U.S. patent application number 14/286336 was filed with the patent office on 2014-09-11 for cooling system for eco-friendly vehicle.
This patent application is currently assigned to Hyundai Motor Company. The applicant listed for this patent is Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation. Invention is credited to Jaeyeon Kim, Manhee Park.
Application Number | 20140250933 14/286336 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43972657 |
Filed Date | 2014-09-11 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140250933 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kim; Jaeyeon ; et
al. |
September 11, 2014 |
COOLING SYSTEM FOR ECO-FRIENDLY VEHICLE
Abstract
A cooling system for an eco-friendly vehicle, may include an
unified radiator that cools working fluid flowing therethrough to
cool an electric power component and an air-cooling type AC
condenser, respectively, a pump that is disposed in a series with
the unified radiator to pump up the working fluid in the unified
radiator to the electric power component or the water-cooling type
AC condenser, a first branch pipe and a second branch pipe that
connect the electric power components with the water-cooling type
AC condenser in parallel for the unified radiator and the pump, and
a valve connected to the first and second branch pipes and disposed
to selectively supply the working fluid from the pump to the first
branch pipe and the second branch pipe.
Inventors: |
Kim; Jaeyeon; (Hwaseong-si,
KR) ; Park; Manhee; (Suwon-si, KR) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Hyundai Motor Company
Kia Motors Corporation |
Seoul
Seoul |
|
KR
KR |
|
|
Assignee: |
Hyundai Motor Company
Seoul
KR
Kia Motors Corporation
Seoul
KR
|
Family ID: |
43972657 |
Appl. No.: |
14/286336 |
Filed: |
May 23, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
12906782 |
Oct 18, 2010 |
8763418 |
|
|
14286336 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
62/259.2 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F01P 3/18 20130101; H01M
8/04731 20130101; B60H 1/00278 20130101; F01P 2060/14 20130101;
H01M 8/04029 20130101; B60K 2001/005 20130101; Y02E 60/50 20130101;
F01P 2050/24 20130101; B60H 2001/00307 20130101; H01M 8/04074
20130101; Y02T 10/88 20130101; F01P 2003/187 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
62/259.2 |
International
Class: |
H01M 8/04 20060101
H01M008/04 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 3, 2009 |
KR |
10-2009-0119135 |
Claims
1-6. (canceled)
7. A cooling system for an eco-friendly vehicle, comprising: an
unified radiator that cools working fluid flowing therethrough to
cool an electric power component and an AC condenser, respectively;
a pump that is disposed in a series with the unified radiator to
pump up a coolant in the unified radiator to the electric power
component and the water-cooling type AC condenser; and a single
coolant pipe that forms a single closed circuit by connecting in a
series the water-cooling type AC condenser with the electric power
components, for the unified radiator and the pump.
8. The cooling system for the eco-friendly vehicle as defined in
claim 7, wherein the AC condenser is positioned in the upstream of
the electric power component at the single coolant pipe.
9. The cooling system for the eco-friendly vehicle as defined in
claim 8, further comprising a reservoir tank that stores the
working fluid under predetermined pressure, or using a specific
atmosphere-open structure is positioned in the downstream of the
electric power component at the single coolant pipe.
10. The cooling system for the eco-friendly vehicle as defined in
claim 7, wherein the pump is positioned between the unified
radiator and the water-cooling type AC condenser to pump up the
working fluid from the unified radiator to the water-cooling type
AC condenser.
11. The cooling system for the eco-friendly vehicle as defined in
claim 7, wherein the unified radiator is positioned before a
stack-radiator for cooling only the stack and the cooling fan is
positioned before the stack-radiator such that cooling air passes
through the unified radiator after passing through the
stack-radiator.
12. The cooling system for an eco-friendly vehicle as defined in
claim 11, wherein the unified radiator is integrally formed with
the stack-radiator for cooling only the stack such that only the
channel for the working fluid is separated.
13. The cooling system for an eco-friendly vehicle as defined in
claim 7, wherein at least one or more reservoir tank storing the
working fluid that flows is provided.
