Coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger and thermal management system

Abstract

In an aspect the disclosure relates to a condenser for a thermal management system for an electric vehicle. The condenser includes a first portion that includes a first coolant flow path that extends from a first coolant inlet to a first coolant outlet, and that includes a refrigerant flow path that extends from a refrigerant inlet to a refrigerant outlet. The first coolant flow path and the refrigerant flow path are positioned in order to transfer heat from the refrigerant to the coolant in order to carry out at least one of condensing the refrigerant and heating the coolant. The condenser further includes a second portion that includes a second coolant flow path that extends from a second coolant inlet to a second coolant outlet, and that includes a secondary heater that is positioned to heat the coolant in the second coolant flow path.

Description

COOLANT-REFRIGERANT HEAT EXCHANGER AND THERMAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMCROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of US Provisional Application 63 / 631 ,453, filed April 9, 2024, and US Provisional Application 63 / 680,799, filed August 8, 2024, the contents of both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

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

[0003] Thermal management systems in electric vehicles (EVs) are known to employ coolant heaters for the purpose of heating coolant that is ultimately circulated through components of the EV that require heating for performance reasons, such as the vehicle’s battery. Additionally, refrigerant systems are known in EV’s for serving certain specific purposes. However, each of the existing thermal management systems suffers from certain deficiencies. It is of continued interest to improve the performance and efficiency of EV thermal management systems.SUMMARY

[0004] In an aspect, the disclosure relates to a thermal management system for an electric vehicle. The thermal management system includes a refrigerant system includinga compressor, an expansion valve and an evaporator, a coolant system including a pump, and a radiator, a plurality of thermal loads including at least one of a traction motor, an energy source and a passenger cabin, a condenser and a control system. The condenser includes a first portion that includes a first coolant flow path that extends from a first coolant inlet to a first coolant outlet, and that includes a refrigerant flow path that extends from a refrigerant inlet to a refrigerant outlet. The first coolant flow path and the refrigerant flow path are positioned in order to transfer heat from the refrigerant to the coolant in order to carry out at least one of condensing the refrigerant and heating the coolant. The condenser further includes a second portion that includes a second coolant flow path that extends from a second coolant inlet to a second coolant outlet, and that includes a secondary heater that is positioned to heat the coolant in the second coolant flow path. The compressor is upstream from the condenser, the condenser is upstream from the expansion valve, the expansion valve is upstream from the evaporator, and the evaporator is upstream from the compressor. The control system is operatively connected to the coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger, and is programmed to: operate the condenser in a condensing mode in which heat in the refrigerant in the refrigerant flow path is transferred to the coolant in the first coolant flow path, and operate the condenser in a secondary-heat mode in which the secondary heater heats the coolant in the second coolant flow path.

[0005] In another aspect the disclosure relates to a condenser for a thermal management system for an electric vehicle. The condenser includes a first portion that includes a first coolant flow path that extends from a first coolant inlet to a first coolant outlet, and that includes a refrigerant flow path that extends from a refrigerant inlet to a refrigerant outlet. The first coolant flow path and the refrigerant flow path are positioned in order to transfer heat from the refrigerant to the coolant in order to carry out at least one of condensing the refrigerant and heating the coolant. The condenser further includes a second portion that includes a second coolant flow path that extends from a second coolant inlet to a second coolant outlet, and that includes a secondary heater that is positioned to heat the coolant in the second coolant flow path.

[0006] The disclosure also relates to other innovations that are intended to be protected.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] The foregoing and other aspects of the invention will be better appreciated with reference to the attached drawings, as follows:

[0008] Figure 1 is a schematic view of a thermal management system for an electric vehicle, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0009] Figure 2 is a side elevation view of an electric vehicle incorporating the thermal management system shown in Figure 1 .

[0010] Figure 3 is a perspective view of a condenser that is part of the thermal management system shown in Figure 1 , in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, and which includes a secondary heater.

[0011] Figure 4A is a perspective sectional view of the condenser shown in Figure 3, illustrating coolant flow through the condenser.

