Battery Cooling Expansion Tank With Replaceable Dryer Insert
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing expansion tanks for battery cooling systems face issues with weight, complexity, and ecological impact due to metal dryer cartridges, which are heavy, costly to manufacture, and require complex connections.
Innovation Solution
A lightweight, cost-effective expansion tank design featuring a replaceable dryer insert with a plastic, fleece, or natural fiber housing, held in place by a screw-on lid, eliminating the need for metal housings and complex connections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a sheet metal housing with drying agent is used in the dryer cartridge, then the drying function is achieved, but the weight increases and manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the permanent sheet metal housing with a disposable paper housing that is discarded after a single use. The paper housing is impregnated with drying agent and serves the drying function during one cooling cycle, then is thrown away with the coolant, eliminating the need for heavy metal housing while maintaining the drying function when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material parameter from metal to paper, and changes the lifecycle parameter from permanent to single-use. This transformation reduces weight dramatically while the impregnation with drying agent maintains the functional property of moisture absorption during the critical period when the cartridge is in use.
2Reliability
If a sheet metal housing with threaded connection is used, then the dryer cartridge can be securely attached, but the manufacturing cost increases and ecological impact worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the threaded metal connection entirely by making the housing disposable. The paper housing is simply inserted into the expansion tank and discarded after one use, eliminating complex manufacturing processes like threading while maintaining adequate connection reliability for the single-use application.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the threaded connection component from the system entirely. Instead of having a separate metal housing with threads, the connection function is simplified to a simple insertion of the paper housing into the expansion tank, removing the complex manufacturing step while the housing still serves its containment and connection purpose during use.
3Strength
If a sheet metal housing is used, then structural strength is sufficient, but the raw material cost increases and waste generation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent accepts that the housing will be discarded after one use, so it uses inexpensive paper instead of expensive metal. The paper housing provides sufficient strength for the single-use application, and the low material cost combined with single-use disposal actually reduces overall waste of valuable resources like metal.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material from metal to paper, transforming it from a permanent structural component to a single-use containment element. This parameter change reduces both material cost and the ecological impact of metal extraction and processing, while the paper housing provides adequate strength for its brief service life.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution reduces waste, lowers production costs, and minimizes environmental impact by using lightweight, easily manufactured materials, while ensuring reliable moisture prevention and pressure regulation in the expansion tank.
Implementation Method 1
drying agent arranged, through which the fresh air drawn in from the environment flowed, absorbing moisture and drying the fresh air drawn in
Implementation Method 2
the dryer insert has an activated carbon section. The activated carbon section is able to bind pollutants, in particular hydrocarbons
Data Source
AI summary
An expansion tank for a battery cooling system is disclosed. The expansion tank includes a tank housing, an exchangeable dryer insert with a housing and drying agent arranged therein, a lid which can be connected to the tank housing and in which the dryer insert is at least partially accommodated, and a valve device and/or a diaphragm. Via the valve device and/or the diaphragm, air passes from the expansion tank into the environment when there is an overpressure in the expansion tank and fresh air passes from the environment into the expansion tank when there is a vacuum in the expansion tank.