14-29. (canceled)
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application claims priority to Korean Patent
Application Number 10-2009-0119135 filed Dec. 3, 2009, the entire
contents of which application is incorporated herein for all
purposes by this reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a cooling system for an
eco-friendly vehicle, in more detail, a stack and electric power
components of a fuel cell vehicle.
[0004] 2. Description of Related Art
[0005] Fuel cells have the advantage of generating electricity
without environmental pollution, because they produce little air
pollutants and carbon dioxide, and also have higher electricity
generation efficiency than thermal power generation of the related
art, such that eco-friendly vehicles using a fuel cell as the power
source have been increasingly developed.
[0006] Hybrid vehicles can appropriately use power from a motor and
an engine to drive the vehicles in accordance with traveling
conditions of the vehicles, and the technology of driving a vehicle
with a motor is necessary for the fuel cell vehicles.
[0007] It is a problem in driving a vehicle with a motor to
dissipate heat generated by the operation of the motor and heat
generated by phase change of current in an inverter.
[0008] Therefore, it is technologically necessary to cool electric
power components, such as the motor and the inverter, and
effectively cool the stack of the fuel cell.
[0009] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a cooling system of a fuel
cell vehicle in the related art, which includes a cooling circuit
composed of a water pump, a reservoir tank, and a radiator for
cooling electric power components and a cooling circuit composed of
a water pump, a reservoir tank, and a radiator for cooing a stack,
in which an air-cooling type AC condenser is disposed between the
radiators to cool an air conditioner with a cooling fan.
[0010] Further, the cooling system shown in FIG. 2 is a
water-cooling type that cools the air conditioner with water, in
which a separate cooling circuit composed of a water pump
circulating cooling water to the water-cooling type air
conditioner, a reservoir tank, and a radiator for cooling an
air-con coolant is included and the radiator for cooling an air-con
coolant is disposed between the stack-radiator and the electric
power components-radiator to cool them with a cooling fan.
[0011] In the cooling systems in the related art, the configuration
shown in FIG. 1 has difficulty in ensuring sufficient cooling
performance, because the air-cooling type AC condenser increases
ventilation resistance for the electric power components-radiator
and the stack-radiator. In particular, the electric power
components and the stack are operated at low temperature as
compared with the existing internal combustion engines and a
high-capacity radiator is required because the enthalpy is three
times larger than the internal combustion engines, but the increase
of thickness of the radiator increases ventilation resistance, such
that a technology of optimizing this conditions is required.
[0012] On the other hand, the configuration shown in FIG. 2 has a
problem that it has an adverse effect on weight, volume, and cost
of a vehicle, because many parts, including the water pump and the
reservoir, are unnecessarily used to separately form the cooling
circuit for the stack, electric power components, and AC
condenser.
[0013] The information disclosed in this Background of the
Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the
general background of the invention and should not be taken as an
acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information
forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the
art.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0014] Various aspects of the present invention are directed to
provide a cooling system for an eco-friendly vehicle that minimizes
ventilation resistance of radiators for cooling a stack and
electric power components and ensures smooth and stable cooling
performance for the stack, the electric power components, and an AC
condenser, while reducing weight of the vehicle, volume of the
parts, and cost, without using unnecessarily a number of parts,
such as a water pump and a reservoir tank.
[0015] In an aspect of the present invention, the cooling system
for an eco-friendly vehicle, may include an unified radiator that
cools working fluid flowing therethrough to cool an electric power
component and an air-cooling type AC condenser, respectively, a
pump that is disposed in a series with the unified radiator to pump
up the working fluid in the unified radiator to the electric power
component or the water-cooling type AC condenser, a first branch
pipe and a second branch pipe that connect the electric power
components with the water-cooling type AC condenser in parallel for
the unified radiator and the pump, and a valve connected to the
first and second branch pipes and disposed to selectively supply
the working fluid from the pump to the first branch pipe and the
second branch pipe.
