Waste heat accumulator/distributor system

• US 9,771,853 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2010
• Issued: 09/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Benoit, Ryan J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Amick, Jacob
• Assistant Examiner(s): BRAUCH, CHARLES JOSEPH
• Application Number:
  US12/715,494
• Publication Number:
  US 20110214629A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,765 Days
• Field of Search: 123 4109, 123 4106, 123 4102, 123 4105, 123 4108, 123 4114, 123 4182 R
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00492 comprising regenerative heating or cooling means, e.g. heat accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/00307 Component temperature regulation using a liquid flow
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 33/08 of power plant cooling systems cooling of internal-combustion engines per se F01P; cooling of gas-turbine plants or jet-propulsion plants per se F02C, F02K
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 1/06 Arrangements for cooling other engine or machine parts
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2007/146 using valves
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2025/32 Engine outcoming fluid temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2050/04 using direct cooling
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2050/24 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2060/045 for transmissions
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2060/08 Cabin heater
• 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 3/207 liquid-to-liquid heat-exchanging relative to marine vessels
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 7/023 Cowlings for airplane engines
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 7/10 by throttling amount of air flowing through liquid-to-air heat exchangers
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 7/12 by thermostatic control
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 7/16 by thermostatic control
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 7/164 by varying pump speed
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 7/165 characterised by systems with two or more loops
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 57/0417 Heat exchangers adapted or integrated in the gearing
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 15/00 Heat-exchange apparatus with the intermediate heat-transfer medium in closed tubes passing into or through the conduit walls ; Heat-exchange apparatus employing intermediate heat-transfer medium or bodies F28D17/00, F28D19/00, F28D20/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 2021/008 : for vehicles for aircrafts F28D2021/0021
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/14 : Thermal energy storage

Abstract

A waste heat accumulator/distributor system for use in a vehicle. The system includes an engine coolant loop directing engine coolant through a power plant, a powertrain electronics coolant loop directing electronics coolant through a powertrain electronics system; and a transmission fluid loop directing transmission fluid through a transmission. The system includes a multi-fluid heat exchanger including an engine coolant inlet receiving the engine coolant from the engine coolant loop, an electronics coolant inlet receiving the electronics coolant from the powertrain electronic coolant loop, and a transmission fluid inlet receiving the transmission fluid from the transmission fluid loop; a first valve controllable to cause engine coolant to flow into the engine coolant inlet or to bypass the engine coolant inlet; and a second valve controllable to cause electronics coolant to flow into the electronics coolant inlet or to bypass the electronics coolant inlet.

Claims

1. A waste heat accumulator/distributor system for use in a vehicle comprising:

an engine coolant loop configured to direct engine coolant through a power plant;

a powertrain electronics coolant loop configured to direct electronics coolant through a powertrain electronics system;

a transmission fluid loop configured to direct transmission fluid through a transmission;

a multi-fluid heat exchanger including an engine coolant inlet configured to selectively receive the engine coolant from the engine coolant loop, an electronics coolant inlet configured to selectively receive the electronics coolant from the powertrain electronic coolant loop, and a transmission fluid inlet configured to selectively receive the transmission fluid from the transmission fluid loop, whereby heat transfer between the engine coolant, the electronics coolant and the transmission fluid can occur in the multi-fluid heat exchanger;

a first valve controllable to selectively cause the engine coolant to flow into the engine coolant inlet or to bypass the engine coolant inlet of the multi-fluid heat exchanger; and

a second valve controllable to selectively cause the electronics coolant to flow into the electronics coolant inlet or to bypass the electronics coolant inlet of the multi-fluid heat exchanger.

2. The waste heat accumulator/distributor system of claim 1 including a passenger cabin heating loop, and wherein the multi-fluid heat exchanger includes an electronics coolant outlet, and the electronics coolant outlet and the second valve selectively direct the electronics coolant to the passenger cabin heating loop.

