Thermal management systems

A thermal management method comprising:

• transporting a refrigerant fluid from a refrigerant receiver that stores refrigerant fluid, through a closed-circuit refrigeration system having a closed-circuit fluid path with the refrigerant receiver, through an ejector, an evaporator arrangement, and a liquid separator that are disposed in the closed fluid circuit path;
• and
• upon a control signal being initiated:
• transporting a portion of the refrigerant fluid from the refrigerant receiver through an open-circuit refrigeration system that has an open-circuit fluid path with the refrigerant receiver, the ejector, the evaporator arrangement, and the liquid separator, to an exhaust line, and out of the exhaust line to an ambient environment so that the portion of the refrigerant vapor is not returned to the closed-circuit fluid path;
• during exhausting the portion of the refrigerant fluid out of the exhaust line, extracting heat from at least one heat load thermally contacting the evaporator arrangement, with the heat being transferred to another portion of the refrigerant fluid converting at least a portion of the another portion of the refrigerant fluid to a refrigerant vapor;
• and
• after extracting heat, discharging the another portion of the refrigerant vapor from the exhaust line to the ambient environment so that the discharged another portion of the refrigerant vapor is not returned to the closed-circuit fluid path.

A thermal management system, comprising:

• a refrigerant receiver having a refrigerant receiver outlet and a refrigerant receiver inlet, with the refrigerant receiver configured to store a refrigerant fluid;
• an ejector having a primary flow inlet coupled to the refrigerant receiver outlet, the ejector configured to receive the refrigerant fluid, and with the ejector further having a secondary flow inlet and an outlet;
• a liquid separator having an inlet, a vapor side outlet, and a liquid side outlet;
• an expansion valve device having an expansion valve device inlet coupled to the liquid side outlet of the liquid separator and an expansion device outlet;
• a junction device having a first port coupled to the expansion valve device outlet and a third port;
• an evaporator arrangement configured to extract heat from a heat load that is proximate or in contact with the evaporator arrangement, with the evaporator arrangement coupled to the ejector and the liquid separator, the evaporator arrangement comprising:
• a first evaporator coupled between the secondary flow inlet of the ejector and the liquid side outlet of the liquid separator, with the expansion valve device configured to control a flow of refrigerant liquid from the liquid side outlet to regulate a superheat at an outlet of the first evaporator, and the junction device having a second port coupled to an inlet of the first evaporator;
• a second evaporator coupled between the outlet of the ejector and the inlet of the liquid separator;
• and
• a third evaporator having an inlet and an outlet, with the inlet coupled to the third port of the junction device;
• a closed-circuit refrigeration system having a closed-circuit fluid path including the refrigerant receiver, the evaporator arrangement, and the liquid separator, the closed-circuit refrigeration system configured to receive refrigerant fluid from the refrigerant receiver;
• and
• an open-circuit refrigeration system having an open-circuit fluid path that includes the receiver, the evaporator arrangement, and the liquid separator, with the open-circuit refrigeration system configured to receive refrigerant fluid from the refrigerant receiver.