thermal insulation layer 267 prevents heat from escaping from the flow plates 110 and the outer thermal insulation layer 270 further prevents heat from escaping from the flow plates 110.

[0062] It will be Fig. 23, which shows another embodiment. In Fig. 23, the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 100 further includes a carrier 272 including at least one conductor groove 274 that supports the induction coil 260. In the illustrated embodiment, the carrier 272 may be made of any suitable material, such as an electrically insulating material such as a non-conductive polymer, cellulose, fiberglass, glass, or any other suitable material. Consequently, it is possible for the induction coil 260 to include the electrical conductor 262 and the electrical insulation jacket 264 to be omitted. While in the illustrated embodiment, multiple smaller grooves 274 are shown in the carrier 272, they may be replaced with a single spiral-shaped groove. The carrier 272 may further be made of a material that is thermally insulating and may therefore be referred to as an inner thermal insulation layer.As such, it can be said that the inner thermal insulation layer includes at least one conductor groove 274 that holds the induction coil 260.

[0063] The carrier 272 surrounds the peripheral edge surface 258 of the flow plate assembly and is surrounded by the induction coil 260 (and held by the at least one conductor groove 274).

[0064] It is based on the Fig. 24 and Fig. 25, which shows another embodiment. In Fig. 23, the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 100 further includes at least one susceptor 276 disposed between the peripheral edge surface 258 of the flow plate assembly and the induction coil 260. In the illustrated embodiment, there are a plurality of susceptors 276. For example, four susceptors 276 may be provided, engaging each side 258a of the peripheral edge surface 258 of the flow plate assembly.

[0065] The flow plates 110 have a first permeability, and the at least one susceptor 276 has a second permeability greater than the first permeability. The susceptors 276 may therefore have an improved ability to convert the electromagnetic energy from the induction coil 260 into heat compared to the flow plates 110 themselves. This is because the induction coil in the susceptors 276 can generate heat through magnetic hysteresis (due to its higher permeability) in addition to heat generation from eddy currents. In contrast, due to the low permeability of the flow plates 110, in embodiments where they are made of a low-permeability material such as aluminum, the induction coil 260 does not generate a significant amount of heat in the flow plates 110 through magnetic hysteresis. An example of a suitable material for the susceptors 276 is ferritic steel.However, any other suitable material could also be used. For example, the susceptors 276 can be made of any suitable material containing iron.

[0066] The at least one susceptor 276 is positioned to be inductively heated by the induction coil 260 and is at least indirectly engaged with the flow plate assembly 252 to heat the flow plate assembly 252 through heat conduction. The susceptors 276 may be engaged with the peripheral edge surface 258 of the flow plate assembly by a thermally conductive epoxy, an adhesive, or a suitable adhesive layer. Alternatively, the susceptors 276 may be engaged with the peripheral edge surface 258 of the flow plate assembly by being mechanically held in engagement, for example, by a plurality of bands, clamps, or other mechanical elements that push or pull the susceptors 276 into engagement with the peripheral edge surface 258 of the flow plate assembly.

[0067] In the illustrated embodiment, the susceptors 276 each engage one of the sides 258a of the peripheral edge surface 258 of the flow plate assembly, however, the susceptors 276 may each engage any suitable portions of the peripheral edge surface 258 of the flow plate assembly.

[0068] Due to the presence of the susceptors 276, the induction coil 260 heats the susceptors 276 and the susceptors 276 in turn heat the flow plates 110, at least in embodiments where the susceptors 276 absorb most of the electromagnetic energy from the induction coil 260.

[0069] Additionally, it should be noted that in embodiments where the susceptors are made of steel and the flow plates 110 are made of aluminum, the susceptors retain heat longer than aluminum. Therefore, it may be possible to temporarily turn off the induction coil 260 while the susceptors 276 continue to heat the flow plates 110 and thus continue to transfer heat to the coolant and / or refrigerant contained in the flow plates 110.

[0070] It will be Fig. 26, which shows another embodiment. In Fig. 26, the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 100 further includes the inner thermal insulation layer 268 surrounding the peripheral edge surface 258 of the flow plate assembly, disposed outside the at least one susceptor 276, and surrounded by the induction coil 260. In this embodiment, as in other embodiments, the inner thermal insulation layer 268 is non-conductive, so that the induction coil 260 heats the at least one susceptor 276 through the inner thermal insulation layer 268. In another embodiment, the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 100 could further include the outer thermal insulation layer 270 to achieve a similar effect to that provided by the outer thermal insulation layer 270 in other embodiments shown and described.

[0071] It is noted that the term "the susceptors" is used for convenience whenever it is used. It is noted that the term "the susceptors" could be replaced with "the at least one susceptor" in any statement made herein, unless it is a statement that necessarily and obviously requires the presence of multiple susceptors.

[0072] It will be Fig. 27, which shows a further embodiment similar to that shown in the Fig. 25 and Fig. 25, but having a plurality of susceptors 276 which do not extend beyond the sides 258a of the peripheral edge surface 258 of the flow plate assembly and which are chamfered (at the bevels 278) to reduce the tightness of the bends of the induction coil 260.

[0073] It will be Fig. 28, which shows a further embodiment similar to that shown in Fig. 27, but provides the carrier 272 surrounding the peripheral edge surface 258 of the flow plate assembly and surrounded by the induction coil 260 (and supporting it via the at least one conductor groove 274). The carrier 272 may be configured as described with respect to Fig. 23 (e.g. with regard to the material properties), with the difference that the carrier 272 in Fig. 28 is positioned between the at least one susceptor 276 and the induction coil 260.

