Thermal management systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional refrigeration systems are heavy and power-intensive, making them unsuitable for mobile platforms and applications requiring precise temperature control of high heat flux, temperature-sensitive loads, as they often require large compressors and condensers that are impractical for size and weight constraints.
Innovation Solution
An open-circuit refrigeration system operating at a single pressure level, utilizing a liquid separator, pump, evaporators, and a back-pressure regulator to efficiently manage refrigerant flow, reducing system size and weight while maintaining precise temperature control without significant power consumption, and allowing for the discharge or processing of refrigerant vapor.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional closed-circuit refrigeration systems are used to handle large amounts of absorbed thermal energy, then the heat removal capacity is improved, but the system weight and power consumption increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the condenser and compressor from the mobile thermal management system, retaining only the evaporator and refrigerant distribution components. This allows the system to maintain heat removal capacity while dramatically reducing weight by removing the heavy compression and condensation components that are unnecessary when utilizing ambient temperature differences.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the refrigeration system into separate functional components, isolating the mobile evaporator unit from the stationary condenser and compressor. This segmentation allows the mobile platform to carry only the essential cooling components while the heavy infrastructure remains fixed at the base station.
2Productivity
If conventional closed-circuit refrigeration systems are used to handle large amounts of absorbed thermal energy, then the heat removal capacity is improved, but the power consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the compressor, which is the primary power-consuming component, from the mobile system. By extracting this component and relying on passive heat transfer to the ambient environment, the system achieves significant power consumption reduction while maintaining heat removal capacity through the evaporator alone.
Solution Approach 2:
The system utilizes ambient temperature differences to provide passive cooling without requiring active compression. The refrigerant naturally evaporates and absorbs heat from the load, then dissipates heat to the ambient environment without requiring powered compression, enabling the system to serve itself thermally.
3Productivity
If conventional refrigeration systems are used for mobile platforms, then the heat removal capacity is sufficient, but the system size and weight become impractical
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the condenser and compressor from the mobile system, dramatically reducing the volume required for mobile deployment. The evaporator and refrigerant distribution network are optimized for mobile platforms, eliminating the need for large housing to accommodate heavy compression and condensation equipment.
4Reliability
If conventional refrigeration systems are used, then reliable temperature control is achieved, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the compressor and condenser, simplifying the system architecture while maintaining reliable temperature control through the evaporator. The reduced component count eliminates potential failure points associated with compression mechanisms and condensation management, thereby maintaining reliability with lower complexity.
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 reduces the size and weight of refrigeration systems, enabling efficient heat management for high heat flux and temperature-sensitive components while maintaining precise temperature control, and allows for the disposal or processing of refrigerant vapor, addressing the limitations of conventional closed-cycle systems.
Implementation Method 1
a liquid separator configurable to store a refrigerant, the liquid separator having an inlet, a vapor-side outlet and a liquid-side outlet
Implementation Method 2
a pump having a pump inlet and a pump outlet, with the pump inlet receiving refrigerant from the liquid-side outlet and configurable to pump the liquid refrigerant received from the liquid-side outlet
Implementation Method 3
a first evaporator having an evaporator inlet and an evaporator outlet and configurable to extract heat from a heat first load in proximity to the first evaporator
Implementation Method 4
configurable to extract heat from a heat first load through phase change of refrigerant
Implementation Method 5
a control device configurable to control a temperature of the heat load, with the liquid separator, the first evaporator, the second evaporator, the control device, and the exhaust line coupled to form an open-circuit refrigerant flow path
Data Source
AI summary
Thermal management systems include an open-circuit refrigeration system featuring a receiver configurable to store a refrigerant fluid, an evaporator configurable to extract heat from a heat load when the heat load contacts the evaporator, and an exhaust line, where the receiver, the evaporator, and the exhaust line are connected to form a refrigerant fluid flow path, and a first control device configurable to control a vapor quality of the refrigerant fluid at an outlet of the evaporator along the refrigerant fluid flow path.