[0016] In another aspect of the present invention, the cooling
system for an eco-friendly vehicle, may include an unified radiator
that cools working fluid flowing therethrough to cool an electric
power component and an AC condenser, respectively, a pump that is
disposed in a series with the unified radiator to pump up a coolant
in the unified radiator to the electric power component and the
water-cooling type AC condenser , and a single coolant pipe that
forms a single closed circuit by connecting in a series the
water-cooling type AC condenser with the electric power components,
for the unified radiator and the pump.
[0017] In further another aspect of the present invention, the
cooling system for an eco-friendly vehicle, may include a unified
radiator that cools working fluid flowing therethrough to cool a
stack and an air-cooling type AC condenser, respectively, a pump
that is disposed in a series with the unified radiator to pump up
the working fluid in the unified radiator to the stack or the
water-cooling type AC condenser, a first branch pipe and a second
branch pipe that connect the stack with the water-cooling type AC
condenser in parallel for the unified radiator and the pump, and a
valve connected to the first branch pipe and the second branch pipe
and disposed to supply the working fluid from the pump to the first
branch pipe and the second branch pipe.
[0018] In an aspect of the present invention, the cooling system
for an eco-friendly vehicle, may include an unified radiator that
cools working fluid flowing therethrough to cool a stack and an AC
condenser, respectively, a pump that is disposed in a series with
the unified radiator to pump up the coolant in the unified radiator
to the stack and the AC condenser, and a single coolant pipe that
forms a single closed circuit by connecting in a series the
water-cooling type AC condenser with the stack, for the unified
radiator and the pump.
[0019] According to the present invention, it is possible to
minimize ventilation resistance of radiators for cooling a stack
and electric power components and ensure smooth and stable cooling
performance for the stack, the electric power components, and an AC
condenser, while reducing weight of the vehicle, volume of the
parts, and cost, without using unnecessarily a number of parts,
such as a water pump and a reservoir tank.
[0020] The methods and apparatuses of the present invention have
other features and advantages which will be apparent from or are
set forth in more detail in the accompanying drawings, which are
incorporated herein, and the following Detailed Description of the
Invention, which together serve to explain certain principles of
the present invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0021] FIGS. 1 and 2 are diagrams illustrating embodiments of a
cooling system for an eco-friendly vehicle in the related art.
[0022] FIGS. 3 to 6 are diagrams illustrating embodiments of a
cooling system for an eco-friendly vehicle according to the present
invention.
[0023] It should be understood that the appended drawings are not
necessarily to scale, presenting a somewhat simplified
representation of various features illustrative of the basic
principles of the invention. The specific design features of the
present invention as disclosed herein, including, for example,
specific dimensions, orientations, locations, and shapes will be
determined in part by the particular intended application and use
environment.
[0024] In the figures, reference numbers refer to the same or
equivalent parts of the present invention throughout the several
figures of the drawing.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0025] Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments
of the present invention(s), examples of which are illustrated in
the accompanying drawings and described below. While the
invention(s) will be described in conjunction with exemplary
embodiments, it will be understood that present description is not
intended to limit the invention(s) to those exemplary embodiments.
On the contrary, the invention(s) is/are intended to cover not only
the exemplary embodiments, but also various alternatives,
modifications, equivalents and other embodiments, which may be
included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by
the appended claims.
[0026] Referring to FIG. 3, a first embodiment of the present
invention includes an unified radiator 15 that cools all of working
fluid flowing therethrough to cool electric power components 24 and
an air-cooling type AC condenser 26 respectively, a pump 20 that is
disposed in a series with the unified radiator 15 to pump up the
working fluid in the unified radiator 15 to the electric power
components 24 or the water-cooling type AC condenser 26, a first
branch pipe 1 and a second branch pipe 2 that connect the electric
power components 24 with the water-cooling type AC condenser 26 in
parallel for the unified radiator 15 and the pump 20, and a valve 5
that is disposed to appropriately supply the working fluid from the
pump 20 to first branch pipe 1 and second branch pipe 2.