[0012] Figure 4B is a perspective sectional view of the condenser shown in Figure 3, illustrating refrigerant flow through the condenser.

[0013] Figure 4C is a magnified perspective sectional view of the condenser shown in Figure 3, showing first and second flow plates that make up the condenser.

[0014] Figure 5 is a schematic view of a thermal management system shown in Figure 1 , operated in a cabin heating mode.

[0015] Figure 6 is a schematic view of a thermal management system shown in Figure 1 , operated in a battery heating mode.

[0016] Figure 7 is a schematic view of a thermal management system shown in Figure 1 , operated in a cabin and battery heating mode.

[0017] Figure 8 is a schematic view of a thermal management system shown in Figure 1 , operated in a cabin cooling mode.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

[0018] For simplicity and clarity of illustration, where considered appropriate, reference numerals may be repeated among the Figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. In addition, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiment or embodiments described herein. However, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments described herein may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well- known methods, procedures and components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the embodiments described herein. It should be understood at the outset that, although exemplary embodiments are illustrated in the figures and described below, the principles of the present disclosure may be implemented using any number of techniques, whether currently known or not. The present disclosure should in no way be limited to the exemplary implementations and techniques illustrated in the drawings and described below.

[0019] The terms ‘comprising’ and ‘including’ and their various conjugations (e.g. ‘comprises’) will be understood to be inclusive and open-ended, and not exclusive. This means that if an element A includes or comprises an element B, it will be understood that element A could include or comprise other elements in addition to including or comprising element B. The term ‘having’ and its various conjugations are also to be understood as being open-ended in the same way as ‘comprising’ and ‘including’. These terms are not to be interpreted to exclude the presence of other features, steps or components.

[0020] As used herein, the terms “about” and “approximately” are meant to cover variations that may exist in the upper and lower limits of the ranges of values, such as variations in properties, parameters, and dimensions.

[0021] Various terms used throughout the present description may be read and understood as follows, unless the context indicates otherwise: "or" as used throughout isinclusive, as though written "and / or"; singular articles and pronouns as used throughout include their plural forms, and vice versa; similarly, gendered pronouns include their counterpart pronouns such that pronouns should not be understood as limiting anything described herein to use, implementation, performance, etc. by a single gender; "exemplary" should be understood as "illustrative" or "exemplifying" and not necessarily as "preferred" over other embodiments. Further definitions for terms may be set out herein; these may apply to prior and subsequent instances of those terms, as will be understood from a reading of the present description. It will also be noted that the use of the term "a" or "an" will be understood to denote "at least one" in all instances unless explicitly stated otherwise or unless it would be understood to be obvious that it must mean "one".

[0022] Modifications, additions, or omissions may be made to the systems, apparatuses, and methods described herein without departing from the scope of the disclosure. For example, the components of the systems and apparatuses may be integrated or separated. Moreover, the operations of the systems and apparatuses disclosed herein may be performed by more, fewer, or other components and the methods described may include more, fewer, or other steps. Additionally, steps may be performed in any suitable order. As used in this document, "each" refers to each member of a set or each member of a subset of a set.

[0023] As used in this document, "attached" in describing the relationship between two connected parts includes the case in which the two connected parts are "directly attached" with the two connected parts being in contact with each other, and the case in which the connected parts are "indirectly attached" and not in contact with each other, but connected by one or more intervening other part(s) between.

[0024] As used in this document, terms describing relative positions of elements such as ‘top’, ‘upper’, ‘bottom’, ‘lower’, or other analogous terms will be understood to refer to the placement of the described element during use of the apparatus of which it is a part unless the context would make it clear that it is otherwise. It will be understood that the aforementioned placement of an element, for example, can still be considered its placement even when the object that it is a part of is lying in some position other than theposition in which it will be used. As an example, if reference is made to a device having an upper member, it will be understood that the upper member is being described as having an upper position when the device that it is a part of is in use or is in position for use, unless the context would make it clear that it is otherwise. Further to this example, it will be understood that the aforementioned upper member of the object can still be considered its upper member even when the object is lying on its side, for storage, or for transport, or for some other reason.

