Thermal management system, energy storage system, and photovoltaic energy storage system

Abstract

The present application provides a thermal management system, an energy storage system, and a photovoltaic inverter system. The thermal management system comprises a coolant system, a refrigerant system, a heat exchange part, and a bearing part. The coolant system comprises a coolant flow channel plate and a plurality of coolant end components. The refrigerant system comprises a refrigerant flow channel plate and a plurality of refrigerant end components. The heat exchange part is configured to perform heat exchange between the coolant system and the refrigerant system. The plurality of coolant end components and the refrigerant flow channel plate are mounted on a same side of the coolant flow channel plate. The bearing part is fastened on the coolant flow channel plate, and the bearing part comprises a mounting through hole. The parts of the thermal management system are integrally arranged, so that the complexity of mounting and maintenance can be reduced. By means of using the coolant flow channel plate that is easy to process and has a low cost as a mounting substrate, mounting a plurality of parts of a coolant circulation system and the refrigerant system on the mounting substrate, and independently configuring a metallic bearing part, the dimension of the refrigerant flow channel plate can be reduced, and further the processing difficulty and cost of the refrigerant flow channel plate are reduced.

Description

Thermal management systems, energy storage systems, and photovoltaic energy storage systems

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office on September 13, 2023, with application number 202311191908.0 and invention name “Thermal Management System, Energy Storage System and Photovoltaic Energy Storage System”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of thermal management technology, and in particular to a thermal management system, an energy storage system, a photovoltaic inverter system, and a vehicle. Background Art

[0003] With the rapid development of new energy technologies, energy storage technology is gaining increasing attention. In addition to battery clusters for storing electrical energy and the electronic devices used to manage them, existing energy storage systems also include thermal management systems for heating and cooling these components to ensure their performance and safety.

[0004] One existing technique involves directly exchanging heat with the thermally managed object using a refrigerant, thereby cooling or heating the object. However, existing refrigerants are typically chemical substances. This makes them susceptible to corrosion, requiring the use of corrosion-resistant materials such as metal in pipes, increasing costs. Furthermore, leaks are difficult to clean and can pose a risk to both humans and the environment.

[0005] To address this issue, secondary cooling technology has been proposed. This involves exchanging heat between a refrigerant and a coolant, such as water, and then using the resulting coolant to cool or heat the thermally managed object. Because coolant is less corrosive, it requires less demanding piping materials, such as plastic, significantly reducing costs. Furthermore, since the coolant is primarily water, leaks are easier to clean and pose less risk to humans or the environment.

[0006] However, this secondary cooling technology requires the layout of a coolant circuit and a refrigerant circuit, resulting in problems such as increased cost of the thermal management system, complex installation, and large space occupation. Especially in energy storage or photovoltaic inverter systems in industrial and commercial application scenarios, the installation and configuration of existing thermal management systems requires a large space and has high installation and configuration costs.

[0007] Summary of the Invention

[0008] The present application provides a thermal management system, an energy storage system, and a photovoltaic energy storage system, which can reduce costs, facilitate installation, and save configuration space.

[0009] In a first aspect, a thermal management system is provided. The thermal management system includes: a coolant system, a refrigerant system, a heat exchange component and a load-bearing component. The coolant system includes a coolant flow channel plate and a plurality of coolant end assemblies. The coolant flow channel connects the plurality of coolant end assemblies and the heat exchange component. The refrigerant system includes a refrigerant flow channel plate and a plurality of refrigerant end assemblies. The refrigerant channel connects the plurality of refrigerant end assemblies and the heat exchange component, and the heat exchange component is used for heat exchange between the coolant system and the refrigerant system. The plurality of coolant end assemblies and the refrigerant flow channel plate are mounted on the same side of the coolant flow channel plate. The load-bearing component is fixed to the coolant flow channel plate, and the load-bearing component includes a mounting through hole, and the mounting through hole is used for mounting and fixing the thermal management system.

[0010] The integrated configuration of the various components of the thermal management system reduces the complexity of installation and maintenance. The refrigerant flow plate is harder than the coolant flow plate. By using the easily machined and cost-effective coolant flow plate as a mounting base, upon which the coolant circulation system and multiple refrigerant system components are mounted, and by independently configuring metal load-bearing members, the size of the refrigerant flow plate can be reduced, thereby reducing the difficulty and cost of machining the refrigerant flow plate.

[0011] Among them, the coolant flow channel plate includes a configuration surface, the refrigerant flow channel plate includes a configuration surface and a mounting surface opposite to each other, the load-bearing member, the multiple coolant end components and the refrigerant system are installed on the configuration surface of the coolant flow channel plate, the multiple refrigerant end components are installed on the configuration surface of the refrigerant flow channel plate, and the mounting surface of the refrigerant flow channel plate is in contact with the configuration surface of the coolant flow channel plate.

[0012] In one implementation, part or all of the mounting surface of the refrigerant flow channel plate is located on the configuration surface of the coolant flow channel plate, thereby reducing the floor space and the housing cost.

[0013] In another implementation, the mounting surface of the refrigerant channel plate is smaller than the configuration surface of the coolant channel plate, thereby supporting the miniaturization of the refrigerant channel plate, which is difficult and expensive to manufacture, and further improving the practicality of the thermal management system of the present application.

[0014] In one implementation, the load-bearing member is formed into a strip extending along a first direction, and the load-bearing member spans the coolant flow channel plate along the first direction, and the first direction is parallel to the configuration surface of the coolant flow channel plate. This can increase the stability of the thermal management system after installation.

[0015] In this case, the refrigerant end assembly includes an expansion valve, the coolant end assembly includes a multi-way valve, and in the first direction, the heat exchange element is located between the expansion valve and the multi-way valve.

