Dynamic Thermal Management for EV Battery and Cabin
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current heat treatment systems for electric or hybrid vehicles face challenges in simultaneously dissipating heat generated during fast charging of electrical storage devices and cooling the passenger compartment while minimizing system size and energy consumption.
Innovation Solution
A heat treatment system with a refrigerant circuit featuring a first and second heat exchanger, along with a control module that activates additional fan units during rapid recharging phases to temporarily increase thermal capacity, optimizing heat exchange surface area and energy usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the refrigerant circuit is sized to cool the electrical storage device during fast charging, then the thermal capacity is sufficient for rapid charging, but the system size and energy consumption increase unnecessarily for standard charging operations
Solution Approach 1:
The heat treatment system dynamically adjusts its thermal capacity by controlling the operation of the second heat exchanger and associated fan unit based on charging conditions. During fast charging, the system activates additional cooling capacity; during standard charging, it operates with reduced capacity, optimizing energy consumption while maintaining reliability when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The refrigerant circuit is designed to serve multiple functions: it cools the electrical storage device during both standard and fast charging operations, and simultaneously provides thermal treatment for the passenger compartment. The second heat exchanger enables the system to handle elevated thermal loads during fast charging while maintaining versatility for other thermal management needs.
2Reliability
If the refrigerant circuit is sized to cool the passenger compartment during fast charging, then thermal treatment capacity is sufficient, but the system size increases unnecessarily for standard operations
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically configures its thermal treatment capacity by selectively activating the second heat exchanger and associated fan unit based on thermal load requirements. During fast charging with high thermal demands, additional heat exchange surface area becomes available; during standard operations, the system operates with a smaller effective footprint, reducing the practical system size needed.
3Reliability
If additional cooling capacity is permanently installed to handle fast charging, then thermal management reliability improves, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than permanently installing additional cooling components that would increase device complexity, the system dynamically activates existing components (second heat exchanger and fan unit) only when fast charging conditions are detected. This approach maintains cooling reliability during fast charging while avoiding the complexity of permanently configured oversized systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The control module is pre-configured to detect fast charging conditions and automatically activate the second heat exchanger and associated fan unit in advance of thermal overload. This preliminary action ensures cooling reliability is available when needed without requiring permanent activation of additional components, thereby reducing device complexity.
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 system effectively manages thermal demands during rapid charging by increasing heat exchange capacity only when needed, ensuring efficient cooling of both the electrical storage device and passenger compartment without excessive energy consumption.
Implementation Method 1
a first heat exchanger (110) and a second heat exchanger (120) are arranged on a refrigerant circuit (1)
Implementation Method 2
a first motor-fan unit (111) and a second motor-fan unit (121) are respectively associated with the first heat exchanger (110) and the second heat exchanger (120)
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5
AI summary
The invention relates to a thermal treatment system (100) for an electric or hybrid vehicle (10), in which at least one device for the thermal treatment of an interior of said vehicle (10) comprises a first heat exchanger (110) arranged on a refrigerant circuit. A second heat exchanger (120) is arranged on said refrigerant circuit with a second motor – fan unit (121) associated with the second heat exchanger (120), said thermal treatment system (100) comprising a control module (200) configured, on the one hand, to detect a phase of rapid recharging of an electric storage device of the vehicle (10) and to detect a phase of thermal treatment of the interior and, on the other hand, to activate the second motor – fan unit (121) when a phase of rapid recharging and a phase of thermal treatment are detected simultaneously.