Cooling device, control device and cooling system for cooling a cooling fluid by means of air cooling and evaporative cooling

Abstract

The invention relates to a control device (100) for a cooling device (150) of a motor vehicle, which cooling device is designed to cool a cooling fluid, and in which cooling device air-coolable cooling elements of the cooling device (150) can be additionally wetted with an evaporative cooling fluid for an increased cooling effect. The control device (100) is designed to adjust an air-mass flow of air flowing along the cooling elements for cooling the cooling fluid to a target temperature, and to adjust a fluid-mass flow of the evaporative cooling fluid for wetting the cooling elements. The invention also relates to a cooling system (200) comprising the cooling device (150) and to a motor vehicle comprising the cooling system (200).

Description

[0001] Cooling device, control device and cooling system for cooling a cooling fluid by means of air and evaporative cooling

[0002] Description

[0003] The invention relates to a cooling device for cooling a cooling fluid by means of air and evaporative cooling, a method for cooling the cooling fluid by means of the cooling device, and a motor vehicle comprising the cooling device. Alternatively or additionally, the invention further relates to a control device for a cooling device designed to cool a cooling fluid, preferably the cooling device, a cooling system with the cooling device, and a motor vehicle comprising the cooling system.

[0004] One of the greatest challenges in the operation of fuel cell-powered vehicles is cooling the fuel cell systems at high ambient temperatures. One possible solution is the use of a vehicle-independent evaporative cooling system, in which the product water from the fuel cell is collected and sprayed onto the front heat radiator in the vehicle, thereby increasing cooling performance through evaporation of the sprayed water on the radiator surface. The evaporated water can also be provided, for example, by filling a water tank.

[0005] The basic principle is the utilization of the evaporation enthalpy required for the phase change of water from liquid to gaseous. This allows very high heat flux densities to be achieved locally through the simultaneous mass and heat transfer. Non-adiabatic evaporation occurs on the cooler surface (i.e. the cooling fins and the tube surfaces), with the evaporation of the water occurring simultaneously with heat transfer from the cooler to the water. At the same time, adiabatic evaporation occurs in the air stream. If the cooling air is not yet fully saturated (the relative humidity is less than 100%), the incoming cooling air cools due to the extracted latent heat of evaporation. The air inlet temperature drops, and the temperature difference between the cooling fluid and the incoming cooling air increases. This increases the heat transfer capacity of the cooler.In addition, the heat capacity flow of the cooling air entering the radiator is increased by the injected water. Consequently, overall heat dissipation is improved. A common vehicle-side implementation is the installation of one or more nozzles in the airflow (upstream) for targeted water injection. The nozzles are arranged in such a way that the surface of the radiator is wetted, thereby humidifying the airflow. However, this common nozzle arrangement has several disadvantages.

[0006] The nozzles must be installed in the front of the vehicle, which requires additional installation space and, under otherwise identical conditions, reduces the cooling air mass flow by blocking the air path. The cooling capacity of the heat transfer is correspondingly reduced. With conventional heat transfer, the air-side heat transfer typically represents the limiting factor in the overall heat transfer. Dissipating a large amount of waste heat to the environment using conventional cooling requires a very large amount of air, which in turn requires a high electrical energy consumption in the form of fan power. The installation of the nozzles creates a further obstacle that the cooling air must overcome to provide sufficient cooling.

[0007] Furthermore, the increase in cooling performance due to evaporative cooling decreases with higher vehicle speeds, since a large part of the sprayed water is directed past the radiator due to a secondary air flow through the radiator, which depends, among other things, on the space available for the radiator.

[0008] In addition, the spray cone of the nozzles changes depending on the vehicle speed. Consequently, the sprayed area can only be optimized for one operating point (primarily characterized by vehicle speed and fan speed). This requires considerable application effort during commissioning and testing of the vehicle.

[0009] Furthermore, despite complex nozzle alignment, the water spray in a vehicle cannot completely cover the entire radiator surface. The suboptimal positioning of the nozzles due to limited installation space and other vehicle components means that part of the radiator surface is not reached by the water and remains unused for increasing cooling performance.

[0010] The amount of water sprayed cannot be distributed optimally, as in some places the amount of water sprayed is too high for evaporation under the given external conditions. The excess water that does not evaporate does not contribute to increasing cooling performance and remains unused.

[0011] Therefore, the object of the invention is to provide such a solution that at least partially avoids the disadvantages of previous solutions. In particular, the object of the invention is to provide the most efficient technology possible for cooling a cooling fluid using air and evaporative cooling.

[0012] The problem is solved by the features of the independent claims. Advantageous further developments are specified in the dependent claims and the description.

[0013] According to a first general aspect, a cooling device for cooling a cooling fluid by means of air and evaporative cooling is provided. The cooling device comprises at least one cooling module. The at least one cooling module has a first channel for the cooling fluid (i.e., for guiding the cooling fluid), a second channel for an evaporative cooling fluid (i.e., for guiding the evaporative cooling fluid), and air-coolable cooling elements arranged on the first channel for thermal coupling. The air-coolable cooling elements can, for example, be designed as cooling fins and / or have a fin and louver geometry. Furthermore, cooling air paths for conducting cooling air flowing through can be formed in the cooling elements and / or between the cooling elements and the first channel. The cooling air paths can, in particular, run perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the first channel and / or a flow direction of the cooling fluid in the first channel.

[0014] The first channel and the air-coolable cooling elements serve as heat exchangers for transferring heat from the cooling fluid to the cooling air. The cooling air flowing along the surfaces of the cooling elements and the first channel (and thus through the cooling air paths) can thus absorb heat from the usually hot cooling fluid. The driving force for heat transfer is the temperature difference between the cooling fluid and the cooling air. In addition to the thermal resistance and temperature, the mass flow of the cooling air, which is influenced by a pressure drop along the cooling air paths and the heat-transfer surfaces, can be decisive for the heat transfer efficiency.

[0015] The second channel has a perforation for discharging the evaporative cooling fluid and for wetting the cooling elements with the evaporative cooling fluid. The second channel is integrated and / or arranged (e.g., inserted) within the first channel. The second channel further has an outer wall section common to the first channel, which faces the cooling elements and on (and / or in) which the perforation is formed. The first channel is expediently fluidically separated from the second channel, wherein, in particular, an interior of the first channel is fluidically separated from the perforation.

[0016] The cooling device can, for example, represent a combination of a (known) heat exchanger, comprising the first channel for the cooling fluid and the air-coolable cooling elements, and one or more (integrated) dispensing devices (or spraying devices) for dispensing the evaporative cooling fluid, comprising the second channel for the evaporative cooling fluid. The cooling device can therefore also be referred to as a hybrid cooling device.

[0017] The present disclosure according to the first general aspect thus provides a solution with improved cooling, in particular a more efficient use of evaporative cooling by wetting with the evaporative cooling fluid.

[0018] The arrangement of the second channel and the perforation allows the surfaces of the cooling elements to be wetted as directly as possible with the evaporative cooling fluid, i.e., essentially exclusively non-adiabatic evaporative cooling is implemented. Non-adiabatic evaporative cooling is significantly more effective in terms of a potentially achievable increase in cooling capacity with the same amount of water than adiabatic evaporation (humidification of the cooling air by the evaporative cooling fluid). Therefore, adiabatic evaporation, whose ratio between the achieved increase in cooling capacity and the amount of evaporative cooling fluid used is significantly lower than with direct wetting of the cooling surfaces, can be avoided as much as possible or at least significantly reduced with the cooling device.