[0016] In the second direction, at least one coolant end assembly is arranged between the load-bearing member and the refrigerant flow channel plate. For example, the coolant end assembly located between the load-bearing member and the refrigerant flow channel plate includes a liquid pump and / or a multi-way valve. In addition, the coolant system further includes a coolant tank, which is connected to the coolant flow channel, and the multiple coolant end assemblies include a liquid pump. In the second direction, the load-bearing member is located between the coolant tank and the liquid pump. When the thermal management system is placed so that the configuration surface of the coolant flow channel plate is parallel to the direction of gravity, the coolant tank is located on the side of the load-bearing member away from the ground, and the liquid pump is located on the side of the load-bearing member close to the ground. This facilitates the supply of coolant in the coolant system by the coolant tank through gravity.

[0017] That is, in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the coolant tank, the load-bearing member, the liquid pump, and the refrigerant flow channel plate are arranged in sequence.

[0018] The coolant system also includes a heater for heating the coolant, which is fixed to the load-bearing member. Specifically, the load-bearing member includes a mounting surface for contact with the coolant, and the heater is located on a surface of the load-bearing member opposite the mounting surface. This reduces the space occupied by the heater on the coolant flow channel plate.

[0019] In this application, the thermal management system includes a connecting portion, one end of which is fixed to the load-bearing member, and the other end of which is fixed to the refrigerant flow channel plate. This can reduce the force between the refrigerant flow channel plate and the coolant flow channel plate, lowering the hardness and strength requirements of the coolant flow channel plate material.

[0020] In another implementation, the load-bearing member is formed in a plate shape, and the load-bearing member and the refrigerant flow channel plate are arranged in parallel on the configuration surface of the coolant flow channel plate.

[0021] In this case, the load-bearing member and the refrigerant flow channel plate can be integrally formed, and in the first direction, the integrally formed load-bearing member and refrigerant flow channel plate span the coolant flow channel plate.

[0022] Furthermore, the refrigerant flow channel includes a mounting through hole, and the mounting through hole is used for mounting and fixing the thermal management system.

[0023] In addition, the coolant flow channel plate includes a configuration surface, and the load-bearing component includes a configuration surface and an installation surface that are opposite to each other, and the installation surface of the load-bearing component is in contact with the configuration surface of the coolant flow channel plate.

[0024] For example, the liquid pump and / or the multi-way valve in the coolant end assembly are installed on the configuration surface of the load-bearing member.

[0025] In a second aspect, an energy storage system is provided. The energy storage system includes: a battery cluster and a thermal management system, the thermal management system uses a coolant to perform heat exchange with the battery cluster, and the thermal management system includes a coolant system, a refrigerant system, a heat exchange component and a load-bearing component. The coolant system includes a coolant flow channel plate and a plurality of coolant end assemblies. The coolant flow channel connects the plurality of coolant end assemblies and the heat exchange component. The refrigerant system includes a refrigerant flow channel plate and a plurality of refrigerant end assemblies. The refrigerant channel connects the plurality of refrigerant end assemblies and the heat exchange component, and the heat exchange component is used for heat exchange between the coolant system and the refrigerant system. The plurality of coolant end assemblies and the refrigerant flow channel plate are mounted on the same side of the coolant flow channel plate. The load-bearing component is fixed to the coolant flow channel plate, and the load-bearing component includes a mounting through-hole, and the mounting through-hole is used for mounting and fixing the thermal management system.

[0026] Among them, the structure and characteristics of the thermal management system in the energy storage system are similar to those of the thermal management system in the first aspect. In order to avoid redundancy, the detailed description is omitted here.

[0027] In a third aspect, a photovoltaic energy storage system is provided. The photovoltaic energy storage system includes: photovoltaic panels, photovoltaic inverters, battery clusters, and a thermal management system. The photovoltaic panels are used to convert solar energy into electrical energy, the battery clusters are used to store electrical energy from the photovoltaic panels, the photovoltaic inverters are used to convert direct current from the photovoltaic panels into alternating current, and the thermal management system uses coolant to perform heat exchange with heat-generating components in the battery cluster or photovoltaic inverter. The thermal management system includes a coolant system, a refrigerant system, a heat exchange component, and a load-bearing component. The coolant system includes a coolant flow channel plate and multiple coolant end assemblies. The coolant flow channel connects the multiple coolant end assemblies and the heat exchange component. The refrigerant system includes a refrigerant flow channel plate and multiple refrigerant end assemblies. The refrigerant channel connects the multiple refrigerant end assemblies and the heat exchange component, and the heat exchange component is used for heat exchange between the coolant system and the refrigerant system. The multiple coolant end assemblies and the refrigerant flow channel plate are mounted on the same side of the coolant flow channel plate. The load-bearing member is fixed on the coolant flow channel plate. The load-bearing member includes a mounting through hole, and the mounting through hole is used for mounting and fixing the thermal management system.

[0028] For example, the photovoltaic inverter includes a maximum power point tracking MPPT module and an AC / DC converter. One end of the MPPT module is electrically connected to the photovoltaic panel, and the other end of the MPPT module is electrically connected to one end of the AC / DC converter. The other end of the AC / DC converter is used to connect to the power grid or load. One end of the MPPT module is also electrically connected to the energy storage system. The thermal management system also uses a coolant to perform heat exchange with the MPPT module and / or AC / DC converter.

[0029] Among them, the structure and characteristics of the thermal management system in the photovoltaic inverter system are similar to those of the thermal management system in the first aspect. In order to avoid redundancy, the detailed description thereof is omitted here.

[0030] In addition, the photovoltaic inverter system can be effectively used in industrial and commercial scenarios with lower power generation requirements.

