Integrated heat sink assembly

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing vehicle heat pump systems require air supplement and enthalpy increase in low temperature environments to meet heating demands, and separate heat exchangers and radiators complicate system design and increase costs.

Innovation Solution

An integrated radiator assembly where a refrigerant flat tube is externally sleeved with a cooling liquid flat tube, allowing for heat exchange between refrigerant and cooling liquid, eliminating the need for air supplement and enthalpy increase, and effectively utilizing heat from the motor and electric control system for energy conservation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If heat exchanger and radiator are disposed separately, then system design flexibility is improved, but system complexity and cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesystem design flexibilityVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the heat exchanger and radiator into a single integrated assembly where the refrigerant flat tubes are surrounded by cooling liquid flat tubes. This combination allows both heat exchange functions to be performed simultaneously within one structure, reducing the number of separate components while maintaining design flexibility through configurable tube arrangements and flow paths.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Adaptability or versatility

If heat exchanger and radiator are disposed separately, then functional independence is improved, but manufacturing and assembly cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefunctional independenceVSAvoidmanufacturing and assembly cost
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The integrated assembly combines heat exchanger and radiator functions in a single manufacturable unit. The refrigerant flat tubes and cooling liquid flat tubes are arranged concentrically, allowing the entire assembly to be manufactured as one piece or pre-assembled module, eliminating separate manufacturing and assembly steps while preserving functional independence through separate fluid circuits.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The refrigerant flat tubes are nested within the cooling liquid flat tubes, creating a concentric arrangement where one tube system is positioned inside the other. This nested configuration reduces overall assembly complexity and enables more efficient manufacturing processes compared to separate component assembly.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

3Temperature

If refrigerant absorbs heat from external environment, then heating requirement is met, but additional air supplement and enthalpy increase are needed

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveheating requirementVSAvoidair supplement and enthalpy increase requirements
Core Design Contradiction:
TemperatureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines the heating function with the cooling function by allowing the refrigerant to absorb heat from the cooling liquid that carries waste heat from the motor and electric control system. This integrated heat transfer eliminates the need for separate air supplement systems and enthalpy increase mechanisms, meeting heating requirements more efficiently.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses its own cooling liquid, which carries waste heat from motor and electric control system components, to provide heating through the refrigerant heat exchanger. This self-service approach recycles internal waste heat resources rather than requiring external air supplement systems, reducing overall system complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

4Device complexity

If waste heat from motor and electric control system is not utilized, then system simplicity is maintained, but energy efficiency decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesystem simplicityVSAvoidenergy efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The cooling liquid circulates through the motor and electric control system areas, absorbing waste heat that would otherwise be lost. This heat is then transferred to the refrigerant in the heat exchanger, allowing the system to utilize its own waste heat resources for heating purposes, improving energy efficiency without significantly increasing complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system recovers waste heat from the motor and electric control system that would normally be discarded to the environment. By capturing this heat through the cooling liquid circulation and transferring it to the refrigerant, the system converts waste energy into useful heating energy, improving overall energy efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #34Discarding and recovering

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 integrated design meets heating requirements without additional air or enthalpy, reduces system complexity and costs, and enhances energy efficiency by utilizing vehicle heat sources.

Implementation Method 1

heat exchange between the refrigerant in the refrigerant flat tube and the cooling liquid in the cooling liquid flat tube

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHeat exchange: Heat Exchanger

Implementation Method 2

heat exchange between the refrigerant in the refrigerant flat tube and the cooling liquid in the cooling liquid flat tube

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectThermal conduction: Conduction (thermal)

Implementation Method 3

the refrigerant in the refrigerant flat tube can absorb the heat carried by the cooling liquid in the cooling liquid flat tube, and therefore the heating requirement thereof is met

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectEnthalpy increase through heat absorption: Heat Exchanger

Implementation Method 4

the cooling liquid flowing outside the refrigerant flat tube carries a large amount of heat of a motor and an electric control system

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHeat transport through fluid flow: Convection

Data Source

PatentEP3901537B1Integrated heat sink assembly
Publication Date: 2023.06.21 CHONGQING LIVAN AUTOMOBILE R&D INST CO LTD
  • EP3901537B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3901537B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The present invention provides an integrated radiator assembly (100), and belongs to the field of vehicles. The integrated radiator assembly includes: multiple groups of refrigerant flat tubes (10), wherein multiple refrigerant flow channels (11) are disposed in each group of the refrigerant flat tubes (10); a refrigerant collection tube (20), disposed at two ends of the multiple groups of refrigerant flat tubes (10) and in communication with each of the refrigerant flow channels (11); multiple groups of cooling liquid flat tubes (30), wherein each of the refrigerant flat tubes (10) is externally sleeved with each of the cooling liquid flat tubes (30), and multiple cooling liquid flow channels (31) are formed between an outer surface of the cooling liquid flat tube (30) and an outer surface of the refrigerant flat tube (10); and a cooling liquid collection tube (40), disposed at two ends of the multiple groups of cooling liquid flat tubes (30) and in communication with each of the cooling liquid flow channels (31), wherein the cooling liquid collection tube is (40) separated from the refrigerant collection tube (20), so that a refrigerant circulates in the refrigerant flat tubes (10) and the refrigerant collection tube (20), and cooling liquid flows in the cooling liquid flat tubes (30) and the cooling liquid collection tube (40). The integrated radiator assembly (100) of the present invention is capable of meeting heating use requirements of a heat pump system without air supplement and enthalpy increase.