Immersed Pump Cooling Jacket for Compact Battery Thermal Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing temperature control devices for electric vehicle batteries are bulky and heavy, requiring significant space and posing challenges for integration in vehicles.
Innovation Solution
A compact pump design where the pump's suction port is immersed in the liquid medium, with the motor chamber located above the fluid level, allowing for a compact and lightweight temperature control device that integrates the pump within the storage tank, reducing the need for external connections and simplifying sealing, and featuring a flow path that circumferentially cools the motor.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the pump is arranged with the motor chamber integrated into the pump casing and surrounded by the pumped medium, then the pump achieves compact design, but the motor becomes exposed to the liquid medium which may cause corrosion and reliability issues
Solution Approach 1:
The pump is divided into two distinct spatial zones: a lower immersed section for pumping functions and an upper exposed motor chamber section for motor housing. This segmentation allows the motor to be protected from liquid exposure while maintaining compact integration within the pump assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
A waterproof seal acts as an intermediary barrier between the liquid medium in the pump chamber and the motor in the motor chamber. This seal prevents liquid penetration while allowing the motor to benefit from the compact integrated design and cooling from the pumped medium.
2Reliability
If the pump suction port is immersed in the liquid medium, then leak-prone connections are eliminated, but the pump requires precise positioning and sealing to prevent air ingestion and contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The pump utilizes the liquid medium itself as the sealing and positioning reference. The immersed suction port naturally seals against the tank wall through the liquid pressure, eliminating the need for complex external sealing mechanisms and simplifying manufacturing tolerances.
3Reliability
If the motor chamber is located above the maximum fluid level, then reliable sealing between motor chamber and rotor-supporting section is simplified, but the pump requires additional vertical space that increases overall device height
Solution Approach 1:
The design transitions from a purely vertical stacking arrangement to a combined vertical-horizontal configuration. The motor chamber is positioned above the fluid level vertically, while the cooling jacket extends horizontally around the motor, utilizing three-dimensional space to reduce overall height.
4Temperature
If the pumped medium flows circumferentially around the motor chamber, then efficient motor cooling is achieved, but the flow path becomes complex requiring additional space and components
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling function is merged with the existing pump flow path. The cooling jacket is integrated into the pump housing structure, and the pumped medium flows through the same channels that form the cooling system, eliminating the need for separate cooling components and simplifying the overall design.
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 design minimizes space requirements, reduces weight, and ensures reliable sealing while providing efficient temperature regulation and quiet operation, suitable for vehicle integration.
Implementation Method 1
the pumped medium is guided through the cooling jacket in such a way that it flows circumferentially around the electric motor
Implementation Method 2
a heat exchanger structure for heat exchange between the medium and the battery
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
Device for tempering an object (10), comprising a storage container (12) for a liquid medium, a heat exchanger structure (14) for heat exchange between the medium and the object (10), and a pump (16) driven by an electric motor for circulating the medium between the storage container (12) and the heat exchanger structure (14), characterized in that the pump (16) is arranged in relation to the storage container (12) such that it is immersed in the medium in the storage container with a suction nozzle (32), and that the motor (48) is housed in a motor chamber (50) which is integrated into a housing (30) of the pump and is surrounded by the pumped medium.