[0031] In a fourth aspect, a vehicle is provided, comprising an electric motor, a battery, and a thermal management system, wherein the electric motor is used to output torque to the wheels, the battery is used to provide electrical energy to the electric motor, and the thermal management system is used to use a coolant to perform heat exchange with the battery. The thermal management system comprises a coolant system, a refrigerant system, a heat exchange component, and a load-bearing component. The coolant system comprises a coolant flow channel plate and a plurality of coolant end assemblies. The coolant flow channel connects the plurality of coolant end assemblies and the heat exchange component. The refrigerant system comprises a refrigerant flow channel plate and a plurality of refrigerant end assemblies. The refrigerant channel connects the plurality of refrigerant end assemblies and the heat exchange component, and the heat exchange component is used for heat exchange between the coolant system and the refrigerant system. The plurality of coolant end assemblies and the refrigerant flow channel plate are mounted on the same side of the coolant flow channel plate. The load-bearing component is fixed to the coolant flow channel plate, and the load-bearing component comprises a mounting through-hole, which is used for mounting and fixing the thermal management system.

[0032] Among them, the structure and characteristics of the thermal management system in this vehicle are similar to those of the thermal management system in the first aspect. In order to avoid redundancy, the detailed description is omitted here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] FIG1 is a schematic architecture diagram of an example of a photovoltaic energy storage system to which the thermal management system provided by the present application is applicable.

[0034] FIG2 is a schematic structural diagram of an example of an energy storage system to which the thermal management system provided by the present application is applicable.

[0035] FIG3 is a structural diagram of an example of a thermal management system provided by the present application.

[0036] FIG4 is a layout diagram of an example of a thermal management system provided by the present application.

[0037] FIG5 is a layout diagram of another example of the thermal management system provided by the present application.

[0038] FIG6 is a side view of the thermal management system shown in FIG5 in direction A. FIG.

[0039] FIG7 is a layout diagram of another example of the thermal management system provided by the present application.

[0040] FIG8 is a perspective view of an example of a thermal management system provided by the present application.

[0041] FIG9 is a layout diagram of another example of the thermal management system provided by the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] The technical solution in this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0043] The thermal management system provided in this application is applicable to energy storage systems or photovoltaic energy storage systems, and is particularly applicable to scenarios with smaller-scale battery clusters as thermal management objects, such as energy storage systems or photovoltaic energy storage systems in industrial and commercial power supply scenarios.

[0044] Figure 1 illustrates an example of a photovoltaic energy storage system applicable to the thermal management system provided herein. As shown in Figure 1, a photovoltaic energy storage system includes photovoltaic (PV) panels and a PV inverter. PV panels convert solar energy into electrical energy. Since PV panels generate direct current (DC), a PV inverter is required to convert DC into AC to facilitate transmission and utilization of the power.

[0045] The photovoltaic inverter includes a direct current to alternating current (DC / AC) converter, and the DC / AC converter is used to convert direct current into alternating current.

[0046] The photovoltaic inverter also includes a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) module, which is used to track the highest voltage and current values ​​so that the power generation system can output current at maximum power.

[0047] The MPPT module and DC / DC module in the photovoltaic inverter can be arranged in the same package device or in different package devices.

[0048] The MPPT module may include a direct current to direct current (DC / DC) converter, which is used to stabilize the DC power generated by the PV module (or, in other words, perform voltage conversion processing). The DC power after voltage stabilization can be output to the power energy storage system. One end of the DC / AC converter (denoted as end A) is connected to the MPPT module and an energy storage system, and the other end B is used to connect to the AC grid or AC load. Thus, the DC / AC converter converts the DC power output by the MPPT module or the energy storage system into AC power and provides it to the AC load or the AC grid.

[0049] The other end, B, of the DC / AC converter (referred to as "B-end") can also be connected to another energy storage system via an inverter (i.e., a DC / AC converter). This inverter converts the AC power from the PV inverter into DC power, which is then stored in the energy storage system, specifically in the battery cluster within the energy storage system. Furthermore, the DC power from the battery cluster can be converted into AC power and supplied to an AC load or the AC grid.

[0050] It should be noted that the photovoltaic energy storage system provided in the present application may include only the battery cluster connected to the A end of the DC / AC converter in the photovoltaic inverter, or may include only the battery cluster connected to the B end of the DC / AC converter in the photovoltaic inverter, or may include both battery clusters.

[0051] The photovoltaic energy storage system may also include a thermal management system that uses a coolant to cool the battery cluster, the DC / DC converter in the photovoltaic inverter, and some or all of the components in the DC / AC converter. This thermal management system will be described in detail later.

[0052] Figure 2 is an example of an energy storage system applicable to the thermal management system provided in this application. As shown in Figure 2, the energy storage system includes one or more DC / DC converters, one or more battery clusters, and one or more AC / DC converters. In addition, although not shown in the figure, the energy storage system also includes one or more battery management systems (BMS). Each battery pack corresponds to a BMS. BMS is generally used to implement functions such as dynamic monitoring of battery pack charging and discharging, battery pack balancing, and evaluation of battery pack charge state.

[0053] When the energy storage system includes multiple battery clusters, the multiple battery clusters are connected in parallel. Among them, a battery cluster is composed of multiple battery packs. Among them, each battery pack includes one or more battery packs (PACKs). In one implementation, each battery pack may also include a battery management unit (BMU), and the energy storage system also includes a battery control unit (BCU). The above-mentioned BMS includes the BMU and the BCU. The BMU is used to monitor the voltage, temperature and other information of the PACK and report the above information to the BCU. The BCU monitors the PCK based on the above information and generates power control instructions for the PACK.

[0054] The PACK in the embodiment may be a single battery or a battery cluster composed of multiple batteries. Specifically, the battery may be a combination of one or more of a lead-carbon battery, a lithium iron phosphate battery, a ternary lithium battery, a sodium sulfur battery, and a flow battery.

[0055] In an energy storage system, one end of a DC / DC converter is connected to a photovoltaic panel, and the other end is connected to a battery cluster. The DC / DC converter performs power conversion processing, such as voltage stabilization, on the DC power from the photovoltaic panel before outputting it to the battery cluster. One end of an AC / DC converter is connected to the battery cluster, and the other end is connected to the AC grid and / or AC battery. The AC / DC converter converts the DC power from the battery into AC power, which is then supplied to a load or the grid.

