SYSTEM, METHOD, AND APPARATUS FOR INTEGRATED HYBRID POWER SYSTEM THERMAL MANAGEMENT

• US 20120152186A1
• Filed: 12/20/2010
• Published: 06/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cummins Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Cummins Incorporated
• Inventors: Sujan, Vivek Anand, Al-Khayat, Nazar, Nagabhushana, Bangalore Siddalingappa
• Granted Patent: US 8,742,701 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 123/41.09
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2050/24 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 3/20 Cooling circuits not specific to a single part of engine or machine F01P3/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 7/165 characterised by systems with two or more loops
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/613 Cooling or keeping cold
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/625 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/63 Control systems charging or discharging in response to temperature H01M10/44 , H01M10/443; measurement of temperature H01M10/48 , H01M10/486
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/66 Heat-exchange relationships between the cells and other systems, e.g. central heating systems or fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/20 Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A system includes an engine and a first coolant thermally coupled to the engine and circulated by a first pump; a hybrid battery pack thermally coupled to a second coolant circulated by a second pump; and an electric component thermally coupled to the second coolant. The system includes a first heat exchanger that transfers thermal energy between the first coolant and the second coolant. The system includes a second heat exchanger that transfers thermal energy between the second coolant and the auxiliary fluid stream having a temperature below a target operating temperature for the hybrid battery pack. The system includes a first bypass for the first or second coolant at the first heat exchanger, a second bypass for the second coolant or the auxiliary fluid stream at the second heat exchanger, and a component bypass for the second coolant at the hybrid battery pack or the electric component.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

an internal combustion engine and a first coolant thermally coupled to the internal combustion engine and circulated by a first pump;

an electric component and a second coolant thermally coupled to the electric component and circulated by a second pump;

a first heat exchanger structured to transfer thermal energy between the first coolant and the second coolant; and

an auxiliary fluid stream having a temperature below a target operating temperature for the electric component; and

a second heat exchanger structured to transfer thermal energy between the second coolant and the auxiliary fluid stream.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the electric component comprises a battery pack of a hybrid power system.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a first bypass valve structured to bypass a selectable portion of one of the second coolant and the first coolant around the first heat exchanger.

4. The system of claim 3, further comprising a controller structured to interpret a current electric component operating temperature and a first threshold operating temperature, and to control the first bypass valve in response to the current electric component operating temperature and the first threshold operating temperature.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising a second bypass valve structured to bypass a selectable portion of one of the second coolant and the auxiliary fluid stream around the second heat exchanger.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the controller is further structured to interpret a second threshold operating temperature, and to control the second bypass valve in response to the current electric component operating temperature and the second threshold operating temperature.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the controller is further structured to control the first bypass valve and the second bypass valve to maintain the current electric component operating temperature between the first threshold operating temperature and the second threshold operating temperature.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a second bypass valve structured to bypass a selectable portion of one of the second coolant and the auxiliary fluid stream around the second heat exchanger.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising a controller structured to interpret a current electric component operating temperature and a second threshold operating temperature, and to control the second bypass valve in response to the current electric component operating temperature and the second threshold operating temperature.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary fluid stream comprises a fluid selected from the fluids consisting of:

an evaporator gas and a condenser liquid.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary fluid stream comprises an ambient air stream.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising a second electric component and an electric component bypass valve structured to bypass a selectable portion of the second coolant around one of the first electric component and the second electric component.

13. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one additional electric component, the second coolant thermally coupled to the at least one additional electric component;

a first bypass valve structured to bypass a selectable portion of one of the second coolant and the first coolant around the first heat exchanger;

a second bypass valve structured to bypass a selectable portion of one of the second coolant and the auxiliary fluid stream around the second heat exchanger; and

at least one component bypass valve structured to bypass a selectable portion of the second coolant around one of the electric component and the at least one additional electric component.

