Integrated EV Thermal Management for Cabin, Battery, and Electronics
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Electric vehicles face challenges in thermal management due to high heat generation during operation, which affects battery efficiency and requires effective cooling and heating systems to optimize battery usage and reduce power consumption.
Innovation Solution
A thermal management system incorporating a refrigerant circulation line with a compressor, heat exchangers, and expansion valves, along with a cooling water circulation line that connects heating and cooling lines dynamically to manage vehicle interior temperature and electrical component cooling, utilizing a solid electrolyte battery and heat exchangers to recover waste heat for heating purposes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a refrigerant compressor is used for air conditioning the vehicle interior, then cooling performance is improved, but power consumption increases and battery use time decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the refrigerant circulation line and cooling water circulation line into an integrated thermal management system. The refrigerant circuit and cooling water circuit share common components such as the heat exchanger (condenser), expansion valve, and pump, allowing simultaneous operation of air conditioning and battery/electrical component cooling without requiring separate independent systems, thereby reducing overall power consumption while maintaining effective cooling performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The thermal management system is designed with multi-functionality where the refrigerant circulation line serves dual purposes: cooling the vehicle interior through the evaporator and cooling the battery/electrical components through the heat exchanger. The cooling water circulation line similarly serves multiple functions including cooling the battery, electrical components, and assisting in heating modes. This universal approach allows one system to perform multiple thermal management tasks, reducing the need for additional dedicated cooling systems and thereby lowering power consumption.
2Reliability
If separate cooling systems are used for battery and electrical components, then cooling effectiveness is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the battery cooling system and electrical component cooling system into a single integrated cooling water circulation line. Both the battery and electrical components are cooled by cooling water that circulates through a common circuit sharing the pump, heat exchanger, and expansion valve. This merging approach maintains effective cooling for all components while significantly reducing system complexity compared to having entirely separate cooling systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling water circulation line is designed as a universal system that serves multiple cooling functions simultaneously. The same cooling water circuit cools the battery, electrical components, and assists in heating operations. This multi-functional design ensures reliable cooling effectiveness for all thermal management needs while avoiding the complexity of multiple independent cooling loops.
3Device complexity
If heating line and cooling line are always connected, then system simplicity is improved, but thermal management precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic control of the thermal management system where the connection state between the heating line and cooling line changes based on operational requirements. The system can switch between connected and disconnected states of the heating and cooling lines, allowing precise thermal management for different scenarios such as cooling-only mode, heating-only mode, or simultaneous operation mode. This dynamic adaptability maintains thermal management precision while preserving system simplicity through on-demand connectivity rather than permanent fixed connections.
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 increases battery usage time by reducing power consumption, simplifies the design of refrigerant and cooling water lines, and lowers maintenance and manufacturing costs while improving heat exchange efficiency and initial battery performance.
Implementation Method 1
a refrigerant circulation line including a compressor, a first heat exchanger, a first expansion valve, and a second heat exchanger, and cooling the vehicle interior by circulating refrigerant circulating therethrough
Implementation Method 2
a heating line heating the vehicle interior by circulating cooling water heat-exchanged with the refrigerant through the first heat exchanger and heat-exchanged with a battery
Implementation Method 3
a cooling line cooling an electrical component by circulating the cooling water heat-exchanged with air or the refrigerant
Data Source
AI summary
A thermal management system includes a refrigerant circulation line including a compressor, a first heat exchanger, a first expansion valve, and a second heat exchanger configured for cooling a vehicle interior by circulating a refrigerant; a heating line configured for heating the vehicle interior by circulating cooling water heat-exchanged with the refrigerant through the first heat exchanger and heat-exchanged with a battery; a cooling line configured for cooling an electrical component by circulating cooling water heat-exchanged with air or the refrigerant.