Vase d’expansion

Abstract

The invention relates to an expansion vessel (1) for a battery cooling system (3), - having a vessel body (5), - having an interchangeable drying insert (6) having a body (8) and a desiccant (7) arranged therein, - having a cover (9) which can be connected to the vessel body (5) and in which the drying insert (6) is at least partially accommodated, - having a valve device (11) and / or a membrane (12), via which, in the event of excess pressure in the expansion vessel (1), air (2) flows from the expansion vessel (1) into the environment and, in the event of a negative pressure in the expansion vessel (1), fresh air (2a) flows from the environment into the expansion vessel (1). This provides an environmentally friendly design. Figure for abstract: Fig. 2

Description

Title of the invention: Expansion vessel

[0001] The present invention relates to an expansion tank for a battery cooling system. The invention further relates to a battery cooling system comprising such an expansion tank.

[0002] For environmental aspects, electric or hybrid vehicles are increasingly in the consumer's focus and are therefore also increasingly spreading onto the streets. In order to be able to increase both the autonomy and the performance of these electric or hybrid vehicles, it is sought to maintain a traction battery of such an electric or hybrid vehicle within an optimal temperature window for this traction battery, temperature control devices, in particular cooling devices, being used in a known manner for this purpose. In order to obtain particularly effective cooling, so-called immersion cooling is also used, in which a dielectric, i.e. non-electroconductive, cooling liquid bathes the individual battery elements of the traction battery.

[0003] Such a battery cooling system for cooling in particular a traction battery therefore also comprises an expansion tank in which air is stored as an expansion cushion for a volume change caused by the temperature of the coolant. An increase in temperature, however, causes the coolant in the expansion tank to expand, which, if the resulting excess pressure cannot escape, could lead to a high pressure load in the expansion tank and possibly damage it, which must be avoided. For this reason, such expansion tanks generally have a connection to the environment, in order to be able to reduce, if necessary, a pressure difference caused by the temperature.When the coolant cools down, it contracts, which creates a negative pressure in the expansion tank and causes fresh air to be drawn in from the environment. In order to prevent or, as the case may be, at least reduce the unwanted introduction of moisture into the coolant, so-called drying cartridges were provided until now, in which a desiccant was arranged through which fresh air drawn in from the environment flowed and thus absorbed the moisture and dried the drawn-in fresh air.

[0004] The disadvantage of such drying cartridges, however, is that they have a sheet metal body with the desiccant arranged therein and that, as a result, they are not only heavy, but also require a relatively complicated connection to a synthetic material vessel body of an expansion vessel. In addition, Sheet metal machining and sheet metal as a raw material are expensive and the production of the drying cartridge as a disposable part poses ecological problems.

[0005] The problem underlying the present invention therefore concerns an improved or at least alternative embodiment for an expansion vessel, which makes it possible to overcome the known drawbacks of the prior art.

