Centralized EV Charger Cooling With Thermal Heat Buffering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electric vehicle charging installations face challenges with noise, complexity, and inadequate cooling capacity, particularly during peak hours, due to the inefficiencies in existing cooling systems for heat removal from multiple heat-generating components.
Innovation Solution
A centralized cooling system with a thermal energy storage element and a primary heat exchanger that collects and temporarily stores heat from multiple components, allowing for efficient dissipation into the environment, thereby providing additional cooling capacity during surges in demand and reducing noise and complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple decentralized cooling units are used at each charging station, then each component can be cooled independently, but the system becomes more complex and noisier
Solution Approach 1:
The patent consolidates multiple decentralized cooling units into a single centralized cooling system that serves all charging stations. This merging approach reduces the total number of cooling units from many small distributed units to one or a few large centralized units, thereby reducing system complexity while maintaining adequate cooling capacity through aggregation.
Solution Approach 2:
The centralized cooling system is designed to serve multiple charging stations and various heat-generating components (charging posts, power modules, power cabinets, and even EV batteries) through a universal cooling infrastructure. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for dedicated cooling units at each location, reducing overall system complexity.
2Reliability
If multiple decentralized cooling units are used at each charging station, then each component can be cooled independently, but the system generates more noise
Solution Approach 1:
By merging multiple small cooling units into fewer large centralized units, the patent reduces the total noise output. While individual large heat exchangers may be noisy, consolidating them allows for better noise management through strategic placement away from charging stations, and the overall noise footprint is reduced compared to having many small units distributed throughout the charging area.
3Reliability
If cooling capacity is increased to meet peak demand, then adequate cooling is provided during surges, but the system operates less efficiently during normal conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic control of the centralized cooling system, allowing it to adjust its operation based on real-time cooling demand. During peak hours when multiple EVs are charging simultaneously, the system operates at full capacity to meet the surge demand. During normal conditions with fewer vehicles, the system automatically reduces its operation, optimizing energy efficiency while maintaining the ability to provide full cooling capacity when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms that monitor cooling demand from various charging stations and heat-generating components. This feedback enables the centralized cooling system to dynamically adjust its operation, ensuring optimal energy efficiency by operating only at the level necessary to meet current cooling demands while maintaining the capacity to handle peak loads.
4Loss of energy
If a single large heat exchanger is used, then cooling efficiency improves and noise is reduced, but the heat exchanger must be positioned remotely from charging stations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the primary heat exchanger from the charging station locations and positions it remotely in a dedicated cooling facility. This separation allows the large heat exchanger to operate optimally for cooling efficiency and noise reduction while being physically removed from the user-facing charging areas. The cooling capacity is delivered to charging stations through a fluid distribution system, maintaining effective cooling without compromising accessibility to charging equipment.
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 centralized cooling system enhances cooling capacity during peak hours, operates more efficiently and quietly by using a single large heat exchanger instead of multiple smaller ones, and reduces noise and complexity by positioning the primary heat exchanger remotely from charging stations.
Implementation Method 1
a thermal energy storage element configured to act as a buffer for temporarily storing the heat collected from the plurality of heat-generating components
Implementation Method 2
a primary heat exchanger, serving as the common outlet, wherein the primary heat exchanger is configured to dissipate the heat temporarily stored by the thermal energy storage element to the surrounding or ambient environment
Data Source
AI summary
A cooling system for electric vehicle charging infrastructure exhibits a centralized cooling arrangement in which heat is collected from a plurality of heat-generating components of the EVCI and dissipated into the surrounding environment via a common outlet. The cooling system comprises: a thermal energy storage element configured to act as a buffer for temporarily storing the heat collected from the plurality of heat-generating components; and a primary heat exchanger serving as the common outlet, wherein the primary heat exchanger is configured to dissipate the heat temporarily stored by the thermal energy storage element with the surrounding environment.