[0056] In one possible implementation, although not shown, another DC / DC converter may be configured between the AC / DC converter and the battery cluster. The other DC / DC converter is used to perform power conversion processing such as boosting on the DC power from the battery cluster.

[0057] The energy storage system may further include a thermal management system that cools part or all of the components in the battery cluster, DC / DC converter, and DC / AC converter in the energy storage system through a coolant.

[0058] It should be understood that the above-listed scenarios for the application of the thermal management system provided by this application are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit this application. For example, the thermal management system provided by this application may also be effectively applied to vehicles such as electric vehicles or hybrid vehicles, which include batteries and electric motors. The electric motors generate torque under the power of the batteries to drive the vehicles. The thermal management system is configured to exchange heat between the coolant and the batteries, thereby cooling or heating the batteries.

[0059] The thermal management system of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. 3 to FIG. 7 .

[0060] Figure 3 shows a logical architecture diagram of an example of a thermal management system of the present application. As shown in Figure 3, the thermal management system includes a coolant system, a refrigerant system, and a heat exchange system.

[0061] The coolant system uses a coolant as a thermal management medium. By way of example and not limitation, the coolant may include water. Furthermore, when performing thermal management on the battery, the coolant may be deionized to prevent electrical conductivity. Furthermore, when the energy storage system or photovoltaic inverter system is used in cold regions, antifreeze may be added to the coolant to prevent it from freezing.

[0062] Refrigerant systems use refrigerants as a thermal management medium. A refrigerant is a substance that transfers heat through evaporation and condensation. A refrigerant easily absorbs heat to become a gas and releases heat to become a liquid. High-pressure liquid refrigerants absorb heat when reduced to a gas. By way of example and not limitation, refrigerants in this application may include Freon, alkanes, ammonia, carbon dioxide, and the like.

[0063] As shown in Figure 3, the heat exchange system includes a condenser plate 310 and an evaporator plate 320. Although not shown, the condenser plate 310 and the evaporator plate 320 each include a coolant channel and a refrigerant channel. This allows heat exchange between the coolant and the refrigerant within the condenser plate 310 and the evaporator plate 320. In this application, to facilitate heat exchange, various components of the heat exchange system, such as the condenser plate 310 and the evaporator plate 320, are fabricated using materials with high thermal conductivity, such as metal.

[0064] As shown in FIG. 3 , the refrigerant system includes a compressor 110 , an expansion valve 120 , and a dehumidifier 130 .

[0065] Among them, the compressor 110 is used to compress the low-temperature, low-pressure gaseous refrigerant entering from the input port. The compressed gaseous refrigerant is heated and converted into a high-temperature, high-pressure gaseous refrigerant, and the high-temperature, high-pressure gaseous refrigerant is output from the output port of the compressor 110.

[0066] The expansion valve 120 is used to release the pressure of the high-pressure refrigerant, and the released refrigerant is cooled and converted into a low-temperature refrigerant.

[0067] The dehumidifier 130 includes a refrigerant channel therein, and the refrigerant can exchange heat with the external environment through the dehumidifier 130 .

[0068] As shown in Figure 3, the input port of the compressor is connected to the refrigerant inlet of the condensing plate exchanger 310. It should be noted that, although not shown in the figure, the refrigerant system should include a refrigerant flow channel for connecting the input port of the compressor with the refrigerant inlet of the condensing plate exchanger 310. Hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, the connection between the two devices or ports can be understood as the two devices or ports being connected through a refrigerant channel.

[0069] The refrigerant outlet of the condensing plate 310 is communicated with the inlet of the expansion valve 120 , the outlet of the expansion valve 120 is communicated with the inlet of the dehumidifier 130 , and the outlet of the dehumidifier 130 is communicated with the inlet of the compressor 110 .

[0070] The refrigerant outlet of the condensing plate exchanger 310 is also connected to the inlet of the expansion valve 125 , the outlet of the expansion valve 125 is connected to the refrigerant inlet of the evaporating plate exchanger 320 , and the refrigerant outlet of the evaporating plate exchanger 320 is connected to the inlet of the compressor 110 .

[0071] As shown in FIG. 4 to FIG. 8 , in the present application, the refrigerant system further includes a refrigerant flow channel plate, in which refrigerant channels for connecting various devices or ports are integrated.

[0072] The following describes in detail the flow path, temperature changes, and gas phase changes of the refrigerant in the refrigerant system.

[0073] As shown in Figure 3, the compressor 110 compresses the low-temperature and low-pressure gaseous refrigerant. The high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant formed by compression flows from the outlet of the compressor 110 through the flow channel integrated in the refrigerant flow channel plate and flows into the refrigerant inlet of the condensing plate 310.

[0074] The high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant exchanges heat with the low-temperature coolant in the condensing plate exchanger 310. The low-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant (the gas phase is liquid phase or gas-liquid two-phase) formed by the heat exchange flows from the refrigerant outlet of the condensing plate exchanger 310 through the flow channel integrated in the refrigerant flow channel plate, and flows into the inlet of the expansion valve 120 and the inlet of the expansion valve 125 respectively.

[0075] The low-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant releases pressure and heat within expansion valves 120 and 125, converting to a low-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant (the gas phase is either liquid or both). This low-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant flows from the outlet of expansion valve 120 through the flow channel integrated within the refrigerant flow channel plate to the inlet of dehumidifier 130. Furthermore, this low-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant flows from the outlet of expansion valve 125 through the flow channel integrated within the refrigerant flow channel plate to the refrigerant inlet of evaporator plate 320.

[0076] Inside the dehumidifier 130, the low-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant exchanges heat with the external environment (specifically, absorbs heat) to form a high-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant (the gas phase is gas phase or gas-liquid two-phase). The high-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant flows from the outlet of the dehumidifier 130 through the flow channel integrated in the refrigerant flow channel plate and flows into the inlet of the compressor 110.