[0019] By arranging the second channel within the first channel (and thus at least partially within the cooling fluid), the evaporative cooling fluid also absorbs a portion of the dissipated waste heat from the cooling fluid through heat conduction. Since the evaporation enthalpy of, for example, water as an evaporative cooling fluid changes only slightly with increasing temperature in the range of 25°C to 100°C, the heat flow from the cooling fluid to the evaporative cooling fluid results in only a negligible reduction in the cooling performance increase through evaporation. Furthermore, the heat absorbed by the evaporative cooling fluid can be transferred to the cooling air during discharge through the perforation.

[0020] Furthermore, heat is known to flow from the cooling fluid in the first channel through its outer wall to the cooling elements, in particular cooling fins, by thermal conduction. Cooling air flowing past, which typically has a lower temperature than the cooling fluid, absorbs heat from the surfaces of the cooling elements and thereby cools them. Cooling air cannot flow through the first channel itself, so its design increases the air-side pressure loss of the cooling air as it flows through the cooling device. The higher the pressure loss, the lower the cooling air mass flow, and thus the cooling performance. Since the second channel is located within the first channel, it does not lead to a further increase in pressure loss.In comparison, the nozzles for discharging the evaporative cooling fluid according to the state of the art are arranged upstream of a heat exchanger, therefore representing an obstacle for the cooling air in the direction of the heat exchanger and thus contributing further to the pressure loss.

[0021] Due to the arrangement of the second channel, the perforation is arranged such that the evaporative cooling fluid is discharged (or injected) into cooling air paths formed by the cooling elements and the first channel. Accordingly, surface sections of the cooling elements are preferably arranged directly opposite the individual openings of the perforation. This results in the heat-transferring surfaces of the cooling elements being wetted more evenly and homogeneously with the evaporative cooling fluid, which simultaneously results in a lower film height of the evaporative cooling fluid on the surfaces. Wetting of the heat-transferring surfaces and an increase in the film height leads to a narrowing of the geometric cross-section decisive for the air flow. The air mass flow is subject to a higher pressure loss. Under the same boundary conditions, a lower air mass flow is therefore achieved and heat transfer decreases.This effect can be greatly reduced by uniform cross-linking.

[0022] In addition, the film height of the evaporative cooling fluid on the surfaces creates an additional thermal resistance between the cooling fluid and the cooling air, which must be overcome. A lower film height, which can be achieved by the cooling device, therefore also leads to the thermal resistance being kept as low as possible. If the cooling elements have a fin and louver geometry, the more uniform wetting with the evaporative cooling fluid can prevent or at least limit the covering of the louvers with the evaporative cooling fluid. Covering the louvers would reduce or even completely eliminate the turbulatory effect of the louvers. The air flow through the cooling elements would therefore be less turbulent or even laminar. The ratio of heat conduction in the air flow would be lower compared to the convective heat transport in the cooling air (compared to conventional cooling without evaporative cooling), i.e.less heat would be extracted from the cooling fluid.

[0023] According to a particular embodiment, the common outer wall section can be formed by an outer wall section of the second channel and an outer wall section of the first channel, which are arranged adjacent to one another (e.g., overlapping) and have common passages (e.g., aligned passages in the outer wall section of the second channel and the outer wall section of the first channel) for forming the perforation. The common passages are fluidically sealed to an interior of the first channel.

[0024] According to one embodiment, the first channel can be formed by a first tube, in particular a flat tube. The second channel can be formed by a second tube, in particular a round tube. A wall section of the second tube, in which first openings are formed, can abut against a wall section of the first tube, in which second openings arranged in alignment with the first openings are formed, to form the perforation. This offers a simple-to-implement embodiment of the cooling device.

[0025] According to one embodiment, the at least one cooling module can comprise a plurality of cooling modules arranged adjacent to one another, in particular such that the cooling elements of one of the plurality of cooling modules are arranged on the first channel of another of the plurality of cooling modules in addition to the thermal coupling. The cooling modules can be arranged in one plane and aligned identically. The cooling modules can in particular form a stack. This offers, for example, the possibility of adapting the cooling device to the respective application and the installation space. The number of cooling modules and thus the number of first channels can depend, for example, on the quantity of cooling fluid to be cooled and the temperature to which the cooling fluid is to be cooled.

[0026] According to one embodiment, the cooling device can further comprise a first supply line for the evaporative cooling fluid and a second supply line for the evaporative cooling fluid. The first supply line and the second supply line can be fluidically connected to at least one evaporative cooling fluid reservoir. Furthermore, an evaporative cooling fluid conveying device for adjusting a fluid mass flow of the evaporative cooling fluid supplied to the first supply line and the second supply line can be arranged between the evaporative cooling fluid reservoir and the first supply line and between the evaporative cooling fluid reservoir and the second supply line. The second channel can have a first end fluidically connected to the first supply line and a second end fluidically connected to the second supply line. By means of the first and second supply lines, the second channel can thus be connected to both sides, e.g.with the same fluid pressure as the evaporative cooling fluid. This allows the evaporative cooling fluid to flow evenly from the perforation openings, thus evenly wetting the cooling elements.

[0027] According to one embodiment, the first supply line and / or the second supply line can be arranged at least partially at the end of the first channel, in particular adjacent to it. The first supply line and the second supply line can run parallel to one another at least partially. The first supply line and the second supply line can run at least partially perpendicular to the second channel. The first supply line, the second supply line and the second channels of the plurality of cooling modules can form a ladder-shaped line arrangement for the evaporative cooling fluid. This results in a design for supplying and discharging the evaporative cooling fluid that is as simple as possible. Furthermore, the end-side arrangement of the first supply line and / or the second supply line already allows part of the waste heat to be dissipated to be absorbed from the cooling fluid by heat conduction.

[0028] According to one embodiment, the first channels of the plurality of cooling modules can be fluidically connected to one another, e.g., in a meandering manner. In particular, one end of the first channel of one of the plurality of cooling modules can be fluidically connected to one end of the first channel of an adjacent one of the plurality of cooling modules. The fluidically connected first channels can have two ends for connecting a cooling fluid circuit (and / or integrating the first channels into a cooling fluid circuit). The second channels of the plurality of cooling modules can be fluidically connected to one another, in particular via the first supply line and the second supply line.

[0029] According to one embodiment, the perforation can extend in the longitudinal direction of the second channel. The cooling elements can be arranged substantially in the longitudinal direction of the first channel. The width of the cooling elements can be less than or substantially equal to the width of the first channel. The resulting uniform distribution of the perforation openings along the cooling elements contributes to a more uniform wetting of the cooling elements with the evaporative cooling fluid.

[0030] According to one embodiment, the first channel and the second channel can run parallel to each other and / or in the same plane. The second channel can extend beyond the first channel on both sides and / or be led out of the first channel at its end (at both ends of the first channel), preferably in a fluid-tight manner.

[0031] According to one embodiment, the at least one cooling module can have a third channel for the evaporative cooling fluid. The third channel can be arranged, for example, outside the first channel, preferably adjacent to it. The third channel can have a perforation facing the cooling elements for discharging the evaporative cooling fluid and for wetting the cooling elements with the evaporative cooling fluid. The arrangement of the third channel can further improve the most uniform possible cross-linking of the cooling elements. In particular, the third channel can serve to wet outer regions of the cooling elements that are difficult to reach with the perforation of the second channel.