[0025] "Memory" refers to a non-transitory tangible computer-readable medium for storing information (e.g., data or data structures) in a format readable by a processor, and / or instructions (e.g., computer code or software programs or modules) that are readable and executable by a processor to implement an algorithm. The term "memory" includes a single device or a plurality of physically discrete, operatively connected devices despite use of the term in the singular. Non-limiting types of memory include solid-state semiconductor, optical, magnetic, and magneto-optical computer readable media. Examples of memory technologies include optical discs such as compact discs (CD- ROMs) and digital versatile discs (DVDs), magnetic media such as floppy disks, magnetic tapes or cassettes, and solid state semiconductor random access memory (RAM) devices, read-only memory (ROM) devices, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) devices, flash memory devices, memory chips and combinations of the foregoing. Memory may be non-volatile or volatile. Memory may be physically attached to a processor, or remote from a processor. Memory may be removable or nonremovable from a system including a processor. Memory may be operatively connected to a processor in such a way as to be accessible by a processor. Instructions stored by a memory may be based on a plurality of programming and / or markup languages known in the art, with non-limiting examples including the C, C++, C#, PythonTM, MATLABTM, JavaTM, JavaScriptTM, PerlTM, PHPTM, SQLTM, Visual BasicTM, Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Extensible Markup Language (XML), and combinations of the foregoing. Instructions stored by a memory may also be implemented by configuration settings for a fixed-function device, gate array or programmable logic device.

[0026] "Processor" refers to one or more electronic hardware devices that is / are capable of reading and executing instructions stored on a memory to perform operations on data, which may be stored on a memory or provided in a data signal. The term "processor" includes a single device or a plurality of physically discrete, operatively connected devices despite use of the term in the singular. The plurality of processors may be arrayed or distributed. Non-limiting examples of processors include integrated circuit semiconductor devices and / or processing circuit devices referred to as computers, servers or terminals having single or multi-processor architectures, microprocessors, microcontrollers, microcontroller units (MCU), central processing units (CPU), field- programmable gate arrays (FPGA), application specific circuits (ASIC), digital signal processors, and combinations of the foregoing.

[0027] Any method, application or module herein described may be implemented using computer readable / executable instructions that may be stored or otherwise held by a memory, and executed by a processor. Aspects of the present disclosure may be described with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of the disclosure. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor, such that the processor, and a memory storing the instructions, which execute via the processor, collectively constitute a machine for implementing the functions / acts specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram block or blocks.

[0028] The flowcharts and functional block diagrams in the figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be noted that, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block mayoccur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and / or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and / or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.

[0029] The embodiments of the disclosures described herein are exemplary (e.g., in terms of materials, shapes, dimensions, and constructional details) and do not limit by the claims appended hereto and any amendments made thereto. Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that there are yet more alternative implementations and modifications possible, and that the following examples are only illustrations of one or more implementations. The scope of the disclosure, therefore, is only to be limited by the claims appended hereto and any amendments made thereto.

[0030] DESCRIPTION OF THERMAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND VEHICLE

[0031] Reference is made to Figure 1 , which shows schematic diagram of a thermal management system 10 for use with an electric vehicle 12 shown in Figure 2. It will be noted that the thermal management system 10 shown in Figure 1 has been simplified in the sense that some components that may be present, have been omitted here for simplicity, but will be understood by one skilled in the art to be usable as appropriate.

[0032] The electric vehicle 12 is shown as an SUV, but it could be an automobile, a light-duty truck, a heavy-duty truck, an off-road vehicle, a vehicle used in construction, an aircraft, or any other suitable type of vehicle. The electric vehicle 12 includes a plurality of thermal loads, including for example, an energy source 14, and a traction motor 16. The traction motor 16, as used herein, includes any associated power electronics. The traction motor 16 is operatively connected to one or more wheels, shown at 18, for driving the one or more wheels 18. The energy source 14 may be any suitable energy source.For example, in some embodiments, the energy source 14 may be a traction battery, as shown. In other embodiments, the energy source 14 may be a fuel-cell stack.

