Underground Cooling Tank Layout for EV Charger Leak Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for an environmentally safe cooling solution for charging stations of electrically powered motor vehicles, as existing cooling methods may harm the environment and require frequent visual inspections for leakage detection.
Innovation Solution
A cooling tank installation with a reservoir for the cooling medium, a retention vessel for containing leaks, and an outer vessel for support, along with an absorption body and moisture sensor for detecting leaks, allows for underground storage and monitoring of the cooling medium, ensuring environmental safety and efficient leakage detection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the cooling tank is installed underground for environmental safety, then the environmental protection is improved, but the detection of leakage becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
An absorption body is introduced as an intermediary between the retention vessel and the outer vessel. This absorption body actively absorbs any leaking cooling medium, concentrating it in a detectable location. The moisture sensor then detects the absorbed liquid, converting an otherwise undetectable underground leakage into a measurable signal, thus resolving the contradiction between environmental protection and leakage detectability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces visual inspection methods with a moisture sensor-based detection system. Instead of requiring manual visual examination of underground components, the electrical moisture sensor automatically detects the presence of cooling medium through the absorption body, substituting mechanical/visual detection with an automated sensing system that works effectively in underground conditions
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a retention vessel is added to contain leakage, then the environmental safety is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a nested structure where the retention vessel is placed inside the outer vessel, and the absorption body is positioned within the retention vessel's interior space. This nesting arrangement contains multiple protective functions within a compact hierarchical structure, improving environmental safety while minimizing the increase in overall device complexity through space-efficient design
Solution Approach 2:
The absorption body serves as an intermediary component between the retention vessel and the outer vessel. This single component performs multiple functions: it absorbs leaking cooling medium, concentrates it for detection, and provides a interface for the moisture sensor. By consolidating multiple functions into one intermediary element, the patent improves environmental safety without proportionally increasing structural complexity
3Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If the retention vessel is raised mounted in a concrete wall for leakage detection, then the visual inspection is improved, but the structural complexity and installation complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical approach of raised mounting for visual access with an automated moisture sensor detection system. The sensor electrically detects leakage through the absorption body without requiring physical access or raised mounting, substituting mechanical installation complexity with a simpler sensor-based detection approach that works effectively in underground installations
Solution Approach 2:
The absorption body acts as an intermediary that brings the leakage detection function to the underground installation level. Instead of requiring the retention vessel to be raised for inspection, the absorption body remains in the underground position and actively absorbs and concentrates leakage, allowing the moisture sensor to detect it in situ without requiring structural modifications for visual access
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 enables the safe underground storage of a large volume of cooling medium, allowing for effective cooling of charging stations while minimizing environmental risk, with quick and reliable leakage detection and containment.
Implementation Method 1
An absorption body may be provided between the retention vessel and the outer vessel in the direction of gravity and can absorb moisture
Implementation Method 2
The absorption body may be a textile nonwoven and can absorb moisture or liquid entering the outer vessel
Implementation Method 3
A moisture sensor may be provided for detecting moisture of the absorption body
Data Source
AI summary
A cooling tank installation (10) for a liquid cooling of a charging station for electrically powered motor vehicles includes at least one reservoir (12, 14) for receiving an environmentally hazardous cooling medium. The reservoir (12, 14) is inserted in a retention vessel (16) for retaining a quantity of leakage from the reservoir (12, 14), and a receiving volume for receiving the entire liquid volume of the reservoir (12, 14) is formed between the reservoir (12, 14) and the retention vessel (16). The retention vessel (16) is inserted in an outer vessel (20) that provides support with respect to earth loads. An absorption body (24) is provided in the outer vessel (20) between the retention vessel (16) and the outer vessel (20) in the direction of gravity for absorbing moisture, and a moisture sensor detects moisture of the absorption body (24).