[0006] The present invention is based on the general idea of ​​providing an interchangeable drying insert comprising a body, in particular a body made of synthetic material, a body made of non-woven fabric or a body made of natural fibers, and a desiccant arranged therein, but without a thread by which the drying insert is screwed onto a vessel body of an expansion vessel, so that it is possible to find overall a solution that is optimized in terms of weight and significantly more advantageous with regard to a connection, since the drying insert is now held by a cover that can be connected, in particular screwed, to the vessel body of the expansion vessel. The expansion vessel according to the invention for air in a battery cooling system has the aforementioned vessel body as well as an interchangeable drying insert comprising the body and the desiccant arranged therein.Furthermore, the expansion tank has a cover which can be connected to the tank body, in particular by screwing, and in which the drying insert is at least partially accommodated. The expansion tank serves to buffer an air volume due to a volume change caused by the temperature of a coolant, in particular oil. A fastening of the drying insert to the tank body of the expansion tank for air in a battery cooling system is therefore no longer carried out via a difficult-to-manufacture metal end piece, but via the cover, which can be used for all drying inserts during the service life of the expansion tank, thereby reducing the amount of waste when replacing the drying insert.The expansion tank also has a valve arrangement and / or a diaphragm through which, in the event of excess pressure in the expansion tank, air is drawn from the expansion tank into the environment and, in the event of a negative pressure in the expansion tank, fresh air is drawn into the expansion tank from the environment. Naturally, fresh air is drawn in when there is a negative pressure in the expansion tank via the dryer insert in order to reliably prevent unwanted moisture from entering the expansion tank and a dielectric coolant stored therein. If the dielectric coolant is too humid, it could, under certain circumstances, cause it to become conductive, which could lead to a short circuit.The expansion vessel according to the invention makes it possible to use a drying insert comprising a body, in particular a body made of synthetic material, a body. made of non-woven fabric or a body made of natural fibers, with a significantly lower weight, because the drying insert can have a relatively thin and therefore light body, the sole function of which is to contain the desiccant arranged therein. The cover, which, like the vessel body of the expansion vessel, is preferably made of synthetic material, constitutes a so-called lifetime component, which is used for the entire service life of the expansion vessel and, unlike the drying insert, does not have to be replaced. The expansion vessel according to the invention also makes it possible to reduce the amount of waste when changing the drying insert, because it does not have, as hitherto, a relatively heavy body made of metal, in particular sheet metal.Overall, the drying insert can also be produced more economically, since the body used, in particular the body made of synthetic material, the body made of non-woven fabric or the body made of natural fibers, is significantly simpler to manufacture and therefore more economically. The previously used sheet metal body, which in particular also required a connection geometry, for example a metal threaded end piece for screwing a drying cartridge with a previously used sheet metal body onto the vessel body, can be omitted.

[0007] In another advantageous embodiment of the expansion tank according to the invention, the drying insert has an activated carbon zone. The activated carbon zone is then able to bind pollutants, in particular hydrocarbons, so that in the event of excess pressure in the expansion tank, an evacuation by blowing air usually takes place via the activated carbon zone of the drying insert, which makes it possible to purify the evacuated air by blowing. Such an activated carbon zone comprising activated carbon is already sufficiently known and is in particular, for example, used in the field of fuel filters.

[0008] In another advantageous embodiment of the solution according to the invention, the valve device and / or the membrane are designed and arranged in such a way that, in the event of excess pressure in the expansion vessel, air flows into the environment via the activated carbon zone and, in the event of a negative pressure in the expansion vessel, fresh air flows from the environment into the expansion vessel through the dryer. The fresh air drawn in can thus be dried and the air blown out can thus be purified.Alternatively, it is also conceivable that the valve device and / or the membrane are designed and arranged in such a way that, in the event of excess pressure in the expansion vessel, air flows into the environment via the activated carbon zone and the desiccant and, in the event of a negative pressure in the expansion vessel, fresh air flows from the environment into the expansion vessel via the desiccant and the activated carbon zone. In this case, the activated carbon zone and the desiccant are therefore not connected. in parallel, but in series, so that purification and drying take place both when fresh air is drawn in from the environment and when air is blown out into the environment. The series connection of the dryer and the activated carbon zone also enables active drying of the dryer and purification of the activated carbon zone. If, for example, dry air is blown out through the activated carbon zone and the dryer in the event of excess pressure in the expansion vessel, pollutants, such as hydrocarbons, are retained in the activated carbon zone, but the dryer is dried again and thus regenerated due to the dry air flowing through it. If there is a negative pressure in the expansion tank, the activated carbon area is flushed with fresh / ambient air from the environment and thus purified.

[0009] In another advantageous embodiment of the expansion vessel according to the invention, the desiccant and / or the activated carbon zone are delimited by a non-woven layer. Such a non-woven layer allows on the one hand a clear separation between the desiccant and the activated carbon and on the other hand an almost unhindered air flow, which considerably reduces the flow resistance in comparison, for example, with a grid made of synthetic material. Of course, the body of the drying insert can also be formed from such non-woven layers.