[0033] The electric vehicle 12 may be any type of vehicle that employs a traction motor and an energy source for supplying power to the traction motor. Furthermore, the electric vehicle 12 may contain only a traction motor (which is intended also to include containing more than one traction motor) for driving the one or more wheels 18, or optionally, it may additionally contain an internal combustion engine, such as a range extender engine to assist in recharging the energy source 14 when the energy source 14 at or near depletion, and / or for assisting in driving the one or more wheels 18.

[0034] In embodiments in which the electric vehicle 12 includes a fuel-cell, the electric vehicle 12 may further include a traction battery (albeit a smaller one than in a typical battery-electric vehicle). The fuel-cell stack and the traction battery may together constitute an energy source for the fuel-cell vehicle. In the embodiments shown herein, the energy source 14 is a traction battery that is connected to the traction motor 16 to provide electrical power to the traction motor 16.

[0035] The electric vehicle includes a passenger cabin 20.

[0036] The thermal management system 10 shown in Figure 1 includes a refrigerant system 22 and a coolant system 24. The lines used to represent refrigerant conduits are shown as solid lines in Figure 1 (and in Figures 5-8), and the lines used to represent coolant conduits are shown as dashed lines, using relatively longer dashes to indicate where there is coolant flow and relatively shorter dashes to indicate where there is no coolant flow.

[0037] The refrigerant system 22 circulates a refrigerant through various components in order to carry out such tasks as to cool the passenger cabin 20. The refrigerant system 22 may employs a compressor 26, a condenser 28, an expansion valve 30, and an evaporator 32.

[0038] The refrigerant enters the compressor 26 at a relatively low pressure. The compressor 26 compresses the refrigerant, to bring the refrigerant to a high pressure. The compression of the refrigerant raises its temperature. As a result, the refrigerant isa high pressure, high temperature gas when leaving the compressor 26. The refrigerant then passes to the condenser 28. The condenser 28 is used to condense the refrigerant, by carrying out heat transfer out from the refrigerant flowing therethrough. The refrigerant leaves the condenser 28 as a liquid.

[0039] The refrigerant then passes through the expansion valve 30, so as to reduce the pressure of the refrigerant. Some of the refrigerant may evaporate due to the reduction in pressure, however, a significant portion of the refrigerant may remain liquid. The reduction in pressure of the refrigerant in the expansion valve cools the refrigerant. Thus, the refrigerant leaves the expansion valve 18 as a low pressure, low temperature liquid or liquid / gas mix. The refrigerant then passes through the evaporator 32, which transfers heat from a cabin air flow shown at 34, in order to raise the temperature of the refrigerant so as to drive the evaporation of the refrigerant. An interior fan 36 may be provided to encourage the cabin air flow over the evaporator 32 and into the passenger cabin 20. For greater clarity, the cabin air flow 34 is air that is directed into the passenger cabin 20 for use in cooling or heating the passenger cabin 20. Raising the temperature of the refrigerant in the evaporator 32 correspondingly cools the cabin airflow 34, thereby cooling the cabin air flow 34, in order to help cool the passenger cabin 20.

[0040] The refrigerant then leaves the evaporator 32 and returns to the inlet of the compressor 26, where it is compressed again and sent again to the condenser 28 in a continuous cycle. Thus, it can be seen that the compressor 26 is upstream from the condenser 28, the condenser 28 is upstream from the expansion valve 30, the expansion valve 30 is upstream from the evaporator 32, and the evaporator 32 is upstream from the compressor 32.

[0041] Optionally, the refrigerant system 22 further includes a chiller 38 that can be used to evaporate the refrigerant when the evaporator 32 is not being used. In this way, the chiller 38 may itself be referred to as an evaporator for the purposes of the present disclosure. Upstream from the chiller 38 may be a secondary expansion valve 40.