[0074] It will be Fig. 29, which shows a further embodiment similar to that shown in Fig. 26, but wherein the at least one susceptor 276 comprises a first C-shaped susceptor 276a and a second C-shaped susceptor 276b. The first and second C-shaped susceptors 276a and 276b together at least partially surround the peripheral edge surface 258 of the flow plate assembly. In the illustrated embodiment, the first and second C-shaped susceptors 276a and 276b each have first and second free ends, shown at 280 and 282, respectively, such that the first free ends 280 of the first and second C-shaped susceptors 276a and 276b are spaced apart from each other by a first gap G1 and the second free ends 282 of the first and second C-shaped susceptors 276a and 276b are spaced apart from each other by a second gap G2.The first and second gaps G1 and G2 are provided to ensure that the first and second C-shaped susceptors 276a and 276b do not interfere with each other during assembly on the flow plate assembly 252, to ensure good contact between the opposing inner surfaces 284 of the first and second C-shaped susceptors 276a and 276b and the mating sides 258a of the peripheral edge surface 258 of the flow plate assembly. The first and second C-shaped susceptors 276a and 276b may otherwise be configured as described with respect to the embodiments shown in FIGS. Fig. 25 and Fig. 25 shown embodiment may be described, e.g. with regard to the material properties.

[0075] As with other embodiments that include at least one susceptor 276, the first and second C-shaped susceptors 276a and 276b may be held in engagement with the peripheral edge surface 258 of the flow plate assembly by a thermally conductive epoxy resin, an adhesive, or a suitable adhesive layer.

[0076] It is based on the Fig. 30 and Fig. 31, which show a further embodiment similar to that shown in Fig. 28 and includes at least one susceptor, which are the first C-shaped susceptor 276a and the second C-shaped susceptor 276b, but in this embodiment, the first C-shaped susceptor 276a and the second C-shaped susceptor 276b together comprise the at least one conductor groove 274. Since the conductor groove 274 is provided directly in the at least one susceptor 276, no separate support for holding the induction coil 260 is required. However, it should be understood that the induction coil 260 includes the electrical insulation jacket 264 to prevent electrical conduction into the first C-shaped susceptor 276a and the second C-shaped susceptor 276b.In addition, the electrical insulation jacket 264 is made of a material that can withstand the heat generated in the first C-shaped susceptor 276a and the second C-shaped susceptor 276b because the electrical insulation jacket 264 is in direct contact therewith.

[0077] In Fig. 31, a layer of a thermally conductive epoxy resin, an adhesive or a suitable adhesive layer is shown at 285.

[0078] In Fig. 31, the plurality of flow plates 110 are shown as a single element, although the illustrated sectional view would pass through the thicknesses of several of the flow plates 110.

[0079] It is based on the Fig. 32 and Fig. 33, which show a further embodiment similar to that shown in Fig. 28 and includes at least one susceptor 276 positioned to be inductively heated by the induction coil 260 and at least indirectly engaged with the flow plate assembly 252 to heat the flow plate assembly 252 by conduction.

[0080] In the illustrated embodiment, the flow plate assembly 252 includes at least one susceptor opening 286 extending through at least some of the flow plates 110. The at least one susceptor 276 is positioned within the at least one susceptor opening 286. In the illustrated embodiment, the at least one susceptor 276 includes four susceptors 276, although any suitable number of susceptors 276 may be used. In the illustrated embodiment, each of the susceptors 276 is tubular. Alternatively, however, each susceptor 276 may be a solid rod. In the illustrated embodiment, each of the susceptors 276 is cylindrical. Alternatively, however, each susceptor 276 may have other shapes, such as a rectangular prism.

[0081] In Fig. 33, the plurality of flow plates 110 are shown as a single element, although the sectional view shown would pass through the thicknesses of several of the flow plates 110.

[0082] The material properties of the at least one susceptor 276 in the Fig. 32 and Fig. 33 may be the same as those for any of the other susceptors 276 shown and described herein.

[0083] It is based on the Fig. 34 and Fig. 35, which show a further embodiment similar to that shown in the Fig. 32 and Fig. 33 and includes at least one susceptor 276 positioned to be inductively heated by the induction coil 260 and at least indirectly engaged with the flow plate assembly 252 to heat the flow plate assembly 252. In the illustrated embodiment, the at least one susceptor 276 is positioned in at least one susceptor opening 286, as shown in FIGS. Fig. 32 and Fig. 33. In the illustrated embodiment, the at least one susceptor 276 comprises four susceptors 276, each of which may be cylindrical (or in another suitable shape) and tubular (or solid), as in the at least one susceptor 276 in the Fig. 32 and Fig. 33. In the Fig. 34 and Fig. 35, the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 100 includes a plurality of induction coils 260 instead of one induction coil 260, and each induction coil 260 has an associated susceptor 276 of the at least one susceptor 276 and heats the associated susceptor 276 of the at least one susceptor 276. In the illustrated embodiment, each induction coil 260 extends into the associated susceptor 276 of the set of at least one susceptors.

[0084] It is noted that in Fig. 35 certain elements are omitted so as not to obscure other elements. For example, one of the susceptor openings 286 is shown without a susceptor therein, but during operation, a susceptor 276 would be present in that susceptor opening 286.

[0085] In each embodiment described herein, it is contemplated that the inner thermal barrier layer 268 may be provided anywhere between the induction coil 260 and the at least one susceptor 276 if at least one susceptor 276 is provided, or anywhere between the induction coil 260 and the flow plate assembly 252 if no susceptors are provided.