[0032] According to one embodiment variant, the third duct can be arranged in particular on a front side of the first duct, preferably viewed in the flow direction of the cooling air flowing along the cooling elements. The third duct and the second duct can run parallel to one another. The third duct can be formed by a round tube and / or have the same dimensions as the second duct. This design and arrangement of the third duct can keep the additional pressure loss of the cooling air as low as possible. If the third duct is arranged at the front of the first duct, the third duct creates a slipstream for the first duct and also an air-conducting effect, so that the pressure loss for the cooling air is only insignificantly increased by the additional third duct. The third duct can be attached to the first duct, for example, by means of an adhesive, welded, or screwed connection.This makes it possible to manufacture the third channel separately from the arrangement of the first and second channels and to attach it modularly later.

[0033] The perforation of the third channel can be formed in an outer wall of the third channel and extend in the longitudinal direction of the third channel (and preferably parallel to the perforation of the second channel). The perforation of the third channel can be tapered toward the cooling elements.

[0034] According to one embodiment, the third channel and the second channel can be fluidically separated. The cooling device can further comprise a third supply line for the evaporative cooling fluid and a fourth supply line for the evaporative cooling fluid. The third channel can have a first end fluidically connected to the third supply line and a second end fluidically connected to the fourth supply line. This also allows the third channel to be supplied with the evaporative cooling fluid on both sides, e.g., with the same fluid pressure. Furthermore, it is possible for the second and third channels to be supplied with the evaporative cooling fluid independently of one another, in order to independently adjust the discharge of the evaporative cooling fluid depending on the cooling requirement and to ensure the most uniform wetting possible for both channels.

[0035] The third supply line and the fourth supply line can run parallel to each other, at least in sections. The third supply line and the fourth supply line can run perpendicular to the third channel, at least in sections. The third supply line, the fourth supply line, and the third channels of the plurality of cooling modules can form a (second) ladder-shaped line arrangement for the evaporative cooling fluid.

[0036] It is also possible for the at least one cooling module to have additional channels for the evaporative cooling fluid. The at least one cooling module can, for example, have a fourth channel for the evaporative cooling fluid. The fourth channel can, for example, be arranged outside the first channel, preferably adjacent to it. The fourth channel can have a perforation facing the cooling elements for discharging the evaporative cooling fluid and for wetting the cooling elements with the evaporative cooling fluid.

[0037] The fourth channel can be arranged on a rear side of the first channel, particularly as viewed in the flow direction of the cooling air flowing along the cooling elements. The fourth channel and the second channel can run parallel to each other. The fourth channel can be formed by a round tube and / or have the same dimensions as the second channel. The fourth channel can be attached to the first channel, for example, by means of an adhesive, welded, or screwed connection.

[0038] The perforation of the fourth channel can be formed in an outer wall of the fourth channel and extend in the longitudinal direction of the fourth channel (and preferably parallel to the perforation of the second channel). The perforation of the third channel can be tapered toward the cooling elements.

[0039] The fourth channel, the third channel, and the second channel can be fluidically separated. The cooling device can further comprise a fifth supply line for the evaporative cooling fluid and a sixth supply line for the evaporative cooling fluid. The fourth channel can have a first end fluidically connected to the fifth supply line and a second end fluidically connected to the sixth supply line.

[0040] The fifth supply line and the sixth supply line can run parallel to each other, at least in sections. The fifth supply line and the sixth supply line can run perpendicular to the fourth channel, at least in sections. The fifth supply line, the sixth supply line, and the fourth channels of the plurality of cooling modules can form a (third) ladder-shaped line arrangement for the evaporative cooling fluid.

[0041] According to a further embodiment, the first channel, the second channel, and the cooling elements (and preferably the third channel and the fourth channel) of the at least one cooling module can comprise the same material, preferably a metal, e.g., aluminum. This can ensure, for example, good thermal conductivity from the cooling fluid within the first channel to the cooling elements or to the evaporative cooling fluid in the other channels. Aluminum is particularly suitable because, in addition to its high thermal conductivity, aluminum also has high strength, good corrosion resistance, and a low specific gravity, which is particularly suitable for the production of the cooling device.

[0042] According to a further general aspect of the invention, a method for cooling a cooling fluid is provided. The method comprises providing the cooling device as disclosed herein. The method further comprises supplying the cooling fluid into the first channel of the at least one cooling module of the cooling device and supplying an evaporative cooling fluid into the second channel of the at least one cooling module of the cooling device. The method further comprises discharging the evaporative cooling fluid by means of the perforation of the cooling device and wetting the cooling elements of the cooling device with the evaporative cooling fluid.

[0043] In order to avoid repetition, features of the cooling device previously disclosed purely in accordance with the device shall also be deemed to be disclosed in accordance with the method and shall be claimable.

[0044] According to a further general aspect of the invention, a motor vehicle, preferably a commercial vehicle, is provided with the cooling device as disclosed herein. The cooling device can preferably be arranged at a front of the motor vehicle. In this way, air from the vehicle can be used as cooling air flowing past the cooling elements. Alternatively or additionally, the cooling device can comprise a fan for generating a cooling air flow.

[0045] According to one embodiment of the motor vehicle, the cooling device, in particular the first channel of the at least one cooling module, can be integrated into a cooling circuit for a fuel cell arrangement.

[0046] The motor vehicle can be a fuel cell-powered vehicle. This can at least partially resolve the cooling problems associated with fuel cells at high ambient temperatures. The use of the cooling device can lead to increased cooling efficiency and performance.

[0047] The motor vehicle can furthermore be an electrically powered motor vehicle. The cooling device can, for example, contribute to improved cooling during rapid charging. During rapid charging while stationary, there is no air from the road to cool the vehicle batteries and other components that need to be cooled. Evaporative cooling using the cooling device can significantly increase the cooling performance. In ferry operation, significantly lower amounts of waste heat are generated than during rapid charging. The cooling device can reduce the design of the components of the vehicle's cooling system and thus make it cheaper. The entire cooling system of the motor vehicle can therefore be smaller. A stationary water connection at charging stations is suitable as a water source, e.g. for filling a reservoir for the evaporative cooling fluid. According to a further general aspect of the invention, a control device (e.g.A cooling device (e.g., a vehicle control unit) is provided for a cooling device configured to cool a cooling fluid (for cooling a cooling fluid by means of air and evaporative cooling), e.g., the cooling device as disclosed herein, of a motor vehicle. In the cooling device, air-coolable cooling elements, e.g., the cooling elements as disclosed herein, are additionally wettable with an evaporative cooling fluid for an increased cooling effect.

[0048] The control device is designed to adjust an air mass flow of cooling air flowing along the cooling elements and a fluid mass flow of the evaporative cooling fluid for wetting the cooling elements in order to cool the cooling fluid to a desired temperature.

[0049] The control device can be used fundamentally for any cooling device designed to cool a cooling fluid by means of air and evaporative cooling, e.g., the cooling device as disclosed herein.

[0050] The term "control device" can appropriately refer to electronics (e.g., with microprocessor(s) and data memory) that, depending on its configuration, can perform control and / or regulation tasks and / or processing tasks. Even if the terms "adjusting" and / or "control" are used herein, this can also appropriately include or mean "regulation" or "control with feedback" and / or "processing."

[0051] The present disclosure thus provides a solution with improved cooling, in particular a more efficient use of evaporative cooling by wetting with the evaporative cooling fluid. In particular, a control device is provided that can implement an evaporative cooling operating strategy for the most efficient distribution and discharge of the evaporative cooling fluid.

