Vehicular thermal management system
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional battery cooling subsystems in electric and hybrid vehicles experience heat loss between the refrigerant and battery coolant, reducing cooling performance due to inefficiencies in heat exchange, which is exacerbated by increased heat generation from higher performance batteries and autonomous driving controllers.
Innovation Solution
A vehicular thermal management system is designed with an HVAC subsystem that includes a compressor, expansion valves, heat exchangers, and a heat exchanger connecting the HVAC and power electronics cooling subsystems, allowing for optimized refrigerant circulation and distribution to directly cool the battery and power electronics, enhancing temperature control and efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If battery coolant exchanges heat with refrigerant through a battery chiller, then the battery coolant can be cooled, but heat loss occurs between the refrigerant and battery coolant, reducing cooling performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the battery cooling function from the conventional refrigerant-battery coolant heat exchange system. Instead of using a battery chiller where refrigerant cools battery coolant indirectly, the system introduces a dedicated battery cooling subsystem with its own coolant circulation path that directly cools the battery, eliminating the inefficient heat exchange interface and reducing heat loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The thermal management system is segmented into distinct subsystems: an HVAC subsystem for passenger compartment conditioning and a separate battery cooling subsystem for battery temperature control. Each subsystem has its own coolant circulation path, allowing independent optimization of cooling performance without the heat loss problems of integrated heat exchange.
2Power
If battery density, current, and voltage increase to achieve higher performance, then energy output improves, but heat generating amount increases, requiring greater cooling load
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a battery coolant as an intermediary substance that absorbs heat generated by high-performance battery cells. The coolant circulates through the battery, absorbing excess thermal energy, and transports it to a battery radiator for dissipation, enabling the battery to operate at high power levels without overheating.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the thermal parameters of the battery by actively controlling coolant flow rate and temperature. By adjusting these parameters, the system can maintain optimal battery temperature even when density, current, and voltage increase to achieve higher power output, effectively decoupling power performance from thermal management constraints.
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 improves the performance of HVAC and power electronics cooling subsystems, maintaining optimal battery temperature by minimizing heat loss and efficiently managing heat exchange, thus enhancing overall vehicle thermal management and performance.
Implementation Method 1
The battery coolant circulating in the battery coolant circulation path may exchange heat with a refrigerant circulating in a refrigerant circulation path through a battery chiller so that the battery coolant may be cooled
Implementation Method 2
The battery coolant circulating in the battery coolant circulation path may exchange heat with a refrigerant circulating in a refrigerant circulation path through a battery chiller
Data Source
AI summary
An embodiment vehicular thermal management system includes a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) subsystem and a power electronics cooling subsystem thermally connected to the HVAC subsystem. The HVAC subsystem includes a compressor, a heating-side expansion valve disposed on a downstream side of the compressor, an exterior heat exchanger disposed on a downstream side of the heating-side expansion valve, a cooling-side expansion valve disposed on a downstream side of the exterior heat exchanger, an evaporator disposed on a downstream side of the cooling-side expansion valve, a distribution line configured to allow at least a portion of a refrigerant discharged from the exterior heat exchanger to be directed from an upstream side of the cooling-side expansion valve to the compressor, and a battery disposed on the distribution line.