[0086] It is noted that the at least one susceptor 276 in each of the embodiments has been described as having a greater permeability than the permeability of the flow plates 110 in order to generate heat via magnetic hysteresis. However, it is also noted that the at least one susceptor 276 may also have a greater resistivity to current than the resistivity of the flow plates 110. Materials with a higher resistivity are heated more by induction than materials with a lower resistivity. Accordingly, the at least one susceptor 276, which may be made of a steel grade, may have a higher resistivity than the flow plates 110, which may be made of aluminum, and may therefore be better heated by the induction coil 260 than the flow plates 260 in the embodiment in Fig. 19, where the induction coil 260 directly heats the flow plates 110 (where the flow plates 110 are made of a low-resistivity material such as aluminum). In some embodiments, the at least one susceptor 276 may be made of a material having a relatively higher resistivity than the flow plates 110, and not necessarily a material having a higher permeability than the flow plates 110. However, in a preferred embodiment, the at least one susceptor 276 is made of a material having both a higher permeability and a higher resistivity than the flow plates 110.

[0087] In other words, heating by induction is caused by one or both of the following processes: heating by the generation of eddy currents in the body to be heated (e.g., the flow plates 110 and / or the susceptor 276) and heating by the generation of magnetic hysteresis in the body to be heated (e.g., in the susceptor 276). For non-magnetic materials such as aluminum, heating would occur only from the generation of eddy currents. For ferritic materials such as certain steels, heating can occur from both the generation of eddy currents and the generation of magnetic hysteresis. The heating that would result from the generation of eddy currents alone can be greater for steel than for aluminum due to its higher resistivity. Furthermore, heating generated by magnetic hysteresis is present in ferritic steels but not in aluminum.

[0088] While one or more induction coils 260 have been shown spirally wound around an axis to either surround an element such as the flow plate assembly or to be surrounded by an element such as a susceptor 476, it is noted that the induction coil 260 may be an electrical conductor pattern formed in a generally spiral arrangement in a plane on a substrate or in a plate, but as a self-supporting element not printed on a substrate. Such induction coils are currently present in some induction cooktops. One or more such induction coils could be positioned on each side 258a of the peripheral edge surface 258 of the flow plate assembly to heat the flow plates 110 or to heat one or more susceptors 276 positioned to heat the flow plates 110.

[0089] While the at least one susceptor 276 was provided to assist in heating the flow plates 110, it is also noted that at least one protective susceptor may be used to divert magnetic flux lines away from elements to be protected, such as electronic components of the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 100. Such embodiments may utilize at least one protective susceptor located external to the induction coil 260, which may include an outer thermal insulation layer 280 disposed externally thereof. The elements to be protected, such as the aforementioned electronics, may be disposed externally of the outer thermal insulation layer 280. The protective susceptor would ensure that no magnetic field extends beyond it, thereby ensuring that no inductive heating of the aforementioned electronics (or other element to be protected) occurs.

[0090] It is noted that the use of the induction coil 260 to heat the flow plate assembly 252 is particularly advantageous in high-power applications, such as larger thermal management systems for large vehicles such as buses and the like. It is also noted that the use of the induction coil 260 may be applicable to a heat exchanger that does not transport both refrigerant and coolant and does not perform heat exchange between the two fluids. For example, it is possible for the induction coil 260 to be used in at least some embodiments on a vessel that transports only one fluid, such as only refrigerant or only coolant. Such a vessel may be similar to the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger, but may have only two ports instead of four, and may be formed from a plurality of flow plates similar to the flow plates 110, or may have another suitable structure.

[0091] In addition to the induction coil 260 described above, the secondary heating device 122 may include a first end heater 122b that engages the first flow plate 110a to deliver heat to the plurality of flow plates 110 through the thickness of the first flow plate 110a, and a second end heater 122c to deliver heat to the plurality of flow plates 110 through the thickness of the second end cover plate 111. A heat spreader plate 125 may be provided between the second end heater 122c and the second end cover plate 111. The first end heater 122b and the second end heater 122c may each utilize an induction coil shaped as described above.

[0092] A feature of the secondary heater 122 is that it is sized to vaporize all of the refrigerant 108 flowing through the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 100 (i.e., all of the refrigerant 108 in the refrigerant flow path 106) to ensure that substantially all of the refrigerant 108 in the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 100 can be vaporized without introducing heat from the coolant 104 in the coolant flow path 102 into the refrigerant 108. In some embodiments, the secondary heater 122 is sized to superheat all of the refrigerant in the refrigerant flow path 106 to ensure that all of the refrigerant 108 is vaporized and substantially no refrigerant 108 remains in its liquid phase.

[0093] A controller 124 may be provided to control the operation of the secondary heater 122. The electrical connections shown at 126 and 128 are provided for supplying power to the secondary heater 122 and to the controller 124.

[0094] A heat exchanger housing 130 may be provided to accommodate the components described above. The housing 130 may include a first housing portion 130a and a second housing portion 130b sealingly connected to the first housing portion 130a. O-rings 132 may be provided to seal around the openings shown at 134 in the housing 130, which allow the passage of the coolant inlet 118a, the coolant outlet 118b, the refrigerant inlet 116a, and the refrigerant outlet 116b. A further sealing element 136 is provided between the refrigerant filter 119 and the refrigerant inlet 116a.

[0095] Fig. Figure 11 shows a schematic representation of the coolant spaces 121 and the refrigerant spaces 123 and the routing of the coolant flow path 102 and the refrigerant flow path 106 in the Fig. 6-10. As can be seen, the coolant 104 flows from the coolant inlet 118a through the coolant spaces 121 and then along the coolant spaces 121 and back to the coolant outlet 118b. Similarly, the coolant 108 flows from the coolant inlet 116a through the coolant spaces 123 and then along the coolant spaces 123 and back to the coolant outlet 116b. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 11 (and the Fig. 6-10), the coolant outlet 118b and the refrigerant outlet 116b are both located at the same end of the plurality of flow plates 110 as the coolant inlet 118a and the refrigerant inlet 116a. In an alternative embodiment shown in Fig. As shown in Figure 12, the first end cover plate 109 and the second end cover plate 111 are each configured to have an inlet and an outlet. For example, the first end cover plate 109 may have the coolant inlet 118a and the refrigerant outlet 116b, and the second end cover plate 111 may have the coolant outlet 118b and the coolant inlet 116a. Thus, the coolant 104 may flow across the flow plates 110 from the first end to the second end, and the refrigerant 108 may flow across the flow plates 110 from the second end to the first end.

