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US 11,313,594 B1Granted
Thermal management systems for extended operation
AssigneeBooz Allen Hamilton Inc.
InventorsJames A. Davis, Igor Vaisman, Joshua Peters
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Thermal management systems include an open circuit refrigeration system featuring a first receiver configured to store a gas, a second receiver configured to store a liquid refrigerant fluid, an evaporator configured to extract heat from a heat load that contacts the evaporator, and an exhaust line, where the first receiver, the second receiver, the evaporator, and the exhaust line are connected to provide a refrigerant fluid flow path.
Claims35
A thermal management system, comprising:
- an open circuit refrigeration system that has a refrigerant fluid flow path, with the refrigerant fluid flow path comprising:
- a first receiver configured to store a gas, the gas stored at a high initial pressure;
- a second receiver configured to store a liquid refrigerant fluid, the liquid refrigerant fluid stored at a lower initial pressure relative to that of the gas, with the second receiver coupled to the first receiver;
- an evaporator coupled to the second receiver and configured to receive refrigerant fluid from the second receiver and extract heat from a heat load that contacts the evaporator converting at least some of the refrigerant fluid into refrigerant vapor;
- a recuperative heat exchanger that has a first fluid path that receives the refrigerant fluid from the second receiver and a second fluid path that provides thermal contact between the refrigerant leaving the receiver and refrigerant vapor passed from the evaporator into the recuperative heat exchanger;
- and
- an exhaust line that discharges refrigerant vapor without returning the discharged refrigerant vapor to the second receiver.
4 more elements
A thermal management method, comprising:
- transporting a refrigerant fluid along a refrigerant fluid flow path that extends from a refrigerant receiver through an evaporator and a recuperative heat exchanger to an exhaust line, the refrigerant receiver storing the refrigerant fluid at a low pressure;
- extracting heat from a heat load in contact with the evaporator by converting at least some of the refrigerant fluid into refrigerant vapor;
- transporting a gas from a gas receiver to the refrigerant receiver, at least prior to transporting or during transporting of the refrigerant fluid, to control a vapor pressure in the refrigerant receiver, with the gas stored at a high initial pressure relative to the lower pressure of the refrigerant fluid;
- transferring heat to the refrigerant fluid from refrigerant receiver and being transported through a first fluid path in the recuperative heat exchanger from refrigerant fluid exiting the evaporator and being transported through a second fluid path in the recuperative heat exchanger;
- and
- discharging the refrigerant fluid from the exhaust line so that the discharged refrigerant fluid is not returned to the refrigerant fluid flow path.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.