[0052] Thus, the air mass flow and the fluid mass flow can be adjusted simultaneously, in particular interdependently, in such a way that the necessary cooling capacity is achieved to cool the cooling fluid to the target temperature.

[0053] Furthermore, the simultaneous adjustment of the air mass flow and the fluid mass flow leads to an increased evaporation rate, which describes the ratio of the evaporative cooling fluid applied to the evaporating amount of the evaporative cooling fluid. The evaporative cooling fluid can therefore be used for targeted water evaporation with greater efficiency.

[0054] The control device can further be configured to determine the target temperature, e.g., depending on an operating state of the motor vehicle, and / or to select it from several stored target temperatures. The operating state can include a driving operation of the motor vehicle, preferably with additional consideration of the vehicle speed. The operating state can include a charging operation of the (electrically driven) motor vehicle (while stationary).

[0055] According to a particular embodiment, the control device can further be configured to determine a target air mass flow to which the air mass flow is to be adjusted, based on characteristic maps stored, for example, in a memory of the control device, as a function of a specific fluid mass flow of the evaporative cooling fluid. The characteristic maps can be determined (in a manner known to those skilled in the art), for example, through simulations and / or experiments, e.g., test drives with the motor vehicle. This makes it possible to first determine the required quantity of evaporative cooling fluid to wet the cooling elements in order to subsequently determine the air mass flow required for the most optimized evaporative cooling or the most optimized combination of air and evaporative cooling.

[0056] According to one embodiment, the control device can further be designed to determine the target air mass flow as a function of at least one of the following variables: a vehicle speed of the motor vehicle, an air speed of a cooling air before entering the cooling device and / or after exiting the cooling device, a humidity of the cooling air before entering the cooling device and / or after exiting the cooling device, and / or an air temperature of the cooling air before entering the cooling device and / or after exiting the cooling device.

[0057] This makes it possible, for example, to consider how much evaporated evaporative cooling fluid can be absorbed by the cooling air and / or to what extent active adjustment of the air mass flow is necessary or required. According to another particular embodiment, the control device can further be configured to determine a target fluid mass flow to which the fluid mass flow is to be adjusted, depending on the outlet temperature of the cooling fluid upon exiting the cooling device and the target temperature. Accordingly, it is possible to consider how much evaporative cooling fluid is required to cool the cooling fluid to the desired target temperature.

[0058] According to one embodiment, the control device can further be configured to determine the target fluid mass flow additionally as a function of at least one of the following variables: an inlet temperature of the cooling fluid upon entry into the cooling device; a fill level of an evaporative cooling fluid reservoir; and / or an operating state of the motor vehicle.

[0059] According to one embodiment, the control device can further be configured to activate or deactivate the supply of the evaporative cooling fluid depending on at least the outlet temperature of the cooling fluid. This allows evaporative cooling to be activated as needed, or the cooling device to be operated with air cooling only when this is sufficient for the required cooling.

[0060] According to one embodiment variant, the control device can further be designed to adjust the fluid mass flow of the evaporative cooling fluid by means of a control, preferably by means of a PI control.

[0061] According to a further general aspect of the invention, a cooling system is provided. The cooling system comprises the control device as disclosed herein and a cooling device for cooling a cooling fluid, comprising air-coolable cooling elements that are thermally coupled to one or more channels for the cooling fluid and, for an increased cooling effect, are additionally wettable with an evaporative cooling fluid. The cooling device can be, for example, the cooling device as disclosed herein, and the cooling elements can be the cooling elements as disclosed herein. The one or more channels for the cooling fluid can correspond to the first channel of the at least one cooling module as disclosed herein.

[0062] According to one embodiment, the cooling device may further comprise a plurality of dispensing devices for dispensing the evaporative cooling fluid and wetting the cooling elements, among which the fluid mass flow adjustable by the control device can be divided. The plurality of dispensing devices may comprise the second channel and the third channel (and preferably the fourth channel) of the at least one cooling module as disclosed herein. For example,It is also possible that the arrangement of the third supply line, the fourth supply line and the third channels of the plurality of cooling modules as disclosed herein corresponds to a first application device, the arrangement of the first supply line, the second supply line and the second channels of the plurality of cooling modules as disclosed herein corresponds to a second application device, and preferably the arrangement of the fifth supply line, the sixth supply line and the fourth channels of the plurality of cooling modules as disclosed herein corresponds to a third application device.

[0063] According to one embodiment, the plurality of discharge devices can be arranged one behind the other in the flow direction of the cooling air flowing along the cooling elements.

[0064] According to one embodiment, the control device can further be configured to adjust several, preferably at least partially different, partial fluid mass flows of the evaporative cooling fluid for the multiple dispensing devices for wetting the cooling elements. The multiple partial fluid mass flows can each be supplied to one of the multiple dispensing devices. As a result, the control device can be used to implement an optimal distribution of the amount of evaporative cooling fluid to the individual dispensing devices and positions for evaporation.

[0065] According to one embodiment, the control device can further be designed to determine a first target partial fluid mass flow, to which a partial fluid mass flow for one of the plurality of dispensing devices is to be set, based on at least one stored fluid characteristic map as a function of an air humidity and / or an air temperature before entering the cooling device. Data for the at least one fluid characteristic map can be determined (in a manner known to those skilled in the art), for example, through simulations and / or experiments, e.g., test drives with the motor vehicle. One of the plurality of dispensing devices can, for example, correspond to a frontmost dispensing device of the plurality of dispensing devices in the flow direction of the cooling air flowing along the cooling elements. As a result, the dispensing quantity of evaporative cooling fluid can be optimized, for example, toto wet the accessible surfaces of the cooling elements as evenly as possible while not exceeding a maximum evaporable amount of evaporative cooling fluid (or an upper limit of air humidity). An excessively high application rate would result in a higher film height of the evaporative cooling fluid, thus increasing the pressure loss on the cooling air side and reducing the cooling performance.

[0066] According to one embodiment, the control device can further be designed to distribute a remaining fluid mass flow reduced by the first desired partial fluid mass flow, preferably evenly, to the remaining of the plurality of application devices.

[0067] According to one embodiment, the control device can further be configured to reduce a first partial fluid mass flow of one of the plurality of dispensing devices by a constant value, for example, by 5%, if the air humidity of the cooling air after exiting the cooling device is above a stored threshold, e.g., a relative air humidity of 95%. The control device can further be configured to reduce a respective partial fluid mass flow of the remaining of the plurality of dispensing devices, preferably uniformly, until the air humidity is below the stored threshold. This can, for example, prevent an excessive amount of evaporative cooling fluid from being dispensed.

[0068] According to one embodiment, the cooling system may further comprise an evaporative cooling fluid reservoir and an evaporative cooling fluid delivery device, which is arranged (with respect to an evaporative cooling fluid flow and / or fluidically) between the evaporative cooling fluid reservoir and the cooling device and is controllable by the control device to adjust the fluid mass flow. The evaporative cooling fluid delivery device may, for example, have a delivery device, in particular a pump, a valve, and / or a pressure reducer, between the evaporative cooling fluid reservoir and one of several discharge devices of the cooling device. The evaporative cooling fluid reservoir may be configured to provide the evaporative cooling fluid unheated and / or at a temperature of between (typically) 25 and 45°C.

