Integrated Cooling Circuit Heat Pump for Vehicle Thermal Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cooling systems for hybrid and electric vehicle drives face challenges in managing different temperature requirements for internal combustion engine and electrical components, leading to inefficient heat dissipation and interior heating, particularly in winter.
Innovation Solution
A cooling system that integrates a low-temperature cooling circuit for electrical components and a high-temperature functional circuit for the internal combustion engine drive unit, connected via a heat pump to efficiently transfer heat and enhance interior heating, using a heat pump to manage temperature differences and optimize energy use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate cooling circuits are used for electrical components and internal combustion engine, then temperature requirements for each component are met, but system complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the cooling circuit for electrical components with the cooling circuit for the internal combustion engine into a single integrated system. The electrical components are cooled using the engine coolant through a shared cooling circuit, eliminating the need for separate cooling systems while meeting the temperature requirements of both systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling system is designed to serve multiple functions simultaneously: it cools the internal combustion engine, cools electrical components through heat exchangers, and provides interior heating. This multi-functional approach reduces overall system complexity by using a single cooling infrastructure for multiple purposes.
2Loss of energy
If waste heat from electrical components is used for interior heating, then heating efficiency improves, but temperature control precision for electrical components may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the waste heat from electrical components, which would otherwise be discarded, into a useful resource for interior heating. Heat exchangers capture thermal energy from the electrical component cooling circuit and transfer it to the interior heating system, improving overall energy efficiency while maintaining temperature control through proper heat exchange 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 configuration allows for a more compact and cost-effective design of electrical components, reduces power losses, and improves interior heating efficiency by utilizing waste heat from electrical components.
Implementation Method 1
The cooling circuit and the functional circuit are connected to one another in such a way that heat from the cooling circuit can be fed into the functional circuit... by means of a heat pump
Data Source
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AI summary
The cooling system has a cooling circuit (NTK) for cooling an electrical component (5,6) of a vehicle. A functional circuit (HTK) is provided for cooling an internal combustion engine drive unit (VA) of the vehicle or for the interior temperature control of the vehicle. The cooling circuit and the functional circuit are connected through a heat pump (W). The cooling circuit is provided as a low-temperature cooling circuit, while the functional circuit is provided as a high temperature functional circuit.