[0096] Regardless of whether the coolant flow path 102 and the refrigerant flow path 106 are arranged as shown in the Fig. 6 to 11 or as shown in Fig. 12, it can be said that the coolant flow path 102 and the refrigerant flow path 106 are arranged to transfer heat from one of the coolant 104 and the refrigerant 108 to the other of the coolant 104 and the refrigerant 108, and the secondary heater 122 can be arranged to heat both the refrigerant 108 and the coolant 104 in the coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger 100.

[0097] Several advantageous features of the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 100 are described below: The coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 100 includes a plurality of flow plates 110. It has been found effective to provide the secondary heater 122 in the form of a ribbon-shaped heater 122a extending substantially along all peripheral edges of the flow plates 110, and also to provide the heater at a first end 122b and the heater at a second end 122c such that heat is transferred through the height, width, and thickness of the flow plates 110. The heater at the peripheral edge 122a and the heaters at first and second ends 122b and 122c may be solid elements formed from a plate material that is bonded to the flow plates 110 or the first and second end cover plates 109 and 110, respectively.111 is connected in a suitable manner, for example, by a suitable adhesive. In some embodiments, one or more of the peripheral edge heaters 122a and the first and second end heaters may be in the form of a foil heater printed directly onto the surface to which it is intended to transfer heat. DESCRIPTION OF THE STRUCTURE OF A HEAT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM USING THE NOVEL COOLANT-TO-REFRIGERANT HEAT EXCHANGER

[0098] It will be Fig. 13, which shows a thermal management system 150 for an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The electric vehicle is shown in Fig. 14 shown at 151.

[0099] The thermal management system 150 may have a similar structure to that shown in Fig. 5 and may include a refrigerant system 152 and a coolant system 154. Some differences between the thermal management system 150 and the thermal management system 50 are described below. One difference is that the high-voltage heater 71 and the associated coolant line are made of Fig. 5 are not necessary and are omitted from the thermal management system 150. In addition, the coolant system 154 includes a battery loop 154a and a motor loop 154b, which are interconnected by a first transfer line 156 and a second transfer line 158. The coolant system 154 also includes an additional 3-way valve compared to the coolant system 54 of the thermal management system 50. Thus, the cooling system 154 has a first 3-way valve 160, a second 3-way valve 162, and a third 3-way valve 164, as well as a battery loop pump 166 and an engine loop pump 168. In addition, the cooling system 154 includes a coolant check valve 169 on the second transfer line 157. In addition, the cooling system 154 includes a battery circuit bypass line 158 and an engine circuit bypass line 159, which are not present in the cooling system 54.The arrangement of the refrigerant system 152 may be similar to that of the refrigerant system 52. Although specific configurations for the coolant system 154 and the refrigerant system 152 are illustrated, and although specific valve types (e.g., on / off control valves, 3-way valves, and check valves) are illustrated, it should be understood that the coolant system 154 and the refrigerant system may be configured differently. As a simple example, the 3-way valves 160, 162, and 164 could be replaced with a variety of on / off valves. Another simple example is that the check valves in the refrigerant and coolant systems 154 and 152 could also be replaced with on / off control valves.In addition, the control valves V1, V2, V3 and V4 and their associated refrigerant lines could be replaced by a different arrangement of lines with a different number of valves, including, for example, one or more 3-way valves.

[0100] To control the operation of the thermal management system 150, a control system may be provided, as shown in 170. The control system 170 may include a printed circuit board (PCB) 170a on which a processor 170b and a memory 170c are located. The control system 170 may be operatively connected to the control valves V1, V2, V3, and V4, the expansion valves EXV1, EXV2, and EXV3, the 3-way valves 160, 162, and 164, and the secondary heater 122 to control their operation. Lines representing wires to show the connection between the PCB 170a and the aforementioned valves and the secondary heater are shown in Fig. 13 are not shown to avoid obscuring the understanding of these figures. Furthermore, the control system 170 may include a plurality of sensors, such as a cabin temperature sensor 172, a refrigerant temperature sensor 174 at the refrigerant inlet 116a of the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 100, and a secondary heater temperature sensor 176, all connected to the circuit board 170a to transmit signals to the processor 170b relating to the passenger cabin air temperature, the refrigerant temperature at the refrigerant inlet 116a of the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 100, and the temperature of the secondary heater 122.

[0101] It should be noted that the control system 170 need not include only the single circuit board 170a, the processor 170b, and the memory 170c. Alternatively, the control system 170 may include a plurality of circuit boards at various locations within the electric vehicle 151, each including one or more processors and memories. For example, the circuit board 170a may be only a portion of the control system 170 and may be part of an ECM (electronic control module) for the electric vehicle 151, which controls the operation of many subsystems within the electric vehicle 151. The control system 170 may further include the controller 124 in the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 100. Communication between the circuit board 170a and the controller 124 may occur via a wired connection or via a wireless connection.

[0102] Furthermore, it is not necessary for any of the temperature sensors 172, 174 and 176 to be directly connected to or communicate directly with the circuit board 170a.

[0103] For example, the secondary heater temperature sensor 176 may communicate directly with the controller 124, which in turn may transmit the information to the circuit board 170a.

[0104] A key difference between the thermal management system 150 and the thermal management system 50 is that the thermal management system 150 includes the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 100 instead of the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 78. DESCRIPTION OF THE HEAT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IN CABIN HEATING MODE WITH THE SECONDARY HEATING DEVICE

[0105] Fig. 13 shows the thermal management system 150 in a cabin heating mode using the secondary heater 122. In this mode, the control valves V1, V3 and V4 are closed and the control valve V2 is open, and the expansion valves EXV1 and EXV2 are closed and the expansion valve EXV3 is open.

