Vehicle Thermal Management Waterways for Heat Recovery and Joint Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing thermal management systems in vehicles fail to fully utilize the excess heat of electric assemblies and batteries, leading to low integration levels and high power consumption, as they cannot independently or jointly cool or heat these components and are limited in working conditions.
Innovation Solution
A thermal management system with a heat pump module, battery waterway, heat exchange waterway, and control valve group that allows for various communication states among the battery, heat exchange, and electric assembly waterways, enabling full utilization of excess heat and efficient heating or cooling in different conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the thermal management system uses a heat pump module to cool the battery and electric assembly through a single waterway, then the cooling function is simple to implement, but the system cannot fully utilize excess heat and cannot implement independent or joint heating/cooling of battery and electric assembly
Solution Approach 1:
The waterway is divided into four separate waterways (battery waterway, heat exchange waterway, heat dissipator waterway, electric assembly waterway), allowing independent control and multiple working conditions. This segmentation enables the system to implement independent cooling/heating of battery and electric assembly, joint cooling/heating when connected in series, and heat recovery from excess heat, thereby resolving the contradiction between adaptability and complexity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the thermal management system uses multiple separate cooling systems for battery and electric assembly, then independent cooling is achieved, but the integration level is low and power consumption is high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the battery cooling system and electric assembly cooling system into a unified thermal management system with a shared heat pump module and interconnected waterways. The control valve group enables flexible configuration where both components can be cooled independently or jointly, and excess heat from one can be utilized to heat the other or the cabin, reducing overall power consumption while maintaining independent cooling capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system converts the excess heat generated by the electric assembly or battery into a useful resource for heating the other component or the cabin, rather than treating it as waste. This heat recovery mechanism reduces the energy consumption of the heat pump module by utilizing available thermal energy, thereby resolving the contradiction between independent cooling capability and power consumption.
3Device complexity
If the thermal management system uses a simple heat dissipator design, then the structure is simple, but the service life of components is reduced due to insufficient heat management
Solution Approach 1:
The heat dissipator is designed with dynamic control capabilities through the control valve group, which can adjust the flow paths and operating modes based on real-time thermal conditions. The system can switch between different dissipation modes (independent dissipation, joint dissipation, heat recovery mode) to optimize heat management effectiveness, thereby extending component service life while maintaining reasonable structural 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 achieves high energy utilization and integration levels by optimizing energy consumption, prolonging the service life of components, and reducing costs through efficient heat management.
Implementation Method 1
a heat pump module; a first heat exchanger, where the first heat exchanger includes a first heat exchange path and a second heat exchange path, the first heat exchange path is in communication with the heat pump module
Implementation Method 2
a first heat exchanger, where the first heat exchanger includes a first heat exchange path and a second heat exchange path, the second heat exchange path is in communication with the heat exchange waterway
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
A thermal management system and a vehicle are provided. The thermal management system includes a heat pump module, a battery waterway, a heat exchange waterway, a heat dissipator waterway, an electric assembly waterway, a first heat exchanger, and a control valve group. A first heat exchange path of the first heat exchanger is connected to the heat pump module, and a second heat exchange path of the first heat exchanger is connected to the heat exchange waterway. The electric assembly waterway may be connected to the heat dissipator waterway or the heat exchange waterway in series, the battery waterway may be connected to the heat dissipator waterway or the heat exchange waterway in series, and the battery waterway, the heat exchange waterway, the heat dissipator waterway, and the electric assembly waterway may be connected in series.