Refrigeration cycle device for auxiliary heating or cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional refrigeration cycle devices for motor-driven vehicles, such as electric vehicles, face challenges in efficiently regulating the temperature of electric machines like secondary batteries, as they either over-increase refrigerant filling and variation amounts or suffer from high pressure losses due to the need for separate pipes for liquid and gas refrigerants during heating and cooling operations.
Innovation Solution
A refrigeration cycle device configuration that includes a compressor, exterior heat exchanger, utilization-side heat exchanger, auxiliary heat exchanger, and refrigerant passage switching portions, where the liquid refrigerant flows through a smaller pipe and the gas refrigerant through a larger pipe, allowing for efficient switching of refrigerant passages to manage pressure loss and filling amounts during both heating and cooling of the secondary temperature regulation target.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If separate pipes with larger cross-sectional areas are provided for both liquid and gas refrigerant flow paths, then pressure loss is reduced, but refrigerant filling amount and variation amount increase
Solution Approach 1:
The refrigerant flow path is segmented into two separate paths: a first pipe for liquid refrigerant flow and a second pipe for gas refrigerant flow. Each pipe is optimized with appropriate cross-sectional areas according to the specific flow characteristics of liquid and gas phases, allowing pressure loss reduction without requiring both pipes to have uniformly large dimensions that would increase refrigerant filling amount.
Solution Approach 2:
Different pipe dimensions are assigned to different flow paths based on local requirements. The first pipe for liquid refrigerant has a cross-sectional area suitable for liquid flow characteristics, while the second pipe for gas refrigerant has a cross-sectional area optimized for gas flow, ensuring each path has appropriate local quality for minimizing pressure loss without excessive refrigerant filling.
2Quantity of substance
If pipe cross-sectional areas are reduced to decrease refrigerant filling amount, then refrigerant variation amount decreases, but pressure loss increases
Solution Approach 1:
The refrigerant transport system is divided into separate liquid and gas flow paths, allowing each pipe to be sized appropriately for its specific function. This segmentation enables the system to use smaller overall pipe dimensions (reducing refrigerant variation amount) while maintaining adequate flow capacity in each segment to minimize pressure loss.
3Device complexity
If a refrigeration cycle device only provides cooling function, then device complexity is reduced, but temperature regulation capability under low temperature environment is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The refrigeration cycle device incorporates a refrigerant passage switching portion that dynamically switches between different refrigerant flow paths based on operating conditions. This allows the system to adapt between cooling-only mode and heating/cooling modes, providing temperature regulation capability under low temperature environments while maintaining relatively simple device structure through dynamic configuration rather than permanent complex architecture.
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 effectively suppresses the increase in refrigerant filling and variation amounts while minimizing pressure loss, enhancing the temperature regulation of electric machines and improving energy efficiency and mounting space utilization within the vehicle.
Implementation Method 1
a compressor (11) that compresses and discharges a refrigerant
Implementation Method 2
an exterior heat exchanger (17) that exchanges heat between the refrigerant discharged from the compressor (11) and outside air
Implementation Method 3
a utilization-side heat exchanger (13, 20) that exchanges heat between one of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor (11) and the refrigerant flowing out of the exterior heat exchanger (17) and a first temperature regulation target
Implementation Method 4
an auxiliary heat exchanger (15) that exchanges heat between a refrigerant and a second temperature regulation target
Implementation Method 5
a refrigerant in a refrigeration cycle performs heat transportation by a phase change between liquid (a liquid refrigerant) and gas (a gas refrigerant)
Data Source
AI summary
In an operation mode for heating battery air, a refrigerant passage switching portion switches over to a first refrigerant passage in which a refrigerant including gas refrigerant flowing out of an interior condenser flows into an auxiliary heat exchanger through a first pipe having a relatively large passage cross-sectional area and a liquid refrigerant flowing out of the auxiliary heat exchanger flows to an inlet of an exterior heat exchanger through a second pipe having a relatively small passage cross-sectional area. Meanwhile, in an operation mode for cooling the battery air, the refrigerant passage switching portion switches over to a second refrigerant passage in which a liquid refrigerant flowing out of the exterior heat exchanger flows into the auxiliary heat exchanger through the second pipe and a gas refrigerant flowing out of the auxiliary heat exchanger flows to a suction port of a compressor through the first pipe.