[0106] The Fig. The mode shown in Figure 13 may be used when starting the vehicle in situations where the ambient temperature is below -15 degrees Celsius. In such situations, it is desirable to operate the refrigerant system 152 to heat the passenger compartment 12. Accordingly, the refrigerant 108 flows through the interior condenser 62 to heat the interior air 24 of the passenger compartment 12. However, operating the exterior heat exchanger 58 as an evaporator may not be desirable because, depending on the humidity content of the ambient air 22, there is a risk of ice forming on the exterior heat exchanger 58 as heat is drawn from the ambient air 22 into the exterior heat exchanger 58, which would impede its operation.

[0107] Accordingly, it is desirable to use the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 100 as an evaporator. However, the coolant 104 has a temperature below -15 degrees Celsius, and neither the traction battery 74 nor the traction motor 76 are warm enough to provide sufficient heat to the coolant 104 for use in the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 100 to drive the evaporation of the refrigerant 108. Additionally, the 3-way valves 160 and 162 can be positioned to isolate the battery circuit 154a from the engine circuit 154b and bypass the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 100, allowing the traction battery 74 to quickly warm to its optimal operating temperature.

[0108] In addition, in some situations the ambient temperature may be so low that the pressure of the coolant 108 is less than 1 atmosphere. For example, consider the Fig. Referring to the pressure-enthalpy diagram shown in Figure 15, which relates to the refrigerant 108 used in the thermal management system 150, it can be seen that the pressure of the refrigerant 108 drops below 1 atmosphere when the temperature of the refrigerant is below approximately -30 degrees Celsius. Therefore, during operation of the compressor 56 in such an environment, it is possible that contaminants may be drawn into the refrigerant system 152 because the pressure at the inlet of the compressor 56 is lower than the ambient pressure outside the refrigerant system 152. Such contaminants may be particulate matter, moisture, or other types of contaminants. Such contaminants may be harmful to the compressor 56 and, in any event, reduce the performance of the refrigerant system.

[0109] In this situation, the control system 170 operates the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 100 in a secondary heat-only mode, in which the secondary heater 122 vaporizes substantially all of the refrigerant 108 in the refrigerant flow path 106 without heat input from the coolant 104 in the coolant flow path 102. In some embodiments, the secondary heater 122 is heated sufficiently to superheat the refrigerant 108 to ensure that substantially all of the refrigerant 108 is vaporized and that substantially no refrigerant 108 remains in its liquid phase.

[0110] Thus, by providing the secondary heating device 122 ( Fig. 7b, Fig. 8) a sufficient amount of heat is supplied to the refrigerant 108 in the coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger 100 to increase the temperature of the refrigerant 108 above the threshold temperature at which the refrigerant 108 has a pressure of 1 atmosphere.

[0111] The Fig. 13 is just one example of a secondary heat only mode for the thermal management system 150, in which the secondary heater 122 evaporates the refrigerant 108 in the refrigerant flow path 106 without heat input from the coolant 104 in the coolant flow path 102. When the control system 170 operates the thermal management system 150 in the Fig. 13, the control system 170 can be said to operate the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 100, and can be said to be programmed to operate the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 100 in a secondary heat only mode in which the secondary heater 122 vaporizes the refrigerant 108 in the refrigerant flow path 106 without heat input from the coolant 104 in the coolant flow path 102. DESCRIPTION OF THE MODIFIED PRESSURE-ENTHAPY LAW

[0112] With reference to Fig. 15, the dashed line at 180 represents the changes in the properties of the refrigerant 108 as it is passed through the Fig. 13. Point 182 represents the properties of the refrigerant immediately upstream of the compressor 14 after the refrigerant 108 has been heated for a period of time by the secondary heater 122. As can be seen, the temperature of the refrigerant 108 at point 182 is above the aforementioned threshold temperature. Accordingly, the pressure of the refrigerant 108 at point 182 is above 1 atmosphere, thereby preventing contaminants from entering the refrigerant system 152. Curve segment 180a represents the change in the properties of the refrigerant 108 due to the operation of the compressor 56. Point 184 represents the properties of the refrigerant 108 downstream of the compressor 56 and upstream of the indoor condenser 62. As can be seen, both the pressure and temperature of the refrigerant 108 increase between point 182 and point 184.

[0113] The curve segment 180b is representative of the change in the properties of the refrigerant 108 due to the operation of the indoor condenser 62. Point 186 represents the properties of the refrigerant 108 immediately downstream of the indoor condenser 62 (and therefore upstream of the expansion valve (which is the expansion valve EXV3 when the thermal management system 150 is in the Fig. 13). As can be seen, the temperature of the refrigerant 108 decreases and then remains constant during the phase change that takes place in the internal condenser 62.

[0114] The curve segment 180c is representative of the change in the properties of the refrigerant 108 due to the expansion valve (e.g., expansion valve EXV3 when the thermal management system 150 is in the Fig. 13). Point 188 represents the properties of the refrigerant 108 immediately downstream of the expansion valve and thus upstream of the coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger 100. As can be seen, the pressure and temperature of the refrigerant 108 decrease as it flows through the expansion valve.

[0115] Curve segment 30d is representative of the change in the properties of the refrigerant 108 due to passage through the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 100. After passing through the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 100, the refrigerant 108 returns to point 182, which represents the properties of the refrigerant 108 immediately downstream of the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 100 and thus upstream of the compressor 56. As can be seen, the pressure and temperature in the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 100 remain substantially constant until the refrigerant reaches the boundary line shown at 189, which represents the boundary between the liquid and gaseous phases. As shown in Fig. As shown in Figure 15, the secondary heater 122 transfers sufficient heat to the refrigerant 108 to superheat the refrigerant 108 by a certain amount after all of the refrigerant has evaporated in the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 100, thereby causing a slight temperature increase of the refrigerant 108. This ensures that all of the refrigerant exits the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 100 as a gas.