[0042] The coolant system 24 may include at least one pump shown at 42, at least one control valve 44 and a radiator 46. The radiator 46 is provided to help cool the coolant in the coolant system 24 in the event that the coolant contains excess heat than is usable elsewhere in the coolant system 24.

[0043] The thermal management system 10 includes a plurality of thermal loads 47, which are loads whose temperatures need to be controlled for any one or more of the following functions: to help improve performance of the traction motor and / or the energy source, and to help reach a desired air temperature in the passenger cabin 20. The plurality of thermal loads 47 therefore include at least one of the traction motor 16, the energy source 14, and the passenger cabin heater core 49 that is used for heating the cabin air flow 34 into the passenger cabin 20.

[0044] A control system 48 is provided and is shown schematically in Figure 1 . The control system 48 may be provided for controlling the operation of the thermal management system 10. The control system 48 may include a PCB (printed circuit board) 48a on which there is a processor 48b and a memory 48c. The control system 48 may be said to be operatively connected to the control valves 44, the expansion valves 30 and 40 and other components as described further herein. Lines representing wired connections between the PCB 48a and the aforementioned valves, pumps and other components are not shown in Figure 1 , so as not to render the figure more difficult to understand. Furthermore, the control system 48 may include several sensors (not shown) such as a cabin temperature sensor, a refrigerant temperature sensor, and one or more coolant temperature sensors. Communication between the PCB 48a and any sensors may be via a wired connection or may occur via a wireless connection. The control system 48 is represented in Figure 1 , but is omitted from Figures 5-8 for simplicity.

[0045] It will be noted that the control system 170 need not include only the single PCB 48a, the processor 48b and the memory 48c. It is alternatively possible for the control system 48 to include a plurality of PCBs at various locations in the electric vehicle 12, each of which has one or more processors and memory. For example, the PCB 48a may be only a part of the control system 48, and may be part of an ECM (electronic controlmodule) for the electric vehicle 12 that controls the operation of many subsystems in the electric vehicle 12.

[0046] The at least one pump 42 and the at least one control valve 44 are controlled by the control system 48 to direct the flow of coolant through at least one of the thermal loads 47 to control the temperatures thereof.

[0047] The condenser 28 may be provided with any suitable structure. In the embodiment shown in Figures 3, and 4A-4C, the condenser 28 includes a first portion 50 that includes a first coolant flow path 52 that extends from a first coolant inlet 54 to a first coolant outlet 56, and further includes a refrigerant flow path 58 that extends from a refrigerant inlet 60 to a refrigerant outlet 62. The first coolant flow path 52 and the refrigerant flow path 58 are positioned in order to transfer heat from the refrigerant to the coolant in order to carry out at least one of condensing the refrigerant and heating the coolant. The condenser 28 further includes a second portion 64 that includes a second coolant flow path 66 that extends from a second coolant inlet 68 (Figure 4 and 5 to a second coolant outlet 70, and further includes a secondary heater 72 that is positioned to heat the coolant in the second coolant flow path 66.

[0048] As best seen in Figure 4C, the first portion 50 of the condenser 28 may include a plurality of first flow plates 74 each having a plurality of faces (including a first face 76 and a second face 78). The plurality of first flow plates 74 are sealingly joined together such that the first coolant flow path 52 and the refrigerant flow path 58 are positioned between mutually facing ones of the faces 76 and 78 of adjacent ones of the plurality of first flow plates 74. The first flow plates 74 may be sealingly joined together by any suitable means such as by brazing, soldering, pressure, welding, or any other suitable means.

[0049] The second portion 64 of the condenser 28 includes a plurality of second flow plates 80 each having a plurality of faces (including a first face 82 and a second face 84) and a peripheral edge 86 (best seen in Figure 3. The plurality of second flow plates 80 are sealingly joined together such that the second coolant flow path 66 is positioned between mutually facing ones of the faces 82 and 84 of adjacent ones of the plurality ofsecond flow plates 80. The secondary heater 72 (Figure 3) extends along the peripheral edge 86 of each of the plurality of second flow plates. The second flow plates 80 may be sealingly joined together by any suitable means such as by brazing, soldering, pressure, welding, or any other suitable means.