[0069] According to one embodiment, the cooling system may further comprise an air conveying device, preferably a fan. A parameter of the air conveying device, preferably a rotational speed, may be controllable by the control device to adjust the air mass flow. The control device may further be configured to determine the parameter of the air conveying device as a function of the air mass flow and to control the air conveying device to adjust the determined parameter.

[0070] The cooling system may further comprise at least one cooling fluid sensor device which is arranged at a cooling fluid inlet and / or cooling fluid outlet of the cooling device and is signal-connected to the control device for detecting an inlet temperature and / or outlet temperature of the cooling fluid.

[0071] The cooling system may further comprise at least one air sensor device which is arranged in front of and / or behind the cooling device and is signal-connected to the control device for detecting air humidity and / or air temperature.

[0072] According to a further general aspect of the invention, a motor vehicle, preferably a commercial vehicle, is provided with the cooling system as disclosed herein. The cooling device of the cooling system can preferably be arranged at a front end of the motor vehicle. In this way, air flowing past the cooling elements can be used as cooling air.

[0073] The previously described embodiments, variants, and features of the invention can be combined with one another as desired. In particular, the previously described embodiments, variants, and features of the cooling device and the control device can be combined with one another as desired, but the cooling device and the control device should also be capable of being used independently of one another. Further details and advantages of the invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. They show:

[0074] Figure 1 is a schematic sectional view of cooling modules of a cooling device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0075] Figure 2 is a schematic oblique view of the cooling device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0076] Figures 3-5 show schematic sections of the cooling device with various perforation configurations; Figures 6-10 show schematic oblique sections of the cooling device according to further embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0077] Figure 11 is a schematic representation of a control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0078] Figure 12 is a schematic representation of a cooling system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0079] Figure 13 schematic representations of various embodiments of an evaporative cooling fluid conveying device;

[0080] Figure 14 schematic representation of characteristic maps for determining a first desired partial fluid mass flow;

[0081] Figure 15 is a schematic representation of an exemplary control system for adjusting the fluid mass flow; and

[0082] Figure 16 schematic arrangements of the control device, the cooling device and sensor devices according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0083] The exemplary embodiments shown in the figures are at least partially identical, so that similar or identical parts are provided with the same reference numerals, and for their explanation, reference is also made to the description of the other exemplary embodiments or figures to avoid repetition. For simplified comparison, the cooling devices 10, 10A-10D or cooling device 150 shown in the figures are aligned identically with respect to the indicated X, Y, and Z directions.

[0084] Figure 1 shows a sectional view of two cooling modules 20 arranged one above the other of a cooling device 10 for cooling a cooling fluid by means of air and evaporative cooling. The cooling device 10 comprises at least one cooling module 20, preferably several cooling modules 20.

[0085] Each cooling module 20 has a first channel 22 for the cooling fluid and a second channel 24 for an evaporative cooling fluid. The first channel 22 and the second channel 24 can, in particular, run parallel to one another and / or in the same plane. The first channel 22 can be formed by a first tube, in particular a flat tube. The second channel 24 can be formed by a second tube, in particular a round tube.

[0086] Each cooling module 20 further comprises air-coolable cooling elements 50, preferably cooling fins. The cooling elements 50 are arranged on the first channel 22 for thermal coupling, preferably in the longitudinal direction.

[0087] The second channel 24 has a perforation 60 for discharging the evaporative cooling fluid and for wetting the cooling elements 50 with the evaporative cooling fluid. Furthermore, the second channel 24 is integrated and / or arranged within the first channel 22, in particular such that the second channel 24 has an outer wall section common to the first channel 22, which faces the cooling elements 50 and on which the perforation 60 is formed.

[0088] The common outer wall section can be formed, in particular, by an outer wall section of the second channel 24 and an outer wall section of the first channel 22, which are arranged adjacent to one another, e.g., overlapping, and have common passages for forming the perforation 60. The perforation 60 can, in particular, extend in the longitudinal direction of the second channel 24.

[0089] If the cooling device 10 comprises a plurality of cooling modules 20, these plurality of cooling modules 20 can be arranged adjacent to one another, in particular such that the cooling elements 50 of one of the plurality of cooling modules 20 are arranged on the first channel 22 of another of the plurality of cooling modules 20 in addition to the thermal coupling.

[0090] The plurality of cooling modules 20 are in particular aligned parallel to one another in a plane. The first channels 22 of the plurality of cooling modules can be fluidically connected to one another. Furthermore, the second channels 24 of the plurality of cooling modules can be fluidically connected to one another.

[0091] Each cooling module 20 may have additional channels for the evaporative cooling fluid, e.g., a third channel 26 and / or a fourth channel 28.

[0092] The additional channels can be arranged, in particular, outside the first channel 22, preferably adjacent thereto. If the cooling module 20 has the third channel 26 and the fourth channel 28, the two channels 26, 28 can, in particular, be adjacent to two opposite outer surfaces of the first channel 22. The channels 26, 28 arranged outside the first channel 22 can further each have a perforation 62, 64 facing the cooling elements 50 for discharging the evaporative cooling fluid and for wetting the cooling elements 50 with the evaporative cooling fluid. The perforation 62 can extend in the longitudinal direction of the third channel 26, and the perforation 64 can extend in the longitudinal direction of the fourth channel 28.

[0093] The additional channels, e.g., the third channel 26 and the fourth channel 28, and the second channel 24 can be fluidically separated from one another and / or run parallel to one another. Furthermore, the additional channels can be configured analogously to the second channel 24, i.e., each can be formed by a round tube and / or have the same dimensions as the second channel 24.

[0094] During operation of the cooling device 10, the cooling fluid is supplied to the first channel 22 and the evaporative cooling fluid to the second channel 24, and optionally additionally to the third and fourth channels 26, 28. Heat from the cooling fluid is transferred by thermal conduction to the cooling elements 50, which in turn are cooled by the cooling air flowing along the surfaces of the cooling elements 50. The flow direction of the cooling air, indicated by the arrow in Figure 1, is particularly perpendicular to the flow direction of the cooling fluid in the first channel. Furthermore, the evaporative cooling fluid is discharged through the perforation(s) to wet the cooling elements 50. This results in evaporative cooling, in addition to the air cooling of the cooling elements 50, in that the heat is transferred to the evaporative cooling fluid until it evaporates.

[0095] The cooling device 10 can be installed, for example, in a motor vehicle to cool vehicle components, in particular a fuel cell assembly. In this case, the cooling device 10 can be arranged, in particular, at the front of the motor vehicle in order to utilize the airflow as cooling air.

[0096] Figure 2 shows the cooling device 10 according to an embodiment.

[0097] The cooling device 10 can further comprise a first supply line 32 and a second supply line 34 for the evaporative cooling fluid. The second channel 24 of each cooling module 20 can have a first end fluidically connected to the first supply line 32 and a second end fluidically connected to the second supply line 32. The first supply line 32 and / or the second supply line 34 can be arranged at least partially at the end of the first channel 22. The first supply line 32 can be arranged at a first end side of the first channel 22, and the second supply line 34 can be arranged at a second end side of the first channel 22 opposite the first end side.

[0098] The first supply line 32 and the second supply line 34 can run parallel to each other at least in sections and perpendicular to the second channel 22 at least in sections. In particular, the first supply line 32, the second supply line 34, and the second channels 24 of the plurality of cooling modules 20 can form a ladder-shaped line arrangement (ie, in the form of a ladder with rungs and two stiles) for the evaporative cooling fluid.