[0027] That is, the single unified radiator 15 is formed by
unifying a radiator for cooling the air-cooling type AC condenser
26 and a radiator for cooling the electric power components 24-the
radiators are separate in the related art-and valve 5 is provided
to appropriately supply the cooling water cooled through the
unified radiator 15 to first branch pipe 1 and second branch pipe
2.
[0028] The stack 22 also has a separate cooling circuit, that is,
as shown in the figure, a cooling circuit including a
stack-radiator 17, a coolant pump 28, and a reservoir tank 30.
[0029] The unified radiator 15 is positioned before the
stack-radiator 17 cooling only the stack 22 and a cooling fan is
positioned after the stack-radiator 17 such that cooling air passes
through the stack-radiator 17 after passing through the unified
radiator 15, in order that the cooling water cools first the
unified radiator 15 for the electric power components 24 and AC
condenser 26 and then cools the stack-radiator 17, because the
operating temperature of the stack 22 is relatively high.
[0030] Further, the unified radiator 15 may be integrally formed
with the stack-radiator 17 and may be formed such that only the
channel for working fluid is separated.
[0031] The pump 20 is disposed between the unified radiator 15 and
valve 5 to pump up the working fluid from the unified radiator 15
to valve 5 and a reservoir tank 34 storing the working fluid is
positioned in the downstream of the electric power components 24 at
first branch pipe 1. Further, a separate reservoir tank may be
additionally provided in second branch pipe 2 and only one
reservoir tank 34 may be positioned after first branch pipe 1 and
second branch pipe 2 converge.
[0032] Valve 5 may be a flow control valve that can independently
control flow rate of the working fluid flowing to first branch pipe
1 and the working fluid flowing to second branch pipe 2, such that
it can improve performance of cooling the electric power components
24 by controlling flow rate of the supplied working fluid in
accordance with load of the electric power components 24 and air
conditioner to reduce thermal load of the water-cooling type
air-conditioning system, if needed.
[0033] Further, in high-temperature and low-speed traveling or
idling where the load of the air conditioner is the highest,
thermal load of the electric power components 24 is relatively
small, such that the temperature of the cooling water flowing into
the water-cooling type AC condenser 26 becomes low and the pressure
of the air conditioner is reduced or the compression work of an
electric compressor is reduced, thereby contributing to improve
fuel efficiency.
[0034] Further, it is possible to reduce the number of pumps and
the reservoir tanks in the system described above, as compared with
when a cooling circuit for electric power components and a cooling
circuit for a water-cooling type AC condenser are separately
provided in the related art, such that it is possible to reduce
weight of a vehicle, ensure a space for an engine room, and
correspondingly reduce the cost of the vehicle.
[0035] Further, the unified radiator 15 described above increases
in capacity relatively to the radiator for an electric device of
the related art and slightly increases its own ventilation
resistance, but the ventilation resistance less increases than that
increased by separately providing an air-cooling type AC condenser
or a radiator for cooling an air-con coolant of the related art,
therefore, cooling efficiency can be expected to be improved due to
reduction of ventilation resistance.
[0036] FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of the present invention,
which includes an unified radiator 15 that cools all of the working
fluid flowing therethrough to cool electric power components 24 and
an AC condenser 26, respectively, a pump 20 that is disposed in a
series with the unified radiator 15 to pump up the coolant in the
unified radiator 15 to the electric power components 24 and the
water-cooling type AC condenser 26, and a single coolant pipe 7
that forms a single closed circuit by connecting in a series the
water-cooling type AC condenser 26 with the electric power
components 24, for the unified radiator 15 and the pump 20.
[0037] That is, as compared with the parallel type first
embodiment, the series type embodiment allows the working fluid
passing through the unified radiator 15 to be pumped up by the pump
20 and sequentially cool the water-cooling type AC condenser 26 and
the electric power components 24.
[0038] The pump 20 is positioned between the unified radiator 15
and the water-cooling type AC condenser 26 to pump up the working
fluid in the unified radiator 15 to the water-cooling type AC
condenser 26.