[0050] The secondary heater 72 may be an electrical resistance heater, such as, for example a PTC heater. Alternatively, the secondary heater 72 may be any other suitable kind of heater, such as, but not limited to, an induction heater, an infrared heater, a microwave heater, or any other kind of heater. The secondary heater 72 may be joined to the peripheral edges 86 of the second flow plates 80 by any suitable means such as by brazing, soldering or any other suitable means in embodiments in which the secondary heater 72 is an electrical resistance heater. The secondary heater 72 is shown as being applied only on two sides of the peripheral edges 86 of the second flow plates 80, however, it will be understood that the secondary heater 72 may be positioned anywhere that is suitable for heating the cooling flowing through the second portion 64 of the condenser.

[0051] The first and second flow plates 74 and 80 may be made from any suitable materials such as for example aluminum (including both pure aluminum and aluminum alloys), or a suitable type of stainless steel.

[0052] The control system 48 may be operatively connected to the secondary heater 72. The control system 48 may be programmed to carry out one or more of several actions. When it is said that the control system 48 programmed to carry out an action, it is meant that the memory 48c contains computer readable instructions that are executable by the processor 48b to carry out the action.

[0053] The control system 48 may be programmed to operate the condenser in a plurality of modes. For example, in a first mode, the control system may be programmed to operate the condenser 28 by flowing both refrigerant and coolant through the condenser 28 such that heat in the refrigerant in the refrigerant flow path 58 is transferred to the coolant in the first coolant flow path 52. This may also be for one or more first purposes such as to condense the refrigerant. This may be for one or more secondpurposes, such as, to heat the coolant in order to use the coolant to heat one or more of the thermal loads 47, such as the passenger cabin heater core 49, and / or the traction battery 14, and / or the traction motor 16. It will be understood that the condenser 28 may be operated to achieve both the first and second purposes simultaneously. The mode of operation of the condenser 28 in which the refrigerant transfers heat to the coolant, as described above, may be referred to as a condensing mode for the condenser 28.

[0054] The control system 48 may be programmed to operate the condenser in a second mode, referred to as a secondary-heat mode, in which the control system is programmed to operate the secondary heater 72 and to drive flow of coolant through the condenser 28 so as to heat the coolant in the second coolant flow path 66. This may be used for the second purposes noted above, such as to heat the coolant in order to use the coolant to heat one or more of the thermal loads 47, such as the passenger cabin heater core 49, and / or the traction battery 14, and / or the traction motor 16, particularly in situations where insufficient heat is being imparted to the coolant from the refrigerant during condensing of the refrigerant, or in situations where the refrigerant system 22 is not in use. Accordingly, it will be understood that the control system 48 may operate the condenser in the condensing mode, and in the secondary-heat mode simultaneously under selected conditions.

[0055] In the embodiment shown the first portion 50 of the condenser 28 is upstream from the second portion 64 of the condenser 28 such that the first coolant outlet 56 is upstream from the second coolant inlet 68. As a result, if the condenser 28 is operated in both the condensing mode and the secondary-heat mode, the coolant is relatively cold when in the first coolant flow path 52. As a result, heat transfer from the refrigerant to the coolant is good thereby permitting the condensing of the refrigerant to be performed at high efficiency. After the heat is transferred from the refrigerant to the coolant, then the secondary heater 72 may be used to add more heat to the coolant as needed for a particular task. As a result, the secondary heater 72 is only driven to emit as much heat as is needed. By contrast, if the second portion 64 of the condenser 28 were upstream from the first portion 50 of the condenser 28, the secondary heater 72 would heat the coolant prior to entry of the coolant into the first portion 50, thereby makingthe coolant less effective at drawing heat from the refrigerant, resulting in a lower efficiency performance of the condenser 28 at condensing the refrigerant. It is nonetheless contemplated that such an embodiment, whereby the second portion 64 of the condenser 28 is positioned upstream from the first portion 50 of the condenser 28, could be provided.