[0077] In the evaporator plate exchanger 320, the low-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant exchanges heat with the high-temperature coolant (specifically, absorbs heat) to form a high-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant (the gas phase is gas phase or gas-liquid two-phase). The high-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant flows from the refrigerant outlet of the evaporator plate exchanger 320 through the flow channel integrated in the refrigerant flow channel plate and flows into the inlet of the compressor 110.

[0078] Thus, the heat cycle process of the refrigerant is completed.

[0079] As mentioned above, the chemical substances used as refrigerants are usually corrosive and have a large temperature difference during gas-liquid conversion. Therefore, in this application, corrosion-resistant and high- and low-temperature resistant materials such as metals are used to make various components in the refrigerant cycle, such as refrigerant flow plates, dehumidifiers, and expansion valves.

[0080] It should be understood that the structures of the refrigerant systems listed above are merely exemplary and the present application is not limited thereto. For example, the refrigerant system of the present application may also not include the dehumidifier 130 and the expansion valve 120 .

[0081] Returning to FIG. 3 , the coolant system includes a multi-way valve 210 , a pump 220 , a radiator 230 , a pump 225 , and a heater 240 .

[0082] Among them, the multi-way valve 210 includes multiple ports, and the multi-way valve 21 can control the connectivity between the multiple ports. The working principle of the multi-way valve is to connect different flow channels to each other by rotating the valve core, so as to switch and control different fluid media. The multi-way valve is usually composed of a valve body, a valve core, a spring, a sealing ring, a handle, an actuator, etc. The internal shape of the valve body is designed according to different functional requirements, and usually includes an inlet and outlet, a central flow channel and multiple flow channel connecting holes. The valve core is usually cylindrical, with multiple channels inside, and different channels can be connected to each other during rotation.

[0083] Pump 220 and pump 225 are used to transfer mechanical energy or other external energy to the coolant, thereby increasing the energy of the coolant and accelerating the flow rate and pressure of the coolant.

[0084] The radiator 230 is used for heat exchange between the coolant and the external environment.

[0085] The heater 240 is used to heat the coolant. For example, the heater 240 may be an electric heater for converting electrical energy into thermal energy.

[0086] As shown in Figure 3, port 1 of the multi-way valve 210 is connected to the coolant inlet of the condensing plate 310. It should be noted that, although not shown in the figure, the coolant system includes a coolant flow channel for connecting port 1 of the multi-way valve 210 with the coolant inlet of the condensing plate 310. Hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, the communication between two devices or ports can be understood as the communication between the two devices or ports through the coolant channel.

[0087] The coolant outlet of the condensation plate 310 is communicated with port 2 of the multi-way valve 210 .

[0088] Port 3 of the multi-way valve 210 is in communication with the coolant inlet of the evaporation plate exchanger 320 , and the coolant outlet of the evaporation plate exchanger 320 is in communication with port 4 of the multi-way valve 210 .

[0089] Port 4 of the multi-way valve 210 is connected to the inlet of the heater 240. The coolant flowing out of the outlet of the heater 240 can exchange heat with the battery cluster. The coolant after heat exchange can flow into the inlet of the pump 225. The outlet of the pump 225 is connected to port 6 of the multi-way valve 210.

[0090] The coolant flowing out of the port 8 of the multi-way valve 210 can exchange heat with the AC / DC converter or the DC / DC converter, and the coolant after the heat exchange can flow into the port 7 of the multi-way valve 210 .

[0091] The port 10 of the multi-way valve 210 is in communication with the inlet of the radiator 230 , the outlet of the radiator 230 is in communication with the inlet of the pump 220 , and the outlet of the pump 220 is in communication with the port 9 of the multi-way valve 210 .

[0092] As shown in FIG. 4 to FIG. 7 , in the present application, the coolant system further includes a coolant flow channel plate, in which coolant channels for connecting various devices or ports are integrated.

[0093] The flow path and temperature changes of the coolant in the coolant system are described in detail below.

[0094] As shown in FIG3 , the low-temperature coolant flows out from port 1 of the multi-way valve 210 , passes through the flow channel integrated in the coolant flow channel plate, and enters the coolant input port of the condensation plate 310 .

[0095] The low-temperature coolant is heated up after heat exchange with the high-temperature refrigerant in the condensation plate 310 to form a high-temperature coolant.

[0096] The high-temperature coolant flows out from the coolant outlet of the condensation plate 310 , passes through the flow channel integrated in the coolant flow channel plate, and enters port 2 of the multi-way valve 210 .

[0097] When the thermal management object needs to be heated (for example, when the outside temperature is low and the battery cluster needs to be heated), the multi-way valve 210 controls the connection between port 2 and port 5. The high-temperature coolant flows out of port 5 of the multi-way valve 210 and, under the action of the pump 225, flows into the battery cluster and undergoes heat exchange with the battery cluster to form a low-temperature coolant. After that, it flows into port 6 of the multi-way valve 210 under the action of the pump 225. It should be noted that when the new coolant circulation system includes a heater 240, the high-temperature coolant can be further heated by the heater 240 before flowing into the battery cluster. In addition, the multi-way valve 210 can control the connection between port 6 and port 1, thereby allowing the low-temperature coolant to undergo heat exchange with the high-temperature refrigerant in the condenser plate 310 to form a high-temperature coolant.

[0098] As shown in FIG3 , the high-temperature coolant flows out from port 3 of the multi-way valve 210 , passes through the flow channel integrated in the coolant flow channel plate, and enters the coolant input port of the evaporation plate 320 .

[0099] The high-temperature coolant exchanges heat with the low-temperature refrigerant in the evaporator plate 320 and is cooled to form a low-temperature coolant.

