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US 11,692,779 B2Granted
Flexible cooling system with thermal energy storage
AssigneeRocky Research
InventorsUwe Rockenfeller, Kaveh Khalili
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Disclosed are systems and methods of flexibly cooling thermal loads by providing a complex compound system for burst mode cooling, a vapor compression system for ancillary cooling, and a thermal storage system for helping efficiently maintain and cool a thermal load such as a directed energy weapon system.
Claims22
A thermal management system, comprising:
- one or more input valves;
- a heat exchanger configured to transfer heat from a laser system using a heat transfer fluid, wherein the heat exchanger is configured to cool a laser of the laser system;
- one or more pumps configured to receive the heat transfer fluid from the heat exchanger and provide the heat transfer fluid to the one or more input valves;
- a complex compound system configured to cool a first portion of the heat transfer fluid using a burst discharge of a fluid during an absorption period, wherein the absorption period is a period of time, and wherein the one or more input valves are configured to deliver the first portion of the heat transfer fluid to the complex compound system;
- a thermal energy storage system comprising a phase change material, wherein the thermal energy storage system is configured to cool a second portion of the heat transfer fluid during the absorption period using the phase change material, and wherein the one or more input valves are configured to deliver the second portion of the heat transfer fluid to the thermal energy storage system;
- one or more output valves configured to receive the first portion of the heat transfer fluid from the complex compound system and receive the second portion of the heat transfer fluid from the thermal energy storage system;
- and
- a control system configured to:
- detect a laser firing event of the laser;
- initiate, in response to the laser firing event, cooling the first portion of the heat transfer fluid using the complex compound system;
- monitor a temperature of the laser system during the absorption period, and
- increase, based on the temperature, a flow rate of the second portion of the heat transfer fluid delivered by the one or more input valves to the thermal energy storage system.
9 more elements
A thermal management system, comprising:
- one or more input valves;
- a heat exchanger configured to transfer heat from a laser system using a heat transfer fluid, wherein the heat exchanger is configured to cool a laser of the laser system;
- one or more pumps configured to receive the heat transfer fluid from the heat exchanger and provide the heat transfer fluid to the one or more input valves;
- a complex compound system configured to cool a first portion of the heat transfer fluid using a burst discharge of a fluid during an absorption period, wherein the absorption period is a period of time, and wherein the one or more input valves are configured to deliver the first portion of the heat transfer fluid to the complex compound system;
- a thermal energy storage system comprising a phase change material, wherein the thermal energy storage system is configured to cool a second portion of the heat transfer fluid during the absorption period using the phase change material, and wherein the one or more input valves are configured to deliver the second portion of the heat transfer fluid to the thermal energy storage system
- one or more output valves configured to receive the first portion of the heat transfer fluid from the complex compound system and receive the second portion of the heat transfer fluid from the thermal energy storage system;
- a control system configured to:
- detect a laser firing event of the laser;
- initiate, in response to the laser firing event, cooling the first portion of the heat transfer fluid using the complex compound system;
- monitor a temperature of the laser system during the absorption period, and
- increase, based on the temperature, a low rate of the second portion of the heat transfer fluid to the thermal energy storage system;
- and
- a vector control system communicating with the one or more pumps to increase the energy efficiency of the thermal management system.
10 more elements
A method of cooling a heat load, comprising:
- transferring heat, using a heat exchanger, from a laser system using a heat transfer fluid, wherein the heat exchanger is configured to cool a laser of the laser system;
- receiving, using one or more pumps, the heat transfer fluid from the heat exchanger and providing, using the one or more pumps, the heat transfer fluid to one or more input valves;
- delivering, using the one or more input valves, a first portion of the heat transfer fluid to a complex compound system and a second portion of the heat transfer fluid to a thermal energy storage system, wherein the complex compound system comprises a phase change material;
- detecting, using a control system, a laser firing event of the laser;
- initiating, using the control system, and in response to the laser firing event, cooling, using the complex compound system, the first portion of the heat transfer fluid using a burst discharge of a fluid during an absorption period, wherein the absorption period is a period of time;
- cooling, using the thermal energy storage system, the second portion of the heat transfer fluid during the absorption period using the phase change material;
- receiving, using one or more output valves, the first portion of the heat transfer fluid from the complex compound system and the second portion of the heat transfer fluid from the thermal energy storage system;
- monitoring, using a control system, a temperature of the laser system during the absorption period;
- and
- increasing, using the control system, a flow rate of the second portion of the heat transfer fluid delivered by the one or more input valves to the thermal energy storage system based on the temperature.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.