[0010] In another preferred embodiment of the expansion vessel according to the invention, the valve device and / or the membrane are arranged on the drying insert or on the expansion vessel. When the valve device or, as the case may be, the membrane, is arranged on the expansion vessel, the great advantage is achieved that the valve device or the membrane can remain on the expansion vessel or, as the case may be, on its vessel body as a lifetime component, so that the drying insert only needs to be removed or, as the case may be, replaced together with its body and the desiccant arranged thereon. When the valve device or the membrane is arranged on the drying insert, the advantage is again achieved that these components are also replaced periodically, which in particular prevents malfunction of the valve device or, as the case may be, the membrane due to clogging due to excessive use..

[0011] Conveniently, the valve arrangement has a double two-way valve or a pressure relief valve as well as a separately arranged vacuum valve, which are designed as simple check valves. The design of the valve arrangement as a double two-way valve has the great advantage of being optimized in terms of installation space compared to two individual (non-return) valves. Two separate valves again have the advantage of being able to choose check valves relatively simple ones that are more economical than a double two-way valve.

[0012] In another advantageous embodiment of the expansion vessel according to the invention, the lid is screwed to the vessel body. For this purpose, the lid has an external thread and the vessel body has an internal thread of complementary shape, or vice versa, which makes it relatively easy to replace the drying insert arranged at least partially in the lid. For this purpose, it is sufficient to unscrew the lid from the vessel body of the expansion vessel and remove the drying insert or, as the case may be, replace it with a new drying insert, and then screw the lid with the new drying insert back onto the vessel body of the expansion vessel. To ensure sealing, a relatively simple and more economical sealing O-ring can be used here.

[0013] Alternatively, it is of course also conceivable that the lid is not screwed into or, as the case may be, onto the vessel body by means of a thread, but is fixed in / on the vessel body by means of several screws. The seal is ensured by a molded seal. The lid and the drying insert do not necessarily have to be round, but can also be rectangular.

[0014] The drying insert is conveniently designed in the form of a cylinder and has a cylinder-shaped zone containing the desiccant and an activated carbon zone which is connected thereto in the axial direction, also in the form of a cylinder. In this case, the zone for the desiccant and the activated carbon zone are therefore connected in series and passed through one after the other. Alternatively, it is also conceivable for the drying insert to have an annular cylinder-shaped zone for the desiccant and a cylindrical activated carbon zone arranged therein. Such a variant can be coupled with two separate valves which ensure a blow-out of air from the expansion vessel into the environment via the activated carbon zone and a suction via the desiccant.

[0015] In the vessel body is further arranged a membrane, which is designed to be permeable in both directions and which can be located outside the drying insert in the flow direction. Such a membrane allows both an inflow of fresh air from the environment into the expansion vessel and an evacuation by blowing of the air from the expansion vessel into the environment, while at the same time retaining, for example, dust particles. This allows in particular pre-filtration of the air sucked in from the environment by the membrane.

[0016] In another preferred embodiment of the expansion vessel according to the invention, a spring is provided, intended to prestress the drying insert against the vessel body. Such a spring, for example a simple helical spring, ensures reliable and in particular without slamming of the drying insert in the lid or, as the case may be, on the vase body, while ensuring a reliable seat.

[0017] Conveniently, the vase body and the lid are made of synthetic material. This has the great advantage of not having to manufacture relatively difficult and complex threads on a sheet metal part, but of being able to manufacture, for example, an external thread on the lid and a complementary internal thread on the vase body in a simple injection molding operation of synthetic material.

