Vehicle Refrigeration Cycle Flow Control for Cabin Heating Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional refrigeration cycle devices for vehicles face challenges in achieving appropriate heating of cabin air and cooling of batteries due to fluctuations in coolant flow rates, leading to inconsistent air heating capacity and battery cooling efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A refrigeration cycle device with a high-temperature heating medium circuit and a low-temperature heating medium circuit, including an air heater, radiator, compressor, high-pressure-side heat exchanger, decompression part, and flow rate regulators, which control the flow ratios to ensure optimal heat distribution for both air heating and battery cooling, using a controller to manage the flow rates and switch between different operation modes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If the radiator-side flow ratio is decreased to increase air heating capacity, then the maximum outlet temperature of heated air increases, but the rate of increase accelerates causing instability in temperature control
Solution Approach 1:
The flow rate regulator dynamically adjusts the radiator-side flow ratio based on operating conditions. Rather than using a fixed flow ratio, the system adapts the distribution of heating medium flow between the air heater and radiator in real-time, allowing stable temperature control while maintaining high air heating capacity across varying operational states.
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 device effectively regulates the air heating capacity and battery cooling efficiency by optimizing the flow ratios, ensuring consistent air heating and battery temperature control, even under varying conditions.
Implementation Method 1
an air heater exchanges heat between the high-temperature heating medium and air blown into a cabin to heat the air
Implementation Method 2
a radiator exchanges heat between the high-temperature heating medium and air outside the cabin to radiate the heat to the air outside the cabin
Implementation Method 3
a high-pressure-side heat exchanger exchanges heat between the high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor and the high-temperature heating medium to radiate heat from the refrigerant to the high-temperature heating medium
Implementation Method 4
an evaporator absorbs heat into the refrigerant decompressed by the decompression part to evaporate the refrigerant
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigeration cycle device includes a high-temperature heating medium regulator and a controller. The high-temperature heating medium regulator regulates a high-temperature heating medium flow ratio between the flow rate of high-temperature heating medium flowing in an air heater and the flow rate of high-temperature heating medium flowing in a radiator. The controller controls the high-temperature heating medium regulator to regulate the high-temperature heating medium flow ratio such that excess heat is radiated to air outside the cabin by the radiator, of the heat radiated from the refrigerant to the high-temperature heating medium by a high-pressure-side heat exchanger, with respect to heat required for heating air blown into a cabin by the air heater to have a target outlet temperature.