[0056] MODES OF OPERATION OF THERMAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

[0057] The thermal management system 10 may itself be operated in a plurality of modes. For example, a first mode for the thermal management system 10, shown in Figure 5, may be referred to as a cabin heating mode. In the cabin heating mode, the control system 48 is programmed to drive coolant flow through the condenser 28, while activating the secondary heater 72 to heat the coolant, and to drive coolant flow through the cabin heater core 49. Additionally, the control system 48 may drive refrigerant flow through the condenser 28, and through the expansion valve 40 and the chiller 38, thereby bypassing the evaporator 32. In this way, the refrigerant can impart some heat to the coolant, and the secondary heater 72 can also impart heat to the coolant so as to impart heat to the cabin air flow 34 through the cabin heater core 49, while avoiding operation of the evaporator 32 so as to avoid cooling of the cabin air flow 34.

[0058] A second mode of operation for the thermal management system 10 is shown in Figure 6 and may be referred to as a battery heating mode. In the battery heating mode, the control system 48 is programmed to drive coolant flow through the condenser 28, while activating the secondary heater 72 to heat the coolant, and to drive coolant flow through the energy source 14 in order to heat the energy source 14. This may be, for example, because the energy source 14 (e.g. the traction battery) may be cold, which can reduce its performance. Additionally, the control system 48 may drive refrigerant flow through the condenser 28. In this way, the refrigerant can impart some heat to the coolant, in addition to the heat imparted by the secondary heater 72 to the coolant, so as to improve the heating of the energy source 14 by the coolant. In such a situation, it is likely that the vehicle cabin 20 will be cold also. As a result, it is advantageous to drive the refrigerant through the expansion valve 40 and the chiller 38, thereby bypassing the evaporator 32 so as not to further cool the vehicle cabin 20.

[0059] A third mode of operation for the thermal management system 10 is shown in Figure 7 and may be referred to as a battery and cabin heating mode. In this mode, the control system 48 may be programmed to drive coolant flow and refrigerant flow similarly to that which is done in the cabin heating mode, but with the added feature that the coolant is driven through the energy source 14 in addition to being driven through the cabin heater core 49, thereby heating both the energy source 14 and the vehicle cabin 20.

[0060] A fourth mode of operation for the thermal management system 10 is shown in Figure 8 and may be referred to as a cabin cooling mode. In the cabin cooling mode, the control system 48 is programmed to drive coolant flow through the chiller 38 and through the energy source 14, as needed. The control system 48 is programmed to drive refrigerant flow through the condenser 28 and through the evaporator 32 so as to cool the cabin air flow 34. In this mode, the secondary heater 72 is expected to not be used to heat the coolant in the condenser 28.

[0061] It will be noted that there may be one or more other modes in which the thermal management system 10 may be operated by the control system 48.

[0062] While the thermal management system 10 has been shown to include such elements as the evaporator 32 for cooling the vehicle cabin 20, it will be understood that in certain embodiments, this evaporator (and the associated expansion valve 30) may be omitted, and the chiller 38 may be used as the evaporator.

[0063] While the thermal management system 10 has been described in relation to the electric vehicle 12, it is alternatively possible to employ the condenser 28 in a stationary application, such as where electricity is generated, stored and / or consumed at a residence, or in a commercial or industrial building.

[0064] While the description contained herein constitutes a plurality of embodiments of the present invention, it will be appreciated that the present invention is susceptible to further modification and change without departing from the fair meaning of the accompanying claims.