[0018] The present invention is further based on the general idea of ​​equipping a battery cooling system with an expansion vessel according to the above paragraphs and thus transferring the advantages described with respect to the expansion vessel to the battery cooling system. Specifically, this is the advantage of a reduced weight of the drying insert as well as the avoidance of waste, since the actual body of the drying insert is now formed solely by the cover in the expansion vessel according to the invention. The body, in particular a body made of synthetic material, a body made of non-woven fabric or a body made of natural fibers, of the drying insert serves only to fix the desiccant or the activated carbon arranged therein and can therefore be realized not only with thin walls, but also in an economical, ecological and lightweight manner.This makes it possible in particular to do away with a body of the drying insert, which was previously made of metal. Thanks to the cover, which at least partially accommodates the drying insert and which can be connected, in particular screwed, to the vessel body of the expansion vessel, it is possible to dispense with a relatively complex and therefore difficult and expensive connection geometry on the drying insert.

[0019] Other important features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the dependent claims, the drawings and the associated description of the figures with the aid of the drawings.

[0020] It is understood that the features mentioned above and still to be explained below are not only usable in the respective combination indicated, but also in other combinations or alone, without departing from the scope of the present invention. The elements mentioned above and still to be mentioned below of a higher unit, such as for example of a device, apparatus or arrangement, which are designated separately, may constitute elements or, as the case may be, separate components of this unit or be parts or, as the case may be, integral sections of this unit, also when the latter is shown otherwise in the drawing.

[0021] Preferred embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings and are further explained in the description below, the same reference numbers relating to identical or analogous or functionally identical components.

[0022] We see there, respectively schematically

[0023] [Fig-1] a sectional representation of an expansion vessel according to the invention in the area of ​​a drying insert,

[0024] [Fig.2] a representation identical to that of [Fig.l], but under another perspective,

[0025] [Fig.3] a sectional view of a possible construction of a drying insert,

[0026] [Fig.4] a sectional view of an expansion vessel according to the invention in the area of the drying insert,

[0027] [Fig.5] a representation identical to that of [Fig.4], but with another device valve.

[0028] According to Figures 1, 2 as well as 4 and 5, an expansion tank 1 according to the invention in a battery cooling system 3, in particular in an electric vehicle 4, has a tank body 5 as well as an interchangeable drying insert 6 comprising a desiccant 7 (see also [Fig. 3]). The drying insert 6 has a body 8, in particular a body made of synthetic material, a body made of non-woven fabric or a body made of natural fibers, which delimits a space for the desiccant 7 arranged therein. A cover 9 which, like the tank body 5, is made of synthetic material and connected to the tank body 5 for example via a screw connection 10 (see Figures 1, 2 as well as 4 and 5) is also provided. The drying insert 6 is then at least partially housed in the cover 9, so that the cover 9 forms a reusable outer body for the drying insert 6.It is thus possible to implement the drying insert 6 with a relatively thin and weight-optimized body 8, in particular a body made of synthetic material, a non-woven body or a body made of natural fibers, and not, as previously, with a relatively thick sheet metal body. The implementation as a body made of natural fibers also has the great advantage of being particularly environmentally friendly.

[0029] For this purpose, the cover 9 may have an external thread and the vessel body 5 an internal thread of complementary shape to it, or vice versa, which makes it relatively easy to replace the drying insert 6 arranged at least partially in the cover 9. For this purpose, it is sufficient to unscrew the cover 9 from the vessel body 5 of the expansion vessel 1 and remove the drying insert 6 or, as the case may be, replace it with a new drying insert 6, then screw the cover 9 with the new drying insert 6 back onto the vessel body 5 of the expansion vessel 1. Alternatively, it is of course also conceivable that the cover 9 is not connected to the vessel body 5 by means of a screw connection 10, but that it is fixed in / to the body of vase 5 by means of several screws. In this case, the cover 9 and the drying insert 6 do not necessarily have to be round, but can also be rectangular.

[0030] A valve device 11 and / or a membrane 12 are further provided, via which, in the event of excess pressure in the expansion tank 1, air 2 can flow from the expansion tank 1 into the environment and, in the event of a negative pressure in the expansion tank 1, fresh air 2a can flow from the environment into the expansion tank 1. The membrane 12 serves in particular to retain dirt particles, thereby preventing contamination of a dielectric coolant in the expansion tank 1.