[0039] Further, the AC condenser 26 is positioned in the upstream
of the electric power components 24 at single coolant pipe 7 and a
reservoir tank 34 storing the working fluid is positioned in the
downstream of the electric power components 24 at single coolant
pipe 7.
[0040] This configuration is for the working fluid to cool the
electric power components 24 after cooling the AC condenser 26,
because the operating temperature of the water-cooling type AC
condenser 26 is lower than that of the electric power components
24.
[0041] In the present embodiment, it is possible to improve
performance of cooling the electric power components, by adjusting
the revolution number of an electric compressor that compresses the
working fluid of the air conditioner at a low level in accordance
with the operating temperature of the electric power components 24
to reduce thermal load of the air-conditioning system 26.
[0042] Further, in high-temperature and low-speed traveling or
idling where the load of the air-conditioner is the highest,
thermal load of the electric power components 24 is relatively
small, such that the temperature of the cooling water flowing into
the water-cooling type AC condenser 26 becomes low and the pressure
of the air-conditioner is reduced or the compression work of an
electric compressor is reduced, thereby contributing to improve
fuel efficiency.
[0043] The unified radiator 15 may also be integrally formed with
the stack-radiator 17 for cooling only the stack 22 such that only
the channel for the working fluid is separated.
[0044] FIG. 5 shows a third embodiment of the present invention,
which includes an unified radiator 15 that cools all of the working
fluid flowing therethrough to a stack 22 and an air-cooling type AC
condenser 26, respectively, a pump 28 that is disposed in a series
with the unified radiator 15 to pump up the coolant in the unified
radiator 15 to the stack 22 or the water-cooling type AC condenser
26, a first branch pipe 1 and a second branch pipe 2 that connects
the stack 22 with the water-cooling type AC condenser 26 in
parallel for the unified radiator 15 and the pump 28, and a valve 5
that is disposed to appropriately supply the coolant from the pump
28 to first branch pipe 1 and second branch pipe 2.
[0045] That is, the single unified radiator 15 is formed by
unifying a radiator for cooling the air-cooling type AC condenser
26 and a radiator for cooling the stack-the radiators are separated
in the related art-and valve 5 is provided to appropriately supply
the working fluid cooled through the unified radiator 15 to first
branch pipe 1 and second branch pipe 2.
[0046] The electric power components 24 also have a separate
cooling circuit, that is, as shown in the figure, a cooling circuit
including electric power components-radiator 32, a pump 20, and a
reservoir tank 34.
[0047] The unified radiator 15 is positioned after the electric
power components-radiator 32 cooling only the electric power
components 24 and a cooling fan is positioned after the unified
radiator 15 such that cooling air passes through unified radiator
15 after passing through the electric power components-radiator 32,
in order that the cooling water cools first the electric power
components-radiator 32 and then cools the unified radiator 15,
because the operating temperature of the stack 22 is relatively
high.
[0048] Further, the unified radiator 15 is integrally formed with
the electric power components-radiator 32 and may be formed such
that the channel for working fluid is separated.
[0049] The pump 28 is disposed between the unified radiator 15 and
valve 5 to pump up the working fluid from the unified radiator 15
to valve 5 and a reservoir tank 30 storing the working fluid is
positioned in the downstream of the stack 22 at first branch pipe
1. Further, a separate reservoir tank may be additionally provided
in second branch pipe 2 and only one reservoir tank may be
positioned after first branch pipe 1 and second branch pipe 2
converge.
[0050] Valve 5 may be a flow control valve that can independently
control flow rate of the working fluid flowing to first branch pipe
1 and the working fluid flowing to second branch pipe 2, such that
it can improve performance of cooling the stack 22 by controlling
flow rate of the working fluid supplied to the AC condenser 26 in
accordance with operating temperature of the stack 22 to reduce
thermal load of the water-cooling type air-conditioning system, if
needed.
[0051] Further, in high-temperature and low-speed traveling or
idling where the load of the air-conditioner is the highest,
thermal load of the stack 22 is relatively small, such that the
temperature of the cooling water flowing into the water-cooling
type AC condenser 26 becomes low and the pressure of the
air-conditioner is reduced or the compression work of an electric
compressor is reduced, thereby contributing to improve fuel
efficiency.
