Traction Motor Cooling Loop Venting for Pressure Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cooling systems for electric traction machines in motor vehicles experience pressure fluctuations due to temperature changes in the cooling liquid, leading to inadmissible high or low operating pressures, which are not effectively managed by conventional expansion tanks.
Innovation Solution
A cooling system with a looped conduit system, circulation pump, expansion tank, and heat exchanger, where the expansion tank is configured with an aperture to the environment, allowing for volume equalization through gas exchange, and includes features like a calming section and adsorption filter to manage pressure fluctuations and prevent liquid ingress.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the expansion tank is closed to the environment, then pressure stability is improved, but gas and moisture ingress cannot be effectively prevented
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an adsorption filter as an intermediary component between the expansion tank and the environment. This filter allows pressure equalization while blocking harmful substances like gas and moisture, thus resolving the contradiction between maintaining pressure stability and preventing contaminant ingress
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the harmful filtering function from the closure system itself and implements it through a separate adsorption filter component. This separation allows the expansion tank to maintain pressure stability while the dedicated filter handles contaminant rejection
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the expansion tank is open to the environment, then gas and moisture ingress is reduced, but pressure fluctuations increase
Solution Approach 1:
The adsorption filter acts as a mediator that permits pressure equalization with the environment while simultaneously blocking gas and moisture from entering the cooling system, thus achieving both goals
3Stress or pressure
If a closed expansion tank system is used, then pressure control is improved, but system complexity increases due to additional filtering components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the filtering function into a separate, modular adsorption filter component that can be independently selected and replaced, thus managing system complexity while maintaining effective pressure control and contaminant blocking
Solution Approach 2:
The adsorption filter is designed as a relatively simple, replaceable component that can be periodically maintained or replaced, reducing the long-term complexity and cost of the overall pressure control system
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 effectively stabilizes pressure within the cooling system by allowing controlled gas exchange, reducing stress on components and extending the lifespan of the adsorption filter, while maintaining efficient temperature control and insulation.
Implementation Method 1
Due to unavoidable temperature fluctuations in the cooling liquid, there are volume changes in the cooling liquid and consequently pressure fluctuations
Implementation Method 2
a circulation pump for conveying the first cooling liquid in the looped conduit system in a first circulation direction
Implementation Method 3
a first heat exchanger for dissipating heat from and/or supplying heat to the first cooling liquid to be circulated in the looped conduit system
Data Source
AI summary
A cooling system for an electric traction machine for a motor vehicle includes a looped conduit system for conducting a first cooling liquid and a circulation pump for conveying the first cooling liquid in the looped conduit system in a first circulation direction. The system further includes an expansion tank filled at least partially with the first cooling liquid and at least partially with a gas and a motor input terminal for fluidically connecting the looped conduit system on an input side to an electric traction machine to be temperature-controlled. The system further includes a motor output terminal for fluidically connecting the looped conduit system on an output side to the traction machine and a first heat exchanger for dissipating heat from and/or supplying heat to the first cooling liquid. The expansion tank is configured with an aperture that is open to the environment.