[0031] If we consider the drying insert 6 in greater detail in accordance with FIGS. 3 to 5, we can see that it has a zone comprising the desiccator 7 as well as an activated carbon zone 13 which is filled with activated carbon, such activated carbon contributing to retaining pollutants, for example hydrocarbons, from the air 2 to be blown out to the outside.

[0032] The valve device 11 can, for example, be implemented as a double valve 11a, with bidirectional passage, as shown in the embodiments according to FIGS. 1 to 4, the valve device 11 can of course also have a pressure relief valve 11b as well as a vacuum valve 11c, as shown according to [Fig. 5]. The valve device 11 can, for example, open at an overpressure or, as the case may be, at a vacuum of ± 0.4 bar.

[0033] The valve device 11 or, as the case may be, the membrane 12 can be designed and arranged in such a way that, in the event of excess pressure in the expansion vessel 1, the air 2 only enters the environment via the activated carbon zone 13 and that, in the event of a negative pressure in the expansion vessel, the fresh air 2a from the environment only enters the expansion vessel 1 via the desiccant 7, as shown in [Fig. 5]. In this case, the desiccant 7 and the activated carbon zone 13 are connected in parallel.Alternatively, it is of course also possible to envisage a series connection of the activated carbon zone 13 and the desiccant 7, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, so that in this case the valve device 11 and / or the membrane 12 can be designed and arranged in such a way that, in the event of an overpressure in the expansion vessel 1, air 2 enters the environment via the activated carbon zone 13 and the desiccant 7, and in the event of a negative pressure in the expansion vessel 1, fresh air 2a from the environment enters the expansion vessel 1 via the desiccant 7 and the activated carbon zone 13. This has the great advantage that, when relatively dry air 2 is blown out of the expansion vessel 1 into the environment, the desiccant 7 can be dehumidified. and thus regenerated. At the same time, the outgoing air 2 also flows through the activated carbon zone 13, which, for example, allows hydrocarbons to be retained. A separation between the desiccant 7 and the activated carbon zone 13 or, as the case may be, an at least partial confinement of the desiccant 7 and / or the activated carbon zone 13 can be achieved by a non-woven layer 14 which, on the one hand, reliably holds both the activated carbon in the activated carbon zone 13 and the desiccant 7 in the drying insert 6 in their place and which, on the other hand, has a low flow resistance.

[0034] If one considers the embodiment of the drying insert 6 according to [Fig. 3], it can be seen that the desiccator 7 and the activated carbon zone 13 are connected in series and that they are both substantially cylindrical in shape. The same applies to the embodiment according to [Fig. 4]. On the other hand, if one considers the embodiment according to [Fig. 5], it can be seen that the desiccator 7 is annular in shape and surrounds the activated carbon zone 13, which is cylindrical in shape. A flow through the drying insert 6 according to [Fig.5] is then carried out in the environment via the pressure relief valve 11b which opens and the activated carbon zone 13 as well as the membrane 12 in the event of overpressure prevailing in the expansion vessel 1, while fresh air 2a is sucked in from the environment through the membrane 12 and the desiccant 7 as well as the vacuum valve 11c in the event of vacuum prevailing in the expansion vessel 1.

[0035] A spring 15 then secures the drying insert 6 in the cover 9 and pre-stresses the drying insert 6 against the vase body 5.

[0036] In general, the valve device 11 and the membrane 12 can be arranged on the drying insert 6, as shown in accordance with [Fig. 3], but it is also conceivable that the membrane 12 is arranged on the cover 9 and the valve device 11 on the vessel body 5, as shown in accordance with the embodiments according to FIGS. 4 and 5. It is also conceivable to arrange the valve device 11 on the cover 9.

[0037] The cover 9 as well as the vessel body 5 are preferably made of synthetic material, in particular even of the same synthetic material, a sealing O-ring 16 can be provided in the area of ​​the screw connection 10 in order to ensure the seal between the cover 9 and the vessel body 5. Such a sealing O-ring is more economical and much easier to seal than a compressed flat seal, such as those used in the drying cartridges used until now. A further sealing O-ring 16a can be provided, as shown in accordance with Figures 4 and 5, insofar as the valve device 11 comprises a valve overpressure 11b as well as a vacuum valve 11e, as shown in [Fig.5].