[0100] The low-temperature coolant flows out from the coolant outlet of the evaporation plate 320 , passes through the flow channel integrated in the coolant flow channel plate, and enters the port 4 of the multi-way valve 210 .

[0101] When the battery cluster needs to be cooled, multi-way valve 210 controls the connection between port 4 and port 5. Low-temperature coolant flows out of port 5 of multi-way valve 210 and, under the action of pump 225, flows into the battery cluster, undergoes heat exchange with the battery cluster, and forms high-temperature coolant. The high-temperature coolant then flows into port 6 of multi-way valve 210 under the action of pump 225. Furthermore, multi-way valve 210 can control the connection between port 6 and port 3, allowing the high-temperature coolant to undergo heat exchange with the low-temperature refrigerant within evaporator plate 320, forming low-temperature coolant.

[0102] When cooling the AC / DC converter or DC / DC converter is required, multi-way valve 210 controls port 4 to connect with port 8. Low-temperature coolant flows out of port 8 of multi-way valve 210, flows through the coolant pipeline into the AC / DC converter or DC / DC converter, and exchanges heat with the AC / DC converter or DC / DC converter to form high-temperature coolant, which then flows into port 7 of multi-way valve 210. Furthermore, multi-way valve 210 can control port 7 to connect with port 3, allowing the high-temperature coolant to exchange heat with the low-temperature refrigerant in the evaporator plate 320 to form low-temperature coolant.

[0103] In addition, the multi-way valve 210 controls the connection between port 4 and port 10. Under the action of the pump 220, the low-temperature coolant flows out of the port 10 of the multi-way valve 210, flows through the coolant pipe into the radiator 230, and exchanges heat with the external environment in the radiator 230 to form the low-temperature coolant, which then flows into the port 9 of the multi-way valve 210. In addition, the multi-way valve 210 can control the connection between port 9 and port 1, thereby allowing the low-temperature coolant to exchange heat with the high-temperature refrigerant in the condensation plate 310 to form the high-temperature coolant.

[0104] Thus, the thermal cycle process of the coolant is completed.

[0105] As mentioned above, since the coolant has low corrosiveness and the temperature change after heat exchange is small, in this application, low-cost waterproof materials such as plastic or rubber are used to make various components in the refrigerant cycle, such as the coolant flow channel plate.

[0106] It should be understood that the structures of the coolant system listed above are merely exemplary and the present application is not limited thereto. For example, the coolant system of the present application may not include the heater 240. For another example, the coolant system of the present application may further include a coolant tank, which is used to replenish coolant to the coolant circulation system to compensate for losses caused by evaporation of the coolant.

[0107] Below, the components of the thermal management system of the present application are described in detail with reference to FIG. 4 to FIG. 8 .

[0108] In order to reduce the difficulty of installation and maintenance, multiple components or assemblies in the thermal management system of the present application are integrated. As an example and not a limitation, the multiple components of the integrated configuration may include multiple coolant end assemblies, multiple refrigerant end assemblies and multiple heat exchange components. Among them, the coolant end assembly includes: a coolant flow plate, a pump 220, a pump 225, and a multi-way valve 210. The refrigerant end assembly includes: a refrigerant flow plate and an expansion valve 125. The heat exchange component includes: an evaporator plate exchanger 320 and a condenser plate exchanger 310.

[0109] The coolant flow channel plate is formed into a plate shape extending along a first plane, which is the plane formed by the X-axis and the Y-axis shown in Figure 4. Specifically, the coolant flow channel plate has two relatively large surfaces, one of which is called the configuration surface (i.e., an example of the configuration surface of the coolant flow channel plate). The configuration surface is generally formed into a planar shape, but it does not exclude the possibility of having some uneven portions due to design and application requirements. In other words, the configuration surface of the coolant flow channel plate is generally formed into a shape that is generally parallel to the first plane formed by the X-axis and the Y-axis.

[0110] The coolant flow plate is configured with multiple components of the coolant system, such as the aforementioned pump 220, pump 225, and multi-way valve 210. Although not shown, the coolant flow plate is also provided with a port for delivering coolant to a thermally managed object, as well as a port for connecting to a radiator 230.

[0111] In one implementation, as shown in FIG5 , the pump 220 and the pump 225 are arranged side by side along the X-axis (i.e., an example of the first direction) and are located above the multi-way valve 210 along the Y-axis (i.e., an example of the second direction).

[0112] In another implementation, as shown in FIG9 , the pump 220 and the multi-way valve 210 are arranged in parallel along the X-axis direction. In addition, the pump 225 is located below the multi-way valve 210 in the Y-axis direction.

[0113] This layout plane also houses various components of the refrigerant system, such as the aforementioned refrigerant manifold plate. Pumps 220 and 225 are positioned above the refrigerant manifold plate in the Y-axis direction. Furthermore, the refrigerant manifold plate and multi-way valve 210 are positioned side by side along the X-axis.

[0114] The refrigerant flow channel plate is formed into a plate shape extending along a first plane. That is, the refrigerant flow channel plate is formed with two surfaces with larger areas, one of which (for ease of understanding and explanation, is referred to as the installation surface). The shape of the installation surface corresponds to the shape of the configuration surface of the coolant flow channel plate, thereby increasing the strength and stability of the installation connection between the refrigerant flow channel plate and the coolant flow channel plate, and reducing the gap caused by the mismatch, thereby avoiding waste of configuration space. The other larger surface of the refrigerant flow channel plate (that is, the opposite side of the installation surface, for ease of understanding and explanation, is referred to as the configuration surface) is formed into a roughly planar shape, but it does not exclude the possibility of being formed into a partially concave and convex part due to design and application needs, that is, the configuration surface of the refrigerant flow channel plate is formed as a whole into a shape roughly parallel to the first plane formed by the X-axis and the Y-axis.

[0115] A plurality of components of the refrigerant system, such as the expansion valve 125 , are arranged on the arrangement plane of the refrigerant flow channel plate.

