Coolant de-aeration reservoir

• US 8,448,696 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2012
• Issued: 05/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tesla Inc.
• Original Assignee: Tesla Motors Incorporated (Tesla Inc.)
• Inventors: Johnston, Vincent George, O'Donnell, Curt Raymond
• Primary Examiner(s): Ali, Mohammad M
• Application Number:
  US13/428,649
• Publication Number:
  US 20120180997A1
• Time in Patent Office: 431 Days
• Field of Search: 165/104.32, 165/104.27, 165/111, 165/112, 165/917, 621/71, 623/04, 622/355, 622/68, 621/00, 210/664, 210/718, 210/750, 604/53, 604/78
• US Class Current: 165/104.32
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00278 for the battery arrangement of batteries B60R16/04
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/00307 Component temperature regulation using a liquid flow
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 1/00 Arrangement or mounting of electrical propulsion units B60K7/00 takes precedence; arrangement or mounting of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion B60K6/00; electric transmission arrangements B60K17/12; electric equipment or propulsion of electrically-propelled vehicles per se B60L; current-collectors for power supply lines of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L5/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 11/02 with liquid cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 11/04 Arrangement or mounting of radiators, radiator shutters, or radiator blinds B60K11/085 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2001/003 with means for cooling the electrical propulsion units
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2001/005 the electric storage means
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2001/006 the electric motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/003 to auxiliary motors, e.g. for pumps, compressors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/02 to electric heating circuits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/30 AC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/34 Cabin temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/36 Temperature of vehicle components or parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/003 relating to inverters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0046 relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0061 relating to electrical machines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/40 using propulsion power supplied by capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/18 of two or more battery modules
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/26 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/27 by heating
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 : Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 : Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 : Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 : Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

A coolant de-aeration system is provided that includes a coolant reservoir, a plurality of de-aeration chambers within the reservoir, a plurality of de-aeration chamber apertures that direct coolant flow through the de-aeration chambers, a reservoir inlet and a reservoir outlet that share a common coolant flow pathway that allows the majority of coolant to flow directly between the reservoir inlet and the reservoir outlet, and a reservoir inlet aperture that directs a portion of coolant passing along the common coolant flow pathway through the reservoir'"'"'s de-aeration chambers for de-aeration prior to being returned to the common coolant flow pathway.

Claims

1. A coolant de-aeration system, comprising:

a reservoir;

a plurality of de-aeration chambers within said reservoir;

a plurality of de-aeration chamber apertures, wherein each of said plurality of de-aeration chambers is segregated from other de-aeration chambers of said plurality of de-aeration chambers except for said plurality of de-aeration chamber apertures;

a reservoir inlet and a reservoir outlet, wherein said reservoir inlet and said reservoir outlet share a common coolant flow pathway that allows coolant to flow directly between said reservoir inlet and said reservoir outlet without passing through said plurality of de-aeration chambers; and

a reservoir inlet aperture, wherein a first portion of coolant passing from said reservoir inlet to said reservoir outlet along said common coolant flow pathway passes through said reservoir inlet aperture into one of said plurality of de-aeration chambers, wherein said plurality of de-aeration chamber apertures direct coolant flow from said reservoir inlet aperture, through said plurality of de-aeration chambers, through a reservoir outlet aperture into said common coolant flow pathway, and wherein a second portion of coolant passes directly from said reservoir inlet to said reservoir outlet along said common coolant flow pathway without passing through said plurality of de-aeration chambers.

2. The coolant de-aeration system of claim 1, wherein said reservoir inlet and said reservoir outlet are coupled to a bottom surface of said reservoir, wherein said reservoir inlet aperture passes said first portion of coolant from said reservoir inlet through said bottom surface of said reservoir to said plurality of de-aeration chambers, and wherein said reservoir outlet aperture passes said first portion of coolant from said plurality of de-aeration chambers through said bottom surface of said reservoir to said reservoir outlet.

3. The coolant de-aeration system of claim 1, wherein said first portion of coolant is comprised of 10 percent or less of coolant passing along said common coolant flow pathway from said reservoir inlet to said reservoir outlet, wherein said second portion of coolant is comprised of at least 90 percent of coolant passing along said common coolant flow pathway from said reservoir inlet to said reservoir outlet, and wherein said first portion of coolant and said second portion of coolant collectively comprise 100 percent of coolant passing along said common coolant flow pathway from said reservoir inlet to said reservoir outlet.

4. The coolant de-aeration system of claim 3, wherein said first portion of coolant is comprised of between 5 percent and 8 percent of coolant passing along said common coolant flow pathway from said reservoir inlet to said reservoir outlet, wherein said second portion of coolant is comprised of between 92 percent and 95 percent of coolant passing along said common coolant flow pathway from said reservoir inlet to said reservoir outlet, and wherein said first portion of coolant and said second portion of coolant collectively comprise 100 percent of coolant passing along said common coolant flow pathway from said reservoir inlet to said reservoir outlet.

5. The coolant de-aeration system of claim 1, wherein said reservoir is comprised of an upper member and a lower member, wherein said upper and lower members are sealed together along a reservoir seam.

6. The coolant de-aeration system of claim 1, wherein said reservoir is comprised of a plastic material.

7. The coolant de-aeration system of claim 1, wherein said reservoir is comprised of a transparent material.

8. The coolant de-aeration system of claim 1, wherein said reservoir is comprised of a semi-transparent material.

9. The coolant de-aeration system of claim 1, wherein a first subset of said plurality of de-aeration chamber apertures are located below a coolant fluid line within said reservoir and direct coolant flow from said reservoir inlet aperture, through said plurality of de-aeration chambers, through a reservoir outlet aperture into said common coolant flow pathway, and wherein a second subset of said plurality of de-aeration chamber apertures are located above said coolant fluid line within said reservoir and allow air to pass between said plurality of de-aeration chambers.

10. The coolant de-aeration system of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of said plurality of de-aeration chamber apertures are non-circularly shaped.

11. The coolant de-aeration system of claim 10, wherein a first region of each de-aeration chamber aperture of said portion of said plurality of de-aeration chamber apertures is located below a coolant fluid line within said reservoir and a second region of each de-aeration chamber aperture of said portion of said plurality of de-aeration chamber apertures is located above said coolant fluid line within said reservoir.

12. The coolant de-aeration system of claim 1, wherein a first coolant flow rate corresponding to coolant passing through said reservoir inlet aperture into one of said plurality of de-aeration chambers is substantially equivalent to a second coolant flow rate corresponding to coolant passing through said reservoir outlet aperture into said common coolant flow pathway.