[0038] All things considered, the expansion vessel 1 according to the invention and the battery cooling system 3 according to the invention make it possible to achieve a significant reduction in resource consumption, since the drying insert 6 no longer has, as hitherto, a relatively heavy body made of sheet metal, but only still a relatively thin and weight-optimized body 8, in particular a body made of synthetic material, a body made of non-woven fabric or a body made of natural fibers. The actual function of the body is now ensured by the cover 9 which, as a lifetime component, is not replaced during the periodic replacement of the drying insert 6. At the same time, the expansion vessel 1 according to the invention makes it possible to avoid a relatively complicated, as complex and therefore expensive, production of a threaded end piece made of sheet metal, since the drying insert 6 is no longer screwed directly onto the vessel body 5 of the expansion vessel 1.The removal of the sheet metal body also solves a corrosion problem that existed until now.

Claims

Claims

1. Expansion vessel (1) for a battery cooling system (3), - comprising a vessel body (5), - comprising an interchangeable drying insert (6) comprising a body (8) and a desiccant (7) arranged therein, - comprising a cover (9) which can be connected to the vessel body (5) and in which the drying insert (6) is at least partially housed, - comprising a valve device (11) and / or a membrane (12), via which, in the event of excess pressure in the expansion vessel (1), air (2) flows from the expansion vessel (1) into the environment and, in the event of a negative pressure in the expansion vessel (1), fresh air (2a) flows from the environment into the expansion vessel (1).

2. Expansion vessel according to claim 1, characterized in that the drying insert (6) has an activated carbon zone (13).

3. Expansion vessel according to claim 2, characterized - in that the valve device (11) and / or the membrane (12) are designed and arranged in such a way that, in the event of excess pressure in the expansion vessel (1), air (2) enters the environment via the activated carbon zone (13) and, in the event of a negative pressure in the expansion vessel (1), fresh air (2a) enters the expansion vessel (1) from the environment through the desiccant (7) or - in that the valve device (11) and / or the membrane (12) are designed and arranged in such a way that, in the event of excess pressure in the expansion vessel (1), air (2) enters the environment via the activated carbon zone (13) and the desiccant (7) and, in the event of a negative pressure in the vessel expansion (1),fresh air (2a) arrives from the environment into the expansion tank (1) via the desiccant (7) and the activated carbon zone (13).,

4. Expansion vessel according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the desiccant (7) and / or the activated carbon zone (13) are delimited by a non-woven layer (14) and / or in that the body (8) has a non-woven layer (14).

5. Expansion vessel according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the valve device (11) and / or the membrane (12) are arranged on the drying insert (6) or on the expansion vessel (1).

6. Expansion vessel according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the valve device (11) has a double valve (11a) with two-way passage or a pressure relief valve (11b) and a vacuum valve (11c).

7. Expansion vessel according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cover (9) is screwed onto the vessel body (5).

8. Expansion vessel according to one of claims 2 to 7, characterized - in that the drying insert (6) is designed in the form of a cylinder and has an activated carbon zone (13) also designed in the form of a cylinder, connecting in the axial direction, or - in that the drying insert (6) is designed in the form of an annular cylinder having an activated carbon zone (13) located inside and designed in the form of a cylinder.

9. Expansion vessel according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a spring (15) is provided, which pre-tensions the drying insert (6) against the vessel body (5).

10. Expansion vessel according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the vessel body (5) and the cover (9) are made of synthetic material, in particular of the same synthetic material.

11. Expansion vessel according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the body (8) is made as a body made of synthetic material, a body made of non-woven fabric or a body made of natural fibers.

12. Battery cooling system (2) comprising an expansion tank (1) according to one of the preceding claims.

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