[0116] Furthermore, multiple components of the heat exchange system are arranged on the arrangement plane of the refrigerant flow channel plate, such as the aforementioned condenser plate 310 and evaporator plate 320. It should be noted that the condenser plate 310 and evaporator plate 320 need to communicate with the coolant flow channel plate. Therefore, through-holes can be provided in the refrigerant flow channel plate, and pipes can be provided in the through-holes to connect the coolant interfaces of the condenser plate 310 and evaporator plate 320 to the coolant flow channel plate.

[0117] In one implementation, the condensing plate heat exchanger 310 and the evaporating plate heat exchanger 320 are arranged in parallel along the X-axis direction. In addition, the expansion valve 125 and components in the heat exchange system are arranged in parallel along the X-axis direction.

[0118] That is, in the X-axis direction, the condenser plate 310 and the evaporator plate 320 are located between the expansion valve 125 and the multi-way valve 210 .

[0119] It should be understood that the configuration relationship between the condensing plate exchanger 310 and the evaporating plate exchanger 320 listed above is only an example, and the present application is not limited thereto. For example, the condensing plate exchanger 310 and the evaporating plate exchanger 320 can also be configured side by side along the Y-axis direction.

[0120] In this application, the thermal management system also includes a load-bearing member. Typically, the thermal management system needs to be suspended from a supporting structure such as a wall. The load-bearing beam serves as a connection between the thermal management system and the supporting structure. When the thermal management system is installed and suspended, the load-bearing member acts as a component that acts as a counterweight to the thermal management system's gravity. Therefore, the load-bearing member can be made of a hard material such as metal.

[0121] The load-bearing member is fixedly mounted on the coolant flow channel plate.

[0122] In one implementation, as shown in FIG4 , the coolant flow channel plate is in a strip shape, for example, the load-bearing member of the strip is arranged along the X-axis direction.

[0123] In a possible implementation, the length of the load-bearing component is greater than the dimension of the coolant flow channel plate in the X-axis direction, so that the load-bearing component spans the coolant flow channel plate along the X-axis direction.

[0124] Because the heat exchange system is suspended, the load-bearing component can be located above other components on the coolant flow channel plate (e.g., pumps 220 and 225, the refrigerant flow channel plate, the multi-way valve 210, etc.) in the Y-axis direction. That is, after the suspension installation, the other components on the coolant flow channel plate are located below the load-bearing component in the direction of gravity. This is conducive to the configuration stability of the heat exchange system.

[0125] In the present application, a mounting hole may be provided in the load-bearing member, and a bolt may pass through the mounting hole and be fastened to the wall, thereby completing the installation of the thermal management system.

[0126] In one possible implementation, the thermal management system also includes a connecting portion, which can be made of a material with greater strength (for example, metal). One end of the connecting portion is connected to the load-bearing member, and the other end is connected to the refrigerant flow channel plate, thereby reducing the force between the refrigerant flow channel plate and the coolant flow channel plate, thereby further reducing the requirements for the hardness and strength of the coolant flow channel plate.

[0127] In another embodiment, as shown in FIG7 , the load-bearing member is formed into a plate shape, and the refrigerant flow plate and the load-bearing member are arranged in parallel in the X-axis direction. Alternatively, the refrigerant flow plate and the load-bearing member can be arranged in parallel in other directions, which are not listed in this application.

[0128] In this case, one surface of the plate-shaped bearing member (ie, the mounting surface of the bearing member) is in contact with the arrangement surface of the refrigerant flow channel plate.

[0129] Furthermore, one or more components of the cooling liquid end components, such as a multi-way valve and / or a liquid pump, are arranged on the other side of the plate-shaped load-bearing member (ie, the arrangement surface of the load-bearing member).

[0130] For example, the load-bearing member is made of the same material as the refrigerant flow channel plate and is integrally formed. Furthermore, the refrigerant flow channel plate and the load-bearing member span the coolant flow channel plate in the X-axis direction. In this case, mounting holes are respectively provided on the refrigerant flow channel plate and the load-bearing member. In one implementation, as shown in FIG7 , the projection of the mounting hole on the coolant flow channel plate is located on the coolant flow channel plate. In this case, a through hole for the passage of bolts can be provided on the coolant flow channel plate. In another implementation, the width of the component formed by the integration of the coolant flow channel plate and the load-bearing member in the X-axis direction can be greater than the width of the coolant flow channel plate in the X-axis direction, and the projection of the mounting hole on the coolant flow channel plate is located outside the range of the coolant flow channel plate, thereby eliminating the need to provide a through hole for the passage of bolts on the coolant flow channel plate.

[0131] Furthermore, cooling liquid end components such as pumps or multi-way valves can be arranged on the load-bearing member, thereby effectively utilizing the configuration space on the load-bearing member, which is beneficial to the miniaturization of the thermal management system of the present application.

[0132] In addition, although not shown in the figure, a through hole is provided on the load-bearing member, and a pipe for connecting each port of the multi-way valve and the coolant flow channel plate is provided in the through hole.

[0133] It should be understood that the integrated layout of the thermal cycle system listed above is only an example and not a limitation. The layout may vary depending on the components of the integrated configuration. For example, the multiple components of the integrated configuration may also include one or more of the following components:

[0134] 1. Coolant tank (i.e., an example of a coolant end assembly)

[0135] As shown in Figures 5 to 8, the coolant tank is positioned above the coolant flow channel plate in the Y-axis direction. That is, after the heat exchange system is suspended, the components of the integrated heat exchange system are located below the coolant tank in the direction of gravity, allowing coolant replenishment via gravity. Specifically, as shown in Figure 8, during normal operation of the heat exchange system, the coolant flow channel plate is parallel to the direction of gravity. In this case, the coolant tank, load-bearing components, liquid pump, and refrigerant flow channel plate are positioned sequentially along the direction of gravity, starting from the side of the coolant flow channel plate away from the ground.