[0116] When operating in the Fig. 13, it is determined that the curve 180 is the curve for the refrigerant 108 once the refrigerant 108 has already been heated by the coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger 100 and is in a stable cycle after the aforementioned threshold temperature. To achieve this stable cycle from a state in which the refrigerant 108 initially has a temperature below the aforementioned threshold temperature, the thermal management system 150 can be maintained for a certain time in the Fig. 13 to circulate the refrigerant 108 through the coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger 100 (and the compressor 56, the indoor condenser 62, and the expansion valve EXV3) to gradually heat the refrigerant 108. At a certain point during the progressive heating of the refrigerant 108, the refrigerant 108 transitions from a state in which the refrigerant 108 has a pressure of less than 1 atmosphere at the point immediately upstream of the compressor 56 to a state in which the refrigerant 108 has a pressure of more than 1 atmosphere at the point immediately upstream of the compressor 56. The above-mentioned transition from a state in which the pressure of the refrigerant 108 is less than 1 atmosphere to a state in which it is more than 1 atmosphere upstream of the compressor 56 is in Fig. 15 graphically shown. As in Fig. 15, a dashed curve is shown at 190 representing the changes in the properties (temperature and pressure) of the refrigerant 108 that would occur if the secondary heater 122 were not present. Thus, when the vehicle is started in a cold ambient temperature, the initial state of the refrigerant 108 at the inlet of the compressor 56 is shown at point 192. When the refrigerant system 152 is commissioned, the compressor 56 first brings the refrigerant 108 to the point shown at 194 (the change in properties is represented by curve segment 190a). The refrigerant 108 then flows through the condenser 162, where the temperature of the refrigerant 108 is lowered and it is condensed, represented by curve segment 190b. After the internal condenser 62, the refrigerant properties are shown at point 196. The refrigerant 108 then flows through the expansion valve (e.g.Expansion valve EXV3), where its pressure is reduced, causing its temperature to drop, represented by curve segment 190c. After the expansion valve, the refrigerant properties are represented at point 198. Although point 198 is displayed at the same pressure as point 192, it may not be at exactly the same pressure as point 192. The refrigerant 108 then flows through the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 100, where it undergoes a phase change and is superheated by a certain amount, causing its temperature to rise by a certain amount and its pressure to also increase. Curve segment 190d represents the change in properties of the refrigerant 108 that occurs during the phase change (i.e., evaporation) in the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 100.The superheating of the refrigerant 108 in the coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger 100 after completion of the phase change in the coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger 100 is represented by the curve segment 199.

[0117] If the secondary heater 122 were sufficiently powerful, a single cycle through the refrigerant system 152 could bring the refrigerant 108 to the state represented by point 182 when the refrigerant 108 exits the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 100 (as indicated by curve segment 199 in Fig. 15). However, the jump in temperature and pressure for the refrigerant 108 as it passes through the coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger 108 may be smaller than in Fig. 15. In other words, the length of the curve segment 199 can be smaller than in Fig. 15. However, over time, after a number of cycles (i.e., after a number of passes through the refrigerant system 152), the temperature of the refrigerant 108 at the inlet of the compressor 56 gradually increases until the pressure of the refrigerant 108 at the inlet of the compressor 56 eventually rises above 1 atmosphere. In other words, there will eventually be a point where the refrigerant 108 has a pressure below one atmosphere and the refrigerant 108 undergoes a pass through the refrigerant system (i.e., through the compressor 56, the internal condenser 62, the expansion valve EXV3, and the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 100), the superheat that occurs in the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 100 causing the refrigerant 108 to leave the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 100 at a pressure greater than 1 atmosphere.In other words, this transition from a pressure below 1 atmosphere to above 1 atmosphere may be accomplished by performing the following method of operating the refrigerant system 152, the method comprising:. a) compressing the refrigerant 108 in the refrigerant system 152, thereby bringing the refrigerant 108 from a first temperature and a first pressure (point 192) to a second temperature and a second pressure (point 194), the first temperature being sufficiently low that the first pressure is less than 1 atmosphere; b) condensing the coolant 108 after step a), thereby bringing the coolant 108 from the second temperature and pressure (point 194) to a third temperature and pressure (point 196); c) the coolant 108 is passed through an expansion valve after step b), whereby the coolant 108 is brought from the third temperature and the third pressure (point 196) to a fourth temperature and a fourth pressure (point 198); d) the coolant 108 is evaporated after step c) in an evaporator, which is the coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger 100, wherein the coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger 100 is arranged to transfer heat between the coolant 104 in the coolant system 154 and the refrigerant 108, wherein the evaporation is accomplished by heating the refrigerant 108 using the secondary heating device 122 and without heating the refrigerant 108 using the coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger 100 to bring the refrigerant 108 from the fourth temperature and fourth pressure (point 198) to a fifth temperature and fifth pressure (point 182), wherein the fifth temperature is sufficiently high that the fifth pressure is greater than 1 atmosphere; and e) compressing the coolant 108 after step d), thereby bringing the coolant 108 from the fifth temperature and the fifth pressure (point 182) to above the fifth temperature and above the fifth pressure (point 184).

