Vehicle Thermal Conditioning Circuit for Battery Cooling and Dehumidification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current thermal conditioning circuits for hybrid or electric vehicles lack the necessary flexibility to effectively manage temperature and humidity conditions for passenger comfort while also maintaining electrical components within a suitable temperature range, especially under varying external conditions.
Innovation Solution
A thermal conditioning circuit with a compressor, condenser, evapo-condenser, evaporator, and heat exchanger thermally coupled to an electrical component, featuring regulators and expanders that allow the refrigerant to circulate through different configurations, enabling multiple operating modes for cooling, heating, and dehumidification, including a bidirectional expansion valve for modularity and efficient heat exchange.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a thermal conditioning circuit is designed to provide multiple operating modes for passenger comfort, then temperature and humidity control capability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The evaporator-condenser unit is designed to perform multiple functions: it can operate as an evaporator for cooling passenger compartment air, as a condenser for dehumidification, or in combination with the dedicated condenser for enhanced cooling capacity. This multi-functionality allows a single component to replace what would traditionally require separate dedicated components, thereby providing versatile temperature and humidity control while managing circuit complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The circuit incorporates multiple expansion valves (first, second, and third) that can be dynamically activated or deactivated based on the desired operating mode. This dynamic configuration allows the system to adapt its refrigerant flow paths to achieve different thermal conditioning objectives (cooling, heating, dehumidification) without requiring physically reconfigurable hardware, thus maintaining operational versatility while controlling structural complexity
2Temperature
If the circuit is configured to cool electrical components in addition to passenger compartment, then component temperature control is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The heat exchanger thermally coupled to the electrical component is integrated into the existing refrigerant circuit, allowing the same refrigerant flow to serve dual purposes: cooling the passenger compartment through the evaporator and cooling electrical components through the heat exchanger. This integration enables electrical component temperature control without adding a separate independent cooling system, thereby improving temperature management capability while limiting the increase in device complexity
3Ease of operation
If multiple expansion valves are used to enable different operating modes, then operational flexibility is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs multiple expansion valves (first, second, and third) that can be dynamically controlled to redirect refrigerant flow according to the desired operating mode. By activating or deactivating specific valves, the system can switch between cooling modes, heating modes, and dehumidification modes without requiring physical reconfiguration of the circuit architecture. This dynamic valve control provides operational flexibility comparable to having multiple dedicated circuits while avoiding the complexity of physically reconfigurable systems
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 circuit ensures passenger comfort by providing multiple operating modes for temperature and humidity control, while effectively cooling or heating electrical components, ensuring their longevity and performance across varying external conditions.
Implementation Method 1
the evaporator, located inside a ventilation, heating and/or air conditioning system, allowing a heat exchange between an airflow, in particular an airflow coming from inside, passing through said evaporator and the refrigerant
Implementation Method 2
the evaporator-condenser, allowing a heat exchange between an external airflow, in particular from outside, passing through said evaporator-condenser and the refrigerant
Implementation Method 3
a heat exchanger thermally coupled to an electrical component of the vehicle, such as the battery, in order to regulate the temperature of said component
Implementation Method 4
a first expansion valve located directly upstream of the evaporator, a second expansion valve located directly upstream of the heat exchanger
Data Source
Figure 1~3'
Figure 4a~6
AI summary
The invention relates to a thermal conditioning circuit (1) for a hybrid or electric motor vehicle, in which a refrigerant can circulate, said circuit (1) comprising a compressor (3), a condenser (5), an evaporator-condenser (7), an evaporator (9) and a heat exchanger (11) thermally coupled to an electric member, e.g. a vehicle electric battery, characterized in that the circuit is configured to operate at least in the following three modes in which the refrigerant can circulate in a cascade and successively: - via the condenser (5), the evaporator-condenser (7) and the evaporator (9) in a first mode; - via the condenser (5), the evaporator (9) and the evaporator-condenser (7) in a second mode; and - in another mode, i.e. a third mode, in which the evaporator (9) is arranged in parallel to the heat exchanger (11) and/or to the evaporator-condenser (7) such that the refrigerant can circulate in a cascade and successively via the condenser (5) and then via at least two of said elements (7, 9, 11) that are arranged in parallel.