[0099] If each cooling module 20 includes the third channel 26, the cooling device 10 may further include a third supply line 36 and a fourth supply line 38 for the evaporative cooling fluid. The third channel 26 may have a first end fluidically connected to the third supply line 36 and a second end fluidically connected to the fourth supply line 38.

[0100] If each cooling module 20 includes the fourth channel 28, the cooling device 10 may further include a fifth supply line 40 and a sixth supply line 42 for the evaporative cooling fluid. The fourth channel 28 may have a first end fluidically connected to the fifth supply line 40 and a second end fluidically connected to the sixth supply line 42.

[0101] The further supply lines 36, 38, 40, 42 can also be arranged at least partially at the end of the first channel 22. Furthermore, the third supply line 36 and the fourth supply line 38 can run parallel to one another at least partially and perpendicular to the third channel 26 at least partially. The fifth supply line 40 and the sixth supply line 42 can run parallel to one another at least partially and perpendicular to the fourth channel 28 at least partially.In particular, the further supply lines 36, 38, 40, 42 can be arranged such that the third supply line 36, the fourth supply line 38 and the third channels 26 of the plurality of cooling modules 20 form a second ladder-shaped line arrangement for the evaporative cooling fluid and / or the fifth supply line 40, the fourth supply line 42 and the fourth channels 28 of the plurality of cooling modules 20 form a third ladder-shaped line arrangement for the evaporative cooling fluid.

[0102] Figures 3-5 show schematic sections of the cooling device 10 with various perforation configurations, for example, the perforation 62 of the third channel 26. Thus, the perforation can be arranged such that it faces the cooling elements 50 arranged above (Figure 3) or the cooling elements 50 arranged below (Figure 4) for wetting. Furthermore, the perforation 62 can also have two rows of openings to enable wetting of the cooling elements 50 above and below.

[0103] The perforation 60, which is formed in the second channel 24 and the first channel 22, and the perforation 64 of the fourth channel 28 can be formed or aligned analogously to the perforation 62. The lines leading out of the openings of the perforation 62 in Figures 3-5 merely represent an exemplary discharge direction of the evaporative cooling fluid.

[0104] Figures 6-10 show further embodiments of the cooling device. The respective front sides of the cooling devices 10A-10E shown are shown with vertical lines to illustrate the cooling elements 50. The modular division into cooling modules and thus the arrangement of the cooling elements 50 between each two first channels 22 are not shown for the sake of simplicity.

[0105] Cooling device 10A (Figure 6) has fewer channels for the evaporative cooling fluid than cooling device 10. For this purpose, cooling device 10A comprises, for example, in addition to the cooling modules 20, further cooling modules that have only the first channel 20 and no channels for the evaporative cooling fluid. These differently designed cooling modules can be arranged such that, for example, only every second cooling module has the second channel 24 and optionally the additional channels 26, 28 for the evaporative cooling fluid.

[0106] The cooling devices 10B (Figure 7) and 10C (Figure 8) have channels for the evaporative cooling fluid only in one area. For this purpose, only one section, e.g., a lower or upper section, of the cooling devices 10B, 10C is formed from the cooling modules 20, while the cooling devices 10B, 10C further comprise cooling modules that have only the first channel 20 and no channels for the evaporative cooling fluid. For simplified illustration, Figures 7 and 8 each show only the third channels 26 with the corresponding supply lines 36, 38. The cooling devices 10B, 10C additionally comprise the second channels 24 and optionally the fourth channels 28, which are designed analogously to the third channels 26.

[0107] The cooling devices 10D (Figure 9) and 10E (Figure 10) have channels for the evaporative cooling fluid, which only extend in sections, e.g., one half, in the respective cooling modules. In the cooling device 10D, the channels 24, 26, 28 are only fluidically connected to the respective supply line 32, 36, 40 at the respective first end and can therefore only be supplied with the evaporative cooling fluid on one side. In the cooling device 10E, the respective second end of the channels 24, 26, 28 is additionally fluidically connected to a branch line of the respective supply line 34, 38, 42. For this purpose, e.g. For example, the third and fourth supply lines 36, 38 can be fluidically connected via the intermediate line 38A, at which the branch line 38B branches off, which is fluidically connected to the respective second end of the third channels 26. Branch lines for the second channels 24 and optionally the fourth channels 28 can be designed analogously to the branch line 38B.

[0108] Figure 11 schematically illustrates a control device 100 for a cooling device 150 designed to cool a cooling fluid, in particular for the cooling device 10, of a motor vehicle.

[0109] The control device 100 is designed to adjust an air mass flow of cooling air flowing along the cooling elements and a fluid mass flow of the evaporative cooling fluid for wetting the cooling elements in order to cool the cooling fluid to a desired temperature.

[0110] For the air mass flow and the fluid mass flow as output variables, the control device can take into account 100 different input variables.

[0111] Thus, the control device 100 can further be configured to determine a target fluid mass flow to which the fluid mass flow is to be adjusted, depending on a cooling fluid temperature, in particular an outlet temperature of the cooling fluid upon exiting the cooling device 150, and the target temperature. The target fluid mass flow can, for example, additionally depend on an inlet temperature of the cooling fluid upon entering the cooling device 150, a motor vehicle operating state, and / or a fill level of an evaporative cooling fluid reservoir 70.

[0112] The control device 100 can further be configured to determine a target air mass flow to which the air mass flow is to be adjusted, depending on a specific fluid mass flow of the evaporative cooling fluid and preferably additionally depending on an air temperature, velocity, and / or humidity of the cooling air before entering the cooling device 150 and / or after exiting the cooling device 150. Furthermore, a motor vehicle operating state, e.g., a vehicle speed of the motor vehicle, can also be taken into account. The target air mass flow can be determined, in particular, based on stored characteristic maps depending on the aforementioned parameters.

[0113] Figure 12 schematically shows a cooling system 200 comprising the control device 100 and a cooling device 150, e.g., the cooling device 10, for cooling a cooling fluid. The cooling device 150 has air-coolable cooling elements, e.g., the cooling elements 50, which are thermally coupled to one or more channels for the cooling fluid and can additionally be wetted with an evaporative cooling fluid for increased cooling effect.

[0114] The cooling system 200 may further comprise an evaporative cooling fluid reservoir 70 and an evaporative cooling fluid delivery device 72, which is arranged between the evaporative cooling fluid reservoir and the cooling device 150 and can be controlled by the control device 100 to adjust the fluid mass flow. For this purpose, the control device 100 and the evaporative cooling fluid delivery device 72 can be signal-connected via the signal connection 102.

[0115] The cooling system 200 may further comprise an air conveying device 90, in particular a fan. A parameter of the air conveying device 90, preferably a rotational speed, may be controllable by the control device 100 to adjust the air mass flow. For this purpose, the control device 100 and the air conveying device 90 may be signal-connected via the signal connection 104.

[0116] The cooling device 150 can be integrated into a cooling fluid circuit 122, which is provided in particular for cooling a drive device 120 for a motor vehicle, e.g., a fuel cell arrangement, and preferably other motor vehicle components.

[0117] The cooling device 150 can further comprise a plurality of dispensing devices 152, 154, 156 for dispensing the evaporative cooling fluid and wetting the cooling elements, among which the fluid mass flow adjustable by the control device 100 can be distributed. The plurality of dispensing devices 152, 154, 156 can be arranged one behind the other, in particular in the flow direction of the cooling air flowing along the cooling elements.