[0118] While it is advantageous to increase the pressure of the refrigerant 108 from a pressure below 1 atmosphere to above 1 atmosphere, it is also noted that increasing the pressure of the refrigerant 108 in any case, even if it remains below 1 atmosphere, can still be advantageous because it increases the density and thus the mass flow rate of the refrigerant 108, thereby increasing the ability of the refrigerant system 152 to perform heat exchange. Therefore, the method described above can be broadened such that the first pressure of the refrigerant 108 can be any suitable pressure, which can be above or below 1 atmosphere, and such that the fifth pressure (point 182) can be any suitable pressure, as long as it is greater than the first pressure (point 192) of the refrigerant 108. DESCRIPTION OF THE FIRST ALGORITHM FOR CONTROLLING THE OPERATION OF THE SECONDARY HEATING DEVICE

[0119] The secondary heater 122 may be controlled by the control system 170 using any suitable algorithm. For example, a suitable method for controlling the secondary heater 122 is described in Fig. 16 at 200. The method 200 begins at 202. At step 204, it is determined whether the thermal management system 150 is in a mode in which the secondary heater 122 would be used (such as the mode shown in Fig. 13). If not, control returns to this determination step 204 until the thermal management system 150 is in a suitable mode. Once the thermal management system 100 is determined to be in a suitable mode, step 206 is executed, which determines whether the temperature of the passenger compartment 12 is below the temperature set by the vehicle occupants (hereinafter referred to as the target cabin temperature). This step involves the control system 170 receiving data from the cabin temperature sensor 172. If the passenger compartment 12 has already reached or exceeded its target cabin temperature, the control system 170 turns the secondary heater 122 off in step 208. The target cabin temperature may be any suitable value, such as 20 degrees Celsius, as shown in step 206.If the temperature in the passenger cabin 12 is below the setpoint temperature, step 210 is executed to determine if the temperature of the secondary heater 122 is below an upper threshold temperature (i.e., a maximum temperature at which the secondary heater 122 is allowed to operate). At this step, the control system 170 receives data from the secondary heater temperature sensor 176. The upper threshold temperature may be any suitable temperature, such as 120 degrees Celsius. If the secondary heater 122 has already reached or exceeded its upper threshold temperature, the control system 170 executes step 212, which sets the secondary heater 122 to "on" at a power level lower than the power level it was at immediately prior to the execution of step 212. After execution of step 210 or step 212, control is returned to step 206.If it is determined that the secondary heater 122 is below its upper threshold temperature, step 214 is executed, which consists of turning on the secondary heater 122 to any suitable power level, such as full power, and returning control to step 206.

[0120] While the description contained herein illustrates a variety of embodiments of the present invention, it will be recognized that the present invention is susceptible to further modifications and changes without departing from the fair meaning of the accompanying claims. LIST OF ELEMENTS Bezugszeichen Name Figur 10 Fahrzeugklimaanlage 1 12 Fahrgastraum 1, 3-5, 13-22 14 Kompressor 1 16 Kondensator 1 18 Expansionsventil 1 20 Verdampfer 1 22 Außenluft 1 24 Innenluft 1 26 äußerer Ventilator 1 28 Interior fan 1 30 curve 2 30a Curve section 2 30b Curve section 2 30c Curve section 2 30d Curve section 2 32 Point 2 34 Point 2 36 Point 2 38 Point 2 40 Heat pump system 3, 4 42 Outdoor heat exchanger 3, 4 44 Indoor heat exchanger 3, 4 46 reversing valve 3, 4 50 Thermal management system 5 52 Refrigerant system 5 54 coolant system 5 56 compressor 5, 13-22 58 external heat exchanger 5, 13-22 60 internal evaporator 5, 13-22 62 internal capacitor 5, 13-22 64 first pump 5 66 second pump 5 68a Control valves 5 68b Control valves 5 70 Check valve 5 72 cooler 5, 13-22 74 Traction battery 5, 13-22 76 Traction motor 5, 13-22 78 Coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger 5 78a Coolant flow path 5 78b Refrigerant flow path 5 80 Refrigerant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 5, 13-22 97 Collector / Dryer 5, 13-22 99 Wheels 23 100 Coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger 6, 13-22 102 Coolant flow path 10, 11, 12 104 coolant 10, 11, 12 106 Refrigerant flow path 10, 11, 12 108 refrigerant 10, 11, 12 109 first end cover plate 7a, 9, 10 110 Flow plates 7a, 7b, 8, 9, 10 110a first flow plate 7a, 9, 10 110b second flow plate 7a, 9, 10 110c third flow plate 7a, 9, 10 110d fourth flow plate 7a, 9, 10 110e fifth flow plate 7a, 9, 10 110f sixth flow plate 7a, 9 111 second end cover plate 7b, 9 112a first surface of the flow plates 7b 112b second surface of the flow plates 7b 113 Refrigerant passage openings 7b, 8, 9 114 peripheral edge surface 7b 115 Coolant passage openings 7b, 8, 9 116a Refrigerant inlet 6, 7a, 9, 10 116b Refrigerant outlet 6, 7a, 8, 9, 10 118a Coolant inlet 6, 7a, 8, 9, 10 118b Coolant outlet 6, 7a, 9, 10 119 Refrigerant filter 7a 120 ribs 7b, 8, 10 121 Coolant chamber 9, 11, 12 122 secondary heating plate 7b 122a band 7b, 8, 9 122b Heating plate at a first end 7a 122c Heating plate at a second end 7b 123 Refrigerant compartment 9, 11, 12 124 Controller 7a, 8 125 Heat distribution plate 7b 126 electrical connection 6, 7a 128 electrical connection 6, 7a 130 Heat exchanger housing 6 130a First housing part 7b, 8, 9 130b Second housing part 7a, 9 132 O-rings 7a, 9 134 Openings in the housing 6, 7a 136 Sealing element 7a 150 Thermal management system 13 151 electric vehicle 14 152 Refrigerant system 13 154 coolant system 13 154a Battery loop 13 154b Motor loop 13 156 first transmission line 13 157 second transmission line 13 158 Battery circuit bypass line 13 159 Engine circuit bypass line 13 160 first 3-way valve 13 162 second 3-way valve 13 164 third 3-way valve 13 166 Battery loop pump 13 168 Motor loop pump 13 170 tax system 13 170a circuit board 13 170b processor 13 170c memory 13 172 Cabin temperature sensor 13 174 Refrigerant temperature sensor 13 176 Secondary heater temperature sensor 13 180 curve 15 180a Curve section 15 180b Curve section 15 180c Curve section 15 180d Curve section 15 182 Point 15 184 Point 15 186 Point 15 188 Point 15 190 curve 15 190a Curve section 15 190b Curve section 15 190c Curve section 15 190d Curve section 15 192 Point 15 194 Point 15 196 Point 15 198 Point 15 199 Curve section 15 200 Proceedings 16 202 Determination step 16 204 Determination step 16 206 Determination step 16 208 Determination step 16 210 Determination step 16 212 Determination step 16 214 Determination step 16 230 Flange sections 17 240 outermost edges 17 250 valley 17 252 Flow plate assembly 18 254 first end face 18 256 second end face 18 258 peripheral edge surface 18 258a Page 18 258b Corner 18 260 Induction coil 19 262 electrical conductor 19 264 electrical insulating sheath 19 266 Grind 19 268 inner thermal insulation layer 21 270 outer thermal insulation layer 22 272 carrier 23 274 Ladder groove 23 276 Susceptor 24 278 chamfer 29 280 second free ends 29 282 second free ends 29 284 Interior surfaces 29 285 layer 31 286 Susceptor opening 32 G1 gap 32 G2 gap 32 QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] US 63 / 381 784