Claims

CLAIMS1 . A thermal management system for an electric vehicle, comprising: a refrigerant system including a compressor, an expansion valve and an evaporator; a coolant system including a pump, and a radiator; a plurality of thermal loads including at least one of a traction motor, an energy source and a passenger cabin; a condenser that includes a first portion that includes a first coolant flow path that extends from a first coolant inlet to a first coolant outlet, and that includes a refrigerant flow path that extends from a refrigerant inlet to a refrigerant outlet, wherein the first coolant flow path and the refrigerant flow path are positioned in order to transfer heat from the refrigerant to the coolant in order to carry out at least one of condensing the refrigerant and heating the coolant, and a second portion that includes a second coolant flow path that extends from a second coolant inlet to a second coolant outlet, and that includes a secondary heater that is positioned to heat the coolant in the second coolant flow path; wherein the compressor is upstream from the condenser, the condenser is upstream from the expansion valve, the expansion valve is upstream from the evaporator, and the evaporator is upstream from the compressor; and a control system that is operatively connected to the coolant-refrigerant heat exchanger, and is programmed to: operate the condenser in a condensing mode in which heat in the refrigerant in the refrigerant flow path is transferred to the coolant in the first coolant flow path, and operate the condenser in a secondary-heat mode in which the secondary heater heats the coolant in the second coolant flow path.

2. The thermal management system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the control system is programmed to operate the condenser in both the condensing mode and the secondary-heat mode simultaneously under selected conditions.

3. The thermal management system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first portion of the condenser is upstream from the second portion of the condenser such that the first coolant outlet is upstream from the second coolant inlet.

4. The thermal management system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the secondary heater is an electric heater.

5. The thermal management system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first portion of the condenser includes a plurality of first flow plates each having a plurality of faces, wherein the plurality of first flow plates are sealingly joined together such that the first coolant flow path and the refrigerant flow path are positioned between mutually facing ones of the faces of adjacent ones of the plurality of first flow plates, and wherein the second portion of the condenser includes a plurality of second flow plates each having a plurality of faces and a peripheral edge, wherein the plurality of second flow plates are sealingly joined together such that the second coolant flow path is positioned between mutually facing ones of the faces of adjacent ones of the plurality of second flow plates, and the secondary heater extends along the peripheral edge of each of the plurality of second flow plates.

6. The thermal management system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the plurality of first flow plates and the plurality of second flow plates are aluminum.

7. The thermal management system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the energy source is a traction battery that is connected to the traction motor to provide electrical power to the traction motor.

8. The thermal management system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the plurality of thermal loads includes the passenger cabin, and wherein the thermal management system further includes a cabin heat exchanger that includes a cabin heat exchanger coolant flow path such that as the coolant passes through the cabin heat exchangercoolant flow path, the coolant transfers heat to a cabin air flow that enters the cabin afterwards.

9. A condenser for a thermal management system for an electric vehicle, comprising: a first portion that includes a first coolant flow path that extends from a first coolant inlet to a first coolant outlet, and that includes a refrigerant flow path that extends from a refrigerant inlet to a refrigerant outlet, wherein the first coolant flow path and the refrigerant flow path are positioned in order to transfer heat from the refrigerant to the coolant in order to carry out at least one of condensing the refrigerant and heating the coolant, and a second portion that includes a second coolant flow path that extends from a second coolant inlet to a second coolant outlet, and that includes a secondary heater that is positioned to heat the coolant in the second coolant flow path.

10. The condenser as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first portion of the condenser is upstream from the second portion of the condenser such that the first coolant outlet is upstream from the second coolant inlet.11 . The condenser as claimed in claim 9, wherein the secondary heater is an electric heater.

12. The condenser as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first portion of the condenser includes a plurality of first flow plates each having a plurality of faces, wherein the plurality of first flow plates are sealingly joined together such that the first coolant flow path and the refrigerant flow path are positioned between mutually facing ones of the faces of adjacent ones of the plurality of first flow plates, and wherein the second portion of the condenser includes a plurality of second flow plates each having a plurality of faces and a peripheral edge, wherein the plurality of second flow plates are sealingly joined together such that the second coolant flow path is positioned between mutually facing ones of the faces of adjacent ones of theplurality of second flow plates, and the secondary heater extends along the peripheral edge of each of the plurality of second flow plates.

13. The condenser as claimed in claim 12, wherein the plurality of first flow plates and the plurality of second flow plates are aluminum.

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