[0118] If multiple dispensing devices 152, 154, 156 are present, the control device 100 can further be configured to adjust multiple partial fluid mass flows of the evaporative cooling fluid for the multiple dispensing devices 152, 154, 156 for wetting the cooling elements, wherein the multiple partial fluid mass flows are each supplied to one of the multiple dispensing devices 152, 154, 156. For this purpose, the evaporative cooling fluid conveying device 72 can be configured accordingly and can be controlled by the control device 100.

[0119] To supply the respective partial fluid mass flow to the corresponding discharge device 152, 154, 156, the evaporative cooling fluid conveying device 72 can be fluidically connected to each of the plurality of discharge devices 152, 154, 156 separately via a respective partial fluid connection 74A. The division of the fluid connection 74 into the plurality of partial fluid connections 74A can also occur independently of the evaporative cooling fluid conveying device 72, e.g., upstream of the evaporative cooling fluid conveying device 72.

[0120] Figure 13 shows various embodiments of the evaporative cooling fluid conveying device 72.

[0121] For example, a pressure reducer 72A and a valve 72B can be arranged in each of the partial fluid connections 74A. The evaporative cooling fluid can be conveyed by pressure generation, e.g., compressed air, within the evaporative cooling fluid reservoir 70. The pressure generation can also be controllable by the control device 100. Alternatively, a pump 72C, in particular a high-pressure pump, can be arranged in each of the partial fluid connections 74A. Further alternatively, a single pump 72D can be arranged in the fluid connection 74, and a valve 72B can be arranged in each of the partial fluid connections 74A.

[0122] The division of the fluid mass flow to be set into several partial fluid mass flows can be achieved, for example, by determining a first target partial fluid mass flow, to which a partial fluid mass flow for one of the several discharge devices 152, 154, 156 is to be set, by the control device 100 based on one or more stored fluid characteristic maps. Data from the fluid characteristic maps can, for example, comprise material data, which can be determined simulatively or experimentally or from literature values. Such a determination based on the fluid characteristic maps is shown by way of example in Figure 14. The first target partial fluid mass flow rhwasser can be determined depending on input variables such as an air temperature T ajr and a humidity y ajr the cooling air before entering the cooling device 150.

[0123] For example, an algorithm implemented on the software side of the control device can determine a cooling air inlet condition at at least one discharge location of one of the plurality of discharge devices 152, 154, 156, comprising the air temperature T ajr and the humidity y ajr , determine. Based on the cooling air inlet condition and the fluid characteristic maps, the first target partial fluid mass flow rhwasser can be calculated, e.g., by interpolation.

[0124] Furthermore, an air mass flow riiAir of a section of the cooling elements, e.g., of a single louvre at at least one discharge location, can also be taken into account. The air mass flow riiAir can be calculated using a stored total front area of ​​a single louvre and the stored fluid characteristic maps to determine the total target air mass flow.

[0125] The result from the fluid characteristic maps can also be a maximum evaporable water quantity, from which the target partial fluid mass flow rhwasser can be determined. The actual injected water quantity should always be less than the maximum evaporable water quantity.

[0126] The one of the plurality of dispensing devices 152, 154, 156 for which the first target partial fluid mass flow is determined and adjusted can, in particular, correspond to the foremost dispensing device 152, 154, 156 in the flow direction of the cooling air flowing along the cooling elements. The remaining fluid mass flow, reduced by the first target partial fluid mass flow, can preferably be distributed evenly among the remaining plurality of dispensing devices 152, 154, 156.

[0127] This approach can prevent excessive application rates. If the maximum evaporable water quantity is exceeded, water would condense on the cooling elements, e.g., in the fins, immediately after the application points, leading to increased pressure loss on the cooling air side. This would reduce the incoming cooling air volume and result in lower cooling performance.

[0128] The control device 100 can further be configured to reduce a first partial fluid mass flow of one of the multiple discharge devices 152, 154, 156 by a constant value, for example, by 5%, if the air humidity of the cooling air after exiting the cooling device 150 is above a stored threshold, for example, a relative air humidity of 95%. This correction can be performed, in particular, after the air mass flow and the fluid mass flow have been adjusted.

[0129] If the air humidity of the cooling air is still too high after exiting the cooling device 150, the control device 100 can further be designed to reduce a respective partial fluid mass flow of the remaining one of the plurality of dispensing devices 152, 154, 156, preferably uniformly, until the air humidity is below the stored threshold.

[0130] The control device 100 may further be configured to adjust the fluid mass flow of the evaporative cooling fluid by means of a closed-loop control.

[0131] An exemplary control system (comprising a control strategy and control path) for adjusting the fluid mass flow is shown in Figure 15. Evaporative cooling and thus the supply of the evaporative cooling fluid can be activated or deactivated depending on at least the outlet temperature of the cooling fluid. If evaporative cooling is activated, a PI controller, which is implemented on the software side of the control device, is activated by an activation signal, which is output, for example, by an activation module of the control device 100. The PI controller attempts to regulate a control deviation between a target temperature TKuehimittei,soii of the cooling fluid and an actual temperature TKuehlmitteljst after exiting the cooling device 150. The resulting manipulated variable is the fluid mass flow, referred to here as rhfeed.

[0132] If the cooling device 150 comprises a plurality of dispensing devices 152, 154, 156 (referred to in Figure 15 as perforated tube rows or m_tube_row_1 to m_tube_row_n) for dispensing the evaporative cooling fluid and wetting the cooling elements, the control device 100 can distribute the determined fluid mass flow among the plurality of dispensing devices using a subalgorithm implemented in the software of the control device. The distribution can be carried out, for example, using the fluid characteristic maps, as described above.

[0133] As further shown in Figure 15, implemented characteristic maps can be used to determine the fan speed required to provide the air mass flow required for evaporation, depending on the required fluid mass flow rhfeed, the vehicle speed VTruck st of the vehicle, and the (relative) humidity and air temperature of the cooling air upstream of the cooling device. This variable can also be incorporated into the control system for adjusting the fluid mass flow.

[0134] To detect the various parameters considered for adjusting the fluid and air mass flow, the control device 100 can be signal-connected to various sensor devices. Figure 16 shows possible arrangements of the control device 100, the cooling device 150, and the sensor devices.

[0135] The cooling system 200 may further comprise at least one cooling fluid sensor device 110, 112 and at least one air sensor device 114, 116. The control device 100 may be signal-connected via a signal connection 106A to a cooling fluid sensor device 110 at a cooling fluid inlet for detecting a temperature of the cooling fluid upon entering the cooling device 150. The control device 100 may further be signal-connected via a signal connection 106B to a cooling fluid sensor device 112 at a cooling fluid outlet for detecting a temperature of the cooling fluid upon exiting the cooling device 150.

[0136] The control device 100 can also be signal-connected to the air sensor devices 114, 116 via the signal connections 108A, 108B. The air

[0137] Sensor device 114 can be arranged upstream of the cooling device 150 and configured to detect a humidity and / or air temperature of the cooling air before entering the cooling device 150. The air sensor device 116 can be arranged downstream of the cooling device 150 and configured to detect a humidity and / or air temperature of the cooling air after exiting the cooling device 150.

[0138] Figure 16 also shows the cooling device 150 with the cooling elements 160 in a front and side view. As can be seen in comparison with, for example, Figure 2, the cooling device 150 can be the cooling device 10 with the cooling elements 50, wherein the channels for the evaporative cooling fluid, e.g., the second channels 24, the first supply line 32, and the second supply line, have been omitted merely for the sake of simplicity, but can be present for the implementation of the cooling system 200. The invention is not limited to the preferred embodiments described above. Rather, a multitude of variants and modifications are possible, which also utilize the inventive concept and therefore fall within the scope of protection. In particular, the invention also claims protection for the subject matter and features of the subclaims, independent of the claims referred to.In particular, the individual features of the independent claims are each disclosed independently of one another. Furthermore, the features of the subclaims are also disclosed independently of all features of the independent claims.