[0052] Further, it is possible to reduce the number of pumps and
the reservoir tanks in the system described above, as compared with
when a cooling circuit for stack and a cooling circuit for a
water-cooling type AC condenser are separately provided in the
related art, such that it is possible to reduce weight of a
vehicle, ensure a space for an engine room, and correspondingly
reduce the cost of the vehicle.
[0053] Further, the unified radiator 15 described above increases
in capacity relatively to the stack-radiator of the related art and
slightly increases its own ventilation resistance, but the
ventilation resistance less increases than that increased by
providing an air-cooling type AC condenser or a radiator for
cooling an air-con coolant of the related art, therefore, cooling
efficiency can be expected to be improved due to reduction of
ventilation resistance.
[0054] FIG. 6 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention,
which includes an unified radiator 15 that cools working fluid
flowing therethrough to cool a stack 22 and a water-cooling type AC
condenser 26, respectively, a pump 28 that is disposed in series
with the unified radiator 15 to pump up the coolant in the unified
radiator 15 to the stack 22 and the water-cooling type AC condenser
26, and a single coolant pipe 7 that forms a single closed circuit
by connecting in a series the water-cooling type AC condenser 26
with the stack 22, for the unified radiator 15 and the pump 28.
[0055] That is, as compared with the parallel type third
embodiment, the series type embodiment allows the working fluid
passing through the unified radiator 15 to be pumped up and
sequentially cool the water-cooling type AC condenser 26 and the
stack 22.
[0056] The pump 28 is positioned between the unified radiator 15
and the water-cooling type AC condenser 26 to pump up the working
fluid from the unified radiator 15 to the water-cooling type AC
condenser 26.
[0057] Further, the water-cooling type AC condenser 26 is
positioned in the upstream of the stack 22 at single coolant pipe 7
and a reservoir tank 30 storing the working fluid is positioned in
the downstream of the stack 22 at single coolant pipe 7.
[0058] This configuration is for the coolant to cool the stack 22
after cooling the AC condenser 26, because the operating
temperature of the water-cooling type AC condenser 26 is lower than
that of the stack 22.
[0059] In the present embodiment, it is possible to improve
performance of cooling the stack 22, by adjusting the revolution
number of an electric compressor that compresses the coolant of the
air conditioner at a low level in accordance with the operating
temperature of the stack 22 to reduce enthalpy of the
air-conditioning system.
[0060] Further, in high-temperature and low-speed traveling or
idling where the load of the air-conditioner is the highest,
thermal load of the stack 22 is relatively small, such that the
temperature of the cooling water flowing into the water-cooling
type AC condenser 26 becomes low and the pressure of the
air-conditioner is reduced or the compression work of an electric
compressor is reduced, thereby contributing to improve fuel
efficiency.
[0061] The unified radiator 15 may also be integrally formed with
the electric power components-radiator 32 for cooling only the
electric power components 24 such that only the channel for the
working fluid is separated.
[0062] Further, the electric power components-radiator 32 for
cooling only the electric power components 24 may be positioned
before or in parallel with the unified radiator 15 in the third
embodiment and the fourth embodiment.
[0063] For convenience in explanation and accurate definition in
the appended claims, the terms "upper stream" and "down stream" are
used to describe features of the exemplary embodiments with
reference to the positions of such features as displayed in the
figures.
[0064] The foregoing descriptions of specific exemplary embodiments
of the present invention have been presented for purposes of
illustration and description. They are not intended to be
exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms
disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are
possible in light of the above teachings. The exemplary embodiments
were chosen and described in order to explain certain principles of
the invention and their practical application, to thereby enable
others skilled in the art to make and utilize various exemplary
embodiments of the present invention, as well as various
alternatives and modifications thereof. It is intended that the
scope of the invention be defined by the Claims appended hereto and
their equivalents.
* * * * *