3. The waste heat accumulator/distributor system of claim 1 wherein the engine coolant loop includes a thermostat valve, an engine radiator and a radiator bypass line, the multi-fluid heat exchanger includes an engine coolant outlet, and the thermostat valve is actuatable such that the engine coolant outlet selectively directs the engine coolant through the engine radiator or the radiator bypass line.

4. The waste heat accumulator/distributor system of claim 1 wherein the powertrain electronics coolant loop includes a controllable valve, a powertrain electronics radiator and a radiator bypass line, the multi-fluid heat exchanger includes an electronics coolant outlet, and the controllable valve is actuatable such that the electronics coolant outlet selectively directs the electronics coolant through the powertrain electronics radiator or the bypass line.

5. The waste heat accumulator/distributor system of claim 1 wherein the multi-fluid heat exchanger includes an outer housing, an inner housing spaced from and located within the outer housing, and insulation located between the outer housing and the inner housing.

6. The waste heat accumulator/distributor system of claim 1 wherein the multi-fluid heat exchanger includes an engine coolant tube configured to direct the engine coolant therethrough, an electronics coolant tube configured to direct the electronics coolant therethrough, a transmission fluid tube configured to direct the transmission fluid therethrough, a housing surrounding the engine coolant tube, the electronics coolant tube and the transmission fluid tube, and a void between the housing and the tubes, the void being filled with air.

7. The waste heat accumulator/distributor system of claim 1 wherein the multi-fluid heat exchanger includes an engine coolant tube configured to direct the engine coolant therethrough, an electronics coolant tube configured to direct the electronics coolant therethrough, a transmission fluid tube configured to direct the transmission fluid therethrough, a housing surrounding the engine coolant tube, the electronics coolant tube and the transmission fluid tube, and a void between the housing and the tubes, the void being filled with a phase change material.

8. The waste heat accumulator/distributor system of claim 7 wherein the phase change material is at least one of barium hydroxide and Glauber'"'"'s salt.

9. The waste heat accumulator/distributor system of claim 1 wherein the multi-fluid heat exchanger includes an engine coolant tube configured to direct the engine coolant therethrough, an electronics coolant tube configured to direct the electronics coolant therethrough, a transmission fluid tube configured to direct the transmission fluid therethrough, the transmission fluid tube being located between the engine coolant tube and the electronics coolant tube.

10. The waste heat accumulator/distributor system of claim 1 wherein the power plant is an internal combustion engine through which the engine coolant flows.

11. The waste heat accumulator/distributor system of claim 1 wherein the powertrain electronics system includes at least one of an on-board charging module, a power inverter module and a traction power inverter module through which the electronics coolant flows.

12. A method of operating a waste heat accumulator/distributor system in a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) directing engine coolant through an engine in an engine coolant loop;

(b) directing electronics coolant through a powertrain electronics system in a powertrain electronics coolant loop;

(c) directing transmission fluid through a transmission in a transmission fluid loop;

(d) selectively directing the engine coolant through or bypassing a multi-fluid heat exchanger as the engine coolant flows through the engine coolant loop;

(e) selectively directing the electronics coolant through or bypassing the multi-fluid heat exchanger as the electronics coolant flows through the powertrain electronics coolant loop; and

(f) directing the transmission fluid through the multi-fluid heat exchanger as the transmission fluid flows through the transmission fluid loop.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein step (d) is further defined by actuating a first valve to direct the engine coolant through the multi-fluid heat exchanger or to bypass the multi-fluid heat exchanger.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein step (e) is further defined by actuating a second valve to direct the electronics coolant through the multi-fluid heat exchanger or to bypass the multi-fluid heat exchanger.

15. The method of claim 12 including step (g), directing the electronics coolant flowing through the powertrain electronics coolant loop to flow through a passenger cabin heating loop.

16. The method of claim 12 including step (g), providing a phase change material in the multi-fluid heat exchanger and storing heat energy in the phase change material.