[0139] List of reference symbols

[0140] 10 Cooling device

[0141] 20 cooling module

[0142] 22 First Channel

[0143] 24 Second Channel

[0144] 26 Third Channel

[0145] 28 Fourth Channel

[0146] 32 First supply line

[0147] 34 Second supply line

[0148] 36 Third supply line

[0149] 38, 38A, 38B Fourth supply line

[0150] 40 Fifth supply line

[0151] 42 Sixth supply line

[0152] 50 air-cooled cooling elements

[0153] 60, 62, 64 perforation

[0154] 70 Evaporative cooling fluid reservoir

[0155] 72 Evaporative cooling fluid conveying device

[0156] 72A, 72B, 72C Conveyor system

[0157] 74 Fluid connection

[0158] 74A Partial fluid connection

[0159] 90 Air conveyor

[0160] 100 control device

[0161] 102, 104 Signal connection

[0162] 106A, 106B signal connection

[0163] 108A, 108B signal connection

[0164] 110, 112 Cooling fluid sensor device

[0165] 114, 116 Air sensor device

[0166] 120 drive device

[0167] 122 Cooling fluid circuit

[0168] 150 cooling device

[0169] 152, 154, 156 Application device

[0170] 150 cooling elements

[0171] 200 cooling system

Claims

Patent claims 1. Control device (100) for a cooling device (150) of a motor vehicle designed for cooling a cooling fluid, in which air-cooled cooling elements (160) of the cooling device (150) can additionally be wetted with an evaporative cooling fluid for increased cooling effect, wherein the control device (100) is designed to adjust a) an air mass flow of cooling air flowing along the cooling elements (160) and b) a fluid mass flow of the evaporative cooling fluid for wetting the cooling elements (160) in order to cool the cooling fluid to a set temperature.

2. Control device (100) according to claim 1, which is further configured to determine a target air mass flow rate to which the air mass flow rate is to be adjusted, based on stored characteristic maps as a function of a specific fluid mass flow rate of the evaporative cooling fluid.

3. Control device (100) according to claim 2, which is further configured to determine the target air mass flow rate as a function of at least one of the following quantities: a vehicle speed of the motor vehicle, an air velocity of cooling air before entering the cooling device (150) and / or after exiting the cooling device (150), a humidity of the cooling air before entering the cooling device (150) and / or after exiting the cooling device (150), and / or an air temperature of the cooling air before entering the cooling device (150) and / or after exiting the cooling device (150).

4. Control device (100) according to one of the preceding claims, which is further configured to determine a target fluid mass flow rate to which the fluid mass flow rate is to be adjusted, depending on an outlet temperature of the cooling fluid at the outlet from the cooling device (150) and the target temperature.

5. Control device (100) according to claim 4, which is further configured to determine the target fluid mass flow rate additionally as a function of at least one of the following quantities: an inlet temperature of the cooling fluid at the inlet to the cooling device (150); a fill level of an evaporative cooling fluid reservoir (70); and / or an operating condition of the motor vehicle.

6. Control device (100) according to claim 4 or 5, which is further configured to activate or deactivate a supply of the evaporative cooling fluid depending on at least the outlet temperature of the cooling fluid.

7. Control device (100) according to one of the preceding claims, which is further configured to adjust the fluid mass flow of the evaporative cooling fluid by means of a control, preferably by means of a PI control.

8. Cooling system (200), comprising: a control device (100) according to one of the preceding claims; and a cooling device (150) for cooling a cooling fluid, comprising air-coolable cooling elements (160) which are thermally coupled to one or more channels for the cooling fluid and which can additionally be wetted with an evaporative cooling fluid for increased cooling effect.

9. Cooling system (200) according to claim 8, wherein the cooling device (150) further comprises several dispensing devices (152, 154, 156) for dispensing the evaporative cooling fluid and wetting the cooling elements (160), to which the fluid mass flow adjustable by the control device (100) can be divided.

10. Cooling system (200) according to claim 9, wherein the multiple discharge devices (152, 154, 156) are arranged one behind the other in the direction of flow of the cooling air flowing along the cooling elements (160).

11. Cooling system (200) according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the control device (100) is further configured to adjust several partial fluid mass flows of the evaporative cooling fluid for the several dispensing devices (152, 154, 156) for wetting the cooling elements (160), wherein the several partial fluid mass flows are each supplied to one of the several dispensing devices (152, 154, 156).

12. Cooling system (200) according to one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the control device (100) is further configured to control a first target partial fluid mass flow, to which a partial The fluid mass flow rate for one of the several dispensing devices (152, 154, 156) is to be set on the basis of a stored fluid characteristic map as a function of humidity and / or air temperature before entering the cooling device (150), preferably wherein one of the several dispensing devices (152, 154, 156) corresponds to the foremost dispensing device of the several dispensing devices (152, 154, 156) in the direction of flow of the cooling air flowing along the cooling elements (160).

13. Cooling system (200) according to claim 12, wherein the control device (100) is further configured to distribute a remaining fluid mass flow, reduced by the first target partial fluid mass flow, preferably uniformly, to the remaining of the several dispensing devices (152, 154, 156).

14. Cooling system (200) according to one of claims 9 to 13, wherein the control device (100) is further configured to reduce a first partial fluid mass flow of one of the several dispensing devices (152, 154, 156) by a constant value, for example by 5%, if the humidity of the cooling air after exiting the cooling device (150) is above a stored threshold.

15. Cooling system (200) according to claim 14, wherein the control device (100) is further configured to reduce a respective partial fluid mass flow of the remaining of the several dispensing devices (152, 154, 156), preferably uniformly, until the humidity is below the stored threshold.

16. Cooling system (200) according to one of claims 8 to 15, further comprising: an evaporative cooling fluid reservoir (70); and an evaporative cooling fluid conveying device (72) arranged between the evaporative cooling fluid reservoir and the cooling device (150) and controllable by the control device (100) for adjusting the fluid mass flow, preferably wherein the evaporative cooling fluid conveying device (72) comprises a conveying device (72A; 72B; 72C), in particular a pump, a valve and / or a pressure reducer, between the evaporative cooling fluid reservoir (70) and one of several dispensing devices (152, 154, 156) of the cooling device (150).

17. Cooling system (200) according to any one of claims 8 to 16, further comprising: an air conveying device (90), preferably a fan, wherein a parameter of the air conveying device (90), preferably a rotational speed, is controllable by the control device (100) for adjusting the air mass flow; and / or at least a cooling fluid sensor device (110, 112) which is arranged at a cooling fluid inlet and / or cooling fluid outlet of the cooling device (150) and is connected to the control device (100) by means of a signal for detecting an inlet temperature and / or outlet temperature of the cooling fluid; and / or at least an air sensor device (114, 116) which is arranged upstream and / or downstream of the cooling device (150) and is connected to the control device (100) by means of a signal for detecting an air humidity and / or air temperature.Motor vehicle, preferably commercial vehicle, with a cooling system (200) according to one of claims 8 to 17, preferably wherein the cooling device (150) of the cooling system (200) is arranged at a vehicle front of the motor vehicle.

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