14. A system, comprising:

an internal combustion engine and a first coolant thermally coupled to the internal combustion engine and circulated by a first pump;

a hybrid battery pack and a second coolant thermally coupled to the hybrid battery pack and circulated by a second pump;

an additional electric component, the second coolant thermally coupled to the additional electric component;

a first heat exchanger structured to transfer thermal energy between the first coolant and the second coolant;

an auxiliary fluid stream having a temperature below a target operating temperature for the hybrid battery pack;

a second heat exchanger structured to transfer thermal energy between the second coolant and the auxiliary fluid stream;

a first bypass valve structured to bypass a selectable portion of one of the second coolant and the first coolant around the first heat exchanger;

a second bypass valve structured to bypass a selectable portion of one of the second coolant and the auxiliary fluid stream around the second heat exchanger; and

at least one component bypass valve structured to bypass a selectable portion of the second coolant around one of the hybrid battery pack and the additional electric component.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising a controller structured to:

interpret a current temperature of the hybrid battery pack and a current temperature of the additional electric component; and

control the first bypass valve, the second bypass valve, and the at least one component bypass valve in response to the current temperature of the hybrid battery pack and the current temperature of the additional electric component.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising the controller structured to control the first bypass valve, the second bypass valve, and the at least one component bypass valve to maintain the current temperature of the hybrid battery pack within a battery pack temperature operational window, and to maintain the current temperature of the additional electric component within an additional electric component temperature operational window.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the additional electric component comprises an electric component selected from the electric components consisting of:

an electric motor, an electric generator, an electric motor-generator, and a power electronics component.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the second coolant flows through, in order, the first heat exchanger, the additional electric component, and the hybrid battery pack, and wherein the target operating temperature for the hybrid battery pack is lower than a second target operating temperature for the additional electric component.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the second heat exchanger is positioned between the additional electric component and the hybrid battery pack.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising a third electric component, the second coolant thermally coupled to the third electric component, wherein the third electric component is positioned between the second heat exchanger and the hybrid battery pack.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein a third target operating temperature for the third electric component is lower than the second target operating temperature.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the target operating temperature for the hybrid battery pack is lower than the third target operating temperature.

23. A method, comprising:

interpreting a temperature of a hybrid battery pack;

circulating a second coolant thermally coupled to the hybrid battery pack;

in response to the temperature of the hybrid battery pack being below a first threshold operating temperature, increasing a heat transfer rate of a first heat exchanger, the first heat exchanger structured to transfer thermal energy between an engine coolant and the second coolant; and

in response to the temperature of the hybrid battery pack being above a second threshold operating temperature, increasing a heat transfer rate of a second heat exchanger, the second heat exchanger structured to transfer thermal energy between an auxiliary fluid stream and the second coolant.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising interpreting a temperature of an additional electric component, wherein the increasing the heat transfer rate of the first heat exchanger is further in response to the temperature of the additional electric component being below a third threshold temperature, and wherein the increasing the heat transfer rate of the second heat exchanger is further in response to the temperature of the additional electric component being above a fourth threshold temperature.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising bypassing at least a portion of the second coolant around one of the hybrid battery pack and the additional electric component in response to a temperature of the second coolant, the current temperature of the hybrid battery pack, and the current temperature of the additional electric component.

26. The method of claim 24, further comprising interpreting a target temperature of the second coolant in response to the temperature of the hybrid battery pack and the temperature of the additional electric component, wherein the increasing the heat transfer rate of the first heat exchanger and the increasing the heat transfer rate of the second heat exchanger is further in response to the target temperature of the second coolant.

27. A system, comprising:

an internal combustion engine and a first coolant thermally coupled to the internal combustion engine and circulated by a first pump;

a hybrid battery pack and a second coolant thermally coupled to the hybrid battery pack and circulated by a second pump;

a first heat exchanger structured to transfer thermal energy between the first coolant and the second coolant;

an auxiliary fluid stream having a temperature below a target operating temperature for the hybrid battery pack;

a second heat exchanger structured to transfer thermal energy between the second coolant and the auxiliary fluid stream; and

a means for controlling a temperature of the hybrid battery pack within a battery pack operational temperature window.

28. The system of claim 27, further comprising an additional electric component, the second coolant thermally coupled to the additional electric component, and a means for controlling a temperature of the additional electric component within an additional electric component operational temperature window.

29. The system of claim 28, further comprising a means for controlling the temperature of the hybrid battery pack to a target battery pack temperature within the battery pack operational temperature window, and a means for controlling the temperature of the additional electric component to a target additional electric component temperature within the additional electric component operational temperature window.