[0001] US 63 / 491 138

[0001]

Claims

[1] A coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger for a thermal management system for an electric vehicle, comprising: a plurality of flow plates each having a plurality of surfaces and a peripheral edge, the plurality of flow plates being sealingly connected to each other to define a coolant flow path through the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger and a refrigerant flow path through the coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger, the coolant flow path and the refrigerant flow path being arranged to transfer heat from one of the coolant and the refrigerant to the other of the coolant and the refrigerant, the flow plates being made of an electrically conductive material;and a secondary heating device arranged to heat both the refrigerant and the coolant in the coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger, the secondary heating device comprising an induction coil arranged proximate the flow plates and energizable to heat the flow plates by induction.; [2] The coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein the induction coil surrounds the plurality of flow plates. [3] The coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein each of the flow plates has a first surface, a second surface, and a peripheral surface edge, and the plurality of flow plates together form a flow plate assembly having a first end surface, a second end surface, and a peripheral surface edge of the flow plate assembly, wherein the induction coil surrounds the peripheral surface edge of the flow plate assembly. [4] The coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger of claim 3, wherein the peripheral edge surface of the flow plate assembly includes a plurality of valleys that cause at least a portion of the peripheral edge surface of the flow plate assembly to be spaced from the induction coil. [5] The coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger of claim 3, wherein the induction coil extends helically around the peripheral edge surface of the flow plate assembly. [6] The coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger of claim 5, further comprising an inner thermal barrier layer surrounding the peripheral edge surface of the flow plate assembly and surrounded by the induction coil. [7] The coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger according to claim 6, wherein the inner thermal insulation layer comprises at least one conductor groove holding the induction coil. [8] The coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger of claim 6, further comprising an outer thermal insulation layer surrounding the induction coil. [9] The coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein the induction coil comprises an electrical conductor encased in an electrical insulating jacket. [10] The coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger of claim 3, further comprising at least one susceptor disposed between the peripheral edge surface of the flow plate assembly and the induction coil, wherein the flow plates have a first permeability and the at least one susceptor has a second permeability greater than the first permeability. [11] The coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger of claim 10, wherein the flow plates are made of aluminum and the susceptor contains iron. [12] The coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger of claim 10, wherein the at least one susceptor surrounds the flow plate assembly. [13] The coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger of claim 12, wherein the coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger further comprises an inner thermal insulation layer surrounding the peripheral edge surface of the flow plate assembly, disposed outside the at least one susceptor, and surrounded by the induction coil. [14] The coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger of claim 10, wherein the peripheral edge surface of the flow plate assembly has a plurality of sides and a plurality of corners between the sides, wherein the at least one susceptor has a susceptor on each of the plurality of sides. [15] The coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger of claim 10, wherein the peripheral edge surface of the flow plate assembly is generally rectangular, and wherein the at least one susceptor comprises a first C-shaped susceptor and a second C-shaped susceptor, the first and second C-shaped susceptors together at least partially surrounding the peripheral edge surface of the flow plate assembly. [16] The coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger of claim 10, wherein the at least one susceptor comprises at least one conductor groove holding the induction coil. [17] The coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger of claim 10, further comprising at least one susceptor arranged to be inductively heated by the induction coil and at least indirectly engaged with the flow plate assembly to heat the flow plate assembly by conduction, wherein the flow plates have a first permeability and the susceptor has a second permeability greater than the first permeability, the flow plate assembly comprising at least one susceptor opening extending through at least some of the flow plates, the at least one susceptor being positioned in the at least one susceptor opening. [18] The coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger of claim 5, further comprising a support surrounding the peripheral edge surface of the flow plate assembly and surrounded by the induction coil, the support including at least one conductor groove supporting the induction coil. [19] The coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger of claim 1, further comprising at least one susceptor positioned to be inductively heated by the induction coil and at least indirectly engaged with the flow plate assembly to heat the flow plate assembly by conduction, wherein the flow plates have a first permeability and the susceptor has a second permeability greater than the first permeability, wherein the flow plate assembly includes at least one susceptor opening extending through at least some of the flow plates, wherein the at least one susceptor is positioned in the at least one susceptor opening, and wherein the induction coil is positioned within the at least one susceptor.

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