US 11,629,901 B1 · Thermal management systems

Abstract

Thermal management systems are described. These systems include a refrigerant receiver configured to store a refrigerant fluid, an evaporator, a closed-circuit refrigeration system having a closed fluid circuit path, with the refrigerant receiver and evaporator disposed in the closed fluid circuit path, and the closed fluid circuit path including a condenser and compressor. These systems also include a modulation capacity control circuit configured to selectively divert refrigerant vapor flow to the condenser from the compressor by diverting a portion of refrigerant vapor flow (diverted flow) from the compressor to the refrigerant receiver in accordance with cooling capacity demand. These systems also include an open-circuit refrigeration system having an open fluid circuit path with the refrigerant receiver and the evaporator, and an exhaust line that discharges the refrigerant fluid from the exhaust line so that the discharged refrigerant fluid is not returned to the open-circuit and the closed-circuit refrigerant fluid flow paths.

Claims36

Dependent claims

A thermal management system (system), comprises:

a receiver having an inlet and an outlet, the receiver configured to store a refrigerant fluid;
an evaporator having an inlet and an outlet, the evaporator configurable to extract heat from a first heat load and a second heat load in proximity to the evaporator;
a closed-circuit refrigeration system including a condenser having an inlet and an outlet and a compressor having an inlet and an outlet, the closed-circuit refrigeration system having a closed-circuit fluid path with the receiver, the evaporator, the condenser, and the compressor;
a modulation capacity control circuit to modulate cooling capacity of the closed-circuit refrigeration system in accordance with a cooling capacity demand on the closed-circuit refrigeration system that results at least in part from extraction of the heat from the first heat load;
and
an open-circuit refrigeration system having an open-circuit fluid path with the receiver and the evaporator, with the open circuit refrigeration system configured to discharge refrigerant vapor produced by extraction of the heat from the second heat load such that the discharged refrigerant vapor is not returned to the receiver.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Thermal management systems

Life of this patent

Thermal management systems

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims36