Cooling flow control system
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cooling systems are often oversized or inefficiently controlled, failing to effectively manage both steady-state and transient thermal loads, leading to suboptimal performance and increased resource consumption.
Innovation Solution
A thermal management system incorporating a cooling pump, thermal energy storage, mixing valve, recharge pump, and controller that dynamically adjusts the flow of cooling fluid to optimize cooling capacity, allowing for rapid re-chilling and the use of smaller components by coordinating the operation of low-load and high-load valves, and the recharge valve to maintain target temperatures and preserve cooling potential.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cooling systems are designed to handle peak constant thermal loads without regard to transient loads or component size, then cooling availability is maintained, but component size increases and system efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The thermal energy storage component pre-cools fluid during low-demand periods, storing cooling capacity in advance. This preliminary action allows the system to rapidly respond to transient thermal loads without requiring oversized cooling components, thereby maintaining cooling availability while reducing component size.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes flow parameters and temperature parameters by adjusting pump speeds and mixing ratios based on real-time thermal demand. This allows the system to optimize performance for both steady-state and transient conditions, maintaining reliability while using appropriately sized components.
2Reliability
If cooling systems are designed to handle peak constant thermal loads without regard to transient loads, then cooling capacity is sufficient, but system efficiency and resource consumption worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs variable speed pumps and dynamic flow control that adjust cooling delivery in real-time based on actual thermal demand. This dynamic operation eliminates the energy waste associated with constant high-capacity operation, maintaining sufficient cooling capacity while significantly reducing resource consumption during low-demand periods.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller dynamically adjusts flow rates, temperatures, and mixing ratios to match actual thermal loads. This parameter optimization ensures the system operates at peak efficiency across varying conditions, maintaining adequate cooling capacity while minimizing energy and resource consumption.
3Reliability
If oversized components are used to meet design goals, then cooling availability is ensured, but device complexity and control efficiency worsen
Solution Approach 1:
By pre-cooling and storing thermal energy in advance, the system eliminates the need for oversized components. This approach simplifies the overall device architecture while maintaining cooling availability, as the thermal storage acts as a buffer that reduces peak demand requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The thermal energy storage component serves as an intermediary between the cooling source and the thermal load. It decouples the sizing of cooling components from peak load requirements, allowing smaller, simpler components to suffice while the storage medium handles the transient demand variations.
4Device complexity
If cooling systems do not account for transient thermal loads, then system design is simplified, but cooling performance and responsiveness deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The thermal energy storage system performs preliminary cooling during low-demand periods, building up a reserve of cooling capacity. This allows the system to rapidly respond to transient thermal loads with pre-chilled fluid, dramatically improving cooling performance and responsiveness without requiring complex active control systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The system utilizes temperature parameter changes in the thermal storage medium to provide rapid response to transient loads. By maintaining a temperature differential in the storage fluid, the system can quickly deliver cooling when needed, enhancing performance while keeping the design relatively simple.
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
This approach enables efficient management of thermal loads by reducing component size and power consumption while maintaining cooling availability, especially during transient demands, and preserves cooling potential through strategic fluid mixing and recharging.
Implementation Method 1
a cooling pump, a cooling source, a thermal energy storage, a mixing valve having a first input, a second input, and an output
Implementation Method 2
cooling fluid heated by the thermal load and cooled by the cooling source
Implementation Method 3
a thermal energy storage... that dynamically adjusts the flow of cooling fluid to optimize cooling capacity, allowing for rapid re-chilling
Implementation Method 4
a mixing valve having a first input, a second input, and an output... strategic fluid mixing
Implementation Method 5
a recharge pump... Operation of the recharge pump may cause heated cooling fluid output from the thermal load to bypass the cooling pump
Data Source
AI summary
A cooling system may include a cooling pump that causes cooling fluid received from a thermal load to flow to a cooling source, a low-load valve, a high-load valve, a thermal energy store, and a mixing valve. The cooling source and the low-load valve may be downstream from the cooling pump. The high load valve and thermal energy storage may be downstream from the cooling source. The first input of the mixing valve may be downstream from the thermal energy storage. The second input of the mixing valve may be downstream from the low-load valve and the high-load valve. The thermal load may be downstream from an output of the mixing valve. The cooling system may switch between a low load mode and a high load mode with coordinated operation of the low-load valve and high-load valve.