Recuperative battery cooling system as emergency power source
AssigneeRolls-Royce North American Technologies Inc.
InventorDavid R. Trawick
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A thermal management system and method for regulating the dissipation of a thermal load during operation of a vehicle. The thermal management system including one or more cooling loops configured to regulate the temperature of at least one battery pack; and an energy recovery mechanism configured to recover energy dissipated upon the occurrence of a thermal runaway event. The amount of energy recovered maintains the power level at or above the level exhibited by the battery pack prior to the occurrence of the thermal runaway event. Upon the occurrence of the thermal runaway event, the energy recovery mechanism transforms the cooling loop into a Rankine cycle loop or uses a Seebeck effect to recover energy.
Claims17
A thermal management system to regulate the dissipation of a thermal load during operation of a vehicle, the thermal management system comprising:
- one or more cooling loops comprising a pump, a heat exchanger, and at least one battery pack in fluid communication with each other, the one or more cooling loops being configured to regulate the temperature of the at least one battery pack;
- and
- an energy recovery mechanism comprising a first valve, a second valve, and at least one of a steam turbine or a thermoelectric generator in fluid communication with each other, wherein the first and second valves are located between the battery pack and the heat exchanger, the first and second valves being downstream of the battery pack and upstream of the heat exchanger, wherein the first valve is upstream of the least one of the steam turbine or the thermoelectric generator and the second valve is downstream of the at least one of the steam turbine or the thermoelectric generator, the energy recovery mechanism being configured to recover energy dissipated upon the occurrence of a thermal runaway event;
- wherein the amount of energy recovered maintains the power level at or above the level exhibited by the battery pack prior to the occurrence of the thermal runaway event.
A method of regulating the dissipation of a thermal load during operation of a vehicle, the method comprising:
- providing a thermal management system that comprises one or more cooling loops and an energy recovery mechanism, the one or more cooling loops comprising a pump, a heat exchanger, and at least one battery pack in fluid communication with each other, the energy recovery mechanism comprising a first valve, a second valve, and at least one of a steam turbine or a thermoelectric generator in fluid communication with each other, wherein the first and second valves are located between the battery pack and the heat exchanger, the first and second valves being downstream of the battery pack and upstream of the heat exchanger, wherein the first valve is upstream of the least one of the steam turbine or the thermoelectric generator and the second valve is downstream of the at least one of the steam turbine or the thermoelectric generator;
- circulating a fluid through the cooling loop to regulate the temperature of the at least one battery pack;
- and
- using the energy recovery mechanism upon the occurrence of a thermal runaway event to recover an amount of energy that maintains the power level at or above the level exhibited by the battery pack prior to the occurrence of the thermal runaway event.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.