[0136] 2. Heater 240 (ie, another example of a coolant end assembly)

[0137] As shown in FIG. 5 to FIG. 8 , the heater 240 may be disposed on a load-bearing member, thereby reducing the space occupied on the surface of the coolant channel plate.

[0138] 3. Dehumidifier 130 (ie, an example of a refrigerant end component)

[0139] The dehumidifier 130 is arranged on the side of the refrigerant flow channel plate, and the projection of the dehumidifier 130 on the first plane is located outside the projection range of the coolant flow channel plate on the first plane, thereby reducing the configuration space occupied on the configuration surface of the coolant flow channel plate.

[0140] In this case, the expansion valve 120 communicating with the dehumidifier 130 is arranged on the arrangement plane of the refrigerant flow channel plate.

[0141] In one implementation, the expansion valve 120 and the expansion valve 125 are arranged in parallel along the Y-axis direction.

[0142] In order to reduce costs, the coolant flow channel plate is usually made of non-metallic materials, which is not conducive to being used as the load-bearing part of the heat exchange system. Therefore, under one idea, the refrigerant flow channel plate made of metal can be used as the load-bearing part of the heat exchange system. In this case, the refrigerant flow channel plate needs to be made larger to meet the installation requirements of the coolant circulation system and multiple components in the refrigerant system. Therefore, the processing of the refrigerant flow channel plate is difficult and the cost is high. In contrast, the heat circulation system of the present application uses the coolant flow channel plate that is easy to process and has a low cost as the installation base, on which the coolant circulation system and multiple components in the refrigerant system are installed, and the metal-made load-bearing parts are independently configured, thereby reducing the size of the refrigerant flow channel plate, thereby reducing the processing difficulty and cost of the refrigerant flow channel plate.

[0143] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A thermal management system, characterized in that: include: A coolant system, a refrigerant system, a heat exchange component and a load-bearing component, wherein the coolant system comprises a coolant flow channel plate and a plurality of coolant end components, wherein the coolant flow channel connects the plurality of coolant end components and the heat exchange component, and the refrigerant system comprises a refrigerant flow channel plate and a plurality of refrigerant end components, wherein the refrigerant channel connects the plurality of refrigerant end components and the heat exchange component, and the heat exchange component is used for heat exchange between the coolant system and the refrigerant system; The plurality of coolant end assemblies and the coolant flow channel plate are mounted on the same side of the coolant flow channel plate; The load-bearing member is fixed to the coolant flow channel plate, and the load-bearing member includes a mounting through hole, and the mounting through hole of the load-bearing member is used for mounting and fixing the thermal management system.

2. The thermal management system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The coolant flow channel plate includes a configuration surface, and the refrigerant flow channel plate includes a configuration surface and a mounting surface opposite to each other. The load-bearing member, the multiple coolant end components and the refrigerant system are installed on the configuration surface of the coolant flow channel plate, and the multiple refrigerant end components are installed on the configuration surface of the refrigerant flow channel plate. The mounting surface of the refrigerant flow channel plate is in contact with the configuration surface of the coolant flow channel plate.

3. The thermal management system according to claim 2, characterized in that: Part or all of the mounting surface of the refrigerant flow channel plate is located on the configuration surface of the coolant flow channel plate.

4. The thermal management system according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: The area of ​​the mounting surface of the refrigerant flow channel plate is smaller than the area of ​​the configuration surface of the coolant flow channel plate.

5. The thermal management system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The load-bearing member is strip-shaped, and in the extension direction of the load-bearing member, the load-bearing member spans across the coolant flow channel plate.

6. The thermal management system according to claim 5, characterized in that: The refrigerant end assembly includes an expansion valve, and the coolant end assembly includes a multi-way valve; In the extension direction of the load-bearing member, the heat exchange member is located between the expansion valve and the multi-way valve.

7. The thermal management system according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that: The coolant system comprises a coolant tank and a liquid pump, and the coolant tank is in communication with the coolant flow channel; In a direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the load-bearing member, the coolant tank, the load-bearing member, the liquid pump and the refrigerant flow channel plate are arranged in sequence.

8. The thermal management system according to any one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that: The coolant system further comprises a heater, which is used to heat the coolant and is fixed to the load-bearing member.

9. The thermal management system according to any one of claims 5 to 8, characterized in that: The thermal management system includes a connecting portion, one end of which is fixed to the load-bearing component, and the other end of which is fixed to the refrigerant flow channel plate.

10. The thermal management system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The load-bearing member is plate-shaped, and the load-bearing member and the refrigerant flow channel plate are arranged in parallel on the arrangement surface of the coolant flow channel plate.

11. The thermal management system according to claim 10, characterized in that: Furthermore, the refrigerant flow channel includes a mounting through hole, and the mounting through hole of the refrigerant flow channel is used for mounting and fixing the thermal management system.

12. The thermal management system according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that: The load-bearing member includes a configuration surface and a mounting surface which are opposite to each other. The mounting surface of the load-bearing member is in contact with the configuration surface of the coolant flow channel plate. The multi-way valve and / or liquid pump in the coolant system are mounted on the configuration surface of the load-bearing member.

13. The thermal management system according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that: The material of the refrigerant flow channel plate includes metal, and the material of the coolant flow channel plate includes non-metal.

14. An energy storage system, characterized in that: include: A battery cluster and a thermal management system according to any one of claims 1 to 13, the thermal management system being configured to perform heat exchange with the battery cluster using a coolant.

15. A photovoltaic energy storage system, characterized in that: include: A photovoltaic panel, a photovoltaic inverter, a battery cluster and a thermal management system as described in any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the photovoltaic panel is used to convert solar energy into electrical energy, the battery cluster is used to store electrical energy from the photovoltaic panel, the photovoltaic inverter is used to convert direct current from the photovoltaic panel into alternating current, and the thermal management system is used to use a coolant to perform heat exchange with the battery cluster.

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